Bottom Line Fishin' Buddy 2202 User manual

Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202
Operations Manual
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Introduction 3
Getting Started 4
How to Install the Batteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
How to Attach the Mounting Bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Buddy Functions and Features 7
POWER ON AND OFF, DEMO MODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Set and Adjust Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Fishing with the Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 13
How Your Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Reading the Bottom Graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Finding Fish with the SideFinder® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Ice Fishing 18
Accessories and Replacement Parts 18
Maintenance 19
If You Are Having Problems 20
Specifications 23
BottomLine® One-Year Limited Warranty 24
BottomLine® Service Policy 25
Figures and Illustrations
Fishin’ BuddyTM with Battery Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Mounting Bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Fishin' BuddyTM 2202 Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
SONAR beam (cross-section) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Fishin’ BuddyTM transducer at end of shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
SideFinder® coverage near steep and mild shorelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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GOLDEN RULES FOR CONSERVATION
At BottomLine®, we’re committed to the protection and improvement of our fragile fishing
environment, but we need your help. Here’s what you can do:
• Release predator fish. Keep panfish for the table, but larger predators, such as bass, pike
and walleye, are critical to a balanced fishery. Handle fish gently and release them
carefully into the areas from which they were caught.
• Keep your trash. Don’t discard old fishing line or other debris into the water or on the
grounds around it.
• Report polluters. If the water looks or smells odd, or dying fish are visible, contact the Fish
and Game immediately.
• Turn in poachers. Contact enforcement officers when you see a violation. Some Fish and
Game departments offer toll free hotlines for citizens’ use.
• Respect waterfront property owners. Be quiet in the early morning and careful when
casting lures around moored boats and boat docks.
• Share information. Teaching others how to fish responsibly is a great gift to mankind.
• Monitor government. Write state and local legislators about your environmental concerns.
Ask for their positions and track legislative actions on these issues.
• Study the facts. Don’t support a cause without examining both sides. Be wary of groups
manipulating information for self-serving interests.
• Encourage others. If you agree with our stand on conservation, share these points with
other sportsmen and encourage them to follow our Golden Rules for Conservation.
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INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of the BottomLine® Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202! You now own one of
the world's most portable fishfinders, with completely self-contained electronics offering
BottomLine’s advanced high-clarity bottom graph plus water temperature to let you make the
most out of your boating and fishing experience. Using the Buddy is easy and fun. Just attach the
C-clamp mounting bracket to your favorite boat, canoe, dinghy or even to a dock, and then start
fishing. The Buddy is an ideal tool for ice fishing and float tubing as well.
Before installing your Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202, please make sure that the following parts are included
in your installation kit:
• Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 display unit with transducer.
• C-clamp mounting bracket.
• Directional handle.
• This Operations manual and warranty card.
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GETTING STARTED
The Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 is easy to use:
1. Install fresh batteries.
2. Attach directional handle (used to position Buddy for different viewing angles).
3. Plug transducer cable into the back of the display unit.
4. Attach the mounting bracket to a stable surface.
5. Slide the Buddy into the bracket.
Then press the power button and start fishing!
HOW TO INSTALL THE BATTERIES
The Buddy requires six alkaline "AA" size batteries (not included) for operation. For easiest battery
installation, lay the Buddy down on a flat surface, with the open battery compartment facing upward
as shown. Place the batteries in the battery holder following what is shown in the holder itself. Then
place the battery holder in the compartment and close the lid, making sure to lock it tightly.
Fishin’ Buddy™ with battery compartment
Battery compartment
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When the batteries are fully spent (no longer can hold a charge), the screen will clear and the word
BATTERY will be displayed for 10 seconds before the Buddy will turn itself off.
CAUTION: Always remove discharged batteries promptly and before periods of storage to prevent
potential damage due to battery acid leakage. Failure to do so may void your warranty.
HOW TO ATTACH THE MOUNTING BRACKET
The Buddy unit should be mounted where it will be most visible and accessible. There are two
ways to attach the Buddy mounting bracket: the built in C-clamp mounting bracket or the four
permanent mounting slots in the base. The mounting slots accept 1/4" screws or bolts (not
included). Use the following information when considering a mounting location:
• The Buddy's transducer will not work when it is not in the water.
• Turbulent water or water filled with air bubbles can cause interference or prevent the
transducer from operating.
Mounting Bracket
C-clamp
Pivot adjustment knob
Permanent
mounting slots
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The C-clamp mounting bracket is the most versatile and portable way to mount the Buddy to
your boat. Loosen the C-clamp by turning it counter-clockwise and then place the bracket
around the gunnel or transom, resting it on the top surface (or as far down as possible). Then
tighten the C-clamp by hand.
CAUTION: Do not over-tighten the C-clamp, as permanent damage may occur. If the mounting bracket
is not stable after tightening by hand, try repositioning the bracket.
Start fishing!
The Fishin' Buddy is designed to run automatically with just a press of the power button. To get
the most out of your Buddy, read the next section on functions and features.
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BUDDY FUNCTIONS AND FEATURES
The best way to get familiar with your Buddy is to power-up in demo mode and start pressing
buttons. You will not hurt anything by doing so, but you may lose or change some settings
accidentally. Don't worry. Your Buddy has a reset feature that restores everything back to
factory settings.
POWER ON AND OFF, DEMO MODE
POWER ON - Press and release the POWER button.
DEMO MODE - While powering on the Fishin' Buddy 2202, keep the POWER button pressed until
the words SIMULATOR and REAL appear on the screen. Use the UP and DOWN buttons to move
the fish symbol in front of your selection, then press the MENU button to continue.
POWER OFF - Press and hold the POWER button until the display is blank.
NOTE: The Fishin’ BuddyTM 2202 remembers your previous settings every time you power it on again
(this does not happen in demo mode).
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SET AND ADJUST FEATURES
After power-up, features can be adjusted using the following procedure:
1. Press the POWER-MENU button to display feature adjustments.
2. Press the UP or DOWN button to find the feature you want to adjust.
3. Press the POWER-MENU button to select the feature you want to adjust.
4. Press the
UP or DOWN button to adjust the feature (see specific instructions below for Range
and Depth Alarm).
5. Press the POWER-MENU button to restore the normal display.
TIP: When no menu is displayed, press and hold the UP or DOWN button to freeze the graph.
CONTRAST - Contrast is the darkness or lightness of the display. Both your viewing angle and the
ambient temperature affect the contrast.
CAUTION: Facing the screen toward the sun for extended periods may cause the display to reach its
upper temperature limit and become black. If this occurs and you cannot adjust it lighter, immediately
cover the screen or turn it away from the sun.
LIGHT - The Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 has a display backlight for use when there is not enough
daylight to view the screen. The backlight also generates heat and can be used to help warm the
display in cold weather.
GAIN - The gain control sets the graph's overall sensitivity to echoes. Generally, a higher gain
number means that more fish and structure are shown. Lowering the gain may help reduce
interference caused by trolling motors and other sources of noise.
TIP: Use as much gain or as little gain as you want, but remember that the bottom depth readout may
not work under all settings.
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SCC - The Surface Clutter Control reduces undesirable signals on the graph. Such signals may
include surface clutter (created by turbulence around the transducer), thermocline, air bubbles,
algae bloom, etc. Turn on SCC if these signals inhibit the display of the bottom.
NOTE: Turning on the surface clutter control may inhibit shallow-water bottom readings.
ICE - The ice fishing mode control overrides the screen clutter control and increases the gain
significantly to help display smaller objects. Although this improves the picture in most ice fishing
situations, it may increase clutter and is normally turned off for other types of fishing.
RANGE - The bottom range control allows you to set how deep the bottom graph will display. The
bottom range is displayed in the upper-right corner of the graph.
In automatic mode, the Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 sets the graph range to graph from the water surface
down to just below the bottom.
A- This symbol in the upper-right corner of the display indicates automatic range mode.
You may want to set the range manually if the bottom reading becomes unreliable or if you are
only interested in seeing the top portion of the water. In this case, the Asymbol will disappear
indicating that you set the range yourself.
In bottom-tracking mode, the Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 sets the range to graph the 10 ft (3 m) of water
just above the bottom. This zoomed-in graph is useful for determining bottom features and for
marking fish lying close to the bottom.
B - This symbol in the upper-right corner of the display indicates bottom-tracking mode.
• Operation: Press and release the UP or DOWN button to select automatic or bottom-
tracking mode, or press and hold UP or DOWN to set a manual range.
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DEPTH - The depth alarm sounds when the depth (from the transducer to the estimated bottom)
is less than the setting.
• Operation: Press and hold the UP or DOWN to activate the alarm and set the depth. Press
and release the UP or DOWN button to turn the alarm on and off.
FISH ALARM - The fish alarm chimes and displays fish symbols to represent echoes that are likely
to be from fish. The depth of the fish is also shown if there is room on the display. The symbol size
indicates the relative signal strength of the echo, with the largest representing the strongest echo.
NOTE: A timer function prevents the alarm from chiming too often.
UNITS - The Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 can display in either imperial (U.S.) or metric units for depth and
temperature.
RESET - This feature resets most menu settings back to the factory defaults. Try using Reset when
the Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 does not appear to be working properly and you are not sure if the
problem is in the settings. When the Reset menu is on the screen, press the UP or DOWN button
to reset the settings.
SCREEN - This feature will allow the Sidefinder to be on or off.
SIDE RANGE - The Sidefinder Range control allows you to set how far to the side the Fishin’
Buddy™ 2202 will display fish. If you are casting, you'll probably want to choose a close range
to get the maximum detail in the cone. The Sidefinder Range is displayed in the upper-left
corner of the display.
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SIDE FILTER - The Sidefinder Filter is used to reduce false markings from submerged objects like
pier poles and submerged branches. The filter is best used around docks and other shoreline
structures where false markings might occur. In most situations, and especially in open water, the
best performance is obtained with the filter turned off.
- This symbol on the display indicates that the Sidefinder Filter is on.
NOTE: The Sidefinder will show fewer fish with the filter on.
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Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 Display
Sidefinder range
Sidefinder cone
Sidefinder fish
Sidefinder distance to closest fish
Weeds
Bottom Depth
Fish Symbol
Fish Depth
Temperature Bottom Graph Range in Auto Mode
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FISHING WITH THE FISHIN’ BUDDY™ 2202
HOW YOUR FISHIN’ BUDDY™ 2202 WORKS
The Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 uses active SONAR, short for Sound Navigation and Ranging, to locate
and identify objects in the water. The transducer sends out short bursts of ultrasonic sound waves
into the water and then listens for echoes to come back from objects and the bottom. The further
away the object or bottom is, the longer it takes the echo to return.
These ultrasonic waves "illuminate" the water, forming a beam that is strongest in the direction
that the transducer is pointed. Weaker side-lobes split off from the main beam and with enough
gain can be used for finding fish as well. You can calculate the approximate diameter of the main
beam on the bottom as the depth divided by six.
SONAR beam (cross-section)
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READING THE BOTTOM GRAPH
The bottom graph is created by drawing all of the echoes from a single burst in a vertical column
on the display, with the echoes from deepest objects drawn lowest on the display. After all the
echoes from the burst are drawn, the graph is shifted to the left and the process is repeated.
Grayscale
The Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 uses a gray-checkered pattern to display the strongest signals, which
are usually from a hard bottom. Weaker signals above the bottom are displayed as black. This
allows you to separate the bottom from weeds and to differentiate a hard bottom from a soft,
muddy one. A soft bottom typically gives a thinner bottom image that is mostly black. A hard
bottom is displayed as a thin, black line over a much thicker area of checkered gray. Light weed
cover above the bottom will give a thicker, sketchy black area above the checkered gray.
Fish
To view the natural echoes from fish and other objects in the water, turn the fish alarm symbols
off. Many fishermen have heard that an arch is a good way of locating fish, but other objects you
troll across may also produce arches.
A better way of determining fish is to watch for subtle patterns on the graph. Solid horizontal lines
across the screen are often fish hovering under the transducer. These lines may go up and down,
suggesting some movement if they are fish. Generally, thicker marks come from larger fish. Clouds
of pixels are often schooling baitfish. Groups of diagonal lines are usually bubbles rising steadily
up from the bottom. As you get more familiar with the Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 and the water that
you fish in, you will pick out many other patterns as well.
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FINDING FISH WITH THE SIDEFINDER®
The Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 uses BottomLine's patented Sidefinder® technology to scan where you
cast and, with good accuracy, determine which echoes are from fish and which are from other
objects. Fish that are startled by your boat and move away would not be seen with a conventional
depthfinder. Sidefinder® technology can provide up to a 60 times improvement in fish finding
coverage in shallow water.
The Sidefinder® SONAR beam comes out from the flat
side of the transducer housing at the bottom of the
shaft. When searching for fish, make sure the flat side
points toward the area of your search.
Fishin’ Buddy™ Transducer at end of shaft
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Sidefinder - Viewing the Shoreline
Each shoreline has its own unique characteristics. The Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 can see all the way
up to the shore when the drop-off is sharp or if there are ledges. When the slope of the bottom is
gentle, the Buddy will not see all the way to the shoreline. The Buddy can normally detect
spawning fish that build beds near the shoreline. Direct experience with each shoreline will teach
you the Buddy's capabilities.
Sidefinder® - Weeds and Other Obstructions
The best way to understand how your Buddy "sees" is to imagine that the transducer is a flashlight
and the water is clear. If you are trying to "see" into weeds, the ability of your flashlight beam to
penetrate depends on the thickness of the weeds. If the weeds are thin, your flashlight beam will
penetrate further. If you are trying to see past an underwater rise to view the shoreline, it is a
question of how high the rise is. You can "see" the shore if you can shine your flashlight beam
above the rise and illuminate the shore in the background.
Sidefinder® coverage near steep and mild shorelines
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Sidefinder® - False Markings
Occasionally, the Buddy may falsely mark objects other than fish. This can occur with air bubble
streams from nearby boats or air filled swim ladders. This can also occur when the Buddy is aimed
at a cement or rock wall due to a double reflection effect. The Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 is designed to
eliminate false readings, especially with the filter on. Due to the strength of the signal, it is
possible to fool and thus, get an occasional false reading if the unit is working from a stationary,
non-moving boat or a pier. The Sidefinder® filter allows the Buddy to be much more selective in
marking fish. Use the filter around docks and other structures in the water. The Buddy will display
fewer fish with the filter on.
Sidefinder® - Interpreting the Display
CONE - The transducer cone graph on the screen represents the area and the direction in which
the Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 is searching for fish.
FISH - The symbols displayed in the graph shows where the Buddy has marked fish. Even
though a fish may quickly move out of the transducer beam, all fish symbols are displayed for at
least five seconds. The symbol does not indicate the size of the fish.
DISTANCE TO CLOSEST FISH - The big digits at the bottom of the cone indicates the distance to
the closest fish. If no fish are found, no digits are displayed. As with the fish symbol, when a fish
is marked, the big digits remain on the display for at least five seconds.
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ICE FISHING
The Buddy is ideal for ice fishing. Simply install the bracket on a long flat piece of wood, then
mount the Buddy on one end of the wood piece and place your tackle box (or some other weight)
on the opposite end to ensure stability. Be careful not to get water between the mounting clamp
and the main unit because these two pieces could freeze together.
You may also purchase the Buddy Ice Fishing Bracket #01-9063 where you purchased your Fishin’
Buddy™ 2202. If the dealer does not carry this item, contact www.bottomlinefishfinders.com.
NOTE: In cold weather, the Buddy's lights may be used to help warm the LCD display, at the expense
of shorter battery life.
ACCESSORIES AND REPLACEMENT PARTS
BottomLine® offers a full line of accessories and replacement parts. These items should be
available where you purchased your Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202. If the dealer does not carry an item you
want, you may be able to order it at www.bottomlinefishfinders.com.
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MAINTENANCE
Your Fishin’ Buddy™ 2202 should work reliably for many years, however, there are a few things
you may want to consider and check periodically:
• When cleaning the acrylic display lens, do not use ammonia or alcohol-based cleaners.
• If possible, periodically clean the surface of the transducer with soap and water to remove
any oil film. Oil and dirt on the transducer will reduce the sensitivity or may completely
inhibit transducer operation.
• Consider using commonly available corrosion inhibitors on the back-panel connectors in
harsh environments.
CAUTION: Facing the screen toward the sun for extended periods may cause the display to reach its
upper temperature limit and turn black. If this occurs and you cannot adjust it lighter, immediately cover
the screen or turn it away from the sun.
CAUTION: The Fishin' Buddy 2202TM may not operate properly if the outside temperature is below 14
F (-10 C) or exposure to the sun or other heat sources causes the case to reach 140 F (60 C).
Permanent damage will occur to the liquid crystal display if stored or used where the temperature is
below -4 F (-20 C) or exposure to the sun or other heat sources causes the case to reach 158 F (+70 C).
This type of damage is not covered by the warranty.
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