connecting 2 lowrance HDS to use the charts off just one

[Adam and Hayley]

So I thought I was being clever buying a HDS 7 from the USA. BIG mistake. a message comes up to say it's not to be used outside the 30th parallel (or something like that). and now I know why... When I'm in the solent it puts me squarely inland in Eastleigh!

So the question is can I turn off the GPS from this unit and get it to pick up the data (via my nmea network) from my HDS5?

I know you can share sonar but I don't know about GPS or how to do it...

otherwise does anyone want to but a slightly inaccurate HDS7???!!!

I guess the other thing to do is to look out for a screen damaged hds7 and swap my good screen over?


Any thoughts (apart from next time don't be a clever clogs!)

[willk]

Lowrance say:

Units designed for sale in the Americas will have limited Language and Units

functionality outside of a zone defined as 30 degrees West longitude on the

East and the International Date Line on the West. Language options will be

restricted to English (US) only and Units will be restricted to non-metric

measures.

Units sold with Enhanced US Basemap, Nautic Insight, Lake Insight or Insight

USA units are impacted and will not have this functionality outside of the

defined region. Units sold with WorldWide Basemap will function without

these restrictions.

Have you used a UK map in your USA unit yet? Your plotters will certainly share a map card - but over Ethernet, not NMEA2000. I doubt that pointing the unit to another GPS will make any difference to what you are seeing, although it can be done. I'd have a play with the UK chart in the unit and mess about with GPS formats - see what happens.

[Adam and Hayley]

Mines the USA insight and no I didn't try a UK map (never occurred to me!). I just used the basemap. I guess that's the next thing to try

: (

[jonp]

I'm sure it can be done as it asks which unit you want to source the data from in the menu. When I ran a hds8 and 7 I could choose which one had what and where it shared it from. ( I use gen 3 hds 12 now )

The problem is you then need to buy the black box lss1 or lss2 as well as the nmea start up kit as well as ethernet cables etc. This isn't needed with the newer units as that part is now built in, so just a cable is needed.

Those who upgraded to the newer units over here mostly gave away the old black box lss units so you may be able to find one somewhere cheap or free. I would try and find someone with this installed in their boat and find if they would mind checking if yours networks before splashing out more cash.

The easiest option though is to just run them seperate and have the bigger hds7 for sonar, I know it's a pain but might be the least frustrating.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Adam and Hayley

Mines the USA insight and no I didn't try a UK map (never occurred to me!). I just used the basemap. I guess that's the next thing to try

: (

Is it gen3? On the gen 3 you can tell the unit which gps source to use, internal/external etc. I might be interested in buying if you decide to sell.

[Adam and Hayley]

Deffo NOT gen 3. I've ordered an ethernet cable and I'll give that a try as well as a SD card otherwise I may well be PMing you.

: (

[jonp]

Originally Posted by Adam and Hayley

Deffo NOT gen 3. I've ordered an ethernet cable and I'll give that a try as well as a SD card otherwise I may well be PMing you.

: (

It wont connect without the lss box, or should I say they will connect but you need the lss 1 or 2 for power and communication between units. Do you have one?

[Adam and Hayley]

Nope

No lss box

[willk]

Originally Posted by Adam and Hayley

Nope

No lss box

It would be hugely helpful if you told us which model 7" you bought - Gen 1 or Gen 2, buttons or Touchscreen. Gen 2 units communicate with a cable only.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by willk

It would be hugely helpful if you told us which model 7" you bought - Gen 1 or Gen 2, buttons or Touchscreen. Gen 2 units communicate with a cable only.

Well, it's not Gen3, we've managed to extract that nugget[emoji57]

[Adam and Hayley]

P H E W!!

The navionics card cures the problem.

[Adam and Hayley]

[Pikey Dave]

Result [emoji106]

[Adam and Hayley]

you bet!

not only for me as I don't have to rip out a useless 7" piece of plastic

but it now means we know that the USA insights with a navionics card is a bloody good bargain!!!

[willk]

Worth noting it only runs Imperial Units - potentially confusing in Metric Land. That screen warning would put me off too.

Glad my guess was right though!

[Pikey Dave]

Can you update it with "local" firmware ?

[ncp]

Originally Posted by willk

Worth noting it only runs Imperial Units - potentially confusing in Metric Land.

But knots here (USA) should be the same as knots there???

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by ncp

But knots here (USA) should be the same as knots there???

Yeah, but we like our depth in metres , our temp in Celsius & our beer warm[emoji1]

[willk]

Originally Posted by ncp

But knots here (USA) should be the same as knots there???

Yes. The engine data will likely only run in US Gallons per Nm or some variant of the same. I bet they have nobbled litres. That and your gallons (and pints ) are only Fun-sized units.

[Adam and Hayley]

Regrettably my Honda engine is about 3 months and a few hundred engines too old for nmea2k engine data (2005)

....

I'm still just ecstatic that the chart now shows me in the blue rather than in a yellowish nothing- especially having cut a dirty great hole in the console!