Humminbird 343C User manual

343c Operations Manual
531446-1_E
343c Operations Manual

Thank You!
Thank you for choosing Humminbird®, America's #1 name in fishfinders. Hummin-
bird®hasbuiltitsreputationbydesigningandmanufacturingtop-quality,thoroughly
reliablemarineequipment. ourHumminbird®isdesignedfortrouble-freeuseineven
the harshest marine environment. In the unlikely event that your Humminbird® does
requirerepairs,weofferanexclusiveServicePolicy-freeofchargeduringthefirstyear
after purchase, and available at a reasonable rate after the one-year period. For com-
plete details, see the separate warranty card included with your unit. We encourage
you to read this operations manual carefully in order to get full benefit from all the
features and applications of your Humminbird® product.
Contact our Customer Resource Center at either 1-800-633-1468 or visit our web site
at www.humminbi d.com.
WARNING! Thisdevicesho ldnotbe sedasanavigationalaidtopreventcollision,gro nd-
ing, boat damage, or personal inj ry. When the boat is moving, water depth may change
tooq icklytoallowtimeforyo toreact.Alwaysoperatetheboatatveryslowspeedsifyo
s spect shallow water or s bmerged objects.
WARNING! Disassembly and repair of this electronic nit sho ld only be performed by a -
thorized service personnel. Any modification of the serial n mber or attempt to repair the
original eq ipment or accessories by na thorized individ als will void the warranty.
WARNING! This prod ct contains chemicals known to the State of Californiato ca se can-
cer and/or reprod ctive harm.
300 SeriesTM, DualBeam PLUSTM, Fish ID+TM, Humminbird®, One-Touch® Zoom, QuadraBeamTM,
RTS® Window, Structure ID®, Total Screen Update®, TrueArch®, WhiteLine®, WideSide®, and
X-PressTM Menu are trademarked by or registered trademarks of Humminbird®.
© 2009 Humminbird®, Eufaula AL, USA. All rights reserved.
ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS: Products sold in the U.S. are not intended for use
in the international market. Humminbird® international units provide international fea-
tures and are designed to meet country and regional regulations. Languages, maps, time
zones, units of measurement, and warranty are examples of features that are
customized for Humminbird® international units purchased through our authorized in-
ternational distributors.
To obtain a list of authorized international distributors, please visit our web site at
www.humminbird.com or contact our Customer Resource Center at [phone].
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How Sonar Works 1
DualBeam PLUS™ Sonar ...................................................................................................................... 4
What’s On the Display 5
Views 7
Sonar View.............................................................................................................................................. 8
Understanding Sonar History ............................................................................................................ 9
Real Time Sonar (RTS®) Window .................................................................................................... 10
Freeze Frame ........................................................................................................................................ 10
Bottom Presentation .......................................................................................................................... 11
Sonar Zoom View ................................................................................................................................ 13
200/83 kHz Split Sonar View .......................................................................................................... 14
Big Digits View .................................................................................................................................... 15
Circular Flasher View .......................................................................................................................... 15
Key Functions 16
POWER/LIGHT Key ............................................................................................................................ 16
VIEW Key .............................................................................................................................................. 16
MENU Key ............................................................................................................................................ 17
4-WAY Cursor Control Key ................................................................................................................ 17
EXIT Key ................................................................................................................................................ 18
Powering Up the Unit 19
The Menu System 20
Start-Up Options Menu 22
Normal Operation .............................................................................................................................. 22
Simulator ............................................................................................................................................ 23
System Status .................................................................................................................................... 24
Sonar X-Press™ Menu 25
Sensitivity.............................................................................................................................................. 26
Upper Range (Advanced: Sonar, Split Sonar, Big Digits and Circular Flasher Views only) ........ 27
Lower Range ........................................................................................................................................ 28
Chart Speed .......................................................................................................................................... 29
Zoom Level (Sonar Zoom view only) ................................................................................................ 29
Bottom Lock ........................................................................................................................................ 30
Bottom Range (Sonar Zoom View only, when Bottom Lock is On).............................................. 30
Table of Contents

Sonar Menu Tab 31
Beam Select.......................................................................................................................................... 32
Fish ID+™ .............................................................................................................................................. 33
Fish ID Sensitivity .............................................................................................................................. 34
Real Time Sonar (RTS®) Window.................................................................................................... 34
Bottom View........................................................................................................................................ 35
Zoom Width ........................................................................................................................................ 35
83 kHz Sensitivity (Advanced) .......................................................................................................... 35
Depth Lines (Advanced)...................................................................................................................... 36
Surface Clutter (Advanced)................................................................................................................ 37
Noise Filter (Advanced) ...................................................................................................................... 38
Max Depth (Advanced) ...................................................................................................................... 38
Water Type (Advanced)...................................................................................................................... 39
Alarms Menu Tab 40
Depth Alarm ........................................................................................................................................ 41
Fish ID Alarm........................................................................................................................................ 41
Low Battery Alarm.............................................................................................................................. 42
Temp Alarm.......................................................................................................................................... 42
Alarm Tone .......................................................................................................................................... 43
Setup Menu Tab 44
Units - Depth........................................................................................................................................ 45
Units - Temp (International only) .................................................................................................... 45
Units - Distance (with Temp/Speed)................................................................................................ 45
Units - Speed (with Temp/Speed) .................................................................................................... 46
User Mode............................................................................................................................................ 46
Language (International only) .......................................................................................................... 46
Triplog Reset (with Temp/Speed) .................................................................................................... 47
Restore Defaults.................................................................................................................................. 47
Select Views (Advanced).................................................................................................................... 48
Select Readouts (Advanced, Sonar view only)................................................................................ 49
Depth Offset (Advanced) .................................................................................................................. 50
Temp Offset (Advanced).................................................................................................................... 50
Speed Calibration (Advanced, with Temp/Speed only) ................................................................ 51
Table of Contents
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Troubleshooting 52
300 Series™ Doesn’t Power p ...................................................................................................... 52
300 Series™ Defaults to Simulator with a Transducer Attached .......................................... 52
Display Problems ................................................................................................................................ 53
Finding the Cause of Noise .............................................................................................................. 54
Specifications 55
Glossary 56
Contact Humminbird® 69
NOTE: Entrie in thi Table of Content which li t (International Only) are only available
on product old out ide of the U.S. by our authorized international di tributor . To obtain
a li t of authorized international di tributor , plea e vi it our web ite at
www. umminbird.com or contact our Cu tomer Re ource Center at [phone].
NOTE: Entrie in thi Table of Content which li t (with Temp/Speed) require thepurcha e
of a eparate acce ory. You can vi it our web ite at www. umminbird.com to order thi
acce ory online or contact our Cu tomer Re ource Center at 1-800-633-1468.
Table of Contents

How Sonar Works
Sonar technology is based on sound waves. The 300 Series™ Fishing System uses
sonar to locate and define structure, bottom contour and composition, as well as
depth directly below the transducer.
Your 300 Series™ Fishing System sends a sound wave signal and determines
distance by measuring the time between the transmission of the sound wave and
when the sound wave is reflected off of an object; it then uses the reflected signal
to interpret location, size, and composition of an object.
Sonar is very fast. A sound wave can travel from the surface to a depth of 240 ft
(70 m) and back again in less than 1/4 of a second. It is unlikely that your boat can
"outrun" this sonar signal.
SONAR is an acronym for SOund and
NAvigation Ranging. Sonar utilizes
precision sound pulses or "pings" which are
emitted into the water in a teardrop-
shaped beam.
The sound pulses "echo" back from
objects in the water such as the bottom,
fish and other submerged objects. The
returned echoes are displayed on the LCD
screen. Each time a new echo is received,
the old echoes are moved across the LCD,
creating a scrolling effect.
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When all the echoes are viewed side by
side, an easy to interpret "graph" of the
bottom, fish and structure appears.
The sound pulses are transmitted at
various frequencies depending on the
application. Very high frequencies (455
kHz) are used for greatest definition but
the operating depth is limited. High
frequencies (200 kHz) are commonly used
on consumer sonar and provide a good
balance between depth. Low frequencies
(83 kHz) are typically used to achieve
greater depth capability.

3
The power output is the amount of energy
generated by the sonar transmitter. It is
commonly measured using two methods:
• Root Mean Square (RMS) measures
power output over the entire transmit
cycle.
• Peak to Peak measures power output
at the highest points.
The benefits of increased power output are the ability to detect smaller targets at
greater distances, ability to overcome noise, better high speed performance and
enhanced depth capability.

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DualBeam PLUS™ Sonar
Your 300 Series™ Fishing System uses a
200/83 kHz DualBeam PLUS™ sonar
system with a wide (60°) area of coverage.
DualBeam PLUS™ sonar has a narrowly
focused 20° center beam, surrounded by a
second beam of 60°, expanding your
coverage to an area equal to your depth. In
20 feet of water, the wider beam covers an
area 20 feet wide. DualBeam PLUS™ sonar
returns can be blended together, viewed
separately or compared side-by-side.
DualBeam PLUS™ is ideal for a wide range
of conditions -from shallow to very deep
water in both fresh and salt water.
Depth capability is affected by such
factors as boat speed, wave action,
bottom hardness, water conditions and
transducer installation.

5
What’s On the Display
The 300 Series™ Fishing System can display a variety of useful information about the area
Depth - water depth; can be set to alarm when
the water becomes too shallow.
Temperature - water surface temperature.
Timer- Elapsed time withTemp/Speed Accessory.
Distance - Distance traveled with Temp/Speed
Accessory.
Average Speed - Average speed reading with
Temp/Speed Accessory.
Second Sonar Return - when the sonar signal
bouncesbetween the bottom and the surface of the
water and back again. Use the appearance of the
second return to determine bottom hardness. Hard
bottomswillshow astrong secondreturn,while soft
bottoms will show a very weak one or none at all.
Speed - if a Temp/Speed accessory is attached,
the FishFinder can display the speed of the boat.
NOTE: Entries in this view that list (with Temp/Speed) are available only if the device is
Cursor - available in Freeze Frame and can be
positioned in the Sonar View to provide depth of a
sonar return and bottom depth below the cursor.
Cursor Dialog Box - indicates cursor depth on the
display and the depth of the bottom directly below
the cursor.

6
under and adjacent to your boat, including the following items:
RTS® (Real Time Sonar) Window
Structure - where fish may be hiding.
Thermoclines - layers of water with different
temperatures that appear at different depths
and different times of the year. A thermocline
typically appears as a continuous band of
many colors moving across the display at the
same depth.
83 kHz Blue Fish Symbol
Bait Ball
Fish - the FishFinder displays fish as arches
and/or fish icons, and can be set to alarm when
a fish of a certain size is detected. When a
target is detected, a Fish ID+TM symbol appears
on the display with the depth displayed above
it. The size of the symbol indicates the intensity
of the sonar return. The unit will clearly show
schools of Bait Fish as "clouds" of different
shapes and sizes, depending on the number of
fish and boat speed.
Low Sonar Intensity Return
High Sonar Intensity Return
connected to the 300 Series™ Fishing System.
200 kHz Orange Fish Symbol

Views
The views available on your 300 Series™ Fishing System are:
• Sonar View
• Zoom View
• 200/83 kHz Split Sonar View
• Big Digits View
• Circular Flasher View.
Sonar View is the default view. When the VIEW key is pressed, the display cycles
through the available views. When the EXIT key is pressed, the display cycles
through the available views in reverse order. Any view can be hidden or displayed as
part of the view rotation using the Views Menu tab.
NOTE: When you change any menu settings that affect the sonar, the view will update
immediately (i.e. you don’t have to exit the menu to apply the change to the screen).
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Sonar View
Sonar View presents a historical log of sonar returns. Depth is always displayed.
Readouts for temperature and speed are automatically displayed if the appropriate
accessory is connected. The most recent sonar returns are charted on the right side
of the window; as new information is received, the older information is moved
across the display to the left. A Digital Depth Readout is displayed in the upper left
corner. A scale with Upper and Lower Depth Range readouts appears along the right
edge of the Sonar View. The scale indicates the distance from the surface of the
water to a depth range sufficient to show the bottom. Depth Range is automatically
selected to keep the bottom visible on the display, although you can adjust it
manually as well (see Sonar X-PressTM Menu). Five additional Digital Readouts display
information from optional-purchase accessories.
These information boxes can be customized to show only the information desired
(see Setup Menu Tab, Select Readouts).
NOTE: If the Depth number is flashing, it means that the unit is having trouble locating
the bottom. This usually happens if the water is too deep, the transducer is out of the
water, the boat is moving too fast, or for any other reason that the unit can’t accurately
receive continuous data.
Sonar View
Upper Depth
Range
Sonar History
Window
Depth
Cursor Dialog Box
Temperature
Triplog
Lower Depth
Range
RTS® Window
Cursor

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Understanding Sonar History
It is important to understand the significance of
the 300 Series™ Fishing System display. The
display does NOT show a literal 3-dimensional
representation of what is under the water. Each
vertical band of data received by the control head
and plotted on the display represents something
that was detected by a sonar return at a particular
time. As both the boat and the targets (fish) may
be moving, the returns are only showing a
particular segment of time when objects were
detected, not exactly where those objects are in
relation to other objects shown on the display.

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Real Time Sonar (RTS®) Window
A Real Time Sonar (RTS®) Window appears on the right side of the display in the
Sonar View only. The RTS® Window always updates at the fastest rate possible for
depth conditions and shows only the returns from the bottom, structure and fish
that are within the transducer beam. The RTS® Window plots the depth and
intensity of a sonar return (see Sonar Menu - RTS® Window).
Freeze Frame
Freeze Frame - Pressing any arrow on the 4-WAY Cursor Control key will freeze the
screen and a cursor will be displayed on the screen. The cursor can be positioned on
the display using the 4-WAY Cursor Control key to determine the depth of any sonar
return. The RTS® Window continues to update in Freeze Frame. In addition, see the
effects of menu setting changes with Instant Image Update. Pressing EXIT will exit
Freeze Frame and the display will start to scroll. Freeze Frame is available in Sonar,
Sonar Zoom and 200/83 kHz Split Sonar Views.
The Narrow RTS® Window
indicates the sonar intensity
throughthe use of colors. Red
indicates a strong return and
blue indicates a weak return.
The depth of the sonar return
is indicated by the vertical
placement of the return on
the display depth scale.
The Wide RTS® Window
indicates the sonar intensity
through the use of a bar
graph. The length of the
plotted return provides an
indication of whether the
return is weak or strong. The
depth of the sonar return is
indicated by the vertical
placement of the return on
the display depth scale.

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Bottom Presentation
As the boat moves, the unit charts the changes in depth on the display to create a profile
of the Bottom Contour. The type of bottom can be determined from the return charted
on the display. A Hard Bottom such as compacted sediment or flat rock appears as a
thinner line across the display. A Soft Bottom such as mud or sand appears as a thicker
line across the display. Rocky Bottoms have a broken, random appearance.
The sonar returns from the bottom, structure and fish can be represented as either
WhiteLine® or Structure ID®. See Sonar Menu Tab: Bottom View for details on how
to set the bottom view.
Bottom Contour Profile with RTS® Window.
Temp/Speed Accessory is optional.
Rocky Bottom
Hard Bottom
Soft Bottom

Structure ID® represents weak returns in blue and
strong returns in red.
WhiteLine® highlights the strongest sonar returns
in white, resulting in a distinctive outline. This has
the benefit of clearly defining the bottom on the
display.
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Sonar Zoom View
Sonar Zoom View increases the displayed resolution to separate sonar returns that
are very close together, such as those caused by fish suspended close to the bottom
or within structure. In Zoom View, the display is split to show a narrow slice of the
full range view on the right and the zoomed view on the left. The full range view on
the right also contains the Zoom Preview Box that shows what part of the full range
view is shown in zoom view on the left; the Zoom Preview Box tracks the bottom in
the full range view.
As the depth changes, the zoomed view updates automatically to display a
magnified image of the bottom. The Zoom Preview Box shows where the zoomed
view is in relation to the full range view. The Zoom Level, or magnification, is
displayed in the lower left corner and can be changed to suit conditions (see Sonar
X-PressTM Menu: Zoom Level). Upper and Lower Zoom Depth Range numbers indicate
the depth of the water which is being viewed.
Digital depth is displayed in the upper left hand corner. The digital readouts in the
Sonar Zoom View cannot be customized; therefore, information such as water
temperature and voltage are unavailable in the Sonar Zoom View.
Sonar Zoom View
Full Range View
Upper Depth Range,
Full Range View
Lower Depth
Range, Zoom View
Lower Depth Range,
Full Range View
Zoomed
View
Zoom
Preview Box
Zoom Level
Depth
Upper Depth Range,
Zoom View

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200/83 kHz Split Sonar View
Split Sonar View displays sonar returns from the 83 kHz wide beam on the left side
of the screen and displays sonar returns from the 200 kHz narrow beam on the right
side of the screen. Depth is always displayed in the upper left hand corner. You can
use the Split Sonar View to make side by side comparisons between the sonar
returns from the 83 kHz wide beam and the 200 kHz narrow beam.
The digital readouts in the Split Sonar View cannot be customized; therefore,
information such as water temperature and voltage are unavailable in the Split
Sonar View.
200/83 kHz Split Sonar View
Depth
83 kHz
Sonar History
Window
200 kHz
Sonar History Window
Upper
Depth Range
Lower
Depth Range

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Big Digits View
Big Digits View provides digital data in a large, easy-to-see format. Depth is always
displayed. Readouts for temperature, speed and Triplog information are displayed
automatically if the appropriate accessory is connected to the system. The Triplog
shows distance traveled, average speed, and time elapsed since the Triplog was last
reset. The digital readouts in the Big Digits View cannot be customized.
Circular Flasher View
Circular Flasher View displays Real Time Sonar (RTS®) data in the traditional flasher
format. Depth and temperature are always displayed. The digital readouts in the
Flasher View cannot be customized.
Big Digits View
Depth
Temperature
Speed
Timer shows the time
elapsed since Triplog
was last reset
Distance is the distance
traveled since the
Triplog was last reset
Voltage - the battery
voltage.
Average Speed shows
the speed since the
Triplog was last reset