Navigation - loading routes to Lowrance

neil.mccrirrick · 04 August 2018, 11:05

Off to Mallaig end of august cruising around Skye, Knoydart, Eigg etc and I'm trying to build routes on my laptop to load to the plotter, all is sort of going well but for the last stage, (never as easy as you think)

I have a Lowrance Hook 7

1. I created routes in navionics, and then synched them to the App.
2. From the app you can mail them to yourself. They come as kml files.
3. I then converted the kml file to a .gpx file in GPSBabel.
4. Copied the lot to a micro sd card and went to the plotter to load the data from the card to the plotter.
5. Plotter sees the card and accepts the load
6. In the navionics app they are saved as routes
7. In the plotter they have loaded as trails, but I can run the nav to convert to routes, so all is good

The problem I have is that when I loaded them up, the name I gave each route was picked up by the plotter. Now they are loaded the names have gone.

I can enter each one in the plotter and then name it, so there is a solution, but it kind of defeats the point doing it on the laptop.

If you are still with me what have I missed, is there a way around this?

jambo · 04 August 2018, 11:33

Try saving as a trail not a route

neil.mccrirrick · 04 August 2018, 11:39

I have done loads :-( should have done one and checked that first lol, I'll try one and see if I can, let you know

Pikey Dave · 04 August 2018, 15:24

Neil, can you not sync directly from the app to the plotter via wifi or Bluetooth? Sounds a bit of a convoluted route (no pun) faffing with emailing etc.

neil.mccrirrick · 04 August 2018, 16:23

No Dave, that was the route I wanted to go, but the Hook doesnt have either facility. Had another look though and I can see way point start and end and miles of the route, unfortunately some are the same length, but if I make a list of WP start and end and miles there will be a lot less to do sat in the boat

If I'd only done half a dozen it wouldnt have been so bad, not to worry.

Jambo, they seem to be stored in the trails menu, with the option to plan asa route, seems to be the way it is.

At the end of the day I'm essentially hacking navionics as I'm not using their propietory software to build the routes, so the fact I'm in at all is a bonus

jambo · 04 August 2018, 18:39

Hope it works for you[emoji106]

Pikey Dave · 04 August 2018, 18:49

I have this Neil, a bit clunky but works ok for me. I don't know if there's a free trial version for you to try.
http://navigationplanner.com/

neil.mccrirrick · 04 August 2018, 19:43

Thanks Dave may well finish up on this. I’m going to try a different way tomorrow I’ll post back about how it goes

neil.mccrirrick · 05 August 2018, 16:18

All sorted after a fashion. You can load the gpx file, it will always appear as a route but unamed. So load a few and it’s confusing but if you load one the create and re name it all is well. This takes about 3 mins so still a pita doing 40 plus. BUT I’ve loaded them all to the nav card. It’s accepted it and I can select from there and see the named file. Still need to faff to get in the plotter but 3 mins before a run out is nowt, so all is well I’ll load as I need [emoji1][emoji106]