Why LightHouse Charts GEN 2 Matters
Raymarine’s new-generation charts are built from official hydrographic data and tuned for Axiom and Element displays. GEN 2 delivers noticeably faster draw-times, more frequent updates, and a streamlined Premium workflow—so you spend less time at the computer and more time on the water.
Start With A Software Check
Before touching your chart card, make sure the Raymarine Chartplotter itself can read GEN 2 charts:
| Display Family | Minimum Software Version |
| Axiom | LightHouse 4.8 or newer |
| Element | LightHouse Sport 3.2 or newer |
Check the version under Home >Settings >Information and update over Wi-Fi or by loading the update file from raymarine.com onto a micro-SD card.
Redeem your one-year LightHouse Charts Premium voucher
- On a computer with fast internet, browse to chartmanager.raymarine.com and sign in (create a free Raymarine ID if you don’t have one).
- Locate the unique voucher sticker inside your LightHouse Charts box.
- Click Redeem Voucher, enter the code, and you’ll see confirmation that a one-year Premium subscription has been added to My Charts.
Choose your Premium content & download updated charts
- In My Charts, press Download Options next to your chart.
- Add up to five custom boxes on the mini-map for high-resolution aerial photos or enhanced POI layers—perfect for covering your favorite harbors, passages, or fishing grounds.
- Click Download; Chart Manager automatically rolls your navigation data to the latest revision while bundling your Premium layers. Processing can take 10–60 minutes; you’ll get an email when the file is ready.
Move the new chart file to the micro-SD card
- Insert the LightHouse chart card into the computer.
- Delete any old *.RMC* files inside the Lighthouse\_Charts folder—this frees space and ensures the plotter sees only the newest dataset.
- Copy the freshly-downloaded LighthouseCharts.RMC file from your computer’s Downloads folder into Lighthouse\_Charts on the card.
- Safely eject the card.
Final step—pop the card in & update the plotter
Insert the card back into your Axiom or Element display. On first boot the unit will recognize the updated chartset; if you skipped the firmware update in Step 2, do it now to unlock all GEN 2 features.Keeping both the charts and the plotter software current guarantees maximum performance, accuracy, and access to future Premium updates.
That’s it—enjoy crisper, faster LightHouse Charts GEN 2 and the full year of Premium detail that comes with them. If you ever want fresh aerials or the latest hydrographic revisions, just repeat Steps 3–5 through Chart Manager.
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