Custom Charts/Maps using SAS Planet and Insight Map Creator for B&G, Lowrance, SIMRAD Chartplotters 

Great to hear!

Thanks Bryan. It is a little long winded but setting up SAS Planet, downloading imagery, how to export a region, and finally get Insight Map Creator to make an AT5 map it was quite a bit to show! I spent ages working it all out, and naming the maps was documented nowhere when this was made. Using satellite maps on my B&G is essential!

Glad you found it helpful, we find it invaluable for the places we go

Glad it helped

We occasionally use OvitalMap for offline use as that keeps the maps on the device, but using any tablet you have limited memory available. An android tablet with external SD card would hold sufficient space, but downloading the maps for large regions would be cumbersome. With SAS Planet able to select a region, map source, resolution(s) and then queue multiple downloads all at once is very convenient. SAS Planet also makes it so easy to switch between various satellite sources instantaneously to find the best image which is all the time when we are planning destinations.

I found openCPN a little clunky to use, but I couldn't see how it would use all the alternative satellite imagery. I've only ever seen it used with google maps, but we use multiple sources.

It's a Seawind 1260

The tablet gps is quite accurate so it would be great, but a tablet has limited storage capacity and you couldn't have vast amounts of images downloaded. However if it was on a Samsung tablet with it cached on an sd card then it would fit. If I'm heading out in the tender and need the map I use ovital and download the satellite images on my phone, but an app where I could export the map out from sas planet onto the phone would be awesome. And why more people don't do the same I don't understand either, they are so useful and accurate I would not enter many places without it. Then finding places on navionics maps just plain wrong it is essential

@@SailingNoRegrets I'm making it my mission in life to find a way to get this on a tablet. I have a Garmin sounder now and I don't want to have to buy a Lowrance or Simrad just to get these brilliant satellite imagery maps again.

I'm having the exact same problem. I'm trying all options and it just displays a blank gray page. It seems the fault is with Insight Map Creator, and I'm first thinking it's date related with Garmin makingthis fail,, but backdating pc clock and being disconnected from internet (in case it's checking something) still isn't working for me. It's driving me nuts as I really needed this through the Kimberley on our recent trip.

The limitation is due to the image size getting too large. If you don't need the detail then a lower zoom will let you select a larger area. Otherwise you are correct making multiple maps. You can also adjust the image using an editor to tweak the brightness and contrast to enhance the image getting areas to show better that may allow you to use lower zooms

I would not recommend installing to C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86) as these are likely to have permission restrictions that could interfere with the SAS Planet program operation. The MS Surface laptops are great as it has inbuilt GPS, is all in one etc, however the screen brightness is the biggest issue with any setup as it is difficult to see in the cockpit in the sunshine. Even under our Targa roof and laptop in the saloon it is difficult for us. I'd suggest a laptop/windows tablet with the brightest display (nits) you can find. I have used 12V to laptop chargers previously, it should be more efficient than 12v inverted to 240/120V, then laptop charger to 19V losing energy at each conversion, however we have a decent battery bank and solar setup so we just plug into high voltage now. Sometimes Google changes the satellite map version number which causes that to stop downloading. I'm currently using 879 which is still working fine. The following link will assist in how to find this. gisenglish.geojamal.com/2019/05/how-to-get-latest-google-satellite-map.html

@@SailingNoRegrets Hi Chris, Thanks for the very practical advise. Will see how I go. Fair winds for the remainder of your circumnavigation. What an amazing trip.

I create a folder for each map as the filenames are the same for each zoom level on every map you create. I was keeping the folder name to 8 characters or less just in case the MFD is sensitive to long filenames, but it is likely OK to keep them longer and more meaningful. I also store them on the separate SD Card, never on the Navionics or C-Map card.

@@SailingNoRegrets Thank you, fantastic information, how many hours did you spend sorting this out ? LOL

@Blair Bowden TOO MANY, there is limited information on how to name maps, that took a lot of trial and error

Try from the following site. It appears that the program has been taken away from downloads which is ridiculous. www.mediafire.com/file/2xjebh9wwtom291/Insight+Map+Creator.zip/file

And no you do not need CMAP

In SAS Planet how do your Navionics maps and satellite maps compare? Is they waypoint(Placemark) correct in the program? A few miles doesn't sound like it is correct at all. Try a rectangular selection in SAS and select Stitch, Zoom 18 and select the kml georeferencing. I do not change the Projection Option, mine is "Projection of map - Mercator / Googe Maps (Sphere Radius 6378137) /EPSG:3785. That is the georeferencing data that is most likely incorrect.

InstaBlaster.

Thanks, only change is B&G sometimes require shaded relief on for it to show, but SAS Planet is the same. I wish all chartplotters allowed for AT5 maps, we should be allowed to make our own maps if we chose, and this is why I will not get Raymarine. SAS Planet and a GPS puck will run on about any version of Windows, it will just be slower to load lots of waypoints and if your drive is slower to load, BUT IT WILL WORK!

@@SailingNoRegrets Thanks for the tip on Widows SAS Planet as these things always happen a bit late, as I just installed Raymarine chart plotter.

It may require you to start the chart plotter with the card already inserted, it often will not read the card after it has started.

@@SailingNoRegrets it worked. I appreciate you.

The plotter needs to startup with the card inserted while off, once it's running it doesn't reload the maps. What model plotter are you using?

@@SailingNoRegrets Yep I have done a cold start after the SD card has been put in and there are no new files showing when you go to the chart selection. The files put on the cards are At5 and the folder shows when you search storage on the plotter. The Plotter is B&G Zeuse 3 latest updates, so I am concerned they may have blocked our ability to use these charts.

@@nav1269 Did you set the Atlas version to 10? If that doesn't work create a map without a name (it will appear as Insight in the list) and save it to a folder with a short name like temp.

@@SailingNoRegrets I tried Atlas V10 and V12. No name as in no M= ?

@@nav1269 yes leave the Atlas Description (M=) blank. Atlas version 10 worked for me, perhaps try 7 then 6. Are you in Australia?

It was from gofree but check through the comments, I did upload a copy a while ago.

B&G and Simrad are both Navico products and are almost identical, so it "should" work. B&G recently messaged me and said that AT5 support is being continued (after firstly being told it was being dropped) so hopefully this ability is not lost. I would suggest reading the user manual for Simrad and looking specifically that they mention AT5 map support , but nothing beats seeing it yourself so I would suggest making a map on an SD card into distributor (or anyone you know with the same unit) and putting it in to try.

Firstly, does it show as an available map with the map name you set usimg M=My Chart? If so, most likely you will have a blank grey screen, you just need to switch on shaded relief in the chart options

Same here. Cmap took it down it seems. Anyone could actually share it with box or Dropbox and post a link?

HI Garet, you are correct, they have removed the link. I had a few minutes of searching and cannot find anywhere else it's available. I'll see about setting up a public share.

Here is what I have that works: app.box.com/s/ov6td2tk2l9s4foxewb9hpx6234m603d

@@zabbaskeema Thanks Patrick, it seems to be getting harder to find it online now. No idea why, its a free program used to creat your own maps not breaching any copyright.

@@zabbaskeema - Thanks Patrick! I looked all over, and thought for sure I wouldn't be able to find it. Seems C-map is trying to eliminate people making their own maps unless its through their genesis subscription

Not really sure how to determine date of image. You can force SAS Planet to download map again by selecting Internet source (instead of cache & Internet which is the default) to ensure you have the most recent.

@@SailingNoRegrets Thanks 😊😊

Under map options, switch on shaded relief

Hi, thanks for the video. Same for me it don't works for my New Hook 9 reveal 😢 It works for my hook 7 (Hook 1) but i need to change "2d Map" to "shadow" to view the map Did you found a solution ??? Thanks

​@@SailingNoRegretsfor sadly that work for Hook 1 but not Hook reveal.

​@nomadaddict6718 www.lowrance.com/en-au/lowrance/type/fishfinders-chartplotters/hook-reveal-7x-splitshot/#prl_specifications This model doesn't support cartography, so no mapping. If it's like this then no, it must support reading a map

@@SailingNoRegrets thanks, Do you now if it works for elite ti ?

After you have selected the map in your system, you may need to then look for an option for shaded relief. This is starting to happen for me now where previously it wasn't required. Look through your map options, my map was just grey until I now do this

Jacky Lau, I can’t get my Reveal to work either. Didn’t find any shade relief option. Did you get it to work?

Hook2 and Hook Reveal units are not able to view Raster(Shaded Relief) images, only Vector. 1st gen Hook units and the Elite Chirp and Elite HDI units do support Raster map images. Lowrance has removed this feature from their entry level units starting with Hook2 :(.

Now that Garmin has bought Navico the download has been removed. I cannot understand why this has been done, it is a free program to create your own maps. Try this link, I'm assuming you are using Windows 64 bit. www.mediafire.com/file/j5rrfvpil21gz05/IMC_Application_x64.zip/file

Thanks. When I tried to build the raster it says process completed but the folder was empty. I tried version 10 & 12 did the atlas naming and it didn’t build. Is there a way i can rasterize?

It will create a folder "BoundAT5" from memory in the output folder destination you select, and once the program has completed there is a file for each map zoom level. My first guess is to check you have selected the desired output folder correctly.

This has been a problem for me as well for the last 12 months when I really needed those maps. Mine too was just a blank grey display. Your timing though is perfect, I solved this problem for me yesterday after finding another post. After you have selected the map, go to More Options, Chart Options, and select Shaded Relief. I never had to do this previously, I am not sure if it was selected, older maps worked fine. Once this is selected, it should work. Hopefully this is the same problem that you are having.

@@SailingNoRegrets It's working! 🎉 Thanks!! 😊 In case it helps anyone else, Atlas Versions 7 and 10 work, but 12 doesn't.