Gå til hovedinnhold

C-Map Genesis direct download on Lowrance/ Simrad cancelled.


It has been almost a year since this feature was turned off from C-Map, but as it seems we keep getting questions on it - here are the details.

You have always been able to download mapping from C-Map Genesis (previously Insight Genesis) to a memorycard through a PC, and then use that mapping in your compatible Lowrance or Simrad chartplotter. This functionality still works as before, no issues there.

C-Map genesis on Lowrance HDS Live.

With the introduction of the WIFI-1 module in 2012/2013, allowing your HDS Gen 2 Touch or Simrad Evo2 unit to go online, Navico (owner of Lowrance and Simrad) introduced their GoFree webshop, which included the option of downloading a varitey of mapping direct to a memorycard in your unit. That also included the free mapping from Genesis Social Map. (In the beginning that was a subscription-based service, but in 2015 mapping from Genesis Social Map became free of charge.)

That functionality was removed from the GoFree Store in 2020, and we have asked C-Map why that was done. Their answer was no surprise. 

This feature has been cancelled due to technical issues. Those technical issues are again related to the need to redo the functionality, since a lot has changed since it was introduced almost ten years ago. We hope to have this feature available again, but have no estimate on when it will be re-launched.

As we all know, there where issues with the functionality. The whole user-interface was troublesome, the menus worked slow and finding the map you wanted to download in the (close to) never-ending list of maps available was frustrating. The functionality did not support multiple maps on one memorycard either, and it was rather obvious that this cloud-based service was in need of some new programming to bring it up to speed. What was fantastic and futuristic when Team Colibri tested it back in 2014, was becoming outdated and frustrating in 2020. Therefore, while we eagerly wait for the new and improved direct download, we download our Genesis Mapping using a PC.

While on the subject of downloading on a PC, let us take a quick look at another repeated question.

Why can`t I see my Genesis map on my chartplotter?

The by far most common reasons for that are:
  • Your memorycard must be maximum 32GB and formatted to FAT32. You can use a memorycard with less memory (like 8 or 16GB), but not a 64GB etc.
  • The downloaded map is coded for a specific unit (thus the need to enter serialnumber and Content-ID), so borrowing a memorycard from a friend with his downloaded mapping will not work.
  • You need to be extra careful when entering the serialnumber and Content-ID on the chartplotter-profile on your Genesis-account. Use ONLY what is in the unit`s About-menu. Nothing from the box it came in, your receipt etc.
    About-menu on Lowrance HDS Gen 3.

Which Lowrance units can use C-Map Genesis?

HDS Gen 2, HDS Gen 2 Touch, HDS Gen 3, HDS Carbon, HDS Live, Mark HDI, Elite HDI, Elite CHIRP, Hook, Hook2, Hook Reveal, Elite Ti, Elite Ti2 and Elite FS. 

Older units, like HDS Gen 1 and Elite, does not have the Content-ID in their About-menu, and cannot be used. If you don`t know which generation HDS you have, you might find THIS article helpful.

C-Map Genesis on Lowrance Hook Reveal while icefishing.


Kommentarer

Populære innlegg

The perfect settings for Lowrance? A guide on how to set up your 2D-sonar part I.

Perhaps the most repeated question in Facebookgroups and forums regarding marine electronics: "What are the best settings?" The bad news is that there is no uniform answer to that. The good news is that you can adjust settings according to conditions if you have a little knowledge as to what settings you should tweak and why. Here is part 1 of our guide to get the most out of your unit in regards to settings.

What is the difference between HDS Carbon and HDS Live?

Here we go again, a new generation of the Lowrance HDS. And with that Facebook and the different forums are flooded with questions referring to the difference between the new and the old. So what is the difference between Lowrance HDS Live and HDS Carbon?

Lowrance Elite Ti2 versus Elite FS

  When Lowrance launches a new mid-range unit, it is a big deal. Forums and Facebookgroups light up with questions on the new stuff, differences towards the old stuff and questions on compatibility. As usual, we in Team Colibri will try our best to sort that out, both on a technical level and with a more practical in-your-boat approach.

What is the difference between Lowrance HDS Live and Elite Ti2?

Lowrance as a brand of marine electronis is well known to all anglers, but the differences within their range of different models seem to cause quite a few questions out there. Here we will try to outline the difference between Lowrance HDS Live (top end) and Lowrance Elite Ti2 (middle range). Lowrance Elite Ti2 vs Lowrance HDS Live (photo; lowrance.com) As usual, we will start with the tech and then try to translate those technical aspects to practical differences while out on the water. Hardware - housing, screen and connections. The screen and housing on Elite Ti2 is the same as on the previous Elite Ti, and again more or less the same as on HDS Gen 2 Touch. (The memorycard-door and mounting-bracket is different from HDS Gen 2 Touch.) This is by no means new stuff, and compared to the more advanced housing and screen on HDS Live, Elite Ti2 is starting to show its relative age. However, with that in mind it is worth noting that when looking at the competition, several of

Lowrance Hook 2 versus Lowrance Hook Reveal

You have to hand it to Lowrance when it comes to the name of their new entry-level line of sonar and chartplotters. We all want to hook up, and what better way to do that then by having our marine electronics reveal to us where the fish are?