Lowrance electronic GPS Receiver X86 DS User Manual

Pub. 988-0151-411  
X86 DS & X86 TX  
Fish-finding & Depth Sounding Sonars  
Installation and Operation  
Instructions  
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Table of Contents  
Section 1: Introduction....................................................................1  
Specifications: X86 DS and X86 TX ....................................................1  
How Sonar Works.................................................................................2  
Preparations .........................................................................................3  
Section 2: Installation & Accessories..........................................5  
Recommended Tools and Supplies..................................................5  
Selecting a Transducer Location.....................................................5  
How low should you go? ...................................................................6  
Shoot-thru-hull vs. Transom Mounting..........................................7  
Transom Transducer Assembly and Mounting..............................8  
Trolling Motor Bracket Installation..............................................11  
Transducer Orientation and Fish Arches.....................................12  
Shoot-Thru-Hull Preparation........................................................13  
Shoot-thru-hull Installation ..........................................................15  
Power and Cable Connections.......................................................16  
Mounting The Sonar Unit: In-Dash or Bracket ...........................18  
Portable Installation ......................................................................21  
Portable Transducer Assembly .....................................................22  
Section 3: Operation.......................................................................25  
Keyboard Basics .................................................................................25  
Memory ...............................................................................................26  
Menus..................................................................................................26  
Display ................................................................................................26  
FasTrack..........................................................................................27  
Pages ...................................................................................................28  
Full Chart ...........................................................................................28  
Depth Range.......................................................................................29  
Zoom....................................................................................................30  
Sensitivity...........................................................................................31  
Grayline ..............................................................................................33  
Chart Speed........................................................................................34  
Frequency ...........................................................................................34  
Fish I.D............................................................................................35  
FishTrack™ ........................................................................................36  
Alarms.................................................................................................37  
Fish Alarm..........................................................................................37  
Depth Alarms .....................................................................................38  
Shallow Alarm....................................................................................38  
Deep Alarm.........................................................................................39  
Battery Alarm.....................................................................................39  
Noise Rejection and ASP................................................................40  
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Depth Display.....................................................................................41  
Temperature Display .........................................................................41  
Voltage ................................................................................................42  
Units....................................................................................................42  
Backlight.............................................................................................43  
Contrast ..............................................................................................43  
Simulator ............................................................................................44  
Set Language......................................................................................44  
Software Information.........................................................................44  
Reset Options......................................................................................44  
Troubleshooting..............................................................................45  
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Section 1: Introduction  
Thank you for buying a Lowrancesonar! Your unit is a high-quality  
sonar designed for both professional and novice fishermen. All  
Lowrance sonars have an automatic mode that finds and displays the  
bottom, fish, underwater structure and more – right out of the box. All  
you have to do is press the on (PWR) key.  
To get started with your Lowrance sonar, first read the installation sec-  
tion. It contains instructions for mounting the sonar unit, the trans-  
ducer and any optional accessories, such as a speed sensor.  
Following recommended installation practices will pay off in optimum  
performance of your Lowrance sonar. Improper installation can cause  
problems down the road, especially if the transducer is badly mounted.  
After you've read the installation instructions, install the unit and ac-  
cessories. Then, read the rest of the manual. The more you know about  
your sonar, the better it will work for you.  
Capabilities and Specifications: X86 DS and X86 TX  
General  
Case size:........................... 5.4" H x 6.9" W x 3.4" D (13.8 cm H x 17.6 cm  
W x 8.6 cm D). Sealed and waterproof; suit-  
able for saltwater use.  
Display: ............................4.5" (11.4 cm) Film SuperTwist LCD display,  
4-level gray scale definition with  
GRAYLINE.  
Resolution: ......................240V x 240H pixel resolution; 57,600 total  
pixels.  
Backlighting: ..................Incandescent backlit screen and keypad for  
night use.  
Input power: ...................10 to 17 volts DC.  
Current drain:................110 ma lights off; 250 ma lights on.  
Back-up memory:...........Built-in memory stores sonar settings when  
unit is turned off.  
Languages: ......................11 International languages.  
Sonar  
Frequency: ......................83/200 kHz  
Transducers:...................A compact Dual-Search Skimmertrans-  
ducer with built-in temperature sensor is  
packed with the unit.  
Watts:................................1,500 watts peak-to-peak; 188 watts RMS.  
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Depth capability:...........To 1,000 feet (305 meters) with 83 kHz. Ac-  
tual capability depends on transducer con-  
figuration and installation, bottom composi-  
tion and water conditions. All sonar units  
typically read deeper in fresh water than in  
salt water.  
Depth display: ................Continuous display.  
Audible alarms:..............Deep/shallow/fish/battery.  
Automatic ranging:.......Yes.  
Auto bottom track:........Yes.  
Zoom bottom track:.......Yes.  
Surface water temp: .....Yes.  
NOTICE!  
The storage temperature for your unit is from -4 degrees to +167  
degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees to +75 degrees Celsius). Extended  
storage in temperatures higher or lower than specified will damage  
the liquid crystal display in your unit. This type of damage is not  
covered by the warranty. For more information, contact the fac-  
tory's Customer Service Department; phone numbers are inside the  
manual's back cover.  
How Sonar Works  
Sonar has been around since the 1940s, so if you already know how it  
works, skip ahead to the next segment on the typographical conventions  
used in this manual. But, if you've never owned a sonar fish finder, this  
segment will tell you the underwater basics.  
Sonar is an abbreviation for SOund NAvigation and Ranging, a technol-  
ogy developed during World War II for tracking enemy submarines. A  
sonar consists of a transmitter, transducer, receiver and display. In  
simple terms, here's how it finds the bottom, or the fish:  
The transmitter emits an electrical impulse, which the transducer con-  
verts into a sound wave and sends into the water. (The sound frequency  
can't be heard by humans or fish.) The sound wave strikes an object  
(fish, structure, bottom) and bounces back to the transducer, which  
converts the sound back into an electrical signal.  
The receiver amplifies this return signal, or echo, and sends it to the  
display, where an image of the object appears on the scrolling sonar  
chart. The sonar's microprocessor calculates the time lapse between the  
transmitted signal and echo return to determine the distance to the  
object. The whole process repeats itself several times each second.  
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Dual Search Transducer  
Your unit is packed with a Dual Search Skimmer Transducer that can  
transmit at 83 kHz and 200 kHz.  
A new innovation, the 83 kHz frequency offers superior sonar perform-  
ance at all depths from very shallow up to 1,000 ft and provides up to  
120º of fish-finding coverage.  
Preparations  
You can install the sonar system in some other order if you prefer, but  
we recommend this installation sequence:  
Caution:  
You should read over this entire installation section before drill-  
ing any holes in your vessel!  
1. Determine the approximate location for the sonar unit, so you can  
plan how and where to route the cables for the transducer and power.  
This will help you make sure you have enough cable length for the de-  
sired configuration.  
2. Determine the approximate location for the transducer and its cable  
route.  
3. Determine the location of your battery or other power connection,  
along with the power cable route.  
4. Install the transducer and route the transducer cable to the sonar  
unit.  
5. Install the power cable and route it to the sonar unit.  
6. Mount the sonar unit.  
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Notes  
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Section 2:  
Installation & Accessories  
These instructions will help you install your Skimmertransducer on a  
transom, on a trolling motor or inside a hull. Please read all instruc-  
tions before proceeding with any installation.  
Your Skimmer transducer typically comes packaged with a one-piece  
stainless steel bracket for mounting it to the transom of your boat. The  
optional trolling motor mount uses a one-piece plastic bracket with an  
adjustable strap. These are "kick-up" mounting brackets. They help pre-  
vent damage if the transducer strikes an object while the boat is moving.  
If the transducer does "kick-up," the bracket can easily be pushed back  
into place without tools.  
Read these instructions carefully before attempting the installation.  
Determine which of the installation methods is right for your boat.  
Remember, the transducer installation is the most critical part  
of a sonar installation.  
Recommended Tools and Supplies  
If you prefer the option of routing the cable through the transom, you  
will need a 5/8" drill bit. The following installation types also call for  
these recommended tools and required supplies (supplies are not in-  
cluded):  
Transom installation  
Tools include: two adjustable wrenches, drill, #29 (0.136") drill bit, flat-  
head screwdriver. Supplies: high quality, marine grade above- or below-  
waterline sealant compound.  
Trolling motor installations  
Tools: two adjustable wrenches, flat-head screwdriver. Supplies: plastic  
cable ties.  
Shoot-through hull installations  
Tools: these will vary depending on your hull's composition. Consult  
your boat dealer or manufacturer. Supplies: 100 grit sandpaper, good  
quality epoxy adhesive.  
Selecting a Transducer Location  
1. The transducer must be placed in a location that has a smooth flow  
of water at all times. If the transducer is to be mounted inside the  
hull, then the chosen location must be in the water at all times. If the  
transducer is not placed in a smooth flow of water, interference  
caused by bubbles and turbulence will show on the sonar's display in  
the form of random lines or dots whenever the boat is moving.  
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NOTE:  
Some aluminum boats with strakes or ribs on the outside of the  
hull create large amounts of turbulence at high speed. These boats  
typically have large outboard motors capable of propelling the boat  
at speeds faster than 35 mph. Typically, a good location on alumi-  
num boats is between the ribs closest to the engine.  
2. The transducer should be installed with its face pointing straight  
down, if possible.  
3. If the transducer is mounted on the transom, make sure it doesn't  
interfere with the trailer or hauling of the boat. Also, don't mount it  
closer than approximately one foot from the engine's lower unit. This  
will prevent cavitation (bubble) interference with propeller opera-  
tion.  
4. If possible, route the transducer cable away from other wiring on the  
boat. Electrical noise from engine wiring, bilge pumps and aerators  
can be displayed on the sonar's screen. Use caution when routing the  
transducer cable around these wires.  
CAUTION: Clamp the trans-  
ducer cable to transom near  
the transducer. This will help  
prevent the transducer from  
entering the boat if it is  
knocked off at high speed.  
Good location  
Poor location  
Good  
location  
Good location  
Poor angle  
Good and poor transducer locations.  
How low should you go?  
For most situations, you should install your Skimmer transducer so  
that its centerline is level with the bottom of the boat hull. This will  
usually give you the best combination of smooth water flow and protec-  
tion from bangs and bumps.  
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Transom  
Transducer  
centerline  
Hull bottom  
Align transducer centerline with hull bottom.  
If you want to adjust the transducer slightly higher or lower, the slots  
in the mounting brackets allow you to loosen the screws and slide the  
transducer up or down. If you frequently lose bottom signal lock while  
running at high speed, the transducer may be coming out of the water  
as you cross waves or wakes. Move the transducer a little lower to help  
prevent this.  
If you cruise or fish around lots of structure and cover, your transducer  
may be frequently kicking up from object strikes. If you want, you may  
move the transducer a little higher for more protection.  
There are two extremes you should avoid. Never let the edge of the  
mounting bracket extend below the bottom of the hull. Never let the  
bottom – the face – of the transducer rise above the bottom of the hull.  
Shoot-thru-hull vs. Transom Mounting  
In a shoot-thru-hull installation, the transducer is bonded to the inside  
of the hull with epoxy. The sonar "ping" signal actually passes through  
the hull and into the water. This differs from a bolt-thru-hull installa-  
tion (often called "thru-hull"). In that case, a hole is cut in the hull and  
a specially designed transducer is mounted through the hull with a  
threaded shaft and nut. This puts the transducer in direct contact with  
the water.  
Typically, shoot-thru-hull installations give excellent high speed opera-  
tion and good to excellent depth capability. There is no possibility of  
transducer damage from floating objects, as there is with a transom-  
mounted transducer. A transducer mounted inside the hull can't be  
knocked off when docking or loading on a trailer.  
The shoot-thru-hull installation does have its drawbacks, though. First,  
some loss of sensitivity does occur, even on the best hulls. This varies  
from hull to hull, even from different installations on the same hull.  
This is caused by differences in hull lay-up and construction.  
Second, the transducer angle cannot be adjusted for the best fish  
arches on your sonar display.  
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Lack of angle adjustment can be particularly troublesome on hulls that  
sit with the bow high when at rest or at slow trolling speeds.  
Third, a transducer CAN NOT shoot through wood and metal hulls.  
Those hulls require either a transom mount or a thru-hull installation.  
Fourth, if your Skimmer transducer has a built in temp sensor, it will  
only show the temperature of the bilge, not the water surface temp.  
Follow the testing procedures listed in the shoot-thru-hull installation  
section at the end of this instruction booklet to determine if you can  
satisfactorily shoot through the hull.  
Transom Transducer Assembly and Mounting  
The best way to install the transducer is to loosely assemble all of the  
parts first, place the transducer's bracket against the transom and see if  
you can move the transducer so that it's parallel with the ground.  
1. Assembling the bracket. Press the two small plastic ratchets into the  
sides of the metal bracket as shown in the following illustration. Notice  
there are letters molded into each ratchet. Place each ratchet into the  
bracket with the letter "A" aligned with the dot stamped into the metal  
bracket. This position sets the transducer's coarse angle adjustment for a  
14° transom. Most outboard and stern-drive transoms have a 14° angle.  
Dot  
Align plastic ratchets in bracket.  
2. Aligning the transducer on the transom. Slide the transducer  
between the two ratchets. Temporarily slide the bolt though the  
transducer assembly and hold it against the transom. Looking at the  
transducer from the side, check to see if it will adjust so that its face  
is parallel to the ground. If it does, then the "A" position is correct for  
your hull.  
If the transducer's face isn't parallel with the ground, remove the  
transducer and ratchets from the bracket. Place the ratchets into the  
holes in the bracket with the letter "B" aligned with the dot stamped  
in the bracket.  
Reassemble the transducer and bracket and place them against the  
transom. Again, check to see if you can move the transducer so it's  
parallel with the ground.  
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If you can, then go to step 3. If it doesn't, repeat step 2, but use a dif-  
ferent alignment letter until you can place the transducer on the  
transom correctly.  
Ratchets  
Insert bolt and check transducer position on transom.  
3. Assembling the transducer. Once you determine the correct posi-  
tion for the ratchets, assemble the transducer as shown in the following  
figure. Don't tighten the lock nut at this time.  
Metal  
washer  
Nut  
Rubber  
washers  
Metal washer  
Bolt  
Assemble transducer and bracket.  
4. Drilling mounting holes. Hold the transducer and bracket assembly  
against the transom. The transducer should be roughly parallel to the  
ground. The transducer's centerline should be in line with the bottom  
of the hull. Don't let the bracket extend below the hull!  
Mark the center of each slot for the mounting screw pilot holes. You  
will drill one hole in the center of each slot.  
Drill the holes using the #29 bit (for the #10 screws).  
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Transom  
Transom  
Position transducer mount on transom and mark mounting holes.  
Side view (left) and shown from above (right).  
5. Attaching transducer to transom. Remove the transducer from  
the bracket and re-assemble it with the cable passing through the  
bracket over the bolt as shown in the following figures.  
Route cable over bolt and through bracket. Side view (left) and shown  
from above (right).  
Attach the transducer to the transom. Slide the transducer up or  
down until it's aligned properly with the bottom of the hull as shown  
in the preceding and following figures. Tighten the bracket's mount-  
ing screws, sealing them with the sealant compound.  
Adjust the transducer so that it's parallel to the ground and tighten  
the nut until it touches the outer washer, then add 1/4 turn. Don't  
over tighten the lock nut! If you do, the transducer won't "kick-up" if  
it strikes an object in the water.  
Bottom  
of  
hull  
Flat-bottom hull  
Deep-"vee" hull  
Align transducer centerline with hull bottom and attach to transom.  
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6. Route the transducer cable through or over the transom to  
the sonar unit. Make sure to leave some slack in the cable at the  
transducer. If possible, route the transducer cable away from other  
wiring on the boat. Electrical noise from the engine's wiring, bilge  
pumps, VHF radio wires and cables, and aerators can be picked up by  
the sonar. Use caution when routing the transducer cable around these  
wires.  
WARNING:  
Clamp the transducer cable to the transom close to the  
transducer. This can prevent the transducer from enter-  
ing the boat if it is knocked off at high speed.  
If you need to drill a hole in the transom to pass the connector through,  
the required hole size is 5/8".  
Caution:  
If you drill a hole in the transom for the cable, make sure it is  
located above the waterline. After installation, be sure to seal the  
hole with the same marine grade above- or below-waterline  
sealant used for the mounting screws.  
7. Make a test run to determine the results. If the bottom is lost at  
high speed, or if noise appears on the display, try sliding the trans-  
ducer bracket down. This puts the transducer deeper into the water,  
hopefully below the turbulence causing the noise. Don't allow the  
transducer bracket to go below the bottom of the hull.  
Trolling Motor Bracket Installation  
1. Attach the optional TMB-S bracket to the transducer as shown in the  
following figure, using the hardware supplied with the transducer.  
The internal tooth washer is supplied with the TMB-S.  
TMB-S bracket  
Internal tooth washer  
Nut  
Bolt  
Flat washer  
Attach motor mounting bracket to transducer.  
2. Slide the adjustable strap supplied with the TMB-S through the slot  
in the transducer bracket and wrap it around the trolling motor. Po-  
sition the transducer to aim straight down when the motor is in the  
water. Tighten the strap securely.  
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3. Route the transducer cable alongside the trolling motor shaft. Use  
plastic ties (not included) to attach the transducer cable to the troll-  
ing motor shaft. Make sure there is enough slack in the cable for the  
motor to turn freely. Route the cable to the sonar unit and the trans-  
ducer is ready for use.  
Transducer mounted on trolling motor, side view.  
Transducer Orientation and Fish Arches  
If you do not get good fish arches on your display, it could be because  
the transducer is not parallel with the ground when the boat is at rest  
in the water or at slow trolling speeds.  
Partial fish arches  
Transducer aimed  
too far forward  
Transducer aimed  
too far back  
Full fish arch  
Proper transducer angle  
Transducer angles and their effects on fish arches.  
If the arch slopes up – but not back down – then the front of the trans-  
ducer is too high and needs to be lowered.  
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If only the back half of the arch is printed, then the nose of the trans-  
ducer is angled too far down and needs to be raised.  
NOTE:  
Periodically wash the transducer's face with soap and water to re-  
move any oil film. Oil and dirt on the face will reduce the sensitiv-  
ity or may even prevent operation.  
Shoot-Thru-Hull Preparation  
Hulls With Flotation Materials  
The transducer installation inside a fiberglass hull must be in an area  
that does not have air bubbles in the resin or separated fiberglass lay-  
ers. The sonar signal must pass through solid fiberglass. A successful  
transducer installation can be made on hulls with flotation materials  
(such as plywood, balsa wood or foam) between layers of fiberglass if  
the material is removed from the chosen area. See the figure below.  
WARNING:  
Do not remove any material from your inner hull unless  
you know the hull's composition. Careless grinding or  
cutting on your hull can result in damage that could  
sink your boat. Contact your boat dealer or manufac-  
turer to confirm your hull specifications.  
Fill with  
Fill with resin  
Inner hull  
Flotation material  
Epoxy to hull first  
Outer hull  
Epoxy the transducer to a solid portion of the hull.  
Some (but not all) manufacturers use a layer of fiberglass, then a core  
of balsa wood, finishing with an outer layer of fiberglass. Removing the  
inner layer of fiberglass and the balsa wood core exposes the outer  
layer of fiberglass. The transducer can then be epoxied directly to the  
outer layer of fiberglass. After the epoxy cures, the hull is watertight  
and structurally sound. Remember, the sonar signal must pass through  
solid fiberglass. Any air bubbles in the fiberglass or the epoxy will re-  
duce or eliminate the sonar signals.  
To choose the proper location for shoot-thru-hull mounting, follow these  
testing procedures. You may need a helper to complete these steps.  
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1. Anchor the boat in about 30 feet of water. Add a little water to the  
sump of the boat. Plug the transducer into the sonar unit, turn it on,  
then hold the transducer over the side of the boat in the water. Adjust  
the sensitivity and range controls until a second bottom echo is seen on  
the display.  
You will need to turn off Auto Sensitivity, Auto Depth Range and  
ASP. Try a range setting that is two to three times the water depth.  
The harder (more rocky) the bottom, the easier it will be to get a second  
bottom signal. Do not touch the controls once they have been set.  
True bottom  
Second bottom  
Manual range setting  
Example of a second bottom signal. Unit is in 30 feet of water, with  
range set at 80 feet and sensitivity set to 87 percent  
2. Next, take the transducer out of the water and place it in the water  
in the sump of the boat, face down. Notice how the signal strength de-  
creases. The second bottom signal will probably disappear and the bot-  
tom signal intensity will likely decrease.  
3. Now move the transducer around to find the best location with the  
strongest possible bottom signal. If you find a spot with an acceptable  
bottom signal, mark the location and move on to step 4.  
If you can not get an acceptable bottom signal, try turning up the sensi-  
tivity by three or five keystrokes and then move the transducer around  
once more. If you find a spot that works, mark it and move on to step 4.  
If you have to turn up sensitivity by more than five keystrokes to get a  
good signal, the transducer should be mounted on the outside of the  
hull. This is especially true if you have to turn sensitivity all the way  
up to get a decent bottom signal.  
4. Most people can get good results by following steps 1 through 3, so  
this step is optional. If you want to make an extra effort to be abso-  
lutely sure that your selected location will work under all conditions,  
make a test run with the boat on plane and observe the bottom signal.  
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You will need to figure some way to prop the transducer into position  
while you make your test run. A brick or two might be sufficient to hold  
it in place.  
5. When you are satisfied with a location, mark it and proceed with the  
installation.  
Transducer location  
(trolling speed)  
Transducer location  
(high speed)  
Shoot-thru-hull transducer locations for  
high speed or trolling speed operation.  
Shoot-thru-hull Installation  
1. Make sure the area is clean, dry and free of oil or grease, then sand  
both the inside surface of the hull and the face of the transducer with  
100 grit sandpaper.  
The sanded hull area should be about 1-1/2 times the diameter of the  
transducer. The surface of the hull must be flat so the entire trans-  
ducer face is in contact with the hull prior to bonding. After sanding,  
clean the hull and transducer with rubbing alcohol to remove any  
sanding debris.  
Spread epoxy here  
Sand this surface  
Orient the Skimmer  
with the nose facing  
the bow of the boat.  
To bow  
Epoxy transducer to hull.  
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WARNING:  
Use only the epoxy available from LEI. It has been for-  
mulated to work with these installation procedures.  
Other epoxy types may be too thin or may not cure to  
the right consistency for optimum transducer perform-  
ance.  
2. The epoxy consists of the epoxy itself and a hardener. Remove the  
two compounds from the package and place them on the paper plate.  
Thoroughly stir the two compounds together until the mixture has a  
uniform color and consistency. Do not mix too fast or bubbles will form  
in the epoxy. After mixing, you have 20 minutes to complete the in-  
stallation before the epoxy becomes unworkable.  
Spread a thin layer of epoxy (about 1/16" or 1.5 mm thick) on the face of  
the transducer as shown in the previous figure. Make sure there are no  
air pockets in the epoxy layer! Then, apply the remaining epoxy to the  
sanded area on the hull.  
3. Press the transducer into the epoxy, twisting and turning it to force  
any air bubbles out from under the transducer face. Stop pressing when  
you bottom out on the hull. When you are finished, the face of the  
transducer should be parallel with the hull, with a minimum amount of  
epoxy between the hull and transducer.  
4. Apply a weight, such as a brick, to hold the transducer in place while  
the epoxy cures. Be careful not to bump the transducer while the epoxy  
is wet. Leave the weight in place for a minimum of three hours. Allow  
the epoxy to cure for 24 hours before moving the boat.  
5. After the epoxy has cured, route the cable to the sonar unit.  
Power and Cable Connections  
The unit works from a 12-volt battery system. For the best results, at-  
tach the power cable directly to the battery. You can attach the power  
cable to an accessory or power buss, however you may have problems  
with electrical interference. Therefore, it's safer to go ahead and attach  
the power cable directly to the battery.  
CAUTION:  
When using the unit in a saltwater environment, we strongly rec-  
ommend that you shut off the power supply to the power cable  
when the unit is not in use. When the unit is turned off but still  
connected to a power supply, electrolysis can occur in the power ca-  
ble plug. This may result in corrosion of the plug body along with  
the electrical contacts in the cable and the unit's power socket. In  
saltwater environments we recommend you connect the power ca-  
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ble to the auxiliary power switch included in most boat designs. If  
that results in electrical interference, or if such a switch is not  
available, we recommend connecting direct to the battery and in-  
stalling an inline switch. This will let you shut off power to the  
power cable when the unit is not in use. When you are not using  
the unit, you should always shut off power to the power cable, es-  
pecially when the power cable is disconnected from the unit.  
Optional power off switch  
for saltwater installations  
To unit  
Black wire  
Red wire with  
12 volt  
3 amp fuse  
battery  
Power and transducer connections for sonar  
units (direct battery connection shown).  
WARNING:  
Do not use this product without a 3-amp fuse wired into  
the power cable! Failure to use a 3-amp fuse will void  
your warranty. This product must be independently  
fused with the enclosed 3-amp fuse (or equivalent), even  
if you connect to a fused accessory or power buss. If a  
malfunction happens inside the unit, extensive damage  
can occur if the enclosed fuse is not used. As with all elec-  
trical devices this unit could be damaged to a point that  
it is unrepairable and could even cause harm to the user  
when not properly fused.  
If possible, keep the power cable away from other boat wiring, espe-  
cially the engine's wires. This will provide the best isolation from elec-  
trical noise. If the cable is not long enough, splice #18 gauge wire onto  
it.  
The power cable has two wires, red and black. Red is the positive lead,  
black is negative or ground. Make sure to attach the in-line fuse holder  
to the red lead as close to the power source as possible.  
If you have to extend the power cable to the battery or power buss, at-  
tach one end of the fuse holder directly to the battery or power buss.  
This will protect both the unit and the power cable in the event of a  
short. It uses a 3-amp fuse. This unit has reverse polarity protection.  
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No damage will occur if the power wires are reversed. However, the  
unit will not work until the wires are attached correctly.  
Mounting The Sonar Unit: In-Dash or Bracket  
You can install the sonar unit on the top of a dash with the supplied  
bracket. It can also be installed in the dash with an optional dash-  
mounting kit. The FM-5 mount kit will work for both the X86 DS and  
X86 TX.  
In-Dash Installation  
The following figure shows dimensions for in-dash mounting. The in-  
dash adapter kit includes a template for cutting the mounting hole and  
complete installation directions on instruction sheet 988-0147-43.  
NOTE:  
Your unit needs only one cable, but some of the other products cov-  
ered by the FM-5 instruction sheet use more. When installing your  
unit, use the instructions for the transducer cable and ignore refer-  
ences to any others.  
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146.5  
[5.76]  
Top  
R 7.9  
[0.31]  
In-Dash  
Template  
113.5  
[4.46]  
Millimeters  
[Inches]  
ALWAYS VERIFY DIMENSIONS  
In-dash mounting template for X86 DS & X86 TX, showing dimensions.  
The preceding figure is not printed to scale. A scaled template is avail-  
Bracket Installation  
Mount the unit in any convenient location, provided there is clearance  
when it’s tilted for the best viewing angle. You should also make sure  
there is enough room behind the unit to attach the power/transducer  
cable.  
Holes in the bracket’s base allow wood screw or through-bolt mounting.  
You may need to place a piece of plywood on the back side of thin pan-  
els to reinforce the panel and secure the mounting hardware.  
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72.9  
[2.87]  
173.9  
[6.85]  
23.4  
[0.92]  
137.9  
[5.43]  
157.9  
[6.22]  
56.9  
[2.24]  
Millimeter  
[Inch]  
Front view (left) and side view (right) showing dimensions of sonar  
unit mounted on gimbal bracket.  
Drill a 5/8" (15.9 mm) hole in the dash for the power/transducer cable.  
The best location for this hole is immediately under the gimbal bracket  
location. This way, the bracket can be installed so that it covers the  
hole, holds the cable in position and results in a neat installation. Some  
customers, however, prefer to mount the bracket to the side of the cable  
hole — it's a matter of personal preference. After drilling the hole, pass  
the connector up through the hole from under the dash.  
If you want, you can fill in the hole around the cable with a good ma-  
rine sealant compound. Some marine dealers stock cable hole covers to  
conceal the opening. No matter what type of installation you prefer, be  
sure to leave enough slack in the cable to allow tilting or swiveling the unit.  
If you choose to fill in the cable hole, be sure to position the cable  
against the rear edge of the hole as you apply the fill material.  
Before positioning the gimbal bracket, be sure to hold the cable against  
the rear edge of the hole. Then, slide the bracket over the hole and butt  
the rear of the bracket base firmly against the cable, thus pinning it in  
place against the side of the hole. Finally, fasten the bracket to the  
dash.  
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Front  
Install the gimbal bracket. Orient the bracket so the arms slope to-  
ward the front of your unit.  
Attach the unit to the gimbal bracket using the supplied gimbal knobs  
and washers. Slide the rubber washers onto the gimbal knobs then  
loosely screw the knobs into their sockets. Slide the unit into the  
bracket with the rubber washers to the outside of the bracket arms.  
Tilt the unit to the desired viewing angle and tighten the knobs finger  
tight.  
Portable Installation  
Like many Lowrance products, this sonar unit is capable of portable  
operation by using an optional portable power pack. The power pack  
and an optional portable transducer expand the uses of your sonar  
unit. The power pack makes it easy to use the unit on your boat or take  
it to the dock, on a float tube, on an ice fishing trip or as a second sonar  
in a friend's boat. The portable power pack can be used with eight "D"  
cell alkaline batteries or an optional sealed, rechargeable battery. For  
set-up directions, refer to the pack's instruction sheet.  
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"D" cell battery  
Install batteries in power case battery adapter.  
Portable Transducer Assembly  
Recommended tools for installation include a slotted screw driver and  
two adjustable wrenches.  
Assemble the transducer and bracket as shown in the following figure.  
Attach the transducer to the bracket with the supplied hardware.  
Make sure there is one washer on each side of the transducer, inside  
the bracket. Slide the other washer over the end of the bolt and thread  
the nut onto it.  
Screw the suction cup onto the bracket using the supplied screw and  
flat washer. Tie the nylon cord through the hole in the top of the  
bracket. When using this transducer, tie the other end of the nylon cord  
to the boat. This will help prevent the loss of the transducer if it comes  
off the boat.  
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Tie ny-  
lon cord  
here  
Screw  
Suction  
cup  
Nut  
Bolt  
Washer  
Washer  
Transducer  
Portable transducer assembly: rear view (left) and side view (right.)  
Clean the chosen area of the hull before attaching the suction cup. Lo-  
cate the transducer on the hull as shown in the following figure. Don't  
allow the bracket to extend below the hull, because water pressure  
against it can cause the suction cup to come off at speed.  
Moisten the cup, then press it onto the hull as firmly as possible. Tie  
the nylon cord to the boat and route the transducer cable to the sonar  
unit. Your portable sonar is now ready for use.  
NOTE:  
For optimum operation, the portable transducer should be adjusted  
so that it is parallel to the ground. For more information on this,  
see the earlier segment on Transducer Orientation and Fish  
Arches.  
Suction  
Bracket  
cup  
Hull  
Transducer  
Portable transducer installed on boat transom.  
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Notes  
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Section 3: Operation  
Keyboard Basics  
The unit sounds a tone when you press any key. Numbers in the figure  
correspond to key explanations below:  
3
2
1
Lowrance X86 DS  
1. PWR/CLEAR  
In this manual, the Power/Clear key is referred to as PWR. Press this  
key to turn the unit on and off. It also clears menus and menu selec-  
tions from the screen. To clear a menu from the screen, press PWR.  
NOTE:  
Hold the PWR key down for five seconds to turn off the unit.  
2. MENU UP & MENU DOWN  
These keys appear in the manual text as MENU UP or MENU DOWN.  
Most of the time, you can press either of the menu keys, so in those  
cases, the text uses the word MENU. Usually, when the instructions say  
MENU, you can press the MENU UP key for consistency.  
The MENU UP key cycles forward through the menus. The MENU DOWN  
key moves backward through the menus. To scroll through the menus,  
repeatedly press a MENU key.  
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3. UP & DOWN ARROWS (↑ ↓)  
These Up and Down arrow keys are referred to as (DOWN) or (UP) in  
this manual. You will use these keys to adjust most features and functions  
on your unit.  
Memory  
This unit has permanent memory that saves the following user settings  
when power is turned off: Units of Measure, Temp Size, Depth Size, Fish  
I.D. mode, Noise Reject mode, Range mode, Zoom, Sensitivity, Grayline,  
Chart Speed, Battery Alarm, Display Contrast, Backlight, Language,  
Fish Alarm, Battery Alarm and Shallow and Deep alarms. It does not  
require, nor does it use an internal backup battery, so you never have to  
worry about replacement batteries.  
Menus  
This unit's menus will guide you through its various functions and fea-  
tures. Menu names and settings appear in the manual as small capital let-  
ters like SENSITIVITY, which refers to the Sensitivity menu.  
The MENU keys access these features, allowing you to customize unit set-  
tings. To switch menus, press MENU repeatedly. Press PWR to clear menus  
from the screen.  
The Backlight menu with backlight turned on.  
Display  
The lights will flash for about 10 seconds when the unit is turned on.  
The backlight menu will appear on the screen. Use ↑ ↓ to turn the  
backlight on or off. Press PWR to clear the menu from the screen. The  
unit will show the Full Chart Page or mode. The depth range is dis-  
played as the upper and lower limit on the left side of the screen.  
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In the following figure, the screen shows a depth range from 0 to 80  
feet and the bottom depth is 36.9 feet, shown by the digital sonar. The  
water temperature is 34.5° F.  
Digital depth  
Water Temp  
Surface signal  
Fish symbols  
Bottom signal  
Structure  
or cover  
Depth range  
at bottom of  
depth scale  
Grayline  
Full Chart page.  
FasTrack  
This feature automatically converts echoes to short horizontal lines on  
the display's far right side. The rest of the screen continues to operate  
normally. FasTrack gives you a rapid update of conditions directly un-  
der the boat, making it useful for ice fishing or when fishing at anchor.  
When the boat is not moving, fish signals are long, drawn out lines on a  
normal display. FasTrack converts the graph to a vertical bar graph  
that makes a useful addition to fishing at a stationary location.  
Surface Clutter  
Thermocline with  
fish echo  
Fish  
echoes  
Full sonar chart showing surface clutter,  
a thermocline and some fish echoes.  
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Pages  
The Pages menu allows you to display a full sonar chart or a Flash-  
Graf. The FlashGraf is a split screen that displays the sonar chart on  
the left side of the screen with a flasher on the right.  
Pages menu with Sonar Chart selected (left). FlashGraf (right).  
The FlashGraf uses the grayline feature to show weaker targets in  
light shades of gray. Stronger targets are displayed in dark shades of  
gray. The bottom depth is shown as a black bar across the outer circle.  
Full Chart  
The unit's default page, Full Chart shows all echoes scrolling across the  
full screen. The bottom signal scrolls across the screen from right to  
left. The line at the top of the screen represents the surface. The bottom  
depth — determined by the digital sonar — can be displayed in the up-  
per left corner of the screen.  
If the transducer with a built-in temperature sensor is connected, a  
digital display for water temperature also will be shown. This tempera-  
ture display can be turned on and off.  
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Digital depth  
Surface clutter  
Water Temp  
Bait fish  
Structure  
or cover  
Bottom signal  
Fish arches  
Grayline  
Depth range  
at bottom of  
depth scale  
Full Chart page showing digital depth (above) and  
temp (below). The Fish I.D. feature is turned off.  
Depth Range  
The unit automatically adjusts the depth range according to water con-  
ditions. When in auto range mode, it always keeps the bottom dis-  
played in the lower portion of the screen. You can override automatic  
depth range control and manually select a depth range.  
To do this, repeatedly press MENU until the DEPTH RANGE menu appears.  
Press to select MANUAL, then press MENU UP to display the RANGE menu.  
Use the arrow keys to select a desired depth range. When you are fin-  
ished, press PWR to clear the menu from the display.  
This unit has the following depth ranges: 0-10, 0-15, 0-20, 0-30, 0-40, 0-  
60, 0-80, 0-100, 0-150, 0-200, 0-300, 0-400, 0-600, 0-800, 0-1000, 0-1500,  
0-2000 and 0-3000 feet.  
Depth Range menu with Manual setting selected (left). Range Size  
menu with 0-60 ft highlighted (right).  
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Zoom  
The zoom feature enlarges all images on the screen by doubling (2X) or  
quadrupling (4X) the size of the echoes. When you activate the zoom  
command, the screen will be split in half with the zoomed area dis-  
played on the left. The normal view will be shown on the right side of  
the screen.  
To zoom in the display, repeatedly press MENU until the ZOOM menu  
appears. Press to select 2X or 4X, then press PWR to clear the menu.  
Zoom feature turned off (left). Zoom set to 2X zoom. (right).  
You can tell when the display is in Zoom mode by the zoom range indica-  
tor at the bottom of the screen. In the example (above right), 2X is dis-  
played at the bottom of the zoomed in display window.  
To turn off the zoom feature, repeatedly press MENU until the ZOOM menu  
appears. Press to select OFF, then press PWR to clear the menu.  
When you choose to use the zoom feature while the unit is in manual  
Depth Range mode, you can select one of 18 pre-set Zoom Ranges. This  
lets you enlarge a desired segment of the water column.  
To do this, make sure Depth Range is set to manual mode. Next, re-  
peatedly press MENU until the ZOOM menu appears. Press to select 2X or  
4X, then press MENU UP to display the ZOOM RANGE menu.  
Use ↑ ↓ to select a desired zoom range. When you are finished, press PWR  
to clear the menu from the display.  
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Enlarged  
fish  
arches  
Zoom Range menu with the 40-80 foot zoom selected. Notice the win-  
dow on the left zoomed 2X. The zoom range, 40-80 feet, covers a 40-foot  
water segment. When zoomed in 2X, the zoom window will show 20 feet  
of the water column with echoes magnified to twice their normal size.  
You can select from these zoom ranges: 0-10, 7-14, 10-20, 15-30, 20-40,  
30-60, 40-80, 50-100, 75-150, 100-200, 150-300, 200-400, 300-600, 400-  
800, 500-1000, 750-1500, 1000-2000 and 1500-3000.  
Sensitivity  
Sensitivity adjusts the way echoes are displayed on the screen. If you  
want to see more detail, try increasing the sensitivity, a little at a time.  
When too much clutter appears on the screen, decrease sensitivity to  
reduce clutter and show the strongest fish echoes, if fish are present.  
As you change the sensitivity setting, you can see the difference on the  
chart as it scrolls.  
Sensitivity set to manual mode (left). Sensitivity scroll bar (right).  
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You can change the sensitivity level whether you are in Auto Sensitivity  
mode or Manual Sensitivity mode. The adjustment method works the  
same in both modes, but provides slightly different results.  
To adjust sensitivity in Auto Mode:  
Repeatedly press MENU until the SENSITIVITY menu appears. Make sure sen-  
sitivity is set to Auto, then press MENU UP to access the sensitivity  
scroll bar. Press to increase the sensitivity, to decrease it. When it is set  
at the desired level, press PWR to clear the menu. If you reach the maxi-  
mum or minimum sensitivity level, a tone will sound.  
To adjust sensitivity in Manual Mode:  
If you want to change the sensitivity in Manual Mode, repeatedly press  
MENU until the SENSITIVITY menu appears. Press to select MANUAL, then  
press MENU UP to access the sensitivity scroll bar. Press to increase sen-  
sitivity, to decrease it. When it is set at the desired level, press PWR to  
clear the menu.  
Bait  
school  
Fig. 1  
Fig. 2  
Fish  
arches  
Fig. 3  
Fig. 4  
These figures show results of different sensitivity levels on the same  
location. Fig. 1: Sensitivity at 85 percent, determined by Auto Sensitiv-  
ity. Typical of full auto mode. Fig. 2: Sensitivity set at 71 percent. Fig.  
3: Sensitivity set at 47 percent. Fig. 4: Sensitivity set at 90 percent.  
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Grayline®  
Graylinelets you distinguish between strong and weak echoes. It al-  
lows you to tell the difference between a hard and soft bottom. For ex-  
ample, a soft, muddy or weedy bottom returns a weaker signal which is  
shown with a narrow line or no gray line at all. A hard bottom returns  
a strong signal, which will be displayed as a wide gray line.  
Grayline scroll bar.  
If you have two signals of equal size, one with gray and the other with-  
out, then the target with gray is the stronger signal. This helps distin-  
guish weeds from trees and fish from structure.  
Wider  
Thin or no Grayline  
Grayline  
A small amount of Grayline indicates a soft bottom (left), probably  
sand or mud. More Grayline indicates a harder, rocky bottom (right).  
Grayline is adjustable. Since Grayline shows the difference between  
strong and weak signals, adjusting the sensitivity may also require a  
different Grayline level. The level chosen by the sonar unit at power on  
is usually adequate for most conditions. Experiment with your unit to  
find the Grayline setting that's best for you.  
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To change the Grayline level, repeatedly press MENU until the GRAYLINE  
scroll bar appears. Press to increase Grayline, to decrease it. Echoes  
scrolling on the screen will show the effects of the Grayline adjustment.  
If you reach the maximum or minimum level, a tone sounds alerting  
you to the limits. Press PWR to clear the menu.  
Chart Speed  
The speed at which echoes scroll across the screen is called the chart  
speed. The default for this unit is "max" (100 percent). We recommend  
you leave the scroll speed setting there for most all fishing conditions.  
Chart Speed scroll bar.  
You, however, might consider experimenting with chart speed when  
you are stationary or drifting very slowly. Sometimes, you may achieve  
better images as you decrease the chart speed to match the speed of  
your boat.  
If you are at anchor, ice fishing or fishing from a dock, experiment with  
a chart speed of 25 percent. If you are drifting slowly, try a chart speed  
of 50 percent. When you are stationary and a fish swims through the  
sonar signal cone, the image appears on the screen as a long line in-  
stead of a fish arch. Reducing the chart speed may result in a shorter  
line that more closely resembles a regular fish return.  
To adjust Chart Speed, repeatedly press MENU until the CHART SPEED  
scroll bar appears. Press to increase the speed of the chart. Press to  
decrease it. Press PWR to clear the menu.  
To return to the original setting, repeat the steps above, but use the  
arrow keys to set the speed to 100% before clearing the menu.  
Frequency  
Your sonar unit can transmit signals at 83 kHz and 200 kHz. The de-  
fault frequency is 200 kHz, best used in shallow water (about 300 feet  
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or less). This frequency is the best choice for about 80 percent of the  
fresh and salt water sport fishing applications. When you get into very  
deep salt water, up to 1,000 feet, the 83 kHz frequency will work best.  
The 200 kHz transducer will give you better detail and definition, but  
less depth penetration. You will not get as much detail or definition with  
the 83 kHz frequency, but it has greater depth penetration and up to  
120° of wide fish-finding coverage. Remember, all sonar units typically  
read deeper in fresh water than in salt water.  
Frequency menu with 200 kHz selected.  
To switch the Frequency, repeatedly press MENU until the Frequency  
menu appears. Press to select 200 KHZ or to choose 83 KHZ. Press PWR  
to clear the Frequency menu from the screen.  
Fish I.D.  
The Fish I.D.feature displays — as fish — targets that meet certain  
conditions. The microcomputer analyzes all echoes and eliminates sur-  
face clutter, thermoclines and other undesirable signals.  
The Fish I.D. feature displays symbols on the screen in place of the ac-  
tual fish echoes. There are three symbol sizes: small, medium and  
large. These show the relative size between targets. In other words, it  
displays a small fish symbol when it thinks a target is a small fish, a  
medium fish symbol on a larger target and so forth.  
Fish I.D. is an easier way for a sonar novice to recognize a fish signal  
return when he sees it. But, locating fish by symbol only does have  
some limitations.  
Your sonar unit's microcomputer is sophisticated, but it can be fooled. It  
can not distinguish between fish and other suspended objects such as  
trotlines, turtles, submerged floats, air bubbles, etc.  
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Individual tree limbs extending outward from a group of limbs are the  
hardest objects for the Fish I.D. feature to distinguish from fish.  
Fish  
arches  
Fish I.D.  
symbols  
Underwater scene in normal fish arch mode (left). Fish I.D. menu with  
the feature turned on (right).  
To see what is under your boat in maximum detail, we recommend you  
turn off Fish I.D. and begin learning to interpret fish arches.  
You may see Fish I.D. symbols on the screen when actually, there are no fish.  
The reverse is also true — Fish I.D. can actually miss fish that are present.  
Does that mean Fish I.D. is broken? No — the feature is interpreting so-  
nar returns in a specific way to help take some of the work out of reading  
the screen. Remember: Fish I.D. is one of the many tools we provide so  
you can analyze your sonar returns for maximum fish finding informa-  
tion. This and other features can help you "see" beneath the boat under  
varied water and fishing conditions. Practice with the Fish I.D. mode on  
and off to become more skilled at interpreting sonar returns.  
Fish I.D. is most handy when you are in another part of the boat or per-  
forming some task that prevents you from watching the sonar screen.  
Then, you can turn on Fish I.D. and the audible fish alarm. When that  
lunker swims under your boat, you will hear it!  
Fish I.D. can also be useful when you want to screen out some of the so-  
nar detail gathered by your unit. For example, it can help cut through  
the clutter of suspended bubbles caused by wave action or boat wakes.  
To turn on Fish I.D., repeatedly press MENU until the FISH ID menu ap-  
pears. Press to select ON, then press PWR. To turn it off, repeat those  
steps, but press to select OFF.  
FishTrack™  
The FishTrackfeature shows the depth of a fish symbol when it ap-  
pears on the display. To turn it on, repeatedly press MENU until the FISH  
ID menu appears. Press to select TRACK ON, then press PWR. To turn it  
off, repeat those steps, but press to select OFF.  
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If you want to turn off FishTrack depths, but leave Fish I.D. on, press ↓  
to select ON, then press PWR. Remember, Fish I.D. must be on in order  
to use the FishTrack feature.  
Fish I.D. symbols  
showing FishTrack  
depth indicator  
Fish ID menu and symbol with FishTrack on. The fish is 44 feet deep.  
Alarms  
Your sonar unit has four alarms: fish, shallow, deep and battery.  
NOTE:  
When one of the alarms is triggered, press the PWR key to silence  
the alarm. It will remain silent until it is triggered again.  
Fish Alarm  
The Fish Alarm sounds a tone when a fish symbol appears on the  
screen. The Fish I.D. feature must be turned on for fish alarms to work.  
To turn on Fish I.D., repeatedly press MENU until the FISH ID menu ap-  
pears. Press to select ON, then press MENU and the FISH ALARM menu  
will appear. Press to select ON and press PWR.  
To turn off the fish alarm, repeatedly press MENU until the FISH ALARM  
menu appears. Press to select OFF, then press PWR to clear the menu.  
Fish Alarm menu.  
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Depth Alarms  
The depth alarms are triggered only by the bottom signal. No other  
echoes will activate these alarms. The depth alarms consist of a shal-  
low and a deep alarm. The shallow alarm sounds an alarm when your  
vessel enters water that is more shallow than the alarm's setting. The  
deep alarm sounds a tone your vessel enters water that is deeper than  
the alarm's setting.  
Shallow Alarm  
To set the shallow alarm depth, repeatedly press MENU until SHALLOW  
ALARM appears.  
Shallow Alarm menu (left). Shallow Alarm Value Dialog box (right).  
Press to SET VALUE. The Shallow Alarm Value dialog box will appear.  
Use ↑ ↓ to enter the first number in the dialog box, then press MENU  
DOWN to move to the next digit. Repeat those steps until the desired  
depth has been entered in the dialog box. To move the cursor back to  
any of the previously entered numbers, press MENU UP. Press PWR to  
return to the Shallow Alarm menu. Use to select ON, which will turn  
on the alarm, then press PWR to clear the menu. When your vessel en-  
ters water more shallow than the alarm’s setting, an alarm will sound  
and a message will appear on the screen.  
Press PWR to silence the alarm. It will remain silent until it is trig-  
gered again.  
To turn off the alarm, repeatedly press MENU until the SHALLOW ALARM  
menu appears. Press to OFF, then press PWR to clear the menu.  
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Deep Alarm menu (left). Deep Alarm dialog box (right).  
Deep Alarm  
To set the deep alarm depth, repeatedly press MENU until DEEP ALARM  
appears.  
Press the to SET VALUE. The Deep Alarm Value dialog box will appear.  
Use to enter the first number in the dialog box, then press MENU  
DOWN to move to the next digit. Repeat those steps until the desired  
depth has been entered in the dialog box. To move the cursor back to  
any of the previously entered numbers, press MENU UP. Press PWR to  
return to the Deep Alarm menu. Press to select ON, which will turn  
on the alarm, then press PWR to clear the menu. When your vessel en-  
ters water deeper than the alarm’s setting, an alarm will sound and a  
message will appear on the screen. Press PWR to silence the alarm.  
Battery Alarm  
To set the battery alarm depth, repeatedly press MENU until BATTERY  
ALARM appears.  
Battery Alarm menu (left). Low Battery Alarm Value (right).  
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Press the to SET VALUE. The Low Battery Alarm Value dialog box will  
appear. Input a voltage value between 7 and 18 volts. Use the ↑ ↓ keys  
to enter the first number in the dialog box, then press MENU DOWN to  
move to the next digit. Repeat those steps until the desired value has  
been entered in the dialog box. To move the cursor back to any of the  
previously entered numbers, press MENU UP. Press PWR to return to  
the Battery Alarm menu. Use to select ON, which will turn on the  
alarm, then press PWR to clear the menu. If the voltage value falls be-  
low the alarm’s setting, the alarm will sound and a message will ap-  
pear on the screen. Press PWR to silence the alarm.  
Noise Rejection and ASP  
The ASP(Advanced Signal Processing) feature is a noise rejection  
system built into the sonar unit. It constantly evaluates the effects of  
boat speed, water conditions and electrical interference and automati-  
cally gives you the best display possible under most conditions.  
ASP is an effective tool in combating noise. In sonar terms, noise is any  
undesired signal. It is caused by electrical and mechanical sources such  
as bilge pumps, engine ignition systems, wiring, air bubbles passing  
over the face of the transducer and even vibration from the engine. In  
all cases, noise can produce unwanted marks on the display.  
Noise Rejection menu.  
The ASP noise rejection feature is especially useful because, typically,  
it lets you operate the boat at all speeds without adjusting the sensi-  
tivity or other controls.  
The ASP feature has three settings — Off, Low and High. When first  
turned on, noise rejection is set on low. If you have high noise levels,  
try using the high ASP setting. If, however, you are having trouble  
with noise, we suggest you take steps to find the interference source  
and fix it, rather than continually using the unit with the high ASP  
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setting. There are times when you may want to turn off ASP. This al-  
lows you to view all incoming echoes before they are processed by the  
ASP feature.  
To change the ASP setting, repeatedly press MENU until the NOISE  
REJECTION menu appears. Use ↑ ↓ to select the desired setting, then press  
PWR to clear the menu.  
Depth Display  
Depth may be displayed on the screen in a small, medium or large size  
or can be turned off completely.  
To display Depth:  
Repeatedly press MENU until the DEPTH menu appears. Use ↑ ↓ to select  
the size of the depth display. Press PWR to clear the menu.  
Depth menu with Depth display turned off (left).  
Depth display set to Medium (right).  
Temperature Display  
Temperature may be displayed on the screen in a small or medium size  
or can be turned off completely.  
To display Temperature:  
Repeatedly press MENU until the TEMPERATURE menu appears. Use ↑ ↓ to  
select the size of the temperature display. Press PWR to clear the menu.  
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Temperature menu (left). Temperature display set to small size (right).  
Voltage  
The Voltage menu allows you to display battery voltage on the screen  
in a small or medium size or can be turned off completely.  
To display voltage:  
Repeatedly press MENU until the VOLTAGE menu appears. Use ↑ ↓ to se-  
lect the size of the voltage display. Press PWR to clear the menu.  
Voltage menu with the voltage display turned off (left) and with volt-  
age set to a small display size (right).  
Units  
The Units menu allows you to switch the units of measure between  
Feet and Fahrenheit and Meters and Celsius.  
To switch units of measure, repeatedly press MENU until the Units  
menu appears on the screen. Use ↑ ↓ to select the desired unit of meas-  
ure — FEET or METERS. Press PWR to clear the menu from the screen.  
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Units set to Feet, which displays temperature in Fahrenheit (left).  
Units set to Meters, which shows the temperature in Celsius. (right)  
Backlight  
The display's backlight allows the unit to be used at night. To turn the  
backlight on or off, repeatedly press MENU until the BACKLIGHT menu  
appears. Press to turn on the backlight or to turn it off. Press PWR  
to clear the backlight menu from the display.  
Backlight turned on (left). Contrast scroll bar (right).  
Contrast  
The contrast of the unit's display may be adjusted to suit different  
lighting conditions. It will help you see the screen from different angles  
or at various times of the day.  
To adjust the contrast, repeatedly press MENU until the CONTRAST scroll  
bar appears. To decrease screen contrast, press or to increase the  
level of contrast, press . If you reach the maximum or minimum con-  
trast level, a tone will sound. Press the PWR key to clear the menu.  
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Simulator  
This unit has a built-in simulator that shows simulated sonar returns  
with fish signals. This lets you practice with the unit as if you were on the  
water. All the unit's functions and features are usable in simulator mode.  
To use the simulator, repeatedly press MENU until the SIMULATOR menu  
appears. Press to turn on the simulator or press to turn it off. Press  
PWR to clear the menu. The simulator will be automatically turned off  
when you power off the unit.  
Simulator menu (left). Languages menu (right).  
Set Language  
This unit's menus are available in 11 languages: English, French,  
German, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Russian, Czech, Dutch and  
Finnish.  
To select a language:  
1. Repeatedly press MENU until the Languages menu appears.  
2. Use ↑ ↓ to select the desired language. All menus now appear in the  
language you selected. Press PWR to clear the menu from the screen.  
Software Information  
To show the unit's software information, repeatedly press MENU until  
the SOFTWARE INFORMATION screen appears. Press PWR to clear the screen.  
Reset Options  
This command is used to reset all features, options and settings to  
original factory defaults. This is useful when several settings have been  
changed and want to reset the unit to basic automatic operation.  
First, turn off the unit. Next, press and hold and the MENU DOWN key  
at the same time, then press the PWR key. Release the keys as the unit  
powers up. The unit will turn on with the factory settings restored.  
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Troubleshooting  
If your unit is not working, or if you need technical help, please use the  
following troubleshooting section before contacting the factory cus-  
tomer service department. It may save you the trouble of returning  
your unit for repair. For contact information, refer to the last page, just  
inside the back cover of this manual.  
Unit won't turn on:  
1. Check the power cable's connection at the unit. Also check the wir-  
ing.  
2. Make certain the power cable is wired properly. The red wire con-  
nects to the positive battery terminal, black to negative or ground.  
3. Check the fuse.  
4. Measure the battery voltage at the unit's power connector. It should  
be at least 11 volts. If it isn't, the wiring to the unit is defective, the  
battery terminals or wiring on the terminals are corroded, or the bat-  
tery needs charging.  
Unit turns on only in simulator mode:  
There is a problem with the transducer or the transducer cable. Check  
the cable for damage.  
Unit freezes, locks up, or operates erratically:  
1. Electrical noise from the boat's motor, trolling motor, or an accessory  
may be interfering with the sonar unit. Rerouting the power and trans-  
ducer cables away from other electrical wiring on the boat may help.  
Route the sonar unit's power cable directly to the battery instead of  
through a fuse block or ignition switch.  
2. Inspect the transducer cable for breaks, cuts, or pinched wires.  
3. Check both the transducer and power connectors. Make certain both  
are securely plugged in to the unit.  
Weak bottom echo, digital readings erratic, or no fish signals:  
1. Make certain the transducer is pointing straight down. Clean the  
face of the transducer. Oil, dirt and fuel can cause a film to form on the  
transducer, reducing its effectiveness. If the transducer is mounted in-  
side the hull, be sure it is shooting through only one layer of fiberglass  
and that it is securely bonded to the hull. Do NOT use RTV silicone  
rubber adhesive or Marine-Texepoxy.  
2. Electrical noise from the boat's motor can interfere with the sonar.  
This causes the sonar to automatically increase its Discrimination or  
noise rejection feature. This can cause the unit to eliminate weaker  
signals such as fish or even structure from the display.  
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3. The water may be deeper than the sonar's ability to find the bottom. If  
the sonar can't find the bottom signal while it's in the automatic mode, the  
digital sonar display will flash continuously. It may change the range to  
limits far greater than the water you are in. If this happens, place the unit  
in the manual mode, then change the range to a realistic one, (for exam-  
ple, 0-100 feet) and increase the sensitivity. As you move into shallower  
water, a bottom signal should appear.  
4. Check the battery voltage. If the voltage drops, the unit's transmitter  
power also drops, reducing its ability to find the bottom or targets.  
Bottom echo disappears at high speeds or erratic digital read-  
ing or weak bottom echo while boat is moving  
1. The transducer may be in turbulent water. It must be mounted in a  
smooth flow of water in order for the sonar to work at all boat speeds.  
Air bubbles in the water disrupt the sonar signals, interfering with its  
ability to find the bottom or other targets. The technical term for this is  
cavitation.  
2. Electrical noise from the boat's motor can interfere with the sonar.  
This causes the sonar to automatically increase its Discrimination or  
noise rejection feature. This can cause the unit to eliminate weaker sig-  
nals such as fish or even structure from the display.  
Try using resistor spark plugs or routing the sonar unit's power and  
transducer cables away from other electrical wiring on the boat.  
No fish arches when the Fish I.D. feature is off:  
1. Make certain the transducer is pointing straight down. This is the  
most common problem if a partial arch is displayed.  
2. The sensitivity may not be high enough. In order for the unit to dis-  
play a fish arch, it has to be able to receive the fish's echo from the time  
it enters the cone until it leaves. If the sensitivity is not high enough,  
the unit shows the fish only when it is in the center of the cone.  
3. Use the Zoom feature. It is much easier to display fish arches when  
zoomed in on a small range of water than a large one. For example, you  
will have much better luck seeing fish arches with a 30 to 60 foot range  
than a 0 to 60 foot range. This enlarges the targets, allowing the dis-  
play to show much more detail.  
4. The boat must be moving at a slow trolling speed to see fish arches.  
If the boat is motionless, fish stay in the cone, showing on the screen as  
straight horizontal lines.  
NOISE  
A major cause of sonar problems is electrical noise. This usually ap-  
pears on the sonar's display as random patterns of dots or lines.  
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In severe cases, it can completely cover the screen with black dots, or  
cause the unit operate erratically, or not at all.  
To eliminate or minimize the effects of electrical noise, first try to de-  
termine the cause. With the boat at rest in the water, the first thing  
you should do is turn all electrical equipment on the boat off. Make  
sure the engine is also off. Turn your sonar on, then turn off Noise Re-  
ject [also known as the ASP feature (Advanced Signal Processing)].  
Sensitivity should be set at 90-95 percent. There should be a steady  
bottom signal on the display. Now turn on each piece of electrical  
equipment on the boat and view the effect on the sonar's display. For  
example, turn on the bilge pump and view the sonar display for noise.  
If no noise is present, turn the pump off, then turn on the VHF radio  
and transmit. Keep doing this until all electrical equipment has been  
turned on, their effect on the sonar display noted, then turned off.  
If you find noise interference from an electrical instrument, trolling motor,  
pump, or radio, try to isolate the problem. You can usually reroute the  
sonar unit's power cable and transducer cable away from the wiring that  
is causing the interference. VHF radio antenna cables radiate noise when  
transmitting, so be certain to keep the sonar's wires away from it. You  
may need to route the sonar unit's power cable directly to the battery to  
isolate it from other wiring on the boat.  
If no noise displays on the sonar unit from electrical equipment, then  
make certain everything except the sonar unit is turned off, then start  
the engine. Increase the RPM with the gearshift in neutral. If noise  
appears on the display, the problem could be one of three things; spark  
plugs, alternator, or tachometer wiring. Try using resistor spark plugs,  
alternator filters, or routing the sonar unit's power cable away from  
engine wiring. Again, routing the power cable directly to the battery  
helps eliminate noise problems. Make certain to use the in-line fuse  
supplied with the unit when wiring the power cable to the battery.  
When no noise appears on the sonar unit after all of the above tests,  
then the noise source is probably cavitation. Many novices or persons  
with limited experience make hasty sonar installations which function  
perfectly in shallow water, or when the boat is at rest. In nearly all  
cases, the cause of the malfunction will be the location and/or angle of  
the transducer. The face of the transducer must be placed in a location  
that has a smooth flow of water at all boat speeds. Read your trans-  
ducer owner's manual for the best mounting position.  
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Notes  
48  
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LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS  
FULL ONE-YEAR WARRANTY  
"We," "our," or "us" refers to LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS, a division of LEI, the manu-  
facturer of this product. "You" or "your" refers to the first person who purchases this  
product as a consumer item for personal, family, or household use.  
We warrant this product against defects or malfunctions in materials and workmanship,  
and against failure to conform to this product's written specifications, all for one (1) year  
from the date of original purchase by you. WE MAKE NO OTHER EXPRESS  
WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER CONCERNING  
THIS PRODUCT. Your remedies under this warranty will be available so long as you can  
show in a reasonable manner that any defect or malfunction in materials or workman-  
ship, or any non-conformity with the product's written specifications, occurred within one  
year from the date of your original purchase, which must be substantiated by a dated  
sales receipt or sales slip. Any such defect, malfunction, or non-conformity which occurs  
within one year from your original purchase date will either be repaired without charge  
or be replaced with a new product identical or reasonably equivalent to this product, at  
our option, within a reasonable time after our receipt of the product. If such defect, mal-  
function, or non-conformity remains after a reasonable number of attempts to repair by  
us, you may elect to obtain without charge a replacement of the product or a refund for  
the product. THIS REPAIR, OR REPLACEMENT OR REFUND (AS JUST DESCRIBED)  
IS THE EXCLUSIVE REMEDY AVAILABLE TO YOU AGAINST US FOR ANY  
DEFECT, MALFUNCTION, OR NON-CONFORMITY CONCERNING THE PRODUCT  
OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE RESULTING FROM ANY OTHER CAUSE  
WHATSOEVER. WE WILL NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BE LIABLE TO  
ANYONE FOR ANY SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR OTHER  
INDIRECT DAMAGE OF ANY KIND.  
Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential dam-  
ages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you.  
This warranty does NOT apply in the following circumstances: (1) when the product has  
been serviced or repaired by anyone other than us; (2) when the product has been con-  
nected, installed, combined, altered, adjusted, or handled in a manner other than ac-  
cording to the instructions furnished with the product; (3) when any serial number has  
been effaced, altered, or removed; or (4) when any defect, problem, loss, or damage has  
resulted from any accident, misuse, negligence, or carelessness, or from any failure to  
provide reasonable and necessary maintenance in accordance with the instructions of the  
owner's manual for the product.  
We reserve the right to make changes or improvements in our products from time to time  
without incurring the obligation to install such improvements or changes on equipment or  
items previously manufactured.  
This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which  
may vary from state to state.  
REMINDER: You must retain the sales slip or sales receipt proving the date of your  
original purchase in case warranty service is ever required.  
LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS  
PO BOX 669, CATOOSA, OK 74015  
(800) 324-1354  
49  
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How to Obtain Service…  
…in the USA:  
We back your investment in quality products with quick, expert service  
and genuine Lowrance replacement parts. If you're in the United  
States and you have technical, return or repair questions, please con-  
tact the Factory Customer Service Department. Before any product can  
be returned, you must call customer service to determine if a return is  
necessary. Many times, customer service can resolve your problem over  
the phone without sending your product to the factory. To call us, use  
the following toll-free number:  
800-324-1354  
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Standard Time, M-F  
Lowrance Electronics may find it necessary to change or end our ship-  
ping policies, regulations, and special offers at any time. We reserve the  
right to do so without notice.  
…in Canada:  
If you're in Canada and you have technical, return or repair questions,  
please contact the Factory Customer Service Department. Before any  
product can be returned, you must call customer service to determine if  
a return is necessary. Many times, customer service can resolve your  
problem over the phone without sending your product to the factory. To  
call us, use the following toll-free number:  
800-661-3983  
905-629-1614 (not toll-free)  
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, M-F  
…outside Canada and the USA:  
If you have technical, return or repair questions, contact the dealer in the country  
where you purchased your unit. To locate a dealer near you, visit our web site,  
50  
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Accessory Ordering Information  
for all countries  
To order Lowrance GPS accessories such as computer cables or MMC  
cards, please contact:  
1) Your local marine dealer or consumer electronics store. Most quality  
dealers that handle marine electronic equipment or other consumer  
electronics should be able to assist you with these items.  
To locate  
a
Lowrance dealer near you, visit our web site,  
www.lowrance.com and look for the Dealer Locator. Or, you can consult  
your telephone directory for listings.  
2) U.S. customers: LEI Extras Inc., PO Box 129, Catoosa, OK 74015-0129  
Call 1-800-324-0045 or visit our web site www.lei-extras.com.  
3) Canadian customers can write:  
Lowrance/Eagle Canada, 919 Matheson Blvd. E. Mississauga, Ontario  
L4W2R7 or fax 905-629-3118.  
Shipping Information  
If it becomes necessary to send a product for repair or replacement, you  
must first receive a return authorization number from Customer  
Service. Products shipped without a return authorization will not be  
accepted. When shipping, we recommend you do the following:  
1. Always use the original shipping container and filler material the  
product was packed in.  
2. Always insure the parcel against damage or loss during shipment.  
Lowrance does not assume responsibility for goods lost or damaged in  
transit.  
3. For proper testing, include a brief note with the product describing  
the problem. Be sure to include your name, return shipping address  
and a daytime telephone number.  
4. Pack the unit in a suitable size box with packing material to prevent  
any damage during shipping.  
5. Write the Return Authorization (RA) number on the outside of the  
box underneath your return address.  
6. For your security, you may want to insure the package through your  
shipping courier. Eagle does not assume responsibility for goods lost or  
damaged in transit.  
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Visit our web site:  
Lowrance Pub. 988-0151-411  
Printed in USA 042006  
© Copyright 2006  
All Rights Reserved  
Lowrance Electronics, Inc.  
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