Humminbird 550 User manual

531716-5EN_A
550, 560, 561, 561 DI, 570, 570 DI,
and 571 HD DI perations Manual
550, 560, 561, 561 DI, 570, 570 DI,
and 571 HD DI perations Manual

Thank You!
Thank you for choosing umminbird®, the #1 name in fishfinders.
umminbird® has built its reputation by designing and manufacturing
top-quality, thoroughly reliable marine equipment. Your umminbird® is
designed for trouble-free use in even the harshest marine environment. In
the unlikely event that your umminbird® does require repairs, we offer an
exclusive Service Policy - free of charge during the first year after purchase,
and available at a reasonable rate after the one-year period. For complete
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 umminbird® product.
To contact our Customer Resource Center, call 1-800-633-1468 or visit our
Web site at 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 quickly 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 equipment 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.
WARNING! Do not travel at high speed with the unit cover installed. Remove the unit cover
before traveling at speeds above 20 mph.
N TE: To purchase accessories for your control head, visit our Web site at
humminbird.com or contact our Customer Resource Center at 1-800-633-1468.
N TE: The procedures and features described in this manual are subject to change without
notice. This manual was written in English and may have been translated to another
language. Humminbird® is not responsible for incorrect translations or discrepancies
between documents.
N TE: The illustrations in this manual may not look the same as your product, but your unit
will function in the same way.
N TE: Some features discussed in this manual require a separate purchase, and
some features are only available on international models. Every effort has been made
to clearly identify those features. Please read the manual carefully in order to
understand the full capabilities of your model.

R HS 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.
500 Series™, Down Imaging™, DualBeam PLUS™, Fish ID+™, umminbird®, RTS™,
RTS Window™, Structure ID®, SwitchFire™, WhiteLine™, and X-Press™ Menu are trademarked
by or registered trademarks of Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics, Inc.
Baekmuk Batang, Baekmuk Dotum, Baekmuk Gulim, and Baekmuk eadline are registered
trademarks owned by Kim Jeong- wan.
© 2012 Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics, Inc. All rights reserved.
A EN ION IN ERNA IONAL CUS OMERS: Pro ucts sol in the U.S. are not
inten e for use in the international market. Humminbir ® international units provi e
international features an are esigne to meet country an regional regulations.
Languages, maps, time zones, units of measurement, an warranty are examples of
features that are customize for Humminbir ® international units purchase through
our authorize international istributors.
To obtain a list of authorize international istributors, please visit our Web site at
humminbird.com or contact our Customer Resource Center at [phone].

Power On 1
How Sonar Works 2
Single Beam Sonar (550, 560) .................................................................................... 4
DualBeam PLUS™ Sonar (561, 570) .......................................................................... 5
Down Imaging™ Sonar (561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 HD DI) ................................................ 6
What’s on the Sonar Display 7
Understanding the Sonar Display ............................................................................ 9
Real Time Sonar (RTS™) Window ............................................................................ 9
Sonar Returns and Bottom View ............................................................................ 10
SwitchFire™ ............................................................................................................ 12
Freeze Frame and Active Cursor ............................................................................ 12
Instant Image Update ............................................................................................ 12
What’s on the Down Imaging™ Display
(Down Imaging™ models only [561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 HD DI]) 13
Understanding the Down Imaging™ Display ........................................................ 15
Interpreting the Display .......................................................................................... 15
Down Imaging™Sensitivity .................................................................................. 16
Freeze Frame and Active Cursor ............................................................................ 16
Views 17
Sonar View .............................................................................................................. 19
Sonar Zoom View .................................................................................................... 20
Split Sonar View (DualBeam P US™ and
Down Imaging™ models only [561, 570, 561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 HD DI])
........................ 21
Big Digits View ........................................................................................................ 22
Down Imaging™ View (Down Imaging™ models only [561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 HD DI]) .. 23
Down Imaging™/Sonar Combo View (Down Imaging™ models only
[561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 HD DI]) ................................................................................ 24
What's on the 500 Series™ Control Head 25
Key Functions 26
POWER/LIG T Key .................................................................................................. 26
VIEW Key.................................................................................................................. 27
MENU Key ................................................................................................................ 27
Table of Contents
i

4-WAY Cursor Control Key ( EFT, RIGHT, UP, or DOWN Cursor keys) .......................... 28
EXIT Key ................................................................................................................ 28
he Menu System 29
Start-Up Options Menu 30
Normal .................................................................................................................. 30
Simulator................................................................................................................ 31
System Status ........................................................................................................ 31
Self Test ................................................................................................................ 32
Accessory Test ...................................................................................................... 32
X-Press™ Menu 33
Main Menu 34
Quick Tips for the Main Menu .................................................................................. 35
Note for all Menu Settings .......................................................................................... 35
User Mode (Normal or Advanced) .............................................................................. 36
Sonar X-Press™ Menu (Sonar Views only) 38
Sensitivity .............................................................................................................. 39
Upper Range (Advanced: Sonar and Big Digits Views only) .......................................... 40
Lower Range .......................................................................................................... 40
Chart Speed .......................................................................................................... 41
Bottom View .......................................................................................................... 41
Zoom Level (Sonar Zoom View only) .......................................................................... 41
Bottom Lock (Sonar Zoom View only) ........................................................................ 42
Bottom Range (Sonar Zoom View only when Bottom ock is On) ................................ 42
Down Imaging™ X-Press™ Menu
(Down Imaging™ Views only [561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 HD DI]) 43
Imaging Sensitivity ................................................................................................ 44
DI Enhance ............................................................................................................ 44
Upper Range (Advanced) ........................................................................................ 45
Lower Range ........................................................................................................ 45
Chart Speed .......................................................................................................... 46
Imaging Palette...................................................................................................... 46
ii
Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Alarms Menu ab 47
Depth Alarm ............................................................................................................ 48
Fish ID Alarm .......................................................................................................... 48
Low Battery Alarm .................................................................................................. 48
Temp. Alarm ............................................................................................................ 49
Alarm Tone .............................................................................................................. 49
Timer Setup .............................................................................................................. 49
Start Timer................................................................................................................ 50
Stop Timer (with the Timer running) ............................................................................ 50
Sonar Menu ab 51
Beam Select (561, 570, 561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 HD DI) ................................................ 52
Imaging Frequency (Down Imaging™ Views only [561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 HD DI]) ........ 54
Surface Clutter ........................................................................................................ 55
SwitchFire™ ............................................................................................................ 55
Fish ID+™ ................................................................................................................ 56
Fish ID Sensitivity .................................................................................................... 57
Real Time Sonar (RTS™) Window .......................................................................... 57
Zoom Width ............................................................................................................ 58
83 k z Sensitivity (Advanced, DualBeam P US™ Sonar only [561, 570])........................ 58
455 k z Sensitivity (Advanced, Down Imaging™ only [561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 HD DI]) .. 58
Depth Lines (Advanced) ............................................................................................ 59
Noise Filter (Advanced) .............................................................................................. 59
Max Depth (Advanced) .............................................................................................. 60
Water Type (Advanced) .............................................................................................. 60
Digital Depth Source (Advanced, Down Imaging™ models with
optional-purchase transducers only [561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 HD DI]) .............................. 61
Imaging Palette (Down Imaging™ Views only [561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 HD DI]) .............. 61
Setup Menu ab 62
Units - Depth .......................................................................................................... 63
Units - Temp (International models only) .................................................................... 63
Units - Distance (with Temp/Speed only) .................................................................... 63
Units - Speed (with Temp/Speed only) ........................................................................ 63
iii

Table of Contents
User Mode ............................................................................................................ 64
Language (International models only) ........................................................................ 64
Triplog Reset (with Temp/Speed only) ...................................................................... 64
Restore Defaults .................................................................................................... 64
Select Views (Advanced).......................................................................................... 65
Select Readouts (Advanced, Sonar View and Down Imaging™View only) .................. 65
Depth Offset (Advanced).......................................................................................... 66
Temp. Offset (Advanced).......................................................................................... 66
Speed Calibration (Advanced, with Temp/Speed only) .............................................. 67
Digits Format (Advanced) ........................................................................................ 67
Demonstration ...................................................................................................... 67
Sound Control ........................................................................................................ 67
Maintenance 68
roubleshooting 70
Fishfinder Doesn’t Power Up ................................................................................ 70
Fishfinder System Defaults to Simulator with a Transducer Attached .............. 70
Display Problems .................................................................................................. 71
Finding the Cause of Noise .................................................................................. 72
Specifications 73
Glossary 81
Contact Humminbird® 85
N TE: Entries in this Table of Contents which list (International models 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 humminbird.com or contact our Customer Resource Center at
[phone].
N TE: Entries in this Table of Contents which list (with Temp/Speed only) require
the purchase of separate accessories. You can visit our Web site at
humminbird.com to order these accessories online or contact our Customer
Resource Center at 1-800-633-1468.
iv

Power On
Power n
Follow the instructions below to power on your umminbird® control head.
1. Press the POWER/LIG T key.
2. When the Title screen is displayed, press the MENU key to access the
Start-Up Options Menu.
3. Use the 4-WAY Cursor Control key to select Normal (if there is a
transducer attached to the control head) or Simulator (if there isn’t a
transducer attached to the control head).
N TE: See Start-Up ptions Menu for more information.
•If a functioning transducer is connected, Normal operation will be
selected automatically at power up, and your Fishfinder can be
used on the water.
•If a transducer is not connected and you wait too long to select a
Start-Up Option, the system will default to whichever menu is
already highlighted.
• In Simulator you can learn how to use your control head and save
settings in advance for later use.
570 itle Screen
1

2How Sonar Works
How Sonar Works
Sonar technology is based on sound waves. The 500 Series™ Fishfinder uses
sonar to locate and define structure, bottom contour and composition, as well
as depth directly below the transducer.
Your 500 Series™ Fishfinder 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 uses 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.

How Sonar Works
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 k z) are used for greatest
definition but the operating depth is limited. igh
frequencies (200 k z) are commonly used on
consumer sonar and provide a good balance
between depth performance and resolution. Low
frequencies (83 k z) 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.
• 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.
3

4How Sonar Works
Single Beam Sonar
(550, 560)
The 550 Fishfinder and 560 Fishfinder use a
200 k z 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.

How Sonar Works
DualBeam PLUS™ Sonar (561, 570)
The 561 Fishfinder and 570 Fishfinder use a
200/83 k z 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

6
Down Imaging™ Sonar
(561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 HD DI)
The 561 DI, 570 DI, and 571 D DI
Fishfinders use Down Imaging™ technology.
The Down Imaging™ transducer scans the
water with razor-thin, high-definition beams.
The beams are wide (side to side) but very
thin front to back.
The Down Imaging™ beams can be operated
at two frequencies: 455 k z (75°) or 800 k z
(45°). Select 455 k z for the best overall
image quality and depth. Select 800 k z for
the sharpest image. See Sonar Menu Tab:
Imaging Frequency for more information.
The transducer also uses conical beams to
provide data in traditional 2D format (see
What’s on the Sonar Display). Select 455 k z
for a narrowly focused 16° center beam, or
select 200 k z for a wider 25° beam (see
Sonar Menu Tab: Beam Select).
Depth capability is affected by such factors
as boat speed, wave action, bottom hardness,
water conditions, and transducer installation.
75 Degree Total Coverage
16°
75°
25°
455kHz
200kHz
455kHz
45° 800kHz
How Sonar Works

What’s on the Sonar Display
The 500 Series™ Fishfinder can display a variety of useful information about
N TE: Entries in this view that list (with Temp/Speed) are available if the accessory is connected
Depth - (water epth) can be set to alarm when
the water becomes too shallow.
Temperature - Water surface temperature.
Timer - Elapse time with Temp/Spee
Accessory.
Distance - Distance travele with Temp/Spee
Accessory.
Average Speed - Average spee rea ing with
Temp/Spee Accessory.
Second Sonar Return - When the sonar signal
bounces between the bottom an the surface of the
water an back again. Use the appearance of the
secon return to etermine bottom har ness. Har
bottoms will show a strong secon return, while soft
bottoms will show a very weak one or none at all.
Speed - If a Temp/Spee accessory is attache ,
the Fishfin er can isplay the spee of the boat
an can keep a Triplog of nautical or statute
miles travele .
What’s on the Sonar Disp ay 7

the area under your boat, including the following items:
to the 500 Series™ Fishfinder.
Structure - Where fish may be hi ing.
Thermoclines - Layers of water with ifferent
temperatures that appear at ifferent epths
an ifferent times of the year. A thermocline
typically appears as a continuous ban of gray
levels moving across the isplay at the same
epth.
Bait Ball
Fish - The Fishfin er isplays fish as arches
an /or fish icons, an can be set to alarm
when a fish of a certain size is etecte .
When a target is etecte , a Fish ID+™
symbol appears on the isplay with the
epth isplaye above it. The size of the
symbol in icates the intensity of the sonar
return. The unit will clearly show schools of
Bait Fish as "clou s" of ifferent shapes an
sizes, epen ing on the number of fish an
boat spee .
Battery Voltage - The voltage of the boat’s
battery; can be set to alarm if the voltage falls
below a certain point.
ollow Fish Symbol (see Fish ID+™)
Shaded Fish Symbol (see Fish ID+™)
RTS (Real Time Sonar) Window™
What’s on the Sonar Disp ay
8

What’s on the Sonar Disp ay
Understanding the Sonar Display
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.
The returned sonar echoes are displayed on the screen. As a new echo is
received, the historical data scrolls left across the view.
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™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 Tab: RTS Window™).
The Narrow RTS Window™
indicates the sonar intensity
through the use of grayscale.
The grayscale used matches
the Bottom View grayscale
setting (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 indicates
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 use
grayscale.
9

What’s on the Sonar Disp ay
Sonar Returns and Bottom View
As the boat moves, the unit charts the
changes in depth on the display to create a
profile of the Bottom Contour. The Sonar
View displays the sonar return intensity using
gray scale.
Strong returns often result from rocky or
hard bottoms (compacted sediment, rocks,
fallen trees), while weaker returns often
result from soft bottoms (sand, mud),
vegetation, and small fish.
The shades used to represent high, medium,
to low intensity returns are determined by
the setting you choose in the Bottom View
menu option. See Sonar X-Press™ Menu to
set the Bottom View.
IG
Intensity Return
MEDIUM
Intensity Return
LOW
Intensity Return
Bottom View, Inverse Palette
Sonar View:
Bottom View set to Inverse (default setting)
Strong Returns
(possibly rocks,
tree limbs, or
other structure)
RTS Window™
Sonar History:
Historical Returns
scroll left across
the view.
Weak Returns
(possibly
vegetation or
small fish)
Strong Return
(possibly
compacted
sediment or
rocks)
10

What’s on the Sonar Disp ay
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.
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.
Black (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.
11

What’s on the Sonar Disp ay
SwitchFire™
SwitchFire™ controls how the sonar returns are displayed in the Sonar Views.
SwitchFire™ settings are available in the Sonar Menu Tab.
To see the maximum sonar information available within the transducer beam so
more fish arches and better jig tracking are shown, choose Max Mode.
To see less clutter and more fish size accuracy interpreted from the transducer
beam, choose Clear Mode. See Sonar Menu Tab: SwitchFire™ for more
information.
Freeze Frame and Active Cursor
Freeze Frame and Active Cursor - Press any arrow on the 4-WAY Cursor
Control key, and the screen will freeze and a cursor will be displayed. Use the
4-WAY Cursor Control key to move the cursor over a sonar return, and the depth
of the sonar return will be displayed in the cursor dialog box.
The RTS Window™ continues to update in Freeze Frame. To return to a scrolling
display and exit Freeze Frame, press the EXIT key. Freeze Frame is available in
the Sonar, Split Sonar, and Sonar Zoom Views.
Instant Image Update
Instant Image Update - You can change a variety of sonar menu settings (such
as Sensitivity or Upper Range), and the adjustments will be shown instantly on
the screen.
12

What’s on the Down Imaging™ Disp ay 13
What’s on the Down Imaging™ Display
Down Imaging™ uses its unique transducer and sonar technology to provide
profiling beams produce the detailed sonar data that you see on the display.
interpret the structure and bottom contour, including the following items:
N TE: Entries in this view that list (with Temp/Speed) are available if the accessory is connected
Depth - (water epth) can be set to alarm when
the water becomes too shallow.
Temperature - Water surface temperature.
Speed - If a Temp/Spee accessory is connecte ,
the Fishfin er can isplay the spee of the boat
an can keep a Triplog of nautical or statute
miles travele .
Topography Changes - The light part of the
isplay shows where the beam is hitting har
bottom or rising terrain. The ark part of the
isplay in icates soft bottom (san , mu ) or
escen ing terrain.