Lowrance 480m issues? help!

[green_monster]

My Lowrance LMS 480 is giving my trouble…out of now where last weekend it started say “GPS unit not responding.â€

[Hipster]

Justin,

I am know expert but I was having troubles with the 480 a couple of years back as well. I went to the Lowrance website downloaded the proper files onto the card, two seperate downloads(insure the card reader downloaded the files) could be your problem. Anyway there was a certain sequence that you had to go through to update the GPS antenna and then the unit itself, seperate files.

Also try putting the chip in while the unit is on and see if you hear a beep, thus the unit recognizes the card. Also check in the menu section under browse mmc files and see what the chip states is on the file.

You may also want to download the demo unit to your PC that really helped me with learning the functions and saved time on the water.

[Dave A]

I am having a somewhat similar problem with the Eagle 480. It is not recognizing a Hotmaps SD card. Lowrance advised me to update the software to the latest version. I did that and still have the same problem. It may have something to do with the MMC/SD card reader.

They asked me to send the unit in for testing. I'll probably be without my unit for several weeks when I do decide to send it in.

Well that did'nt help you much did it.

[green_monster]

I guess what I really need to know is:

What is the easiest way to update my unit? I don't have the accessories to connect to my computer so how do I use an SD card to update it?

[Dave A]

Call Lowrance Tech Support. They will mail you an SD card with the software upgrade.

[green_monster]

I will give them a call later today. Thanks!

I just wish I could get it to work using my own card and download it. I tried last night and my card showed four files on the card my unit didn't do anything and if i stated looking through the menu on my unit it would just restart itself.

Hipster,

what do you mean by two downloads? Do you know what the sequence is for updating the unit and the seperate sequence for the GPS antenna?

[Charles]

I had the exact same problem last month. I took the entire unit out and checked all of the connections. All appeared to be connected. I re-installed the unit and havent had any problems since.

I wish i had a clear cut solution. All I can suggest is disconnecting everything and power it up again.

Good luck

Charles

[Hipster]

Justin,

This is a new upgrade from the one I did, you all could be experianceing problems from the daylight savings time change as well. I had problems my first time out. Anyway listed below is the instructions off the website, just click on install now and load to your pc, then use a camera card reader or usb reader to load the file.
From the website:

Installation Instructions

Make sure the MMC/SD card reader is properly connected to your computer (and, if necessary, that the drivers are installed).
Insert an MMC/SD card with at least 8 MB of free space into the MMC/SD card reader.
Click on the "Install Now" link above to go to the installation web page.
Wait for the Java web installer to download and run. Follow the Lowrance update installation instructions. If you are not sure about a step, just select the default choice. When the installer finishes you will prompted to click Finish to exit.
Turn your Lowrance LMS-480M unit off.
Place the MMC/SD card containing the updated operating software in the unit's MMC/SD card tray.
Turn your LMS-480M unit on. The software update will automatically install.

If your computer experiences problems with the web installer, try using a stand-alone installer. Simply choose the appropriate operating system below:
PC Win98/ME/2000/XP/2003 (8.6MB) | Mac OS X (8.6MB) | Linux (8.4MB)

How to see if your LMS-480M is already using version 2.1.0 software:

Press the MENU button twice on your LMS-480M.
Select SYSTEM SETUP.
Select SOFTWARE INFORMATION.
The software version for your unit is located under the line that says "LMS-480M" (ex. "Version 2.1.0").
If your version is the same version listed above, there is no need to download the software.

What changes are made in this update?

Enhanced Navionics support
Includes all features from previous updates, including:
Enhanced support for LGC-2000 GPS modules
Added support for LGC-3000 GPS modules
Many minor enhancements to the NMEA 2000 features
Improved Tides and Currents to compensate properly for Daylight savings time
Improved waypoint sharing
Added and modified many NMEA 2000 features
Added NMEA 2000 support
Fixed a problem with the sonar locking up when the NMEA 2000 module is plugged in and the unit is at a shallow depth (8'-10')
Added customization of Trail update time
Other minor enhancements
Modified the AutoSensitivity settings
Modified depth ranges and alarm settings
Minor voltage and display modifications
System Requirements:
LMS-480M update software will run on any Java-enabled machine running Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP/2003, Mac OS X, or Linux.

[green_monster]

Thanks Hippie! However I've already gone through all that last night and got the files downloaded on my card but my unit doesn't seem to be recognizing the card or the files on it. I'll need to call Lowrance support. Thanks for all your help guys!

[Brian Manthe]

If you go to basszone.com and go to the BZ board and post your question a lady named Linda C. who is a Lowrance customer service rep and will respond to your question. She is extremely knowledgeable and will figure out your problem.

Good Luck,

[Ken C.]

What size (capacity) SD card are you using? Some units would only recognize smaller cards so if you are using anything larger than say a 128 MB card that may be your problem.

After downloading the update file onto the card, have you used your PC to look at the contents of the card? So you see the files on there? You should see at least 4 files with extensions of "BIN", "DAT", "LDR", and "EXE". If you don't see those on the card then that is your problem. If the files are on the card but your 480 still won't recognize it then I can only think of 3 possibilities:

The capacity of the SD card is too large for the unit's software to recognize,

You may have saved the wrong file (make certain you have the LMS-480M that the update is for)

The 480 is having issues.

Personally I rarely trust auto-installer programs. I prefer to save the update on my computer then execute it from there. One benefit is I can scan the downloaded file for any virus or malware that could be hanging on. The other benefit is that I can control exactly what the program is doing.

BTW, I did not see any separate updates for the GPS module itself on the Lowrance site.

[green_monster]

Ken,

You were exactly correct! The SD card I was using was a 2Gb so I borrowed a 512mb from my roommate and downloaded the files manually and it worked like a charm. I also formatted the new card as FAT instead of FAT32. Could that have made a difference?

Thank you all for your help! I’m beginning to believe that this site is more helpful than any customer service dept. out there. I spent 2 hours on hold and still talked to an incompetent rep. Came on Westernbass and within 48 hours I had the problem solved. Awesome!

Thanks again!

[Ken C.]

And yet another satisfied customer here on WesternBass.com!

The FAT32 formatting probably didn't help much, but it was the size of the card that had you messed up.

Does your GPS work now???

[green_monster]

My GPS does work now!....in my driveway, hopefully it stays that way. I still don't understand what made it stop. It worked a month ago on three different occasions then out of no where stopped working a couple weeks ago. I was still using an old update 1.3 and now updated all the way to 2.1. How can a lack of update just stop the GPS from working out of no where? I’m confused?? Anyways, it works now so I could care less. Thanks again!

[Ken C.]

... It worked a month ago on three different occasions then out of no where stopped working a couple weeks ago. ... How can a lack of update just stop the GPS from working out of no where? ...

A couple weeks ago = Time Change for DST (March 11). An awful lot of software updates were pushed out there to correct the time in devices such as GPS satellites and they in turn might now be sending different data stream formats to our devices such as GPS receivers which in turn have to be updated in order to process the new formats.

[luvmystratos]

What store sells the MMC/SD card reader? (Yes, I am serious) I have the LMS 480M Unit and did not know it had to be updated until I attended the class last Thursday at the Fisherman's Wherehouse. I also found out that Navionics is giving a $50-$75 rebate if you purchase a new Nav Card and return your old one. Technology???

[Ken C.]

You can buy inexpensive card readers at any store that sells computers or cameras. Fry's electronics usually has a multi-card reader of some sort for under $10. You can also check BestBuy, Circuit City, Office Depot, etc. Alot of newer PC's have built in card readers as well.

A word of warning, though, if you have a Navionics or other map card, DO NOT try to read it with your computer as it will usually destroy the data on the card!!!!

[luvmystratos]

Thanks for the information and I did find out about what not to do with that Nav card from Allen at the seminar. Apparently he said he did it and it cost him dearly.

[Ken C.]

Here's one at Fry's that should work on your PC:

http://shop2.outpost.com/product/470036 ... IN_RSLT_PG