Humminbird 597ci Combo User manual

1Section Title
587ci and 597ci Combo
Operations anual
587ci and 597ci Combo
Operations anual
531696-1_A

Thank You!
Thank you for choosing Humminbird®, America's #1 name in fishfinders.
Humminbird® has built its reputation by designing and manufacturing
top-quality, thoroughly reliable marine equipment. Your Humminbird® is
designed for trouble-free use in even the harshest marine environment. In the
unlikely event that your Humminbird® 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 Humminbird® product.
Contact our Customer Resource Center at either 1-800-633-1468 or visit our
web site at www.humminbird.com.
WA NING! 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.
WA NING! 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.
WA NING! This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause
cancer and/or reproductive harm.
ENVI ONMENTAL COMPLIANCE STATEMENT: t 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.
WEEE DI ECTIVE: 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.
NOTE: 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.

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. n 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. t 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. t is our goal to comply in the collection,
treatment, recovery, and environmentally sound disposal of those products; however, these
requirement 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.
OHS 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.
Navionics® Gold, HotMaps™, and HotMaps Premium™ are registered trademarks of Navionics®.
500 Series™, Fish I +™, FishingGPS®, Humminbird®, RTS™, RTS Window™, Structure I ®,
Selective Fish I +®, WhiteLine™, UniMap™, and X-Press™ Menu are trademarked by or
registered trademarks of Humminbird®.
© 2008 Humminbird®, Eufaula AL, USA. All rights reserved.

How onar Works 1
ualBeam Sonar ........................................................................................................ 3
How GP and Cartography Work 4
What’s On the onar Display 6
Understanding the Sonar isplay ............................................................................ 8
Real Time Sonar (RTS™) Window ............................................................................ 9
Freeze Frame and Active Cursor.............................................................................. 10
Bottom Presentation ................................................................................................ 11
Views 13
Sonar View .............................................................................................................. 16
Sonar Zoom View .................................................................................................... 17
Big igits View ........................................................................................................ 18
Bird's Eye View ........................................................................................................ 19
Chart View................................................................................................................ 20
Chart/Sonar Combo View........................................................................................ 22
View Orientation ...................................................................................................... 23
Viewing Cartography .............................................................................................. 23
Introduction to Navigation 26
Waypoints, Routes, and Tracks .............................................................................. 27
Save, Edit, or elete a Waypoint ............................................................................ 28
Navigate to a Waypoint or Position ........................................................................ 30
Add a Waypoint Target or Trolling Grid .................................................................. 31
Save, Edit, or elete a Route .................................................................................. 33
Save or Clear a Current Track.................................................................................. 34
Edit, elete, or Hide Saved Tracks .......................................................................... 34
Table of Contents
i

ii
Using Your 500 eries™ Control Head 36
Key Functions 37
POWER/LIGHT Key .............................................................................................. 37
VIEW Key .............................................................................................................. 37
INFO Key ................................................................................................................ 38
MENU Key ............................................................................................................ 38
4-WAY Cursor Control Key .................................................................................. 39
MARK Key .............................................................................................................. 40
GOTO Key................................................................................................................ 40
ZOOM (+/-) Key...................................................................................................... 40
EXIT Key ................................................................................................................ 41
Multi-Media Card (MMC)/ D lot 42
Adding Maps to Your Fishfinder .......................................................................... 42
Exporting Navigation ata .................................................................................... 43
Powering On the Unit 44
The Menu ystem 45
tart-Up Options Menu 46
Normal Operation .................................................................................................. 47
Simulator .............................................................................................................. 47
System Status ...................................................................................................... 49
Self Test.................................................................................................................. 49
Accessory Test........................................................................................................ 50
GPS iagnostic View ............................................................................................ 51
X-Press™ Menu 52
Table of Contents

iii
Main Menu 53
Quick Tips for the Main Menu .................................................................................... 54
User Mode (Normal or Advanced) ................................................................................ 55
onar X-Press™ Menu (Sonar views only) 57
Sensitivity ................................................................................................................ 58
Upper Range (Advanced: Sonar and Big Digits views only).............................................. 59
Lower Range .......................................................................................................... 60
Chart Speed ............................................................................................................ 61
Cancel Navigation (only when Navigating) ................................................................ 61
Navigation X-Press™ Menu (Navigation views only) 62
Waypoint [Name] (Only with an active cursor on a waypoint) ...................................... 63
Cursor To Waypoint (Chart or Combo View only) ........................................................ 64
Save Current Track .................................................................................................. 64
Clear Current Track .................................................................................................. 65
Save Current Route (only when Navigating) .............................................................. 65
Skip Next Waypoint (only when Navigating) .............................................................. 66
Cancel Navigation (only when Navigating) ................................................................ 66
Remove Target (only if Target is Active) ...................................................................... 67
Remove Grid (only if Grid is Active).............................................................................. 67
Sonar Window (Combo View only).............................................................................. 67
Waypoint [Name] (Most recently-created waypoint) .................................................... 68
Alarms Menu Tab 69
epth Alarm ............................................................................................................ 70
Fish I Alarm............................................................................................................ 70
Low Battery Alarm .................................................................................................. 71
Temp. Alarm ............................................................................................................ 71
Off Course Alarm...................................................................................................... 72
Arrival Alarm ............................................................................................................ 72
rift Alarm................................................................................................................ 73
Alarm Tone .............................................................................................................. 74
Table of Contents

iv
onar Menu Tab 75
Fish I +™ .............................................................................................................. 76
Fish I Sensitivity .................................................................................................. 77
Real Time Sonar (RTS™) Window ........................................................................ 77
Bottom View .......................................................................................................... 78
Zoom Width .......................................................................................................... 78
epth Lines (Advanced) .......................................................................................... 79
Surface Clutter (Advanced)...................................................................................... 80
Noise Filter (Advanced) ............................................................................................ 81
Max epth (Advanced) ............................................................................................ 81
Water Type (Advanced) ............................................................................................ 82
Navigation Menu Tab 83
Current Track.......................................................................................................... 84
Saved Tracks .......................................................................................................... 84
Waypoints .............................................................................................................. 86
Routes .................................................................................................................... 88
Chart Orientation .................................................................................................. 89
Chart etail Level .................................................................................................. 90
Map Borders .......................................................................................................... 91
Lat/Lon Grid............................................................................................................ 91
Spot Soundings ......................................................................................................92
Shaded epth ........................................................................................................ 92
Chart Select............................................................................................................ 92
North Reference .................................................................................................... 93
Waypoint ecluttering (Advanced).......................................................................... 93
Grid Rotation .......................................................................................................... 94
Trackpoint Interval ................................................................................................ 94
Track Min istance (Advanced) .............................................................................. 95
Table of Contents

v
Map atum (Advanced) ............................................................................................ 95
Set Simulation Position (Advanced) .......................................................................... 96
Set Map Offset (Advanced)........................................................................................ 97
Course Projection Line ............................................................................................ 97
Clear Map Offset (Advanced) .................................................................................... 98
Export All Nav ata (Advanced) ................................................................................ 98
elete All Nav ata (Advanced) ................................................................................ 99
etup Menu Tab 100
Units - epth.......................................................................................................... 101
Units - Temp ( nternational only) .............................................................................. 101
Units - istance...................................................................................................... 101
Units - Speed.......................................................................................................... 102
User Mode ............................................................................................................ 102
Language ( nternational only).................................................................................... 102
Triplog Reset .......................................................................................................... 103
Restore efaults .................................................................................................... 103
Select Readouts (Advanced, Sonar View only) .......................................................... 104
epth Offset (Advanced).......................................................................................... 105
Temp. Offset (Advanced, with Temp/Speed only)........................................................ 106
Speed Calibration (Advanced, with Temp/Speed only)................................................ 106
Local Time Zone (Advanced) .................................................................................... 107
aylight Saving Time (Advanced)............................................................................ 107
Position Format (Advanced) .................................................................................... 108
Time Format (Advanced, nternational only)................................................................ 108
ate Format (Advanced, nternational only)................................................................ 109
NMEA Output (Advanced) ...................................................................................... 109
Sonar ...................................................................................................................... 110
Table of Contents

vi
Views Menu Tab 111
Troubleshooting 112
Fishfinder oesn’t Power Up .............................................................................. 112
Fishfinder efaults to Simulator with a Transducer Attached.......................... 112
isplay Problems ................................................................................................ 113
Finding the Cause of Noise ................................................................................ 114
500 eries™ Fishfinder Accessories 115
pecifications 116
Glossary 117
Contact Humminbird® 133
NOTE: Entries in this Table of Contents which list ( nternational Only) are only
available on products sold outside of the U.S. by our authorized nternational
Distributors. t is important to note that products sold in the U.S. are not intended for
resale in the international market. To obtain a list of authorized nternational
Distributors, please visit our website at www.humminbird.com or contact our
Customer Resource Center at 1-800-633-1468 to locate the distributor nearest you.
NOTE: Entries in this Table of Contents which list (with Temp/Speed only) require
the purchase of separate accessories. You can visit our website at
www.humminbird.com to order these accessories online or contact our
Customer Resource Center at 1-800-633-1468.
NOTE: 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.
Table of Contents

1
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 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 LC screen.
Each time a new echo is received, the old
echoes are moved across the LC , creating a
scrolling effect.
How Sonar Works

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.
• 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.
How Sonar Works

3
DualBeam Sonar
Your 500 Series™ Fishfinder uses a 200/83 kHz
ualBeam sonar system with a wide (60°) area of
coverage. ualBeam 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 Fish I +™feature is
turned on. ualBeam is ideal for a wide range of
conditions - from shallow to very deep water in
both fresh and salt water. epth capability is
affected by such factors as boat speed, wave
action, bottom hardness, water conditions, and
transducer installation.
How Sonar Works

4
How GPS and Cartography Work
Your 500 Series™ Fishfinder also supports GPS and chartplotting. It uses GPS
and sonar to determine your position, display it on a grid, and provide detailed
underwater information. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite
navigation system designed and maintained by the U.S. epartment of
efense. GPS was originally intended for military use; however, civilians may
also take advantage of its highly accurate position capabilities, typically within
+/- 10 meters, depending on conditions. This means that 95% of the time, the
GPS receiver will read a location within 10 meters of your actual position. Your
GPS Receiver also uses information from WAAS (the Wide Area Augmentation
System), EGNOS (the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), and
MSAS (the MTSAT Satellite Augmentation System) satellites if they are
available in your area.
GPS uses a constellation of 24 satellites that
continually send radio signals to the earth. Your
present position is determined by receiving signals
from up to 16 satellites and measuring the
distance from the satellites.
All satellites broadcast a uniquely coded signal
once per second at exactly the same time. The GPS
receiver on your boat receives signals from
satellites that are visible to it. Based on time
differences between each received signal, the GPS receiver determines its
distance to each satellite. With distances known, the GPS receiver
mathematically triangulates its own position. With once per second updates,
the GPS receiver then calculates its velocity and bearing.
How GPS and Cartography Work

5
The GPS Receiver included with your 500 Series™ Fishfinder allows you to
combine easy-to-use FishingGPS® chartplotter and navigation capabilities with
advanced fishfinding.
The following GPS functionality is currently supported by the 500 Series™
Fishfinder when it is connected to the included GPS receiver:
• View current position
• View current track (breadcrumb trail)
• View precision speed and heading from your GPS receiver
• Save tracks, waypoints, and routes
• Travel a route and navigate from one waypoint to the next.
Your 500 Series™ supports Navionics® Gold, HotMaps™ and HotMaps™
Premium on MMC or S card media. You can insert optional-purchase cards in
the (MMC)/S slot on your control head to access additional detailed maps.
See Multi-Media Card (MMC)/SD Slot for more information.
NOTE: Your 500 Series™ supports Navionics® Gold, HotMaps™, and HotMaps™
Premium. Your 500 Series™does not support Navionics® Classic Charts or Platinum™
Cartography.
Your unit also comes with a built-in UniMap™ with a more detailed map of
North America ( omestic models) or a more detailed map of Europe and
Southeast Asia, including Australia and New Zealand (International models).
Your 500 Series™ uses the GPS Receiver to determine the position of the boat
automatically, and it uses the zoom level settings on a particular view to select
the best chart to display. See Chart View: Viewing Cartography for more
information.
How GPS and Cartography Work

6
What’s On the Sonar Display
What’s On the Sonar Display
The 500 Series™ Fishfinder can display a variety of useful information about the
NOTE: Entries in this view that list (with Temp/Speed or GPS Receiver) are available if either device
information from the GPS receiver will be displayed on the view.
Depth - water depth; can be set to alarm when
the water becomes too shallow.
Temperature - water surface temperature.
Timer - Elapsed t me w th Temp/Speed
Accessory or GPS Rece ver.
Distance - D stance traveled w th Temp/Speed
Accessory or GPS Rece ver.
Average Speed - Average speed read ng w th
Temp/Speed Accessory or GPS Rece ver.
Second Sonar Return - when the sonar sgnal
bounces between the bottom and the surface of the
water and back aga n. Use the appearance of the
second return to determne bottom hardness. Hard
bottoms w ll show a strong second return, wh le soft
bottoms wll show a very weak one or none at all.
Speed - f a Temp/Speed accessory or GPS
Rece ver s attached, the F shf nder can d splay
the speed of the boat and can keep a Tr plog of
naut cal or statute m les traveled.
Cursor Dialog Box - nd cates cursor depth on
the d splay and the depth of the bottom d rectly
below the cursor. The Lat tude and Long tude of
the cursor pos t on, the d stance to travel to the
cursor pos t on and the bear ng to the cursor
pos t on s shown w th a GPS rece ver. A
waypo nt can be marked at the cursor pos t on
for later retr eval and use w th a GPS rece ver.

7What’s On the Sonar Display
area under and adjacent to your boat, including the following items:
is connected to the 500 Series™ Fishfinder. f both devices are connected, then only the
RTS (Real Time Sonar) Window™
Structure - where f sh may be h d ng.
Thermoclines - layers of water w th d fferent
temperatures that appear at d fferent depths
and d fferent t mes of the year. A thermocl ne
typ cally appears as a cont nuous band of
many colors mov ng across the d splay at the
same depth.
Bait Ball
Fish - the F shf nder d splays f sh as arches
and/or f sh cons, and can be set to alarm
when a f sh of a certa n s ze s detected.
When a target s detected, a F sh ID+™
symbol appears on the d splay w th the
depth d splayed above t. The s ze of the
symbol nd cates the ntens ty of the sonar
return. The un t w ll clearly show schools of
Ba t F sh as "clouds" of d fferent shapes and
s zes, depend ng on the number of f sh and
boat speed.
Low Sonar Intensity Return
High Sonar Intensity Return
Cursor - ava lable n Freeze Frame and can
be pos t oned n the Sonar V ew to prov de
depth of a sonar return and bottom depth below
the cursor.

8
UUnnddeerrssttaannddiinngg tthhee oonnaarr DDiissppllaayy
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 across the screen.
What’s On the Sonar Display

9
RReeaall TTiimmee oonnaarr ((RRTT™™)) WWiinnddooww
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: TS Window™).
The Narrow RTS Window™
indicates the sonar intensity
through the 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 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.
What’s On the Sonar Display

10
FFrreeeezzee FFrraammee aanndd AAccttiivvee CCuurrssoorr
Freeze Frame & 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 at the bottom of the screen in the cursor information box.
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. When combined with the Freeze frame feature, you can adjust and
see the effects of many different sonar settings quickly and easily.
The RTS Window™continues to update in Freeze Frame. Pressing EXIT will exit
Freeze Frame, and the display will start to scroll. Freeze Frame is available in the
Sonar and Sonar Zoom Views.
What’s On the Sonar Display