To enjoy all Insight Genesis features, update your sonar/GPS unit’s software

When was the last time you updated the software on your boat’s sonar/GPS unit(s)? If you don’t remember, it’s time to install an update!

To enjoy all the Insight Genesis and other GoFree features of which your sonar-GPS unit is capable, you must be running up-to-date software. A recent software upgrade, for example, enables Premium Insight Genesis subscribers to assign custom colors to highlight depth ranges that are of the most interest to them (stay tuned to this blog for for a soon-to-be published how-to article!). Additionally, if your sonar/GPS unit is not running up-to-date software, your Insight Genesis maps will not likely display properly — or not display at all, in some cases. Outdated software can also result in maps that are slow to load and/or slow to refresh as you drive across the water.

Click “Continue reading …” below for step-by-step instructions. Learn better by watching than reading? Watch THIS VIDEO.

How to back up Lowrance HDS waypoints before upgrading software for new C-MAP Genesis features

Whenever we release new a feature for C-MAP Genesis, anglers and boaters must often download and install new software (often also called “firmware”) to enable their Lowrance, Simrad or B&G unit(s) to run the latest and the greatest. One such software upgrade, for example, allows Genesis users to set custom color palettes to highlight the depth ranges that are of most interest to them.

But before you upgrade your software/firmware, we recommend you first back-up all of your waypoints, tracks and trails by saving them on an SD card.

How to use multiple C-MAP Genesis maps on your sonar/GPS unit

Anglers and boaters can use multiple C-MAP Genesis maps on the same SD card or mini-SD card. This functionality is available for charts downloaded for free from Social Map and for custom Genesis Edge maps that users create with sonar recordings made with their own Lowrance depthfinders.

“We want to make C-MAP Genesis maps as easy to use as possible,” says Genesis Product Manager Matt Johnson. “We know keeping track of multiple SD cards can be difficult, as they are easily misplaced and lost. This advancement allows anglers, cruisers and sailors to keep their Insight Genesis custom maps conveniently stored on the same card, for easy use on the water.”  

Previously, only one C-MAP Genesis map could be saved on an SD card for use on the water. Note, however, that multiple maps won’t all display at the same time on your GPS/sonar unit, but they will be easily accessible via the “Chart Options” window in your sonar units’ Chart page. This is a feature for HDS Gen2 , Gen3 and Carbon units only, at this time.