How to save a trail from a Lowrance HDS or Elite chartplotter as a GPX file and open it on your iPhone.
Lowrance HDS and Elite displays record where your boat has been as trails. You can export them as a GPX file (the open format other apps, plotters and mapping tools read) onto a memory card, and from there onto your iPhone.
Before you start
- A memory card the display accepts (SD or microSD, depending on the model) with free space, formatted FAT32
- Trail recording switched on, otherwise the plotter has nothing to export
- A way to get the file onto your phone: an SD card reader for the iPhone, or a computer
Export the trails as GPX
- Insert the card into the display's card slot.
- From the Home screen, open the menu for files, usually called Files, on newer software often Storage.
- Open your user data, on many models listed as Waypoints, routes and trails, and choose Export.
- Pick GPX as the format, not the Lowrance user data file.
- Choose the card as the destination and confirm.
Menu names differ by model and software version. If you can't find an entry, look for Export in the files or storage menu, or check the manual for your display.
Get the file onto your iPhone
- SD card reader: plug it into the iPhone and open the card in the Files app.
- Computer: copy the file from the card, then AirDrop or mail it to your phone.
Open it in Manta
Tap the GPX file in Files (or in Mail) and choose Manta. The guided import splits a long recording into trips, leaves out the hours in harbour, skips trips you already have and asks which boat sailed them. Each trip then gets its map, replay and statistics.
Live data over WiFi
HDS PRO, LIVE, Carbon and Gen3 and Elite FS, Ti² and Ti displays can stream their data over WiFi; an HDS Gen2 Touch needs the GoFree WIFI-1 module. Connected that way, Manta Pro records the trip, with wind, depth and speed through the water, while you sail. See Connect your plotter. Hook² and Hook Reveal have no WiFi; a WiFi gateway does the job there.
Questions
My Lowrance doesn't offer GPX. What now?
Some older models only list Lowrance's own user data formats. Check the manual for your display and its software version. An update may add GPX. Manta imports GPX files.
Is the export the same as on a Simrad or B&G?
Very nearly. Lowrance, Simrad and B&G displays share the same software family, so the export follows the same route. Menu names can still differ between models.
Can my Lowrance send its data to my iPhone without an export?
Many can. HDS PRO, LIVE, Carbon and Gen3 and Elite FS, Ti² and Ti displays stream their data over WiFi, and Manta Pro records it live while you sail.
Which format should I choose?
GPX. It is the open standard nearly every navigation app, chartplotter and mapping tool reads. Lowrance's user data format only makes sense for moving data between Lowrance, Simrad and B&G displays.
Manta does this for you
Import and export GPX tracks
Bring in old tracks from your plotter or other apps; long recordings are split into trips. Export any trip as GPX.
