So na rCh ar t L i v e
Story & Photos
BY TYLER BRINKS
TM
live mapping with
O
ut of all the recent advancements in tech-
nology that help anglers locate and catch
more bass, the changes in mapping are the
ones that excite me the most. The ability to map your own lake is something
that has changed how I fish many lakes that were
previously “left off the map” - literally.
One of the new changes is the ability of map
live before your eyes. There are several different
products that will allow you to do this, but Navionics
SonarChart Live is one of the easiest to use and also
one of the most widely used.
I’ll walk you through what you need to get started.
SONARCHART LIVE
SonarChart Live can be done with the Vexilar T-Box or Lowrance wireless module for HDS units. I have used both and found that both of these methods easily connect to the Navionics app. The Navionics Boating app on your Android, iPhone or iPad will quickly connect to the Wi-Fi signal from your Lowrance or the Vexilar unit just like connecting to the Wi-Fi at your house or a coffee shop. The Raymarine Dragonfly 4 and 5 PRO and Wi-Fish units are also able to do live mapping with SonarChart Live.
Vexilar TBox connected to external power
66
INSTALLATION
If you are running a Lowrance HDS Gen3 unit, you are ready to go without any installation. Just connect your device to Wi-Fi and open the Navionics Boating app. If not, some additional items will be needed and a simple installation will be required.
My boat has two Lowrance HDS-12 Gen2 Touch units and needed the additional wireless module before I could start doing live mapping.
The Lowrance GoFree WIFI-1 Module is available to purchase at many locations. I found installation to be pretty straightforward and it was easy enough for me to do myself without any background in installing marine electronics.
Connecting the power and adding a few screws was simple and the included instructions helped me with the wiring.
The tricky part was maneuvering the Ethernet cable to connect to my console unit. The included 6-ft cable was not long enough in my case and I purchased a longer cable to make it work.
The Vexilar SonarPhone T-BOX was my first experience
with live
Vexilar TBox mounting
®