LakeMaster and Navionics - A comparison of the 2008 chips

[schweady]

I have completed a couple of Excel spreadsheets that compare the lakes mapped on the latest LakeMaster and Navionics map chips.

One of them takes a look at the changes made as the 2006, 2007, and 2008 LakeMaster chips came out. Some of the information on the spreadsheet:

748 lakes appear in my 2008 list, 2 fewer than the 750 that LakeMaster lists as their total. I also list 126 ProMap lakes, 4 fewer than LakeMaster claims. This is perhaps due to 'North,' 'South,' 'Big,' 'Little,' etc. designations on some lake names. Some of it might just be human error... most likely mine. A year ago, 480 lakes appeared for the first time on the 2007 chip. 9 of them made their debut as ProMaps (High Definition). 14 additional lakes which were 5- or 10-foot contour lakes on the 2006 chip were upgraded to ProMaps for 2007. This time around, just 18 new lakes appear for the first time on the 2008 chip. 17 of them make their debut as ProMaps (High Definition). 29 additional lakes which were 5- or 10-foot contour lakes on the 2007 chip were upgraded to ProMaps for 2008. 18 lakes which appeared on the 2007 chip are no longer mapped on the 2008 chip: 10 in South Dakota, 7 in Michigan, and 1 in Iowa. (Perhaps they've reached the chip's storage limit??)

The other spreadsheet compares the most detailed lakes on the 2008 chips from the two manufacturers (LakeMaster ProMaps and Navionics High-Definition maps). Among other information:

My list for the updated LakeMaster 2008 Minnesota chip has 748 contoured lakes, including 126 ProMap lakes. (LakeMaster actually claims 750 contoured and 130 ProMap lakes in their advertising.) If it's wider coverage you're after (although they're mostly maps from public sources such as DNR, NOAA, USGS, USACE and others), Navionics lists an incredible 6,436 lakes with contours on their 2008 HotMaps Premium North chip. One caveat: I've found that Navionics' number is padded significantly by duplicate listings like "Red Lake (Upper)" and "Upper Red Lake," etc. and by many lakes listed once as a 'regular' map and again as a High-Definition map. 240 Navionics High-Definition survey lakes are listed here, along with 9 LakeMaster ProMaps that are on their chip, bringing the total to 249 very detailed lake maps.

Post an email address and I'll send you my chip comparison spreadsheet files.

[schweady]

All yours...

[Bassnpike001]

[email protected]

[dirtking]

[email protected]

Thanks

[sparcebag]

[email protected]

Thanks schweady

[schweady]

There you go, guys.

[Backwash]

[email protected]

Thanks schweady

[schweady]

Hey, Backwash:

I sent you this back in April... But here's another copy.

Enjoy!

[Goosepride]

[email protected]

Thanks!

[schweady]

There you go, Goose.

That's 115 out the door.