Overview

The Garmin 010-C1288-20 is a Garmin Navionics+ electronic chart card (NSUS004R) for Canada and Alaska, supplied on a preprogrammed microSD/SD card. It covers Atlantic and Pacific coastal areas plus inland lakes, rivers, and waterways across Canada and Alaska, with coverage that includes areas such as the Aleutian Islands, Vancouver Island, Puget Sound, the St. Lawrence River, the Maritime Provinces, and the Grand Banks (except Yukon and Nunavut).

This chart includes nautical cartography plus SonarChart HD bathymetry with up to 1 ft (0.5 m) contours, so bottom structure shows up in a way that is useful for both navigation and fishing. It also supports dock-to-dock route guidance based on your boat settings and chart data, along with community-sourced edits you can view as an overlay.

It is a good match for boaters who run between ports, anchorages, and fishing grounds in Canadian and Alaskan waters and want an on-plotter chart package they can keep current with regular updates.

Key features

• Preprogrammed Garmin Navionics+ microSD/SD chart card for the Canada and Alaska region (NSUS004R).
• Coverage of Atlantic and Pacific coasts plus inland lakes, rivers, and waterways in Canada and Alaska (except Yukon and Nunavut).
• SonarChart HD bathymetry with up to 1 ft (0.5 m) contours for more detailed bottom definition.
• Dock-to-dock route guidance based on your boat settings and chart data; intended for planning and does not replace safe navigation.
• Daily update access through Navionics Chart Installer or Plotter Sync, with the first year of updates included (renewable subscription for continued updates after that).
• Community Edits overlay plus tools such as depth range shading and shallow water shading to highlight the depths you care about.
• SonarChart Live support for creating personal contour maps in real time on compatible systems while underway.

Compatibility and fit

This card is meant for compatible Garmin chartplotters that accept Garmin Navionics+ microSD/SD map cards. Common compatible families include ECHOMAP UHD (7/9), ECHOMAP Ultra (10/12), GPSMAP 7x2 and 9x2 and 12x2 series (including Touch and Plus models), GPSMAP 7x3 and 9x3 and 12x3, GPSMAP 8400/8600, and GPSMAP 8700 black box systems.

Before ordering, confirm your chartplotter has an available card slot and supports Garmin Navionics+ mapping for this region. If your unit uses a different card size, a suitable adapter may be required.

Installation and setup

Power the chartplotter off, insert the card into the chart slot, then power back on and allow the unit to index the mapping. The chart data is read from the card, so the card typically needs to remain installed for that region’s charts to be available on-screen.

On boats where the card slot is exposed in a helm or cockpit area, keep the card and slot area clean and dry when swapping cards to avoid corrosion and contact issues.

Updates and subscriptions

Chart updates are available through the Navionics Chart Installer on a computer using a card reader, or wirelessly through Plotter Sync with a compatible mobile setup. Access to downloads and daily updates requires activation, and the included subscription covers the first year; continued updates after that period require a renewable subscription.

If you travel across multiple regions, plan your card use around your cruising area and update cadence so you are not swapping cards every time you move between coverage zones.

On-board use notes

Route guidance and shaded depth features are helpful for trip planning and situational awareness, but they do not account for every local condition. Use local notices, on-the-water observations, and prudent seamanship alongside the chart display, especially in areas where shoaling, floating debris, or rapid changes are common.

For anglers, the combination of SonarChart HD contours and shading tools makes it easier to isolate ledges, flats, and depth breaks, then save routes or waypoints for repeat runs.