Humminbird 500 series User manual

500 Serie ™
Operation Manual
531521-1_F
500 Serie ™
Operation Manual
Guide d'utili ation
de Série 500
531521-1_F
Guide d'utili ation
de Série 500

Merci !
Merc d'avo r cho s Humm nb rd®, le chef de f le dans le secteur des sondeurs de
po ssons aux États-Un s. Humm nb rd® a bât sa réputat on en créant et en
fabr quant des équ pements mar ns de haute qual té et très f ables. Votre appare l
Humm nb rd® a été conçu pour pouvo r être ut l sé sans problèmes, quelles que
so ent les cond t ons, même dans les m l eux mar ns les plus host les. Dans
l'éventual té peu probable où votre appare l Humm nb rd® aura t beso n de
réparat ons, nous offrons une garant e p èces et ma n d'œuvre exclus ve - gratu te
pendant la prem ère année, et d spon ble à un taux ra sonnable après la pér ode
n t ale d'un an. Pour plus de déta ls, vo r le bon de garant e de votre modèle. Nous
vous nv tons à l re attent vement ce Manuel de l'ut l sateur, af n de prof ter
ple nement de toutes les fonct ons et appl cat ons de votre produ t Humm nb rd®.
Commun quez avec notre Centre de ressources pour la cl entèle au 1-800-633-1468
ou v s tez notre s te Web www.hummi bird.com.
AVERTISSEMENT ! Cet appareil ne devrait en aucun cas être utilisé comme instrument
de navigation afin de prévenir les collisions, l'échouage, les dommages au bateau ou les
blessures aux passagers. Lors ue le bateau est en mouvement, la profondeur de l'eau peut
varier trop rapidement pour vous laisser le temps de réagir. Avancez toujours très
lentement si vous soupçonnez la présence de bas fonds ou d'obstacles submergés.
AVERTISSEMENT ! La réparation et/ou le démontage de cet appareil électroni ue doit
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Californie comme pouvant causer le cancer et/ou d'autres toxicités reproductives.
À L’ATTENTION DE NOS CLIENTS INTERNATIONAUX : Le produit vendu aux
État -Uni ne ont pa de tiné à être utili é ur le marché international. Le
appareil internationaux Humminbird offrent de fonctionnalité internationale ; il
ont conçu conformément aux réglementation régionale et nationale en vigueur.
Le langue , carte , fu eaux horaire , unité de me ure et garantie illu trent le
fonction qui ont per onnali ée pour le appareil internationaux Humminbird
acheté auprè de di tributeur internationaux agréé .
Pour obtenir la li te de di tributeur internationaux agréé , veuillez vi iter notre ite
Web www.hummi bird.com, ou contactez notre Centre de re ource clientèle au
[phone].
Thank You!
Thank you for choos ng Humm nb rd®, Amer ca's #1 name n f shf nders.
Humm nb rd® has bu lt ts reputat on by des gn ng and manufactur ng
top-qual ty, thoroughly rel able mar ne equ pment. Your Humm nb rd® s
des gned for trouble-free use n even the harshest mar ne env ronment. In the
unl kely event that your Humm nb rd® does requ re repa rs, we offer an
exclus ve Serv ce Pol cy - free of charge dur ng the f rst year after purchase,
and ava lable at a reasonable rate after the one-year per od. For complete
deta ls, see the separate warranty card ncluded w th your un t. We encourage
you to read th s operat ons manual carefully n order to get full benef t from all
the features and appl cat ons of your Humm nb rd® product.
Contact our Customer Resource Center at e ther 1-800-633-1468 or v s t our
webs te at www.humminbird.com.
WARNING! This device should not be used as a navigational aid to prevent collision,
grounding, boat damage, or personal injury. When the boat is moving, water depth may
change too uickly to allow time for you to react. Always operate the boat at very slow
speeds if you suspect shallow water or submerged objects.
WARNING! Disassembly and repair of this electronic unit should only be performed by
authorized service personnel. Any modification of the serial number or attempt to repair the
original e uipment or accessories by unauthorized individuals will void the warranty.
WARNING! This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause
cancer and/or reproductive harm.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE STATEMENT: It is the intention of Humminbird® to be
a responsible corporate citizen, operating in compliance with known and applicable
environmental regulations, and a good neighbor in the communities where we make or sell
our products.
ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS: Product old in the U.S. are not
intended for u e in the international market. Humminbird® international unit provide
international feature and are de igned to meet country and regional regulation .
Language , map , time zone , unit of mea urement, and warranty are example of
feature that are cu tomized for Humminbird® international unit purcha ed through
our authorized international di tributor .
To obtain a li t of authorized international di tributor , plea e vi it our web ite at
www.hummi bird.com or contact our Cu tomer Re ource Center at [phone].

ii
WEEE DIRECTIVE: EU Directive 2002/96/EC “Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment
Directive (WEEE)” impacts most distributors, sellers, and manufacturers of consumer
electronics in the European Union. The WEEE Directive requires the producer of consumer
electronics to take responsibility for the management of waste from their products to
achieve environmentally responsible disposal during the product life cycle.
WEEE compliance may not be required in your location for electrical & electronic equipment
(EEE), nor may it be required for EEE designed and intended as fixed or temporary
installation in transportation vehicles such as automobiles, aircraft, and boats. In some
European Union member states, these vehicles are considered outside of the scope of the
Directive, and EEE for those applications can be considered excluded from the WEEE
Directive requirement.
This symbol (WEEE wheelie bin) on product indicates the product must not be
disposed of with other household refuse. It must be disposed of and collected for
recycling and recovery of waste EEE. Humminbird® will mark all EEE products in
accordance with the WEEE Directive. It is our goal to comply in the collection,
treatment, recovery, and environmentally sound disposal of those products; however, these
requirements do vary within European Union member states. For more information about
where you should dispose of your waste equipment for recycling and recovery and/or your
European Union member state requirements, please contact your dealer or distributor from
which your product was purchased.
ROHS STATEMENT: Product designed and intended as a fixed installation or part of a
system in a vessel may be considered beyond the scope of Directive 2002/95/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on the restriction of the use of
certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
Humminbird®, DualBeam PLUS™, SmartCast®, Selective Fish ID+®, WhiteLine™,
QuadraBeam PLUS™, RTS™, X-Press™ Menu, Fish ID+™, WideSide®, Structure
ID®, TrueArch®, UltraBlack™, Angler Pro ile Presets™, and WeatherSense® are
trademarked by or registered trademarks o Humminbird®.
© 2008 Humminbird®, Eu aula AL, USA. All rights reserved.

iii
How Sonar Works 1
SingleBeamSonar ........................................................ 3
Dualbeam Sonar (565 Fishfinders only) ......................................... 3
QuadraBeam PLUS™ Sonar (575 Fishfinders only) ................................ 4
What’s On the Display 5
Views 7
Sonar View 8
UnderstandingSonarHistory ................................................ 9
RealTimeSonar(RTS™)Window ............................................ 9
BottomPresentation....................................................... 10
SonarZoomView......................................................... 13
200/83 kHz Split Sonar View (575 Fishfinders only) .............................. 14
BigDigitsView........................................................... 15
Side Beam View (575 Fishfinders only)......................................... 16
Key Functions 19
POWER/LIGHTKey ....................................................... 19
VIEWKey ............................................................... 19
MENUKey .............................................................. 20
4-WAYCursorControlKey ................................................. 20
EXITKey ................................................................ 20
Powering Up the Unit 21
The Menu System 22
able of Contents

Start-Up Options Menu 24
NormalOperation......................................................... 24
Simulator ............................................................... 25
SystemStatus ........................................................... 26
SelfTest................................................................. 26
AccessoryTest ........................................................... 27
Sonar X-Press™ Menu 28
Sensitivity............................................................... 29
Upper Range (Advanced; Sonar, Split Sonar, Big Digits Views only).................. 30
LowerRange ............................................................ 31
ChartSpeed ............................................................. 32
BottomView............................................................. 33
Quad Layout (575 Fishfinders only, Side Beam View only) ......................... 34
Zoom Level (Sonar Zoom View only)...........................................34
Sonar Menu Tab 35
Beam Select (575 Fishfinders only) ........................................... 36
ishID+™............................................................... 37
ishIDSensitivity......................................................... 38
RealTimeSonar(RTS™)Window............................................ 38
ZoomWidth..............................................................39
83 kHz Sensitivity (Advanced; 575 Fishfinders only) .............................. 39
455 kHz Balance (Advanced; 575 Fishfinders only)............................... 40
Depth Lines (Advanced).................................................... 41
Surface Clutter (Advanced) ................................................. 42
Noise ilter (Advanced) .................................................... 43
Max Depth (Advanced) .................................................... 43
Water Type (Advanced) .................................................... 44
able of Contents
iv

v
Alarms Menu Tab 45
DepthAlarm............................................................. 46
ishIDAlarm ............................................................ 46
LowBatteryAlarm........................................................ 47
TempAlarm.............................................................. 47
AlarmTone.............................................................. 48
Setup Menu Tab 49
Units-Depth ............................................................ 50
Units - Temp (International only) ............................................. 50
Units - Distance (with Temp/Speed only) ...................................... 50
Units - Speed (with Temp/Speed only) ........................................ 51
UserMode .............................................................. 51
Language (International only) ................................................51
Triplog Reset (with Temp/Speed only)......................................... 52
RestoreDefaults.......................................................... 52
Select Views (Advanced)....................................................53
Select Readouts (Advanced; Sonar View only) .................................. 54
Depth Offset (Advanced) ................................................... 55
Temp Offset (Advanced).................................................... 56
Speed Calibration (Advanced; with Temp/Speed only)............................ 56
Troubleshooting 57
500Series™Doesn’tPowerUp.............................................. 57
500 Series™ Defaults to Simulator with a Transducer Attached . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
DisplayProblems ......................................................... 58
indingtheCauseofNoise................................................. 59
able of Contents

vi
500 Series™ Fishfinder Accessories 60
Specifications 61
Glossary 62
Contact H mminbird® 79
NOTE: Entries in this Table of Contents which list (International Only) are only available on
products sold outside of the U.S. by our authorized international distributors. To obtain a list
of authorized international distributors, please visit our web site at www.humm nb rd.com
or contact our Customer Resource Center at [phone].
NOTE: Entries in this Table of Contents which list (with Temp/Speed only) require the
purchase of a separate accessory. ou can visit our website at www.humm nb rd.com to
order these accessories online or contact our Customer Resource Center at 1-800-633-1468.
NOTE: Not all features discussed in this manual are available on all models. Every
effort has been made to identify those features that are unique to specific models
only, and to identify which models support those features. Please read the manual
carefully in order to understand the full capabilities of your model.
Table of Contents

How Sonar Works
Sonar technology is based on sound waves. The 500 Series™ ishfinder uses
sonar to locate and define structure, bottom contour and composition, as
well as depth directly below the transducer.
Your 500 Series™ ishfinder 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.
1

2
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 performance and resolution. Low
frequencies (83 kHz) are typically used to achieve
greater depth capability.
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.
• eak to eak 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.

3
Single Beam Sonar
Your Humminbird® 515, 525 or 535 ishfinder
uses a 200 kHz single beam sonar system with
a 20° area of coverage. Depth capability is
affected by such factors as boat speed, wave
action, bottom hardness, water conditions
and transducer installation.
DualBeam Sonar
(565 Fishfinders only)
Your Humminbird® ishfinder 565 uses a 200/83
kHz Dual Beam sonar system with a wide (60°)
area of coverage. DualBeam sonar is optimized
to show the greatest bottom definition using a
narrow (20°) beam yet can still indicate fish
found in the wide (60°) beam when the ish
ID+™ feature is turned on. DualBeam 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.
NOTE: It's important to note that your 565 Fishfinder is a DualBeam-only unit and should
not be confused with the DualBeam PLUS™ functionality of the 575 Fishfinder. DualBeam
will only show hollow fish symbols from the wide 83 kHz beam when Fish ID+™ is turned
on. You cannot view the 83k Hz sonar information separately from the 200 kHz sonar
information as you can in a DualBeam Plus™ 575 Fishfinder unit.

4
QuadraBeam PLUS™ Sonar
(575 Fishfinders only)
Your Humminbird® 575 ishfinder supports
QuadraBeam PLUS™ sonar. QuadraBeam
PLUS™ sonar provides an extremely wide
90° area of coverage. QuadraBeam PLUS™
starts with two fan-shaped 35° 455 kHz
Side Structure locating sonar beams to
spot fish, bait and structure to the left and
right of the boat over an area of the bottom
that’s always equal to twice your depth.
QuadraBeam PLUS™ finds more fish faster,
and can even tell you where to put your
bait by showing if fish are to the left, right
or directly beneath your boat.
or structure directly below your boat, Quadrabeam PLUS™ uses a DualBeam
PLUS™ 200/83 kHz 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. The 20° center beam is
focused on the bottom, to show you structure, weeds and cover. The 60° wide
beam is hunting for fish in the wide coverage area. 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.
90° Total Coverage
Bottom Coverage = 2 x Depth
35° 60° 20° 35°
455 kHz 455 kHz
83 kHz
200 kHz

What’s On the Display
The 500 Series™ ishfinder can display a variety of useful information about
NOTE: Entries in this view that list (with Temp/Speed) are available only if the optional-purchase
5
Timer - elapsed time with Temp/Speed
Accessory.
Average Speed - average speed reading
with Temp/Speed Accessory.
Depth - water depth; can be set to alarm
when the water becomes too shallow.
Speed - if a Temp/Speed accessory is
attached, your ishfinder can display the
speed of the boat, and can keep a Triplog of
nautical or statute miles traveled.
Second Sonar eturn - when the sonar
signal bounces between the bottom and
the surface of the water and back again.
Use the appearance of the second return
to determine bottom hardness. Hard
bottoms will show a strong second return,
while soft bottoms will show a very weak
one or none at all.
Bait Ball
Hard Bottom
ocky Bottom
Distance - distance traveled with
Temp/Speed Accessory.
Temperature - water surface temperature.

the area under and adjacent to your boat, including the following items:
device is connected to the Fishfinder.
6
Battery Voltage - the voltage of the boat’s
battery; can be set to alarm if the voltage
falls below a certain point.
TS™ ( eal Time Sonar) Window
Soft Bottom
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 gray levels moving
across the display at the same depth.
Structure - where fish may be hiding.
Fish - fish are displayed as arches and/or
fish icons, and the unit can be set to alarm
when a fish of a certain size is detected.
When a target is detected and ish ID+TM is
on, a ish ID+TMsymbol with depth is
displayed. The size of the symbol shows the
intensity of the sonar return. The unit will
clearly show schools of Bait ish as "clouds"
of different shapes and sizes, depending on
the number of fish and boat speed.
83 kHz, Wide Beam Hollow Fish Symbol
(ONLY available on Dual Beam Units)
200 kHz, Narrow Beam Shaded Fish Symbol

7
Views
The views available on your ishfinder are:
Sonar views:
• Sonar View
• Zoom View
• 200/83 kHz Split Sonar View (575 ishfinder only)
• Big Digits View
• Side Beam View (575 ishfinder only).
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). For
instance, by switching between "Inverse" and "Structure ID®" from the X-Press™ Menu it is
possible to quickly alternate between the two viewing methods.
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.

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- ress™ Menu). Six 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
Temperature
Triplog
Lower Depth
Range
RTS™ Window
8

9
Understanding Sonar History
It is important to understand the significance of
the 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.
Real ime Sonar (R S™) Window
AReal 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).
The Narrow RTS™ Window
indicates the sonar
intensity through the use of
grayscale. The grayscale
used matches the bottom
view grayscale setting
used in the sonar history
window (i.e. Inverse,
Structure ID®, WhiteLine™,
Bottom Black). 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. The
Wide RTS™ Window does
not make use of grayscale.

10
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 Inverse (default), WhiteLine™, Structure ID®, or Bottom Black. See
Sonar X- ress™ Menu: Bottom View for details on how to set the bottom view.
Bottom Contour Profile with TS™ Window.
Temp/Speed Accessory is optional.
Rocky Bottom
Hard Bottom
Soft Bottom

11
Inverse is a method where weak returns are shown with dark pixels and strong
returns with lighter pixels. This has the benefit of ensuring that weak signals will
be clearly visible on the display.
Structure ID® represents weak returns as light pixels and strong returns as dark
pixels. This has the benefit of ensuring that strong returns will be clearly visible
on the display.

12
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.
Bottom Black displays all pixels below the bottom contour as black, regardless
of signal strength. This has the benefit of providing a high contrast between the
bottom and other sonar returns on the display. Any targets such as fish,
structure and thermoclines will be shown using the Structure ID® method.

13
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- ress™ 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
Upper Depth Range,
Zoom View
Upper Depth Range,
Full Range View
Full Range
View
Zoom
Preview Box
Lower Depth Range,
Full Range View
Zoomed
View
Zoom Level
Depth
Lower Depth Range,
Zoom View