Waypoint management with Humminbird PC
Dr. Jason Halfen
Professional Walleye Angler
Navigation:
After downloading and installing Humminbird PC on your computer, you need to download waypoints and navigation data from your Humminbird unit in your boat. Doing so is easy. Install an SD card into one of the slots in your unit, and use the menu system (press the Menu button twice) to go to the Navigation Menu tab. Arrow down to "Export all Nav data" to write waypoints and navigation data to the installed SD card (you may need to change your user mode to "advanced" in order to see this particular menu choice).
Waypoints and navigation data will now be written to your SD card. Remove the card from the unit and bring it to your PC.
When you open Humminbird PC, you'll see a pair of images in the upper left hand corner of the screen: a PC and an SD card.
Under the SD card image, you'll see a pair of arrows; one to download information from the SD card to the PC, and one to upload information from the PC to the SD card. To get started using Humminbird PC, install the SD card into your PC's SD card reader, and download data from the card to your PC. Doing so will write a .GPX file, with waypoints, routes and tracks, using the data from the SD card. The .GPX file is the storehouse for all of the data read and manipulated by Humminbird PC.
Selecting "waypoint" from under the SD card's .GPX file will provide you with a list of all of your waypoints, including their waypoint number, icon, position, depth, and so forth. To manipulate a particular waypoint, simply click on that waypoint's line of data. Let's spend some time looking at waypoint 134.
Wondering where waypoint 134 is? Use Humminbird PC's interface to Google Earth to find out. By selecting waypoint 134, and clicking the blue and white Google Earth icon at the top of the window, the precise position of waypoint 134, overlayed on a Google Earth's satellite image, is produced. I collected waypoint 134 while pre-fishing the FLW walleye league event on Leech Lake this June. That's one of the Duck Points....Second Duck Point, I think.
Navigation:
Let's use that information to modify the settings for waypoint 134. First, let's change its name from 134 to Duck Pt 1. Simply click on the original name (134) and type the new name. Then, let's change its icon from a boring blue circle to a fish (first column to the right of the waypoint name), as we caught a bunch of nice tournament fish right there on Second Duck Point. A variety of icons are available, including weeds, trees, boat ramps, and other icons that are relevant to boaters and anglers.
With a half-summer's worth of waypoints generated on my Humminbird 997 and 1197, it's time for me to organize them for ease of use and for future reference. To do so, I make use of Humminbird PC. Humminbird PC is a waypoint management program that is available to owners of Humminbird chartplotters and GPS/sonar combo units. Registered owners of these units can download Humminbird PC from the Humminbird website, as quickly and easily as you would download a software update for your unit. And best of all, Humminbird PC is free!
When you're done working with your waypoints, uplod your work back to the SD card and install the card in your Humminbird unit in the boat. Waypoint management project complete! Many of these tools are available right on your Humminbird head unit, but I think that Humminbird PC makes the job easier, faster, and more comfortable on the eyes.
New Humminbird waypoint management tools are in the wings for 2010....stay tuned for more information on how Humminbird makes waypoint management quick and easy!
