# How do you load Fishing Hot Spots Pro onto Garmin 73sv?



## TheLachmans (Aug 28, 2016)

I recently purchased the Fishing Hot Spots Pro sd card for the Garmin 73sv and can't figure out how to load it. It came with no instructions, can't find anything searching the internet, and the website is no help. When I insert the micro SD card into the garmin, it gives me several options one of them being merge from the card. When I try to select that, it says no files found. I looked at the sd card on my desktop, and there are files on it, just none with the file extension that the garmin is looking for. It also gave me the option to update the system, so I did that. It went through the update motions and restarted the garmin. When i went to the charts, it had a new option for fishing charts. Success! Nope! I chose it and it just had the lakes with blue edges (shallow water). When I backed out, the option for fishing charts was gone. If I restart the garmin, the fishing charts option is there until I open it and back out of it. When I go to the Fishing Hot Spots support, it sends me to the Garmin website. Any help would be appreciated before I lose my mind!


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## coach76 (May 27, 2011)

TheLachmans said:


> I recently purchased the Fishing Hot Spots Pro sd card for the Garmin 73sv and can't figure out how to load it. It came with no instructions, can't find anything searching the internet, and the website is no help. When I insert the micro SD card into the garmin, it gives me several options one of them being merge from the card. When I try to select that, it says no files found. I looked at the sd card on my desktop, and there are files on it, just none with the file extension that the garmin is looking for. It also gave me the option to update the system, so I did that. It went through the update motions and restarted the garmin. When i went to the charts, it had a new option for fishing charts. Success! Nope! I chose it and it just had the lakes with blue edges (shallow water). When I backed out, the option for fishing charts was gone. If I restart the garmin, the fishing charts option is there until I open it and back out of it. When I go to the Fishing Hot Spots support, it sends me to the Garmin website. Any help would be appreciated before I lose my mind!


Only Garmin made maps will work in your Garmin, that is one of the pitfalls if you buy a Garmin. I have one and enjoy it for sure, hope this helps


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## TheLachmans (Aug 28, 2016)

Thanks for the reply, I did figure out the problem, I needed to update the software on my garmin. Now to find some time to get out on the water and try it out!


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## coach76 (May 27, 2011)

TheLachmans said:


> Thanks for the reply, I did figure out the problem, I needed to update the software on my garmin. Now to find some time to get out on the water and try it out!



I am a novice at that stuff but glad you found what you needed to do. I have 2 year old Garmin with Lake Vu and Navonics was testing maps and I got one for part of United States and one for SW Fla. I did not update my unit, if I do, the unit would no longer accept those maps.


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## coach76 (May 27, 2011)

Your Garmin 73 sv, When I put in a chart card, start up Garmin, it shows be chart listings, I pick the one I want. ONe chart is loaded in my garmin, the other is on a card. Have you had any luck finding how to do?


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## TheLachmans (Aug 28, 2016)

Austjj, after I did the update it loaded correctly. Saturday was the first time I was able to use it, went to Deer Creek Lake. I was a liitle disappointed that there were no tips or anything on the map for Deer Creek. It didn't show the contours or the river bed, just water. My garmin maps showed more information than the Fishing Hot Spot Pro map did. Maybe I'm still doing something wrong. I didn't take the time to really dig into it while we were out saturday (being the only person in the boat that can bait a hook, take off a fish, keep the boat off of the bank, untangle lines, etc, etc... I'll head out alone soon and really check it out. Maybe I'm expecting too much out of it.


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## jcoholich (Feb 12, 2014)

Correct if you update your Garmin software you will not be able to view the sonarchart for Garmin chart. You can check out compatibility online to see what version of software or older you need.


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