Eagle Electronics Fish Finder 500CDF User Manual

Pub. 988-0156-031  
www.eaglesonar.com  
Fish-Finding & Depth-Sounding Sonars  
Installation and Operation  
Instructions  
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Table of Contents  
Section 1: Read Me First!................................................................1  
Capabilities and Specifications ...........................................................2  
How Sonar Works ................................................................................4  
How to Use this Manual: Typographical Conventions.......................5  
Section 2: Installation & Accessories...........................................7  
Preparations.........................................................................................7  
Transducer Installation.......................................................................7  
Recommended Tools and Supplies..................................................8  
Selecting a Transducer Location.....................................................9  
How low should you go?.................................................................10  
Shoot-Thru-Hull vs. Transom Mounting ......................................11  
Transom Transducer Assembly and Mounting ............................12  
Trolling Motor Bracket Installation (single-frequency only).......19  
Transducer Orientation and Fish Arches.....................................20  
Shoot-Thru-Hull Preparation........................................................22  
Testing Determines Best Location................................................23  
Shoot-Thru-Hull Installation ........................................................24  
Speed/Temperature Sensors..............................................................26  
Optional Speed Sensor Installation..................................................27  
Power Connections.............................................................................29  
Mounting the Unit: Bracket, In-Dash or Portable...........................31  
Face Cover..........................................................................................35  
Basic Sonar Operation..................................................................37  
Keyboard ............................................................................................37  
Power/lights on and off......................................................................38  
Main Menu.........................................................................................39  
Pages ..................................................................................................40  
Basic Sonar Quick Reference ............................................................45  
Sonar Operations...............................................................................46  
Fish Symbols vs. Full Sonar Chart...............................................50  
Other Free Training Aids ..............................................................50  
Section 4: Sonar Options & Other Features.............................53  
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ASP(Advanced Signal Processing)................................................53  
Alarms ................................................................................................54  
Depth Alarms.................................................................................55  
Zone Alarm.....................................................................................56  
Fish Alarm......................................................................................57  
Backlight Level ..................................................................................58  
Calibrate Speed..................................................................................59  
Chart Speed........................................................................................60  
ColorLine.........................................................................................61  
ColorLine level: ..............................................................................61  
Contrast..............................................................................................63  
Depth Cursor......................................................................................63  
Depth Range - Automatic..................................................................64  
Depth Range - Manual ......................................................................64  
FasTrack.........................................................................................65  
Fish I.D.(Fish Symbols & Depths)................................................66  
FishTrack........................................................................................67  
Frequency (Change Transducer Frequency) (SeaFinder CDF  
only)....................................................................................................68  
To change the frequency setting to 50 kHz: .................................69  
To change the frequency setting to 200 kHz: ...............................70  
HyperScroll.....................................................................................70  
Noise Rejection...................................................................................70  
Overlay Data......................................................................................70  
Ping Speed & HyperScroll..............................................................73  
To change Ping Speed:...................................................................75  
To adjust Sensitivity:.....................................................................75  
To turn off HyperScroll:.................................................................75  
Pop-up Help........................................................................................75  
Reset Options.....................................................................................76  
Reset Water Distance ........................................................................77  
Set Keel Offset ...................................................................................77  
Sensitivity & Auto Sensitivity...........................................................79  
Automatic Sensitivity ....................................................................79  
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To turn Auto Sensitivity back on: .................................................81  
Set Language .....................................................................................81  
Software Version Information...........................................................81  
Sonar Chart Mode..............................................................................82  
Sonar Page & Sonar Chart Display Options ....................................82  
Full Sonar Chart............................................................................83  
Split Zoom Sonar Chart.................................................................84  
Digital Data/Chart.........................................................................84  
Sonar Simulator.................................................................................86  
Stop Chart..........................................................................................87  
Surface Clarity...................................................................................88  
Transparency .....................................................................................90  
Units of Measure................................................................................90  
Zoom & Zoom Bar ..............................................................................91  
Zoom Pan............................................................................................92  
Section 5: Troubleshooting ..........................................................93  
Section 6: Supplemental Material ..............................................97  
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Notes  
iv  
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Section 1: Read Me First!  
How this manual can get you out on the water, fast!  
Welcome to the exciting world of digital sonar! We know you're anxious  
to begin finding fish, but we have a favor to ask. Before you grab your  
unit and begin installing it, please give us a moment or two to explain  
how our manual can help you get the best performance from your com-  
pact, wide-screen, fish finder.  
First, we want to thank you for buying an Eagle sonar. Whether you're  
a first time user or a professional fisherman, you'll discover that your  
unit is easy to use, yet capable of handling demanding sonar tasks. You  
won't find another sonar unit with this much power and this many fea-  
tures for this price!  
Our goal for this book is to get you on the water fast, with a minimum  
of fuss. Like you, we'd rather spend more time boating or fishing and  
less time reading the manual!  
So, we designed our book so that you don't have to read the whole thing  
from front to back for the information you want. At the start (or end) of  
each segment, we'll tell you what content is coming up next. If it's a  
concept you're already familiar with, we'll show you how and where to  
skip ahead for the next important topic. We've also made it easy to look  
up any tips you may need from time to time. Here's how:  
The manual is organized into 6 sections. This first section is an intro-  
duction to the sonar unit. It tells you the basics you need to know before  
you can make the unit look below the surface to find some fish.  
Section 2 will help you install your unit and the transducer. We'll also  
tell you about some of the available accessories.  
Section 3 covers Basic Sonar Operation. It will show you how easy it is  
to run your sonar, right out of the box. This section features a one-page  
Sonar Quick Reference. (If you've already jumped ahead and fig-  
ured out how to install the unit yourself, and you just can't wait  
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any longer, turn to the Quick Reference on page 45 and head  
for the water with your sonar unit!)  
After you've gained some experience with your sonar, you'll want to  
check out Section 4, which discusses more advanced Sonar Options and  
Other Features.  
When you come to a sonar menu command on the unit's screen, you can  
look it up in the manual by skimming over the table of contents, just flip-  
ping through Section 3 or scanning through the sonar options in Section 4.  
If you're having difficulty with your sonar, you can find an answer to  
the most common problems in Section 5, Sonar Troubleshooting.  
Finally, in Section 6, we offer Supplemental Material, including a list of  
warranty and customer service information.  
Now, if you're into the fine details, glance over the next segment on speci-  
fications to see just how much sonar power your unit contains. It's impor-  
tant to us (and our power users), but, if you don't care how many watts of  
power the unit has, skip ahead to important information on how sonar  
works, on page 4.  
Capabilities and Specifications: FishMark® 500C,  
SeaFinder® 500CDF  
General  
Display:............................ 5.0" (12.7 cm) diagonal color TFT LCD; pro-  
grammable to viewing preference.  
Resolution:...................... 320 pixel x 240 pixel resolution; 76,800 total  
pixels.  
Backlighting:.................. Backlit screen and keypad with multiple  
lighting levels for night use.  
Input power:................... 10 to 15 volts DC.  
Case size:......................... 5.4" H x 6.9" W x 3.4" D (13.8 x 17.6 x 8.6  
cm); sealed and waterproof; suitable for  
saltwater use.  
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Back-up memory:.......... Built-in memory stores sonar records for  
decades.  
Languages:...................... 10; menu languages selectable by user.  
Sonar  
Frequency:...................... 50/200 kHz for SeaFinder 500CDF; 200 kHz  
for FishMark 500C.  
Transducers: .................. A dual-frequency Skimmertransducer with  
built-in temperature sensor is packed with  
the SeaFinder 500CDF. It has 35°/12° cone  
angles. A single-frequency Skimmer trans-  
ducer with built-in temperature sensor is  
packed with the FishMark 500C. It has a 20°  
cone angle. Transducers operate at speeds up  
to 70 mph (61 kts)  
Watts: ............................... 1,500 watts peak-to-peak/188 watt RMS.  
Sonar sounding  
depth capability: ........... SeaFinder 500CDF: 1,500 feet (450 me-  
ters). FishMark 500C: 800 feet (244 me-  
ters).  
Actual 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/zone.  
Automatic ranging:....... Yes, with instant screen updates.  
Auto bottom track:........ Yes.  
Zoom bottom track: ...... Yes.  
Split-screen zoom:......... Yes.  
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Surface water temp:..... Yes.  
Speed/distance log:....... Optional (requires optional speed sensor).  
NOTICE!  
The storage temperature range for your unit is from -4 degrees to +167  
degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees to +75 degrees Celsius). Extended stor-  
age in temperatures higher or lower than specified will damage the liq-  
uid crystal display in your unit. This type of damage is not covered by  
the warranty. For more information, contact the factory's Customer  
Service Department; phone numbers are listed on the last page.  
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 under water basics.  
Sonar is an abbreviation for SOund NAvigation and Ranging, a tech-  
nology 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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How to Use this Manual: Typographical Conventions  
Many instructions are listed as numbered steps. The keypad and arrow  
"keystrokes" appear as boldface type. So, if you're in a real hurry (or  
just need a reminder), you can skim the instructions and pick out what  
menu command to use by finding the boldface command text. The fol-  
lowing paragraphs explain how to interpret the text formatting for  
those commands and other instructions:  
Arrow Keys  
The arrow keys control a horizontal line depth cursor on the sonar  
screen. The arrow keys also help you move around the menus so you  
can execute different commands. They are represented by symbols like  
these, which denote the down arrow key, the up arrow, the left arrow  
and the right arrow: ↓ ↑ ← →.  
Keyboard  
The other keys perform a variety of functions. When the text refers to a  
key to press, the key is shown in bold, sans serif type. For example, the  
"Enter/Icons" key is shown as ENT and the "Menu" key is shown as MENU.  
Menu Commands  
A menu command or a menu option will appear in small capital letters,  
in a bold sans serif type like this: DEPTH CURSOR. These indicate that you  
are to select this command or option from a menu or take an action of  
some kind with the menu item. Text that you may need to enter or file  
names you need to select are show in italic type, such as data type.  
Instructions = Menu Sequences  
Most functions you perform with the sonar unit are described as a se-  
quence of key strokes and selecting menu commands. We've written  
them in a condensed manner for quick and easy reading.  
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For example, instructions for turning on the Fish IDfeature would  
look like this:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to SONAR FEATURES|ENT.  
2. Press or → ↓ to FISH ID SYMBOLS|ENT|EXIT|EXIT.  
Translated into complete English, step 1 above would mean: "Start on  
the Sonar Page. Press the Menu key then repeatedly press (or press and  
hold) the down arrow key to scroll down the menu and select (highlight)  
the Sonar Features menu command. Then press the Enter key."  
Step 2 would mean: "Press the right arrow key (for dual-frequency  
units) or press the right arrow key followed by the down arrow key (for  
single-frequency units) to select (highlight) the Fish ID symbols com-  
mand. Next, press the Enter key, then press the Exit key twice."  
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Section 2: Installation & Accessories  
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. Route the power cable from the unit's location to an appropriate  
power source and connect it there.  
6. Connect the transducer/power cable to the unit and mount the sonar  
unit on the bracket.  
Transducer Installation  
These instructions will help you install your Skimmertransducer on a  
transom, on a trolling motor or inside a hull. These instructions cover  
both single- and dual-frequency Skimmer transducers. Please read all  
instructions 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  
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optional trolling motor mount uses a one-piece plastic bracket with an  
adjustable strap. These are "kick-up" mounting brackets. They help  
prevent 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 location and 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. (If you intend to install an additional speed or  
temp sensor and route its cable through the same hole in the transom,  
you will need a 1" (25.4 mm) drill bit to accommodate all the cables.)  
NOTE:  
The following installation types also call for these recommended  
tools and required supplies that you must provide (supplies listed  
here are not included):  
Single-frequency transom installations  
Tools include: two adjustable wrenches, drill, #29 (0.136") drill bit, flat-  
head screwdriver. Supplies: none.  
Dual-frequency transom installations  
Tools: two adjustable wrenches, drill, #20 (0.161") drill bit, flat-head  
screwdriver. Supplies: four, 1" long, #12 stainless steel slotted wood  
screws.  
Single-frequency 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. Other tools are a wooden craft stick  
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or similar tool for stirring and applying epoxy, and a paper plate or  
piece of cardboard to mix the epoxy on. Supplies: rubbing alcohol, 100  
grit sandpaper, specially formulated epoxy adhesive available from LEI  
(see ordering information on the inside portion of the back cover). A  
sandwich hull also requires polyester resin.  
Selecting a Transducer Location  
1. The location must be in the water at all times, at all operating speeds.  
2. The transducer must be placed in a location that has a smooth flow of  
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.  
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 transom location on  
aluminum boats is between the ribs closest to the engine.  
3. The transducer should be installed with its face pointing straight  
down, if possible. For shoot-thru applications: Many popular fishing  
boat hulls have a flat keel pad that offers a good mounting surface. On  
vee hulls, try to place the transducer where the deadrise is 10° or less.  
Deadrise less than 10°  
Strakes  
Pad  
Left, vee pad hull; right, vee hull. A pod style transducer is shown here,  
but the principle is the same for Skimmers inside a hull.  
4. If the transducer is mounted on the transom, make sure it doesn't in-  
terfere with the trailer or hauling of the boat. Also, don't mount it  
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closer than approximately one foot from the engine's lower unit. This  
will prevent cavitation (bubble) interference with propeller operation.  
5. 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 trans-  
ducer 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  
Transom  
Transducer  
centerline  
Hull bottom  
Hull bottom  
Align transducer centerline with hull bottom. A dual frequency trans-  
ducer is shown at left and a single frequency transducer at right.  
However, there are times when you may need 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 fre-  
quently lose bottom signal lock while running at high speed, the trans-  
ducer 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 wish, 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 simply "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 con-  
tact with the water.  
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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.  
However, the shoot-thru-hull installation does have its drawbacks.  
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.  
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 these transducers 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.  
The following instructions sometimes vary depending on the mounting  
bracket that came with your transducer. Single frequency Skimmers  
come with a one-piece stainless steel bracket, while dual frequency  
Skimmers come with a two-piece plastic mounting bracket. Use the set  
of instructions that fits your model.  
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1. Assembling the bracket.  
A. One-piece 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 po-  
sition 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.  
B. Two-piece bracket: Locate the four plastic ratchets in the trans-  
ducer's hardware package. Press two ratchets into the sides of the plastic  
bracket and two on either side of the transducer as shown in the follow-  
ing illustrations. Notice there are letters molded into each ratchet. Place  
the ratchets into the bracket with the letter "A" aligned with the align-  
ment mark molded into the bracket. Place the ratchets onto the trans-  
ducer with the letter "A" aligned with the 12 o'clock position on the  
transducer stem. These positions set the transducer's coarse angle ad-  
justment for a 14° transom. Most outboard and stern-drive transoms  
have a 14° angle.  
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Alignment letters  
Transducer  
Alignment  
positions  
Transducer  
bracket  
Insert and align ratchets.  
Transducer  
Transducer bracket  
Ratchet  
Ratchet  
Add ratchets to bracket and transducer.  
2. Aligning the transducer on the transom.  
A. One-piece bracket: Slide the transducer between the two ratch-  
ets. 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  
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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 par-  
allel with the ground. If you can, then go to step 3A. If it doesn't, repeat  
step 2A, but use a different alignment letter until you can place the  
transducer on the transom correctly.  
Ratchets  
Insert bolt and check transducer position on transom.  
B. Two-piece bracket: Assemble the transducer and bracket as  
shown in the following figure. Temporarily slide the bolt though the  
transducer assembly but don't tighten the nut at this time. Hold the  
assembled transducer and bracket 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" positions are correct for  
your hull.  
If the transducer's face isn't parallel with the ground, remove and  
disassemble the transducer and ratchets. Place the ratchets into the  
bracket holes with the letter "B" aligned with the bracket alignment  
mark. Place them on the transducer aligned with the 12 o'clock posi-  
tion on the transducer stem.  
Reassemble the transducer and bracket and place them against the  
transom. Again, check to see if you can move the transducer so it's  
15  
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parallel with the ground. If you can, then go to step 3B. If it doesn't,  
repeat step 2B, but use a different alignment letter until you can  
place the transducer on the transom correctly.  
Lock washer  
Bolt  
Nut  
Flat washer  
Flat washer  
Assemble transducer and bracket.  
3. Assembling the transducer.  
A. One-piece bracket: Once you determine the correct position 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.  
B. Two-piece bracket: Once you determine the correct position for the  
ratchets, assemble the transducer as shown in the figure in step 2B.  
Don't tighten the lock nut at this time.  
4. Drilling mounting holes.  
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Hold the transducer and bracket assembly against the transom. The  
transducer should be roughly parallel to the ground. The trans-  
ducer'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. For the one-piece bracket, use the #29 bit (for the #10  
screws). For the two-piece bracket, use the #20 bit (for the #12  
screws).  
Transom  
Transom  
Position transducer mount on transom and mark mounting holes.  
Side view shown at left and seen from above at right.  
5. Attaching transducer to transom.  
A. One-piece bracket: 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.  
For single-frequency Skimmer, route cable over bolt and through  
bracket. Side view shown at left and seen from above at right.  
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Both bracket types: 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 mounting screws, sealing them with the caulking 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 transducer to  
transom. Rear view of dual-frequency Skimmer shown.  
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.  
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If you need to drill a hole in the transom to pass the connector through,  
the required hole size will be 5/8".  
Caution:  
If you drill a hole in the transom for the cable, make sure it is lo-  
cated above the waterline. After installation, be sure to seal the  
hole with the same marine grade above- or below-waterline seal-  
ant 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 transducer  
bracket down. This puts the transducer deeper into the water, hope-  
fully below the turbulence causing the noise. Don't allow the transducer  
bracket to go below the bottom of the hull!  
Trolling Motor Bracket Installation  
(single-frequency only)  
1. Attach the optional TMB-S bracket to the transducer as shown in the  
following figure, using the hardware supplied with the transducer.  
(Note: 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. Posi-  
tion the transducer to aim straight down when the motor is in the wa-  
ter. Tighten the strap securely.  
3. Route the transducer cable alongside the trolling motor shaft. Use  
plastic ties (not included) to attach the transducer cable to the trolling  
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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 transducer 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.  
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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. If only the back half of the  
arch is printed, then the nose of the transducer 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 sensitivity  
or may even prevent operation.  
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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 resin  
Fill with resin  
Flotation material  
Inner hull  
Epoxy to hull first  
Outer hull  
Epoxy the transducer to a solid portion of the hull.  
For example, some (but not all) manufacturers use a layer of fiberglass,  
then a core of balsa wood, finishing with an outer layer of fiberglass. Re-  
moving 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 for 24 hours, fill the  
remaining space with polyester resin. When the job is finished, the hull  
is watertight and structurally sound. Remember, the sonar signal must  
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pass through solid fiberglass. Any air bubbles in the fiberglass or the ep-  
oxy will reduce or eliminate the sonar signals.  
Testing Determines Best Location  
Ideally, the shoot-thru transducer should be installed as close to the  
transom as possible, close to the centerline. This will give you the best  
performance during high speed maneuvers.  
Transducer location  
(high speed)  
Transducer location  
(trolling speed)  
Shoot-thru-hull transducer locations for  
high speed or trolling speed operation.  
To choose the proper location for shoot-thru-hull mounting, follow these  
testing procedures: (You may need a helper to complete these steps.)  
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 sen-  
sitivity and range controls until a second bottom echo is seen on the dis-  
play. (You'll 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 bot-  
tom signal.) Don't touch the controls once they've been set.  
2. Next, take the transducer out of the water and place it in the water  
in the sump of the boat, face down. (The transducer face is shown in the  
figure on the following page.) Notice how the signal strength decreases.  
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The second bottom signal will probably disappear and the bottom 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't get an acceptable bottom signal, try turning up the sensitivity  
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 absolutely sure  
that your selected location will work under all conditions, make a test run  
with the boat on plane and observe the bottom signal. You'll 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're satisfied with a location, mark it and proceed with the  
installation.  
Shoot-Thru-Hull Installation  
If you are installing the transducer on a hull with floatation material  
sandwiched within the hull, refer to the text "Hulls With Flotation Ma-  
terials" beginning on page 22.  
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 transducer face is in contact with the hull prior to bonding.  
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After sanding, clean the hull and transducer with rubbing alcohol to  
remove any sanding debris.  
Spread epoxy here  
Sand this surface  
(unit's face)  
Orient the Skimmer  
with the nose facing  
the bow of the boat.  
To bow  
Epoxy transducer to hull.  
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 performance.  
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.  
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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're finished, the face of the trans-  
ducer should be parallel with the hull, with a minimum amount of ep-  
oxy 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 and it's  
ready to use.  
Speed/Temperature Sensors  
This unit can accept as many as two temperature sensors, which can be  
used to monitor the temperature of surface water, a live well or some  
other location. These units can also accept an optional speed sensor for  
showing speed and distance traveled. However, you can only use one ac-  
cessory at a time. If you would like to use a speed sensor and a second  
temperature sensor at the same time, you will need a combination device.  
NOTE:  
This unit is packed with a transducer containing a built-in temp sensor.  
The SeaFinder package also includes a speed sensor. If you have a  
FishMark 500C and want a speed sensor or additional temp sensor, see  
the Accessory Ordering Information in the back of this manual.  
If a second temp sensor is used, it must be the model TS-2U. This  
model has a fixed electronic "address" which designates it as the second  
of two temp sensors. Dual temperatures are only displayed on the Full  
Chart page. The Large Digital page will only display the primary tem-  
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perature sensor. See the following wiring diagram for temperature and  
speed sensor combinations.  
Sonar unit rear view  
Accessory  
Power/transducer socket  
socket  
Temp  
sensor  
3-amp fuse  
Power/transducer  
cable  
Speed sensor or  
combo speed/  
temp sensor.  
Temp sensor built  
into transducer.  
Sonar unit with external temp sensor, external speed sensor, or combo  
speed/temp sensor. The primary temperature sensor is built  
into the transducer.  
Optional Speed Sensor Installation  
All the units in this series can display speed and distance traveled, but  
only the SeaFinder 500CDF comes packed with a speed sensor. If you  
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wish to purchase an optional additional sensor for your unit, refer to  
the accessory ordering information inside the back cover of this man-  
ual. The following instructions describe how to install the speed sensor.  
Recommended tools for this job include: drill, 5/8" drill bit, 1/8" drill bit for  
pilot holes, screwdriver. Required supplies for this job include: four #8  
stainless steel wood screws (3/4" long), high quality, marine grade above-  
or below-waterline caulking compound.  
First find a location on the boat's transom where the water flow is smooth-  
est. Don't mount the sensor behind strakes or ribs. These will disturb the  
water flow to the speed sensor. Make sure the sensor will remain in the  
water when the boat is on plane. Also make sure the location doesn't inter-  
fere with the boat's trailer. Typically, the sensor is mounted about one foot  
to the side of the transom's centerline.  
Once you've determined the proper location for the unit, place the sen-  
sor on the transom. The bottom of the bracket should be flush with the  
hull's bottom. Using the sensor as a template, mark the hull for the  
screws' pilot holes. Drill four 1/8" holes, one in each end of the slots.  
Mount the sensor to the hull using #8 stainless steel wood screws (not  
included). Use a high quality, marine grade above- or below-waterline  
caulking compound to seal the screws. Make sure the sensor is flush  
with the bottom of the hull and tighten the screws.  
Good location  
Stern view showing good location for mounting sensor on transom.  
If the base of the transom has a radius, fill the gap between the tran-  
som and the sensor with the caulking compound. This will help ensure  
a smooth water flow.  
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Transom  
Bottom of hull  
Bottom of hull  
Speed sensor mounting configuration:  
side view (left) and rear view (right.)  
Route the sensor's cable through or over the transom to the sonar unit.  
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 lo-  
cated above the waterline. After installation, be sure to seal the  
hole with the same marine grade above- or below-waterline seal-  
ant used for the screws.  
The sensor is now ready for use. Connect the sensor to the accessory  
socket on the back of your unit. If you have any questions concerning  
the installation of the sensor, please contact your local boat dealer.  
Power 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 cable plug.  
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This may result in corrosion of the plug body along with the electri-  
cal contacts in the cable and the unit's power socket.  
In saltwater environments we recommend you connect the power  
cable 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.  
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.  
For example, if you have to extend the power cable to the battery or  
power buss, attach 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.  
Optional power off switch for  
saltwater installations  
To unit  
Black wire  
Red wire with  
12 volt  
battery  
3 amp fuse  
Power connections for the sonar unit.  
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CAUTION:  
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 unit has reverse polarity protection. No damage will occur if the  
power wires are reversed. However, the unit will not work until the  
wires are attached correctly.  
An optional 8-foot, CA-4 external power cable with a cigarette lighter  
adapter is available from Eagle.  
Mounting the Unit: Bracket, In-Dash or Portable  
You can install the sonar unit on the top of a dash with the supplied  
gimbal bracket. It can also be installed in the dash or mounted on a  
portable power supply.  
If you use the supplied bracket, you may be interested in the optional  
R-A-Mbracket mounting system. This converts the unit's gimbal  
bracket to a swivel mount, which can be used on the dash or overhead  
mounting positions. Installation instructions are supplied with the  
R-A-M mounting kits.  
Bracket Installation  
Mount the unit in any convenient location, provided there is clearance  
behind the unit 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 and transducer cables. (A drawing on the next page shows the  
dimensions of a gimbal-mounted sonar unit.)  
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 fiber-  
glass panels to reinforce the panel and secure the mounting hardware.  
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Front  
Install the gimbal bracket. Orient the bracket so the arms slope toward  
the front of your unit.  
Drill a 1-inch (25.4 mm) hole in the dash for the power and transducer  
cables. 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 cables 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 transducer connector up through the  
hole from under the dash. Pass the power cable's bare-wire end down  
though the hole from the top.  
If you wish, you can fill in the hole around the cables with a good ma-  
rine caulking 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 cables to allow tilting or swiveling  
the unit. If you choose to fill in the hole, be sure to position the cables  
against the rear edge of the hole as you apply the fill material.  
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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 the  
sonar unit when mounted on gimbal bracket.  
Before positioning the bracket, be sure to hold the cables 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 cables, thus pinning them in  
place against the side of the hole. Finally, fasten the bracket to the  
dash. Attach the unit to the gimbal bracket using the supplied gimbal  
knobs and washers.  
In-Dash Installation  
You can mount the unit in the dash with an optional FM-5 In-Dash  
Adapter Kit. The kit includes mounting hardware, a template for cut-  
ting the hole and an instruction sheet, part 988-0147-43.  
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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 the sonar unit, showing  
dimensions. NOTE: The figure above is not printed to scale. A scaled  
template (FM-5 In-Dash Adapter Kit instructions) is available for free  
download from our web site, www.eaglesonar.com.  
Portable Installation  
Like many Eagle products, this sonar unit is capable of portable opera-  
tion by using the optional PPP-13 portable power pack. The power pack  
and an optional portable transducer expand the uses for your sonar  
unit. The PPP-13 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 use it as a second  
sonar in a friend's boat.  
The PPP-13 Portable Power Pack can be used with eight "D" cell alka-  
line batteries or an optional sealed, rechargeable battery. For set-up di-  
rections, refer to the pack's instruction sheet, part 988-0147-601.  
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"D" cell battery  
Install batteries in power pack battery adapter.  
Face Cover  
Your unit comes with a white protective cover that snaps on and off the  
front of the unit. This cover is intended for use when your unit and the  
vehicle it's mounted in are idle.  
WARNING:  
When the unit is mounted in an unprotected area, such  
as an open boat cockpit, the protective face cover must  
be removed when the vehicle is moving at high speed.  
This includes towing a boat on a trailer at highway  
speeds. Otherwise, wind blast can pop off the cover.  
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Notes  
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Basic Sonar Operation  
This section addresses the unit's most basic sonar operations. The in-  
structions presented in Sec. 3 follow a chronological order. Sec. 4, Sonar  
Options & Other Features, will discuss other more advanced functions  
and utilities. Material in Sec. 4 is arranged in alphabetical order.  
Before you turn on the sonar unit, it's a good idea to learn about the dif-  
ferent keys, the Main Menu, the four Page screens and how they all  
work together. BUT, if you just can't wait to get on the water, turn to  
the one-page Quick Reference on page 45.  
Keyboard  
4
8
2
3
5
9
7
6
1
The SeaFinder 500CDF sonar unit, front view, showing  
full sonar chart screen display and keyboard.  
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1. PWR/LIGHT (Power & Light) – The PWR key turns the unit on and  
off and activates the backlight.  
2. PAGES – Pressing this and the and arrow keys switches the unit  
between the three different page display options. (Full Sonar Chart,  
Split Zoom Sonar Chart and Digital Data.)  
3. MENU – Press this key to show the menus and submenus, which  
allow you to select a command or adjust a feature.  
4. ARROW KEYS – These keys are used to navigate through the  
menus, make menu selections, move the chart cursor and enter data.  
5. ENT (Enter) – This key allows you to save data, accept values or  
execute menu commands.  
6. EXIT – The Exit key lets you return to the previous screen, clear  
data or clear a menu.  
7. ALARM –The Alarm key is a shortcut to access the various sonar  
alarms. Press this key once to open the Alarms menu.  
8. ZOUT – (Zoom Out) – This key lets you zoom the screen out. This  
key allows you to see the entire water column from surface to bottom.  
9. ZIN – (Zoom In) – This key lets you zoom the screen in. This key en-  
larges fish signals and bottom detail.  
Power/lights on and off  
To turn on the unit, press PWR. As the unit powers up, the Full Sonar  
Chart is displayed first.  
To turn on the backlight, press PWR again. The unit has three backlight  
levels to select from. Repeatedly pressing PWR will cycle through the  
backlight settings and turn off the backlight.  
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Turn off the unit by pressing and holding the PWR key for 3 seconds.  
Main Menu  
The unit has a Main Menu, which contains some function commands and  
some setup option commands. The instructions in this section will deal  
only with sonar functions, the basic commands that make the unit show  
sonar signals on your screen. This sonar unit will work fine right out of  
the box with the factory default settings. But, if you want to learn about  
the various sonar options, see Sec. 4, Sonar Options & Other Features.  
You can access the Main Menu from any of the four Page screens by  
pressing MENU|MENU. To clear the menu screen and return to the page  
display, press EXIT. (Remember, our text style for "MENU|MENU" means  
"press the Menu key twice." See a full explanation of our instruction  
text formatting on pages 5, "How to use this manual…".  
Main Menu.  
The Main Menu commands and their functions are:  
Screen command: changes the contrast or brightness of the display  
screen.  
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Sounds command: enables or disables the sounds for key strokes and  
alarms and sets the alarm style.  
Transparency command: adjust the level of transparency for dialogs.  
Sonar Alarms command: turns sonar alarms on or off and changes  
alarm thresholds.  
Units of Measure command: changes the depth, speed, distance, or  
temperature units of measure.  
Set Keel Offset command: changes the depth offset of the keel from  
the transducer.  
Calibrate Water Speed command: calibrates the speed measurement.  
Reset Water Distance command: resets the log of distance traveled to  
zero.  
Transducer Type command: sets the type of transducer connected to  
the unit.  
Sonar Simulator command: scrolls simulated data on the sonar chart.  
Reset Options command: resets all options to factory default settings.  
Popup Help command: turns popup help on or off.  
Set Language command: chooses which language text appears in.  
Software Information command: shows the product name and soft-  
ware version.  
Pages  
The unit has three Page display options, accessed by pressing the PAGES  
key. The list of display options appears in the following image.  
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Pages Menu, showing Sonar display options.  
All of the display options show the sonar chart in some format. This is a  
"cross-section" view of the water column beneath the boat. The chart  
moves across the screen, displaying sonar signal echoes that represent  
fish, structure and the bottom.  
The Pages Menu allows you to switch among the three chart display op-  
tions. To access them, press PAGES|or to Option Name|EXIT.  
The Sonar Page has its own menu, which is used for some advanced func-  
tions and for setting various options. (Sonar Options and other features  
are discussed in Sec. 4.) To Access the Sonar Page menu, press MENU.  
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Sonar Page in split zoom sonar chart display mode.  
Sonar chart digital data display option.  
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Sonar Page Menu. Most of these functions are discussed in Sec. 4.  
You can customize how the Sonar Page displays its pictures and other  
data in many ways. Your unit also includes several special sonar features  
and options that can help you better interpret the underwater scene.  
We'll discuss all of those features and options in Sec. 4, but to show you  
how easy this unit is to operate, the following page contains a simplified,  
10-step quick reference that will cover most fish finding situations. The  
quick reference describes how your unit will operate with all the sonar  
features in their automatic modes, which are set at the factory.  
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Surface signal  
Surface clutter  
Digital data  
overlay  
(depth &  
Depth scale  
temperature)  
Fish arches  
In FasTrack, fish  
arches show as  
horizontal bars.  
Bottom signal  
Sonar Page, showing full sonar chart mode.  
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Basic Sonar Quick Reference  
1. Mount the transducer and unit. Connect the unit to electric power  
and the transducer.  
2. Launch your boat.  
3. To turn on the unit, press and release PWR key.  
4. Head for your fishing grounds. Your unit automatically displays digi-  
tal depth and surface water temperature in the corner of the screen.  
The auto settings will track the bottom, displaying it in the lower por-  
tion of the screen. The full sonar chart will scroll from right to left,  
showing you what's under the boat as you cruise across the water.  
5. As you're watching the sonar returns, you can change the display by:  
Zoom in to enlarge the chart for more detail: press ZIN.  
Zoom out to return to full chart mode: press ZOUT.  
6. If necessary, adjust sensitivity to improve chart readability. Press  
MENU|ENT and the Sensitivity Menu will appear on the left of your  
screen. Use and to change the setting.  
Boosting sensitivity will show more information on your screen, which  
may cause clutter. Reducing sensitivity will filter out some information,  
but could omit important images. We recommend adjusting sensitivity  
until the background is lightly "peppered" — that is, scattered dots ap-  
pear, but individual objects (like fish arches or bottom structure) can be  
easily picked out of the background.  
7. Watch the display for the appearance of fish arches. When you see  
arches, you've found fish! Stop the boat and get your lure or bait into  
the water at the depth indicated on the sonar chart.  
8. Gauge the fish depth by visually comparing the fish arches with the  
depth scale on the right side of the screen, or get a more accurate  
measure with the Depth Cursor. Press MENU|to DEPTH CURSOR|ENT.  
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Press (or ) to align the cursor line with the fish arch. The exact  
depth appears in a box at the right end of the cursor line. To clear the  
cursor, press EXIT.  
9. If you are drifting at a very low speed or anchored, you are not mov-  
ing fast enough for a fish to return the tell-tale fish arch signal. As you  
drift over a fish, or as a fish swims through the transducer's signal  
cone, the fish echo will appear as a straight line suspended between the  
surface and the bottom.  
10. To turn off the unit, press and hold PWR key for three seconds.  
Sonar Operations  
As you can see from the quick reference on the previous page, basic operation  
is pretty easy, right out of the box. If you are a sonar novice, try operating the  
unit with the factory defaults until you get a feel for how it's working.  
As you're learning the basics, there is one setting you might want to tinker  
with from time to time — Sensitivity.  
Sensitivity controls the unit's ability to pick up echoes. If you want to see  
more detail, try increasing the sensitivity, a little at a time. There are situa-  
tions when too much clutter appears on the screen. Decreasing the sensitivity  
can reduce the 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.  
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Fig. 1  
Fig. 2  
Fig. 3  
Fig. 4  
These figures show results of different sensitivity levels on the same lo-  
cation. Fig. 1: Sensitivity at 88 percent, determined by Auto Sensitivity.  
Typical of full auto mode. Fig. 2: Sensitivity set at 75 percent. Fig. 3: Sen-  
sitivity set at 50 percent. Fig. 4: Sensitivity set at 100 percent.  
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 it gives you slightly different results.  
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Adjusting sensitivity in Auto Sensitivity Mode is similar to manually ad-  
justing a car's speed with the accelerator pedal while cruise control is on.  
You can tell the car to run faster, but when you let off the gas the cruise  
control automatically keeps you from running slower than the minimum  
speed setting. In the unit, auto mode will let you increase sensitivity to 100  
percent, but the unit will limit your minimum setting. This prevents you  
from turning sensitivity down too low to allow automatic bottom tracking.  
When you change the setting with auto turned on, the unit will continue to  
track the bottom and make minor adjustments to the sensitivity level,  
with a bias toward the setting you selected.  
Adjusting sensitivity in Manual Sensitivity Mode is similar to driving a  
car without cruise control — you have complete manual control of the  
car's speed. In the unit, manual mode allows you to set sensitivity at  
100 percent (maximum) or zero percent (minimum.) Depending on wa-  
ter conditions, the bottom signal may completely disappear from the  
screen when you reduce sensitivity to about 50 percent or less!  
Try adjusting sensitivity in both auto and manual modes to see how  
they work.  
To adjust sensitivity:  
1. Press MENU|ENT.  
2. The Sensitivity Control Bar appears. Press to decrease sensitivity;  
press to increase sensitivity. When it's set at the desired level, press  
EXIT. (When you reach the maximum or minimum limit, a tone sounds.)  
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At left, Sonar Menu with Sensitivity command selected. At right, the  
Sensitivity Control Bar.  
NOTE:  
If you want to change the sensitivity in Manual Mode, first turn off  
Auto Sensitivity: from the Sonar Page, press MENU|to AUTO  
SENSITIVITY|ENT|to SENSITIVITY|ENT. Press or to pick a different  
sensitivity setting. When it's set at the desired level, press EXIT.  
Important Tip:  
While you are experimenting and learning, it's possible to scramble  
the settings so that the sonar picture disappears from your screen.  
If that happens, remember that it's easy to switch back to full  
automatic operation by simply restoring the factory auto settings.  
To Restore Factory Settings  
1. Press MENU|MENU|to RESET OPTIONS|ENT.  
2. The unit asks if you want to reset all the options. Press to  
YES|ENT. All options are reset, and the unit reverts back to the Full  
Sonar Chart.  
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Fish Symbols vs. Full Sonar Chart  
You may have noticed in the quick reference that we used fish arches in  
full sonar chart mode for our example, and not the popular Fish I.D.  
fish symbol feature. Here's why.  
Fish I.D. is an easier way for a sonar novice to recognize a fishy signal  
return when he sees it. However, locating fish by symbol only has some  
limitations.  
Your sonar unit's microprocessor is remarkably powerful, but it can be  
fooled. Some of the echoes calculated to be fish could be tree limbs or tur-  
tles! To see what's under your boat in maximum detail, we recommend  
you turn off Fish I.D. and begin learning to interpret fish arches.  
Fish I.D. is most handy when you're 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'll hear it!  
Fish I.D. can also be useful when you want to screen out some of the  
sonar detail gathered by your unit. For example, in one case fisherman  
in San Francisco Bay saw clouds of clutter in the water but no fish  
arches. When a down rigger was pulled up, it brought up several small  
jellyfish. The fisherman switched their sonar to Fish I.D., which  
screened out the schools of jellyfish and clearly showed the game fish  
there as fish symbols.  
Other Free Training Aids  
The sonar options section discusses Fish I.D., fish alarms and other fea-  
tures in greater detail. If you or a friend has Internet access, you can  
also learn more about interpreting what you see on your sonar screen.  
Visit our web site, WWW.EAGLESONAR.COM. Be sure to check out the  
free Sonar Tutorial, which includes animated illustrations and more  
pictures of actual sonar returns, all described in detail. There's even a  
"printer friendly" version of the tutorial available on our web site…it  
makes a great supplement to this operation manual!  
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For the ultimate training aid, be sure to download the free emulator  
software for your unit. Aside from being just plain fun, this program  
can help you learn both basic and advanced operations without burning  
boat fuel! Eagle is one of the first sonar manufacturers to provide this  
type of training tool for customers.  
This PC application simulates the actual sonar unit on your computer.  
You can run it from your computer keyboard or use your mouse to press  
the virtual keys. Easy download and installation instructions are avail-  
able on our web site.  
Free training emulator is available for your unit on our web site.  
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Notes  
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Section 4: Sonar Options & Other Features  
Material in this section is arranged in alphabetical order.  
ASP(Advanced Signal Processing)  
The ASPfeature is a noise rejection system built into the sonar unit  
that constantly evaluates the effects of boat speed, water conditions  
and interference. This automatic feature gives you the best display pos-  
sible under most conditions.  
The ASP feature 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 and wiring, air  
bubbles passing over the face of the transducer, even vibration from the  
engine. In all cases, noise can produce unwanted marks on the display.  
The ASP feature has four settings — Off, Low, Medium and High. If  
you have high noise levels, try using the "High" ASP setting. However,  
if you are having trouble with noise, we suggest that you take steps to  
find the interference source and fix it, rather than continually using the  
unit with the high ASP setting.  
There are times when you may want to turn the ASP feature off. This  
allows you to view all incoming echoes before they are processed by the  
ASP feature.  
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At left, Sonar Menu with Sonar Features selected. In the Sonar  
Features menu, Noise Rejection is selected with ASP in the default low  
setting (center, dual-frequency menu; at right, single-frequency menu).  
To change the ASP level:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to SONAR FEATURES|ENT.  
2. Press to NOISE REJECTION|ENT.  
3. Press or to select a setting, then press ENT.  
4. To return to the previous page, press EXIT|EXIT.  
Alarms  
This unit has three different types of sonar alarms. The first is the Fish  
Alarm. It sounds when the Fish I.D.feature determines that an echo  
is a fish.  
Another alarm is the Zone Alarm, which consists of a bar on the side of  
the screen. Any echo on the chart that appears inside this bar triggers  
this alarm.  
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The last alarm is the Depth Alarm, which has both a Shallow and a  
Deep setting. This is useful as an anchor watch, a shallow water alert  
or for navigation.  
Depth Alarms  
The depth alarms sound a tone when the bottom signal goes shallower  
than the shallow alarm's setting or deeper than the deep alarm's set-  
ting. For example, if you set the shallow alarm to 10 feet, the alarm will  
sound a tone if the bottom signal is less than 10 feet. It will continue to  
sound until the bottom goes deeper than 10 feet.  
The deep alarm works just the opposite. It sounds a warning tone if the  
bottom depth goes deeper than the alarm's setting. Both depth alarms  
work only off the digital bottom depth signals. No other targets will trip  
these alarms. These alarms can be used at the same time or individually.  
At left, Main Menu and Sonar Alarms command.  
At right, the Sonar Alarms menu.  
To adjust and turn on the shallow alarm:  
1. Press ALARM|to SHALLOW ALARM DEPTH|ENT.  
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2. Press or to change the first number, then press to move the  
cursor to the next number and repeat until the depth is correct, then  
press ENT.  
3. Press to SHALLOW ALARM ENABLED|ENT|EXIT.  
4. To turn off the alarm, press ALARM|ENT|EXIT.  
To switch to a different depth setting, open the Sonar Alarms menu and  
repeat the instructions in step 3 above.  
To adjust and turn on the deep alarm:  
1. Press ALARM|to DEEP ALARM ENABLED|to DEEP ALARM DEPTH|ENT.  
2. Press or to change the first number, then press to move the  
cursor to the next number and repeat until the depth is correct, then  
press ENT.  
3. Press to DEEP ALARM ENABLED|ENT|EXIT.  
4. To turn off the alarm, press ALARM|to DEEP ALARM  
ENABLED|ENT|EXIT.  
To switch to a different depth setting, open the Sonar Alarms menu and  
repeat the instructions in step 3 above.  
Zone Alarm  
The zone alarm is triggered when any echo passes inside the zone  
alarm bar, shown on the right side of the screen.  
To adjust and turn on the zone alarm:  
1. Press ALARM|to ZONE ALARM ENABLED|to ADJUST ZONE|ENT.  
2. To set the upper boundary for the Zone Alarm, use orto select  
UPPER, then press or to move the top of the bar to the desired depth.  
3. To set the lower boundary for the Zone Alarm, use orto select  
LOWER, then press or to move the bottom of the bar to the desired depth.  
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At left, Sonar Alarms menu, with Adjust Zone command selected.  
At right, Adjust Zone Alarm selection box, with Upper selected.  
4. Press EXIT|to ZONE ALARM ENABLED|ENT|EXIT. Now, any echo —  
fish, bottom, structure — within the zone alarm's depth range will trig-  
ger the zone alarm.  
5. To turn off the alarm, press ALARM|to ZONE ALARM  
ENABLED|ENT|EXIT.  
To switch to a different depth setting, open the Sonar Alarms menu and  
repeat the instructions in steps 3 and 4 above.  
Fish Alarm  
Use the fish alarm for a distinctive audible alarm when fish or other  
suspended objects are detected by the Fish I.D.feature (Fish I.D.  
must be turned on for the Fish Alarm to work). A different tone sounds  
for each fish symbol size shown on the display.  
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Sonar Alarms menu with Fish Alarm selected. The check box to the left  
is blank, indicating the alarm is turned off.  
To turn the fish alarm on:  
1. Press ALARM|to FISH ALARM|ENT|EXIT.  
2. To turn off the alarm, press ALARM|to FISH ALARM|ENT|EXIT.  
Backlight Level  
The unit defaults to the maximum backlight level. To adjust the dis-  
play's backlight level:  
Press MENU|MENU|to BACKLIGHT LEVEL|ENT. The BACKLIGHT LEVEL slider  
bar appears. Press or to move the bar. At The lower end of the scale  
backlighting is turned off; the upper end is maximum backlight level.  
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The Backlight Level control bar appears automatically whenever you  
turn on the unit.  
Calibrate Speed  
The speed sensor can be calibrated to compensate for inaccuracies. Be-  
fore you change the setting, first calculate the percentage that the  
speed is off. You will enter this percentage in a moment.  
For example, if you figure the sensor is reading 10 percent faster than  
actual speed, you will enter – 10 in the calibration window. If the sen-  
sor is reading 5 percent slower than true speed, you will enter + 5 in  
the window.  
When you make a run to compare your ground speed to speed sensor  
speed, perform your test in relatively calm water free of current, if pos-  
sible. (Unless, of course, you are taking the current speed into consid-  
eration when making your calculation.) After you have a correction fig-  
ure, here's how to enter it:  
1. Press MENU|MENU|to CALIBRATE WATER SPEED|ENT.  
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2. Enter the number you calculated earlier: press or to change the  
first character (+ or –), then press to move the cursor to the next  
number and repeat until the percentage is correct, then press EXIT.  
Chart Speed  
The rate that echoes scroll across the screen is called the chart speed.  
The default is maximum; we recommend that you leave the speed set  
there for virtually all fishing conditions.  
However, you might consider experimenting with chart speed when you  
are stationary or drifting very slowly. You may sometimes achieve bet-  
ter images as you slow down the chart speed to match how fast you are  
moving across the bottom.  
If you are at anchor, ice fishing or fishing from a dock, experiment with  
a chart speed around 50 percent. If you are drifting slowly, try a chart  
speed around 75 percent. When you are stationary and a fish swims  
through the sonar signal cone, the image appears on the screen as a  
long line instead of a fish arch. Reducing the chart speed may result in  
a shorter line that more closely resembles a regular fish return.  
At left, Sonar Page menu with Chart Speed command selected.  
At right, Chart Speed Control Bar.  
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If you do experiment with chart speed, remember to reset it to maxi-  
mum when you resume trolling or moving across the water at higher  
speed. To change chart speed:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to CHART SPEED|ENT.  
2. The Chart Speed Control Bar appears. Press to decrease chart  
speed; press to increase chart speed.  
3. When it's set at the desired level, press EXIT.  
ColorLine  
ColorLine lets you distinguish between strong and weak echoes. It  
"paints" a brighter color on targets that are stronger than a preset  
value. This allows you to tell the difference between a hard and soft  
bottom. For example, a soft, muddy or weedy bottom returns a weaker  
signal which is shown with a narrow, colored line (dark blue tinged  
with red or a little yellow.) Since fish are among the weakest echoes,  
they show up mostly as blue arches. A hard bottom or other relatively  
hard target returns a strong signal which causes a wider brightly col-  
ored line (reddish yellow to bright yellow.)  
If you have two signals of equal size, one with red to yellow color and  
the other without, then the target with brighter color (yellow) is the  
stronger signal. This helps distinguish weeds from trees on the bottom,  
or fish from structure.  
ColorLine is adjustable. Experiment with your unit to find the  
ColorLine setting that's best for you. To adjust the ColorLine  
level:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to COLORLINE|ENT.  
2. The ColorLine Control Bar appears. Press to decrease ColorLine;  
press to increase Colorline.  
3. When it's set at the desired level, press EXIT.  
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At left, Sonar Page menu with ColorLine command selected.  
At right, the ColorLine control bar.  
Wider  
ColorLine  
Thin or no ColorLine  
At left, little ColorLine indicates a soft bottom, probably sand or mud.  
At right, the wider ColorLine indicates a harder, rocky bottom.  
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Contrast  
To adjust the display's contrast: Press MENU|MENU|ENT. The CONTRAST  
slider bar appears. Press or to move the bar. The lower end of the  
scale is minimum contrast; the upper end is maximum contrast.  
Depth Cursor  
The depth cursor consists of a horizontal line with a digital depth box on  
the right side. The numbers inside the box show the depth of the cursor.  
Cursor line  
Depth box  
At left, Sonar Page menu with Depth Cursor command selected. At  
right, sonar chart with the depth cursor active. The school of fish is  
31.91 feet deep.  
The cursor can be moved to any location on the screen, letting you pin-  
point the depth of a target.  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to DEPTH CURSOR|ENT.  
2. The depth cursor appears. Press to lower the cursor line; press to  
raise the cursor line.  
3. To clear the depth cursor, press EXIT.  
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Depth Range - Automatic  
When turned on for the first time, the bottom signal is automatically  
placed in the lower half of the screen. This is called Auto Ranging and  
is part of the automatic function. However, depending upon the bottom  
depth and the current range, you can change the range to a different  
depth. To do this:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to DEPTH RANGE|ENT.  
At left, Sonar Page menu with Depth Range command selected. At  
right, the Depth Range Control Scale.  
2. The Depth Range Control Scale appears. Press or to select a dif-  
ferent depth range. A blue bar highlights the selected range. The  
lighter numbers cannot be selected.  
3. When the new range is selected, press EXIT to clear the menu.  
Depth Range - Manual  
You have complete control over the range when the unit is in the man-  
ual mode. There are 16 depth ranges, from 5 feet to 4,000 feet.  
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To switch to Manual Depth Range:  
1. First, turn off automatic depth range. From the Sonar Page, press  
MENU|to AUTO DEPTH RANGE|ENT.  
2. Press to DEPTH RANGE|ENT and the Depth Range Control Scale appears.  
3. Press or to select a different depth range. A horizontal black bar  
highlights the selected range.  
4. When the new range is selected, press EXIT to clear the menu.  
To turn Auto Depth Range on again:  
From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to AUTO DEPTH RANGE|ENT|EXIT.  
NOTE:  
The sonar's depth capability depends on the transducer installa-  
tion, water and bottom conditions, and other factors.  
FasTrack  
This feature automatically converts all echoes to short horizontal lines  
on the display's far right side. The graph on the rest of the screen con-  
tinues to operate normally. FasTrack gives you a rapid update of condi-  
tions directly under the boat. This makes it useful for ice fishing, or  
when you're fishing at anchor. When the boat is not moving, fish sig-  
nals are long, drawn out lines on a normal chart display. FasTrack con-  
verts the graph to a vertical bar graph that, with practice, makes a use-  
ful addition to fishing at a stationary location.  
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Surface clutter  
Fish arches  
Structure  
In FasTrack, fish  
arches show as  
horizontal bars.  
Bottom signal  
ColorLine  
FasTrack  
bar graph  
Sonar Page showing FasTrack.  
Fish I.D.(Fish Symbols & Depths)  
The Fish I.D. feature identifies targets that meet certain conditions as  
fish. The microcomputer analyzes all echoes and eliminates surface  
clutter, thermoclines, and other signals that are undesirable. In most  
instances, remaining targets are fish. The Fish I.D. feature displays  
fish symbols on the screen in place of the actual fish echoes.  
There are several fish symbol sizes. These are used to designate the  
relative size between targets. In other words, Fish I.D. displays a small  
fish symbol when it thinks a target is a small fish, a medium fish sym-  
bol on a larger target and so on.  
The sonar's microcomputer is sophisticated, but it can be fooled. It can't  
distinguish between fish and other suspended objects such as trotlines,  
turtles, submerged floats, air bubbles, etc. Individual tree limbs ex-  
tending outwards from a group of limbs is the hardest object for the  
Fish I.D. feature to distinguish from fish.  
You may see fish symbols on the screen when actually, there are no  
fish. The reverse is also true. The illustrations on the next page show  
how Fish I.D. can actually miss fish that are present.  
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Does that mean Fish I.D. is broken? No — the feature is simply inter-  
preting sonar 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 information. This and other features can help you successfully  
"see" beneath the boat under varied water and fishing conditions. So,  
practice with the unit in both the Fish I.D. mode and without to become  
more familiar with the feature. The default for Fish I.D. is off.  
Sonar Features menu with Fish I.D. Symbols selected (at left, dual-  
frequency menu; at right, single-frequency menu). When the check box  
to the left is checked, the feature is on.  
To turn the Fish I.D. feature on:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to SONAR FEATURES|ENT.  
2. Press to SYMBOLS|ENT|EXIT|EXIT.  
To turn off Fish I.D., repeat the instructions in step 2.  
FishTrack  
The FishTrack feature shows the depth of a fish symbol when it ap-  
pears on the display. This lets you accurately gauge the depth of tar-  
gets. This feature is available only when the Fish I.D. feature is on. The  
default setting for FishTrack is off.  
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To turn on FishTrack:  
(Note: These instructions will turn on FishTrack and Fish I.D. at the  
same time.)  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to SONAR FEATURES|ENT.  
2. Press to DEPTHS|ENT|EXIT|EXIT.  
To turn off FishTrack, repeat the instructions in step 1. Turning off  
FishTrack in this manner will not turn off Fish I.D. symbols.  
Symbols with  
FishTrack depths  
Sonar Features menu with Fish I.D. Depths selected (at left, dual-  
frequency menu; center, single-frequency menu). When the check box to  
the left is checked, the feature is on. At right, Sonar Page showing Fish  
I.D. symbols and FishTrack depths turned on.  
Frequency (Change Transducer Frequency)  
(SeaFinder CDF only)  
The SeaFinder CDF transducer operates with both 200 kHz and 50  
kHz. The 200 kHz frequency has a 12° cone angle and the 50 kHz fre-  
quency has a 35° cone angle.  
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The default frequency is 200 kHz, which is best for use in shallow water  
(about 300 feet 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, 300 to 500 feet or deeper, the 50 kHz fre-  
quency is the best choice.  
The 200 kHz transducer will give you better detail and definition, but  
less depth penetration. The 50 kHz transducer will give you greater  
depth penetration, but a little less detail and less definition. (Remember,  
all sonar units typically read deeper in fresh water than in salt water.)  
There is a common exception to these rules of thumb. Some fishermen  
on freshwater lakes (or the ocean) using downriggers like to see them  
on the sonar. In many of those cases, you'll see a 50 kHz transducer  
frequency in use because the wider cone angle lets them watch the bait.  
Sonar Features menu with a frequency of 200 kHz selected.  
To change the frequency setting to 50 kHz:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to SONAR FEATURES|ENT.  
2. Press to FISH DEPTHS|to 50 KHZ|ENT.  
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3. Press EXIT|EXIT to clear the menu.  
To change the frequency setting to 200 kHz:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to SONAR FEATURES|ENT.  
2. Press to FISH SYMBOLS|to 200 KHZ|ENT.  
3. Press EXIT|EXIT to clear the menu.  
HyperScroll  
See the entry on Ping Speed, which controls the HyperScroll feature.  
Noise Rejection  
See the entry on Advanced Signal Processing in this section.  
Overlay Data  
To change the digital data shown "floating" on top of the Sonar Page:  
To select data for display:  
1. Press MENU|to OVERLAY DATA|ENT.  
2. Press or to select Data Type|ENT.  
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Overlay Data command on the Sonar Menu, at left. Overlay Data  
Shown selection menu, right. In this example, Depth will be displayed  
in a large font.  
When selected, the data type shifts to the top of the data list and a  
check mark appears beside the data type. (If you wish, you may now  
use or to select other Data Types for display.)  
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Data list showing Water Speed selected to display on Sonar Page.  
3. To return to the previous page, press EXIT.  
To turn off displayed data:  
1. Press MENU|to OVERLAY DATA|ENT.  
2. Press or to select Data Type|ENT. The selected data type disappears  
from the top of the list and reverts to its previous, unchecked position. (If  
you wish, you may now use or to select other Data Types to turn off.)  
3. To return to the previous page, press EXIT.  
To change displayed data font size:  
1. Press MENU|to OVERLAY DATA|ENT.  
2. Press or to select Data Type|press or to Data Size|EXIT.  
The selected data type will be displayed in the new size. (To change the  
font size for another Data Type, press ENT and repeat these steps, be-  
ginning with step two above.)  
3. To return to the previous page, press EXIT.  
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Tip:  
If you wish, you can change the displayed data font size when you  
select a data type:  
1. From the Sonar page, press MENU|to OVERLAY DATA|ENT.  
2. Press or to select Data Type|press or to select Data  
Size|ENT.  
The data will be shown in the new font size. To return to the previ-  
ous page, press EXIT.  
Sonar Page with Overlay Data turned on. This example shows Depth,  
Water Temperature and Water Speed.  
NOTE:  
Some data types can be displayed in only one font size. If that is the  
case, the Data Size box will not be displayed for that data type.  
Ping Speed & HyperScroll  
Ping Speed controls the rate at which the transmitter and transducer  
broadcast sonar sound waves — pings — into the water. The unit has a  
default ping speed of 50 percent. At normal boating speeds, this auto-  
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matically provides enough return echoes to refresh the screen and scroll  
the chart at maximum chart speed.  
However, when you are running at high speeds, or just want the fastest  
possible screen update, you may want to use the HyperScrollfeature.  
When you change the Ping Speed to any setting greater than 50 per-  
cent, the unit automatically enters HyperScroll mode.  
These faster ping rates allow you to maintain a high-detail picture on  
the screen, and the screen refresh rate and chart scroll speed can keep  
pace with the boat as it moves quickly over the bottom terrain.  
When using HyperScroll, you may also need to manually decrease the  
sensitivity for optimum performance. Depending on water depth and  
other conditions, HyperScroll may cause a second bottom echo to return  
to the transducer during the next ping cycle, or sounding. This can result  
in a large amount of clutter appearing on the screen. If this occurs, just  
decrease the sensitivity to a level that eliminates the clutter. When you  
turn HyperScroll off, you can return to your original sensitivity level.  
At left, Sonar Menu with Ping Speed command selected.  
Ping Speed Control Bar, right, at default setting.  
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To change Ping Speed:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to PING SPEED|ENT.  
2. The Ping Speed Control Bar appears. Press to increase ping speed;  
press to decrease speed. When it's set at the desired level, press EXIT.  
To adjust Sensitivity:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|ENT.  
2. The Sensitivity Control Bar appears. Press to decrease sensitivity;  
press to increase sensitivity. When it's set at the desired level, press  
EXIT. (When you reach the maximum or minimum limit, a tone sounds.)  
To turn off HyperScroll:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to PING SPEED|ENT.  
2. The Ping Speed Control Bar appears. Pressto decrease ping speed  
to 50 percent. When it's set at the desired level, press EXIT.  
When you boost ping speed and switch into HyperScroll, the width of  
the FasTrack bar graph display doubles in width at the right side of the  
screen. This allows you to better see the virtually instantaneous sonar  
returns, just as you would on a flasher sonar unit. For more informa-  
tion on FasTrack, see its entry in this section.  
Pop-up Help  
Help is available for virtually all of the menu labels on this unit. By  
highlighting a menu item and leaving it highlighted for a few seconds, a  
"pop-up" message appears that describes the function of the menu item.  
This feature is on by default.  
To set up Popup Help: Press MENU|MENU|to POPUP HELP. With the  
option highlighted, press ENT to check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn  
off). After the option is set, press EXIT to return to the page display.  
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Example showing the Pop-up Help message for the Sensitivity com-  
mand, located on the Sonar Menu.  
Reset Options  
This command is used to reset all features, options and settings to their  
original factory defaults. This is useful when you have changed several  
settings and want to return the unit to basic automatic operation.  
1. Press MENU|MENU|to RESET OPTIONS|ENT.  
2. Press to YES|ENT.  
3. All the menus are cleared and the unit reverts to the full sonar chart,  
just as if you had turned it on for the first time. All options have been  
returned to the factory settings.  
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At left, Main Menu with Reset Options command selected. At right, the  
Reset Options dialog box, with "Yes" selected.  
Reset Water Distance  
The sonar chart's Digital Data display option includes a box that shows  
distance traveled, called Water Distance. This information is calculated  
from an optional water speed sensor. The Water Distance window can  
be reset to zero using the Reset Water Distance command.  
Press MENU|MENU|to RESET WATER DISTANCE|ENT. The menus are  
cleared and the water distance is reset to 0.00.  
Screen Contrast and Backlight Level  
See the separate entries in this section for Contrast and Backlight  
Level.  
Set Keel Offset  
This unit measures water depth from the face of the transducer. Since  
the transducer is installed below the water surface, the distance dis-  
played by the digital depth, chart depth scale, chart cursor or fish sym-  
bols is not the exact water depth. If the transducer is 1 foot below the  
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surface, and the screen shows the water depth as 30 feet, then the ac-  
tual depth is 31 feet.  
On sailboats or other large vessels with deep drafts, the distance be-  
tween the transducer installation and the keel or lower engine unit can  
be several feet. In those cases, an inexact depth reading could result in  
grounding or striking underwater structure. The Keel Offset feature  
eliminates the need for the navigator to mentally calculate how much  
water is under his keel.  
Keel Offset lets you calibrate the digital depth, chart depth scale, chart  
cursor depth and fish symbol depth displayed on the screen. To calibrate  
the depth indicators, first measure the distance from the face of the  
transducer to the lowest part of the boat. In this example, we will use 3.5  
feet. This will entered as a negative 3.5 feet, which makes the depth indi-  
cators perform as if the transducer's lower in the water than it really is.  
1. Press MENU|MENU|to SET KEEL OFFSET|ENT.  
2. The Keel Offset dialog box appears. Press to change the plus (+)  
sign to a minus (–) sign.  
3. Press to the first number, then press to change the number to 3  
4. Press to the second number, then press to change the number to  
5, then press EXIT. The depth indicators now accurately show the depth  
of water beneath the keel.  
NOTE:  
If knowing the exact depth of water beneath the keel is less important,  
you can calibrate the depth indicators so that they show the actual wa-  
ter depth from surface to bottom. To do this, first measure the distance  
from the face of the transducer up to the surface (the water line on the  
boat). In this example, we will use 1.5 feet. This will be entered as a  
positive 1.5 feet, which makes the depth indicators perform as if the  
transducer's higher in the water than it really is.  
1. Press MENU|MENU|to SET KEEL OFFSET|ENT.  
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2. The Keel Offset dialog box appears with a plus (+) sign at the  
front of the box.  
3. Press to the first number, then press to change the number  
to 1.  
4. Press to the second number, them press to change the num-  
ber to 5, then press EXIT. The depth indicators now accurately show  
the water depth from surface to bottom.  
Sensitivity & Auto Sensitivity  
The sensitivity controls the ability of the unit to pick up echoes. Sensi-  
tivity can be adjusted, because water conditions vary greatly. A low  
sensitivity level (from zero to 50 percent) excludes much of the bottom  
information, fish signals, and other target information.  
High sensitivity levels let you see this detail, but it can also clutter the  
screen with many undesired signals. Typically, the best sensitivity level  
shows a good solid bottom signal with Graylineand some surface clut-  
ter.  
Automatic Sensitivity  
The default sensitivity mode is automatic. The unit bases the sensitiv-  
ity level on water depth and conditions. When the unit is in the auto-  
matic mode, sensitivity is automatically adjusted to keep a solid bottom  
signal displayed, plus a little more power. This gives it the capability to  
show fish and other detail.  
However, situations occur when it becomes necessary to increase or de-  
crease the sensitivity. This typically happens when you wish to see  
more detail, so an increase in sensitivity is indicated. Or, wave action  
and boat wakes can create enough tiny air bubbles to clutter much of  
the water column. In that case, a decrease in sensitivity is indicated to  
reduce some of the clutter.  
The control bar used to adjust sensitivity up or down is the same  
whether the unit is in the automatic or manual mode. In automatic you  
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can adjust sensitivity up to 100 percent but the unit will limit your  
minimum setting. In auto, the unit will continue to make small ad-  
justments, allowing for the setting you selected.  
In manual mode, you have complete control over sensitivity, with the  
ability to set it anywhere from zero to 100 percent. Once you select a  
level in manual, the unit will continue to use that exact sensitivity set-  
ting until you change it or revert to auto mode.  
To adjust sensitivity in auto mode:  
1. Press MENU|ENT.  
2. The Sensitivity Control Bar appears. Press to decrease sensitivity;  
press to increase sensitivity. When it's set at the desired level, press  
EXIT. (When you reach the maximum or minimum limit, a tone sounds.)  
At left, Sonar Menu with Sensitivity command selected. At right, the  
Sensitivity Control Bar.  
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To adjust sensitivity in manual mode:  
1. First, turn off Auto Sensitivity: from the Sonar Page, press MENU|↓  
to AUTO SENSITIVITY|ENT.  
2. Press to SENSITIVITY|ENT and the Sensitivity Control Bar appears.  
Press or to pick a different sensitivity setting. When it's set at the  
desired level, press EXIT.  
To turn Auto Sensitivity back on:  
From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to AUTO SENSITIVITY|ENT|EXIT.  
NOTE:  
To return to the original factory setting for Auto Sensitivity, see the  
entry in this section on Reset Options. If sensitivity is in manual  
mode, the Reset Options command will switch back to Auto mode.  
Tip:  
For quicker sensitivity adjustments, try leaving the Sensitivity  
Control Bar on the screen as the chart scrolls. You can see the  
changes on the screen as you press the up or down arrows.  
Set Language  
This unit's menus are available in 10 languages: English, French, Ger-  
man, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Russian, Dutch and Finnish.  
To select a different language:  
1. Press MENU|MENU|to SET LANGUAGE|ENT.  
2. Use or to select a different language and press ENT. All menus  
now appear in the language you selected.  
Software Version Information  
From time to time, Lowrance updates the operating system software in  
some of its products. These software upgrades are usually offered to  
customers as free downloads from our web site, www.lowrance.com.  
These upgrades make the unit perform better or introduce a new fea-  
ture or function. You can find out what software version is running in  
your sonar unit by using the Software Information command.  
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1. Press MENU|MENU|to SOFTWARE INFO|ENT.  
2. Read the information displayed on the screen.  
3. To return to the last page displayed, press EXIT|EXIT.  
Sonar Chart Mode  
The default color scheme for the sonar chart is white background, but  
we offer other variations to suit your viewing preferences. You can se-  
lect the chart to be displayed in grayscale, reverse grayscale, blue back-  
ground, Nightview, IceView, or bottom color tracking.  
To change the chart mode color scheme:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to SONAR FEATURES|ENT.  
2. Press to SONAR CHART MODE|ENT.  
3. Press or to Mode Name|ENT.  
4. Press EXIT|EXIT to return to the Sonar Page.  
Sonar Page & Sonar Chart Display Options  
The Pages Menu offers three chart display options. To access them, press  
PAGES or to Option Name|EXIT.  
Pages Menu, showing sonar chart display options.  
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Full Sonar Chart  
This is the default mode used when the unit is turned on for the first  
time or when it's reset to the factory defaults.  
The bottom signal scrolls across the screen from right to left. Depth  
scales on the right side of the screen aid in determining the depth of  
targets. The line at the top of the screen represents the surface. The  
bottom depth and surface temperature (if equipped with a temperature  
sensor or a transducer with a temp sensor built in) show at the top left  
corner of the screen.  
The FasTrack™ display shows just to the right of the scale. This  
changes all echoes into short horizontal bars, replicating a flasher so-  
nar. The zoom bar on the far right shows the area that's zoomed when  
the zoom is in use. (See the Zoom section for more information.)  
Full Sonar Chart. The Overlay Data (depth and water temperature)  
are set to different text sizes.  
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Split Zoom Sonar Chart  
A split chart shows the underwater world from the surface to the bot-  
tom on the right side of the screen. The left side shows an enlarged ver-  
sion of the right side. The zoom range shows at the bottom left corner of  
the screen.  
Split Zoom Sonar Chart. Image at left shows the left window zoomed to  
2X. The right image shows the left window zoomed to 4X.  
Digital Data/Chart  
This mode shows the chart on the right side of the screen. The left side has  
five large digital data boxes or windows containing (by default): Water  
Depth; Water Temperature; Water Speed (from an optional speed sensor)  
and Water Distance (distance traveled or log, it also requires a speed sen-  
sor).  
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Digital Data/Chart  
Customizing the Digital Data/Chart Screen  
The Digital Data/Chart screen can be customized to show digital data  
different from the defaults first shown. To customize this screen:  
1. From the Sonar Page (in Digital Data mode), press MENU|to  
CUSTOMIZE|ENT.  
At left, the Sonar Menu showing the Customize command highlighted.  
At right, the Water Temperature box is selected.  
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2. The Water Temperature box title bar flashes, indicating the box con-  
tents can be changed. Press ENT|or to select data type|ENT|EXIT.  
Water Distance has been picked to replace Water Temperature in the  
top digital data box.  
Tip:  
You can customize other digital data boxes before returning to the  
Sonar Page. After changing the first box by selecting the Data Type  
and pressing Enter, use the key to select another box to change.  
When the selected box title bar flashes, press ENT|or to select  
data type|ENT. Repeat these steps until you're finished customizing,  
then press EXIT to return to the Sonar Page.  
Sonar Simulator  
This unit has a built-in simulator that lets you run it as if you were on  
the water. All sonar features and functions are useable. When in  
simulator mode, the unit periodically will display “Simulated” at the  
bottom of the Sonar Page. To use the simulator:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|MENU|to SONAR SIMULATOR|ENT.  
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Main Menu with Sonar Simulator command selected.  
The Simulator is turned off (check box is unchecked).  
NOTE:  
If you turn on your unit before attaching a transducer, it may enter a  
demo mode. The words "demo mode" flash on the bottom of the  
screen and a sonar chart plays much like the simulator. Unlike the  
simulator, the demo mode is for demonstration only, and will auto-  
matically stop as soon as you turn on the unit with a transducer at-  
tached. The simulator will continue to function normally.  
Stop Chart  
If you are running multiple units on a boat or using this unit in a car,  
there are times when you may want to turn off the sonar. This com-  
mand turns off the sonar and stops the chart from scrolling. Sonar re-  
starts automatically each time you turn on your unit.  
Press MENU|to STOP CHART|ENT|EXIT.  
To turn on sonar and start the chart scrolling again, repeat the above step.  
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Sonar Menu with Stop Chart command selected. The box is unchecked,  
indicating that the chart is scrolling across the screen.  
Surface Clarity  
The markings extending downward from the zero line on the chart are  
called "surface clutter." These markings are caused by wave action,  
boat wakes, temperature inversion and more.  
The surface clarity control reduces or eliminates surface clutter signals  
from the display. It does this by changing the sensitivity of the receiver,  
decreasing it near the surface and gradually increasing it as the depth  
increases.  
There are three levels of surface clarity available: low, medium, or high.  
It can also be turned off. The default level is off.  
To adjust the Surface Clarity level:  
1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU|to SONAR FEATURES|ENT|ENT.  
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Sonar Features menu with Surface Clarity selected (at left, dual-  
frequency menu; at right, single-frequency menu).  
2. Press or to select clarity level|EXIT|EXIT.  
Surface clutter  
In the illustration at left, Surface Clarity is turned off.  
The right view shows Surface Clarity set at High.  
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Transparency  
Use the transparency menu to adjust the transparency of menu win-  
dows. A high transparency allows you to continue monitoring the sonar  
chart while adjusting feature settings, though the text of the menus  
may fade until it is unreadable. A low transparency will usually make  
menu text easier to read, at the cost of watching your sonar returns.  
Experiment with this feature until you find the right level of transpar-  
ency for your eyes.  
Main Menu with Transparency command selected.  
To adjust Menu Transparency level:  
Press MENU|MENU|to TRANSPARENCY|ENT. The TRANSPARENCY slider bar  
appears. Press or to move the bar. The lower end of the scale makes  
the menus opaque; the upper end is maximum transparency.  
Units of Measure  
This menu sets the speed and distance (statute or nautical miles, me-  
ters), depth (feet, fathoms, or meters) and temperature (degrees Fahr-  
enheit or Celsius). To change the units:  
Press MENU|MENU|to UNITS OF MEASURE|ENT.  
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The Units of Measure Menu.  
To set Units of Measure: Press to the desired units, then press ENT.  
After all the options are set as desired, press EXIT|EXIT to return to the  
page display.  
Volume  
This command adjusts the speaker volume, which controls the sound  
levels for keystrokes and alarms. If you want to turn off all sounds, set  
the volume to zero.  
To adjust volume:  
1. Press MENU|MENU|to VOLUME|ENT.  
2. The Volume Control Bar appears. Press to decrease the volume; press  
to increase the volume. When it's set at the desired level, press EXIT.  
Zoom & Zoom Bar  
"Zooming" the display is a common, fast and easy method used to en-  
large small detail, fish signals and the bottom with its associated struc-  
ture. This unit lets you zoom the display quickly and easily by pressing  
the Zoom In key, ZIN.  
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Pressing ZIN once doubles the size (2X) of all echoes on the screen.  
Pressing it again quadruples the size of the echoes (4X). Press the Zoom  
Out key, ZOUT, to return the display to the normal mode.  
At left, Sonar Page, normal view. Center, same view zoomed to 2X.  
Right, same view zoomed to 4X  
Zoom Pan  
Your unit has the handy ability to quickly zoom in on any portion of the  
water column with just the touch of an arrow key. The Zoom Pan feature  
lets you rapidly move the zoomed area up and down to different depths.  
By "pointing" your zoom at different portions of the chart as it scrolls,  
you can get a good, close-up look at structure or cover below you.  
To use Zoom Pan, switch to a manual depth Range setting (see page 64)  
and turn on 2X or 4X Zoom. Then, simply press or to pan up and  
down the water column.  
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Section 5: Troubleshooting  
If your unit is not working, or if you need technical help, please use the  
following troubleshooting section before contacting the factory customer  
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 operates only in demo mode:  
1. The transducer has not yet been connected or has been disconnected.  
To leave demo mode, make sure the transducer is securely connected  
before turning the unit on.  
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.  
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Weak bottom echo, digital readings erratic, or no fish signals:  
1. Make sure 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  
inside the hull, be sure it is shooting through only one layer of fiber-  
glass and that it is securely bonded to the hull. When attaching a  
transducer to the inside of a hull, ONLY use the epoxy available from  
LEI (order information is inside the back cover). Do NOT use RTV  
silicone rubber adhesive or any other type of epoxy. The LEI epoxy is  
specially formulated so that it will cure properly for shoot-through  
applications.  
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.  
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 example,  
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.  
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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. In se-  
vere cases, it can completely cover the screen with black dots, or cause  
the unit to 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 Reject  
[also known as the ASP feature (Advanced Signal Processing)]. Sensi-  
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tivity 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 mo-  
tor, 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 ap-  
pears 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 en-  
gine 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.  
96  
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Section 6: Supplemental Material  
FCC Compliance  
This device complies with Part 15 of the U.S. Federal Communi-  
cations Commission (FCC) Rules. Operation is subject to the fol-  
lowing two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful in-  
terference, and (2) this device must accept any interference re-  
ceived, including interference that may cause undesired opera-  
tion.  
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer  
could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.  
Note:  
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a  
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits  
are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference  
in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radi-  
ate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance  
with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communi-  
cations. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in  
a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference  
to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the  
equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interfer-  
ence by one or more of the following measures:  
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.  
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.  
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to  
which the receiver is connected.  
Consult the factory customer service department for help.  
97  
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Notes  
98  
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Index  
Manual, 64  
A
Display Options, 38, 49, 82, 83,  
84, 85  
Accessories, 1, 31; Sec. 2,  
Installation & Accessories,  
7
F
Alarms, 38, 40, 54, 55, 56, 57,  
58; Depth Alarms, 55; Fish  
Alarm, 54, 57, 58; Zone  
Alarm, 54, 56, 57  
Antenna, 96, 97  
ASP(Advanced Signal  
Processing), 23, 53  
FasTrack, 65  
Fish Depths, 67  
Fish I.D., 50, 54, 57, 66  
Fish Symbols, 50, 54, 57, 66,  
70; Interpreting, 50  
FishTrack, 67  
Frequency, 3, 68; Change  
Frequency, 68  
B
G
Backlights / Lighting, 2, 38, 58,  
59, 77  
Grayline, 79  
Batteries, 7, 29, 30, 34, 35, 93,  
94, 96  
Brightness, 39  
H
HyperScroll, 70, 73, 74  
I
C
Icons, 5  
Calibrate Speed, 59  
Chart Speed, 60, 61  
Contrast, 39, 63, 77  
Cursor, 5, 38, 45, 56, 60, 63, 77,  
78  
Information Displays  
(Customize Display), 84, 86  
Installation, 7, 24, 27, 31, 32,  
33, 34, 35; Sec. 2,  
Installation & Accessories,  
7
Customize Display, 84, 86  
D
Introduction: Sec. 1,  
Introduction, 1;  
Specifications, 2  
Data Boxes (Customize  
Display), 84, 86  
Depth Cursor, 5, 45, 63  
Depth Range, 4, 23, 57, 64, 65,  
84, 92, 94, 95; Automatic, 64;  
K
Keel Offset, 40, 77, 78  
99  
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S
Keyboard, 5, 37, 51  
Keypad Description, 38  
Sensitivity, 23, 45, 46, 47, 48,  
49, 75, 76, 79, 80, 81, 96  
Simulator, 40, 86, 87  
Software Version Information,  
81  
Sonar Chart Color Mode, 82  
Sonar Chart Display Options,  
38, 49, 82, 83, 84, 85  
Sonar Menu, 49, 54, 71, 74, 76,  
80, 85, 88  
Sonar Operation: Quick  
Reference, 45  
Speaker, 91  
Speed Sensors, 4, 26, 27, 28, 29,  
59, 77, 84  
Stop Chart, 87, 88  
Surface Clarity, 88, 89  
L
Languages, 3, 40, 81  
M
Main Menu, 37, 39, 55, 77, 87,  
90  
N
Noise Rejection, 54, 70  
O
Overlay Data, 70, 71, 72, 73, 83  
P
Page Displays, 40, 41, 82;  
Digital Data, 38, 77, 84, 85  
Ping Speed, 70, 73, 74, 75;  
HyperScroll, 70, 73, 74  
Pop-up Help, 75, 76  
Power, 1, 2, 7, 29, 30, 31, 32,  
34, 35, 38, 45, 79, 93, 94, 95,  
96  
T
Temperature Sensors, 8, 12, 26,  
27, 83  
Text Boxes (Customize  
Display), 84, 86  
Product Specifications, 2  
R
Transducer, 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10,  
11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,  
19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26,  
27, 31, 32, 34, 40, 45, 46, 53,  
65, 68, 69, 73, 74, 77, 78, 83,  
87, 93, 94, 95, 96; Mounting,  
12, 19; Shoot-Thru-Hull, 11,  
22, 24  
Range, 4, 23, 57, 64, 65, 84, 92,  
94, 95; Automatic, 64;  
Manual, 64  
Repeat Play List, 86  
Reset Options, 40, 49, 76, 77, 81  
Reset Water Distance, 40, 77  
Route, 7, 8, 10, 17, 18, 19, 26,  
29, 93, 96  
Transducer Type, 40  
100  
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U
Z
Units of Measure, 40, 90, 91  
Utilities, 37  
Zooming, 3, 38, 45, 83, 91, 92,  
95; Zoom Bar, 91; Zoom Pan,  
92  
101  
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Notes  
102  
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EAGLE ELECTRONICS  
FULL ONE-YEAR WARRANTY  
"We," "our," or "us" refers to EAGLE ELECTRONICS, a division of LEI, the manufacturer 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 workmanship, 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 identi-  
cal or reasonably equivalent to this product, at our option, within a reasonable time after our receipt of  
the product. If such defect, malfunction, or non-conformity remains after a reasonable number of at-  
tempts to repair by us, you may elect to obtain without charge a replacement of the product or a re-  
fund 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 damages, 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 connected, installed, combined,  
altered, adjusted, or handled in a manner other than according 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 in-  
curring 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.  
EAGLE ELECTRONICS  
PO BOX 669, CATOOSA, OK 74015  
(800) 324-1354  
103  
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How to Obtain Service…  
…in the USA:  
We back your investment in quality products with quick, expert service  
and genuine Eagle replacement parts. If you're in the United States  
and you have technical, return or repair questions, please contact the  
Factory Customer Service Department. Before any product can be re-  
turned, you must call customer service to determine if a return is nec-  
essary. 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  
Eagle Electronics may find it necessary to change or end our shipping  
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 an Eagle dealer near  
you,  
visit  
our  
web  
site,  
and  
look  
for  
the  
Dealer  
Locator  
(www.eaglesonar.com/Products/HowToBuy/dealers.asp). Or, you can consult your  
telephone directory for listings.  
104  
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Accessory Ordering Information  
for all countries  
To order Eagle accessories such as power cables or transducers, 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 an Eagle dealer near you, visit our web site, and look for the Dealer  
Locator (www.eaglesonar.com/Products/HowToBuy/dealers.asp). 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. Please do not ship the knobs or mounting bracket with your unit.  
2. If you are sending a check for repair, please place your check in an envelope  
and tape it to the unit.  
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. An e-mail address is optional but useful.  
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:  
www.eaglesonar.com  
Eagle Pub. 988-0156-031  
Printed in USA 112404  
Copyright © 2004  
All Rights Reserved  
LEI-Eagle  
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