Open Your First Humminbird Recording

Use this when

You have a Humminbird recording on an SD card or copied to your computer and want to open it in HumVision for the first time.

Before you start

• A Humminbird recording is a folder, not a single file. The folder contains files with .DAT, .SON, and .IDX extensions. HumVision needs the whole folder.
• If you are reading from an SD card, keep the card connected while HumVision is open. Ejecting it mid-session will cause a file-not-found error.
• Copying the recording folder to your local drive before opening it is faster and avoids card-read errors on longer recordings.

Open a recording

Using the button

1. From the home screen, click Open Folder.
2. In the folder picker, navigate to the recording folder on your SD card or local drive.
3. Select the folder and confirm. Do not select individual files inside it.

Using drag and drop

1. In your file browser, find the recording folder.
2. Drag the folder and drop it anywhere on the HumVision window.

HumVision scans the folder, reads each channel file, and switches to the viewer. A progress indicator shows while the files load. Large recordings can take a few seconds.

What you should see

The viewer opens with the sonar returns rendered in the main panel. HumVision picks the best available channel to display first, typically Down Scan or Side Imaging depending on what your unit recorded. Available channels appear as tabs or controls at the top of the viewer. The recording is also added to your library so you can reopen it from the home screen without browsing again.

If it does not work

• "No sonar channel files (.SON) found" — you selected the wrong folder. Make sure you selected the folder that contains the .DAT and .SON files directly, not a parent folder.
• "Can't find [folder path]. The drive or folder may be disconnected" — your SD card or external drive is no longer mounted. Reconnect it and try opening the recording again.
• "Permission denied" — on macOS, HumVision may need permission to access the folder. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Files and Folders and confirm HumVision has access. On Windows, try copying the recording to a folder in your Documents or Desktop.
• The viewer opens but shows a blank channel — the recording may use only side-imaging channels. Check the channel selector at the top of the viewer and switch to a channel that has data.
• Loading stalls or the app freezes — very large recordings (multiple hours) can take 15-30 seconds. Wait for the progress indicator to complete before interacting with the viewer.