Humminbird 778c HD XD User manual

531830-1EN_B
778c HD Op rations Manual

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 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.
ENVIRONMENTAL COM LIANCE 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.
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.
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. 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.
700 Series™, DualBeam PLUS™, Fish ID+™, Humminbird®, RTS™, RTS Window™, Structure
ID®, SwitchFire™, WhiteLine™, and X-Press™ Menu are trademarked by or registered
trademarks of Humminbird®.
© 2010 Humminbird®, Eufaula AL, USA. All rights reserved.
ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL C STOMERS: Products sold n the U.S. are not
ntended for use n the nternat onal market. Humm nb rd® nternat onal un ts prov de
nternat onal features and are des gned to meet country and reg onal regulat ons.
Languages, maps, t me zones, un ts of measurement, and warranty are examples of
features that are custom zed for Humm nb rd® nternat onal un ts purchased through
our author zed nternat onal d str butors.
To obta n a l st of author zed nternat onal d str butors, please v s t our Web s te at
humminbird.com or contact our Customer Resource Center at [phone].

Power On 1
How Sonar Works 2
DualBeam PLUS™ Sonar .......................................................................................... 4
QuadraBeam PLUS™ Sonar (with optional-purchase QuadraBeam PLUS™ transducer) .... 5
WideSide® Sonar (with optional-purchase WideSide® transducer) .................................. 6
Universal Sonar 2 (compatible w/ optional-purchase innkota trolling motors) ................ 6
Dual Beam Ice Transducer (optional-purchase XI 9 20 Ice Transducer only) .................... 7
What’s on the Sonar Display 8
Understanding the Sonar Display .......................................................................... 10
Real Time Sonar (RTS™) Window .......................................................................... 10
SwitchFire™ ............................................................................................................ 11
Freeze Frame and Active Cursor.............................................................................. 11
Instant Image Update.............................................................................................. 11
Bottom Presentation ................................................................................................ 12
Views 14
Sonar View .............................................................................................................. 16
Sonar Zoom View .................................................................................................... 17
200/83 kHz Split Sonar View .................................................................................. 18
Big Digits View ........................................................................................................ 19
Circular Flasher View .............................................................................................. 20
Side Beam View (with optional-purchase QuadraBeam PLUS™ transducer).................... 25
WideSide® View (with optional-purchase WideSide® transducer) .................................. 29
What’s on the 700 Series™ Control Head 30
Key Functions 31
POWER/LI HT Key .................................................................................................. 31
VIEW Key.................................................................................................................. 31
MENU Key................................................................................................................ 32
4-WAY Cursor Control Key ...................................................................................... 32
VIEW PRESET Keys.................................................................................................. 33
EXIT Key.................................................................................................................... 33
Table of Contents
i

ii
Accessory Bus 34
he Menu System 35
Start-Up Options Menu 36
Normal.................................................................................................................... 36
Simulator ................................................................................................................ 37
System Status ........................................................................................................ 37
Self Test.................................................................................................................. 38
Accessory Test........................................................................................................ 38
PC Connect and Software Updates (with optional-purchase PC Connect cable only) .... 39
X-Press™ Menu 40
Main Menu 41
Quick Tips for the Main Menu .................................................................................. 42
Note for all Menu Settings.................................................................................... 42
User Mode (Normal or Advanced) .............................................................................. 43
Sonar X-Press™ Menu (Sonar views only) 45
Side (WideSide® transducer: WideSide® View only) ......................................................46
Sensitivity .............................................................................................................. 47
Upper Range (Advanced: Sonar, Split Sonar,
Circular Flasher, and Big Digits Views only) .............................................................. 48
Lower Range .......................................................................................................... 48
Side Beam Range (WideSide® transducer: WideSide® View only)................................ 49
Chart Speed .......................................................................................................... 49
Quad Layout (with Optional-Purchase QuadraBeam PLUS™ Transducer,
Side Beam View only) ............................................................................................ 50
Zoom Level (Sonar Zoom View only) ........................................................................ 50
Bottom Lock (Sonar Zoom View only) ...................................................................... 50
Bottom Range (Sonar Zoom View only when Bottom Lock is On) .............................. 51
Table of Contents

iii
Flasher X-Press™ Menu (Circular Flasher View only) 52
Sensitivity ................................................................................................................ 53
Upper Range (Advanced: Sonar, Split Sonar,
Circular Flasher, and Big Digits Views only) ................................................................ 53
Lower Range ............................................................................................................ 54
Zoom Level (Circular Flasher View, Ice Fishing ode only) ............................................ 55
Color Palette (Circular Flasher View, Ice Fishing ode only) .......................................... 55
Alarms Menu ab 56
Depth Alarm ............................................................................................................ 57
Fish ID Alarm............................................................................................................ 57
Low Battery Alarm .................................................................................................. 58
Temp. Alarm ............................................................................................................ 58
Alarm Tone .............................................................................................................. 58
Sonar Menu ab 59
Beam Select ............................................................................................................ 60
Surface Clutter ........................................................................................................ 61
SwitchFire™ ............................................................................................................ 61
Fish ID+™..................................................................................................................62
Fish ID Sensitivity .................................................................................................... 63
Real Time Sonar (RTS™) Window .......................................................................... 63
Sonar Colors (Sonar View, Sonar Zoom View,
Circular Flasher View, and Big Digits View).................................................................. 64
Bottom View ............................................................................................................ 64
Zoom Width.............................................................................................................. 64
83 kHz Sensitivity (Advanced).................................................................................... 65
455 kHz Sensitivity (Advanced, with optional purchase
QuadraBeam PLUS™ transducer) .............................................................................. 65
WideSide® Sensitivity (Advanced: with WideSide® transducer) .................................... 66
Table of Contents

iv
Depth Lines (Advanced) .......................................................................................... 67
Noise Filter (Advanced) ............................................................................................ 67
Max Depth (Advanced) ............................................................................................ 68
Water Type (Advanced) ............................................................................................ 68
Transducer Select .................................................................................................. 69
Ice Fishing Mode .................................................................................................. 69
Setup Menu ab 70
Units - Depth.......................................................................................................... 71
Units - Temp (International only) .............................................................................. 71
Units - Distance .................................................................................................... 71
Units - Speed ........................................................................................................ 71
User Mode ............................................................................................................ 72
Language (International only).................................................................................... 72
Triplog Reset .......................................................................................................... 72
Restore Defaults .................................................................................................... 72
Select Readouts (Advanced, Sonar View only) .......................................................... 73
Depth Offset (Advanced).......................................................................................... 74
Temp. Offset (Advanced, with Temp/Speed only)........................................................ 74
Speed Calibration (Advanced, with Temp/Speed only) .............................................. 74
Local Time Zone (Advanced, with optional GPS only) ................................................ 74
Daylight Saving Time (Advanced, with optional GPS only) ........................................ 75
Position Format (Advanced, with optional GPS only) .................................................. 75
Time Format (Advanced, International only)................................................................ 75
Date Format (Advanced, International only)................................................................ 75
Digits Format (Advanced) ........................................................................................ 76
NMEA Output (Advanced) ...................................................................................... 76
Demonstration........................................................................................................ 77
Sound Control ........................................................................................................ 77
Table of Contents

v
Views Menu ab 78
Accessories Menu ab 79
roubleshooting 80
Fishing System Doesn’t Power Up.......................................................................... 80
Fishing System Defaults to Simulator with a Transducer Attached .................... 80
Display Problems...................................................................................................... 81
Finding the Cause of Noise .................................................................................... 82
700 Series™ Fishing System Accessories 83
Specifications 85
Glossary 86
Contact Humminbird® 90
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 humminbird.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 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.
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
Power On
Follow the instructions below to power on your Humminbird® control head.
1. Press the POWER/LI HT 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).
NOTE: See Start-Up Options Menu for more information.
•If a functioning transducer is connected, Normal operation will be
selected automatically at power up, and your Fishing System 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.
778c HD Title Screen
Power On

2
How Sonar Works
Sonar technology is based on sound waves. The 700 Series™ Fishing System
uses sonar to locate and define structure, bottom contour and composition, as
well as depth directly below the transducer.
Your 700 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.
How Sonar Works

3
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

4
DualBeam PLUS™ Sonar
Your 700 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.
How Sonar Works

5
uadraBeam PLUS™ Sonar
(with optional-purchase QuadraBeam LUS™
transducer)
Your 700 Series™ Fishing System also
supports QuadraBeam PLUS™ sonar with
the purchase of an additional QuadraBeam
PLUS™ transducer. 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.
For a detailed view below the boat,
QuadraBeam PLUS™ uses DualBeam
PLUS™ technology, with precision 20° and
wide 60° beams. 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.
90° Total Coverage
Bottom Coverage = 2 x Depth
35° 60° 20° 35°
455 kHz 455 kHz
83 kHz
200 kHz
How Sonar Works

6
WideSide® Sonar
(with optional-purchase WideSide® transducer)
Your 700 Series™ Fishing System also
supports WideSide® sonar with the
purchase of an additional WideSide®
transducer. The WideSide® transducer is a
specialized “side-looking” transducer that
is extremely useful for bank fishing or
looking for bait fish in open water. The
WideSide® transducer uses three different
sonar elements that transmit signals to the
left, right, and straight down from your
boat. The downward beam is 200 kHz with
a 24° area of coverage. This beam
maintains a continuous digital depth
readout from the bottom directly beneath
your boat. The side beams are 455 kHz with
a 16° area of coverage. The side-looking
elements can be used independently or
together to locate targets near the surface
of the water on either side of your boat.
Universal Sonar 2
(compatible w/ optional-purchase Minnkota trolling motors)
Your 700 Series™ Fishing System supports Universal Sonar 2, a state-of-the-
art, integrated and protected transducer that is built into the lower unit of
Minnkota trolling motors. With Universal Sonar 2, all wiring is concealed inside
the indestructible composite shaft—out of sight and out of harm’s way, with
no clamps, ties, or exposed wires. Universal Sonar 2 features new temperature
sensing and the performance of DualBeam PLUS™ technology (available with
all Humminbird® DualBeam PLUS™ models). An expanded view and greater
bottom detail gives you a totally new perspective of the water below, along
with optimal sonar performance to help you find fish.
How Sonar Works

7
Dual Beam Ice Transducer
(optional-purchase XI 9 20 Ice Transducer only)
Your Fishing System supports the optional-
purchase XI 9 20 Ice Transducer which
provides selectable dual-frequency sonar
with a wide area of coverage. Selectable
dual-frequency gives you the option of two
beams, and both beams will cover the
bottom and provide high definition. The 20
degree center beam provides the highest
definition, while the 60 degree beam
provides wider coverage. Depth capability
is affected by such factors as bottom
hardness and water conditions. Whether
fishing in shallow to very deep water,
selectable dual-frequency is ideal for a
variety of conditions.
Ice transducer
How Sonar Works

8
What’s on the Sonar Display
What’s on the Sonar Display
The 700 Series™ Fishing System can display a variety of useful information about
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 s gnal
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 wll show a strong second return, wh le soft
bottoms w ll show a very weak one or none at all.
Speed - f a Temp/Speed accessory or GPS
Rece ver s attached, the F sh ng System 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 - Ind 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.

9What’s on the Sonar Display
the area under and adjacent to your boat, including the following items:
is connected to the 700 Series™ Fishing System. If 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
ish - The F sh ng System 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.

10
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 across the screen.
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 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

11
SwitchFire™
Switch ire™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
reeze rame & 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 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.
What’s on the Sonar Display

12
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™
Hard Bottom
Rocky Bottom Soft Bottom
What’s on the Sonar Display