Keeping Chartplotter Charts and Software Current (Garmin, Raymarine, Simrad, Lowrance, Navionics, NOAA)

On each display, find the software version (usually under settings, system or "about") and the installed charts and their date or version. Note the chart card's region and serial number (often printed on the label), and whether you have an active subscription. Photograph the screens and save them in BoatMend.

Years of fishing spots and routes can vanish with a failed update or a dead display. Before any update, export them:

• Garmin (ECHOMAP example): insert a memory card, choose Nav Info > Manage Data > Data Transfer > Save to Card, then copy the file from the card's Garmin\UserData folder to your computer.
• Raymarine (Axiom): insert a memory card and use Homescreen > My data > Import/export > Save my data. Raymarine saves waypoints, routes and tracks in a standard GPX file.
• Other brands: look for "export," "backup" or "user data" in the manual for your model.

Copy the file to your computer and a cloud drive. Repeat at the start and end of every season.

Use a separate, blank card for software updates and backups, not your chart card. Raymarine's instructions call for copying updates to a MicroSD card and unzipping them first; many makers warn against saving user data or updates to a cartography card. Label each card clearly. Format the blank card in the way your manual specifies.

Raymarine's card-care rules apply to every brand: insert the card the right way round, never force it, never use pliers or a screwdriver, and use the display's eject procedure before pulling a card. Close the card door firmly afterward so water stays out. Keep spare cards in a small dry case.

Steady power first: shore power or charger on, or the engine running. Then use your maker's method:

• Garmin: through the ActiveCaptain app on a Wi-Fi-equipped unit. The app downloads the update to your phone, transfers it when you reconnect, and the display asks you to install it. Garmin warns that downloads can be large and use your phone data. Many models can also update from a memory card using Garmin's computer software.
• Raymarine Axiom: download the files from Raymarine's website, unzip them, copy them to a MicroSD card and insert it with the display on. The display detects the files (or use Settings > Getting started > Update software > Check SD card) and can update connected Raymarine devices too. Axiom displays can also update over the internet.
• Simrad, Lowrance, B&G and others: use the maker's app, Wi-Fi update or a card download as their support page describes.

Don't switch anything off until the display says the update is complete.

• Garmin Navionics+: Garmin says preloaded charts and charts bought on a card must be activated through the ActiveCaptain app before you get the full features. Connect the app to the display, connect your phone to the internet, and check Chart > My Charts for an active subscription; verification can take a few hours. Updates then flow through the app.
• Raymarine LightHouse Charts: redeem the voucher code that came with the card to activate Premium, and download updates through the LightHouse Charts store from a computer or the Raymarine app.
• Navionics or C-MAP cards on other brands: these are usually updated by putting the card in a computer and using the chart maker's own update tool, or through its app. Follow the chart maker's instructions, not a forum shortcut.

Download only the regions you use; it's faster and uses less card space.

Put the chart card back, start the display and look at the chart information page. The date or version should have changed. Zoom into a spot you know well, such as your marina entrance, and check that recent changes (a new marker or dredged channel) appear.

If waypoints or routes are missing after the update, import your backup from the card: Garmin and Raymarine both have import options in the same data menu you used for the backup. Watch for duplicates, and if you move data between brands, use GPX format. Raymarine notes that some older systems require unique waypoint names, so tidy duplicates before importing.

Before an unfamiliar trip, compare your plotter with NOAA's chart for the area (NOAA's chart locator and free ENC viewer let you look online) and check the Coast Guard's Local Notice to Mariners for your district for buoy changes, dredging and hazards. Chart updates lag behind real-world changes, especially in shifting inlets. The Coast Guard describes the Local Notice to Mariners as its main way of announcing changes to aids to navigation, hazards, channel conditions, dredging, regattas and bridge work, often with chartlets and Army Corps channel survey sheets attached. Two companions are worth knowing: the Coast Guard Light List, which describes every buoy and light and is updated daily (with weekly editions you can download), and NOAA's U.S. Coast Pilot, which covers channels, hazards, currents and port details that a chart can't show.

Update the charts on your phone or tablet navigation app too, and download offline charts there for areas without cell coverage. If you carry paper charts, NOAA's Custom Chart tool lets you print your own from the latest ENC data.

At spring commissioning: back up data, update software on every display and sensor, update or renew charts, then test everything at the dock. Log the date and versions in BoatMend. A plotter that hasn't been updated in years may also stop talking properly to newer sensors on the network.