Humminbird 363 User manual

363 GPS Chartplotter
Operations Manual
363 GPS Chartplotter
Operations Manual
531448-1_D

i
Thank You!
hankyou forchoosing Humminbird®, America's#1 namein fishfinders. Humminbird®
has built its reputation by designing and manufacturing top-quality, thoroughly reli-
ablemarine equipment. Your Humminbird®isdesigned fortrouble-freeuse ineven the
harshest marine environment. In the unlikely event that your Humminbird® does re-
quirerepairs,we offeranexclusiveServicePolicy-freeofchargeduring thefirstyear after
purchase, and available at a reasonable rate after the one-year period. For complete de-
tails, seetheseparatewarranty card includedwithyourunit. Weencourage youto read
thisoperationsmanual carefullyin ordertoget full benefit from allthe featuresand ap-
plications of your Humminbird® product.
Contact our Customer Resource Center at either 1-800-633-1468 or visit our website at
www.h mminbird.com.
WARNING! This device sho ldnot be sed as a navigational aid to prevent collision, gro nd-
ing, boat damage, or personal inj ry. When the boat is moving, water depth may change
too q ickly to allow time for yo to react. Always operate the boat at very slow speeds if yo
s spect shallow water or s bmerged objects.
WARNING! Disassembly and repair of this electronic nit sho ld only be performed by a -
thorized service personnel. Any modification of the serial n mber or attempt to repair the
original eq ipment or accessories by na thorized individ als will void the warranty.
WARNING! This prod ctcontainschemicalsknownto theState of Californiatoca secancer
and/or reprod ctive harm.
300 Series M, DualBeam PLUS M, Fish ID+ M, FishingGPS M, Humminbird®, One- ouch® Zoom,
QuadraBeam M, R S® Window, Structure ID®, otal Screen Update®, rueArch®, Uni-Map M,
WeatherSense®, WhiteLine®, WideSide® and X-Press M Menu are trademarked by or registered
trademarks of Humminbird®.
© 2009 Humminbird®, Eufaula AL, USA. All rights reserved.
ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS: Products sold in the U.S. are not intended for use
in the international market. Humminbird® international units provide international fea-
tures and are designed to meet country and regional regulations. Languages, maps, time
zones, units of measurement, and warranty are examples of features that are
customized for Humminbird® international units purchased through our authorized in-
ternational distributors.
o obtain a list of authorized international distributors, please visit our web site at
www.humminbird.com or contact our Customer Resource Center at [phone].

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How Sonar Works 1
ualBeam PLUSTM Sonar.............................................................. 3
How GPS and Cartography Work 3
What’s On the Display 5
Views 7
SonarView........................................................................... 8
UnderstandingSonarHistory......................................................... 9
RealTimeSonar(RTS®)Window...................................................... 9
FreezeFrame........................................................................ 10
BottomPresentation................................................................ 10
SonarZoomView................................................................... 12
200/83kHzSplitSonarView ....................................................... 13
Big igitsView...................................................................... 14
CircularFlasherView................................................................ 14
Bird'sEyeView...................................................................... 15
ChartView.......................................................................... 16
ComboView ........................................................................ 17
ViewOrientation.................................................................... 17
Viewing Cartography 18
Introduction to Navigation 18
Waypoints,RoutesandTracks....................................................... 19
Save,Editor eleteaWaypoint..................................................... 20
NavigatetoaWaypointorPosition.................................................. 21
AddaWaypointTargetorTrollingGrid.............................................. 22
Save,Editor eleteaRoute......................................................... 23
SaveorClearaCurrentTrack........................................................ 24
Edit, eleteorHideSavedTracks.................................................... 24
Table of Contents

Key Functions 25
POWER/LIGHTKey ................................................................. 25
VIEWKey .......................................................................... 25
INFOKey ........................................................................... 25
MENUKey ......................................................................... 26
4-WAYCursorControlKey.......................................................... 26
MARKKey.......................................................................... 27
GOTOKey.......................................................................... 27
ZOOM(+/-)Key..................................................................... 27
EXITKey............................................................................ 27
Powering Up the Unit 28
The Menu System 28
Start-Up Options Menu 30
NormalOperation.................................................................. 30
Simulator .......................................................................... 31
SystemStatus ...................................................................... 31
SelfTest............................................................................ 32
AccessoryTest...................................................................... 32
GPS iagnosticView................................................................ 33
Sonar X-PressTM Menu (Sonar views only) 34
Sensitivity.......................................................................... 35
Upper Range
(Advanced: Sonar, Split Sonar, Big Digits and Circular Flasher views only) ........ 36
LowerRange ....................................................................... 37
ChartSpeed........................................................................ 38
BottomView....................................................................... 38
Bottom Range (
Sonar Zoom view only when Bottom Lock is On )........................... 39
Bottom Lock (
Sonar Zoom view only ).................................................. 39
Cancel Navigation
(only when navigating) ............................................. 40
Table of Contents
iii

iv
Navigation X-PressTM Menu (Navigation views only) 41
Waypoint [Name] ( Only with an active cursor on a waypoint )............................. 42
Cursor To Waypoint
(Chart or Combo view only) ........................................ 43
SaveCurrentTrack.................................................................. 43
ClearCurrentTrack.................................................................. 43
Save Current Route
(only when navigating) ............................................ 44
Skip Next Waypoint
(only when navigating) ........................................... 44
Cancel Navigation (
only when navigating) ............................................. 45
Remove Target
(only if Target is Active) ................................................ 45
Remove Grid
(only if Grid is Active) .................................................... 46
Sonar Window
(Combo view only) ..................................................... 46
Waypoint [Name]
(Most recently-created waypoint) ..................................... 47
Sonar Menu Ta 48
BeamSelect ........................................................................ 49
Fish I +TM ........................................................................... 50
FishI Sensitivity.................................................................... 51
RealTimeSonar(RTS®)Window..................................................... 51
ZoomWidth........................................................................ 52
83 kHz Sensitivity
(Advanced) ........................................................ 52
epth Lines
(Advanced) .............................................................. 53
Surface Clutter
(Advanced) ........................................................... 54
Noise Filter
(Advanced) ............................................................... 55
Max epth
(Advanced) ............................................................... 55
Water Type
(Advanced) .............................................................. 56
Navigation Menu Ta 57
CurrentTrack ....................................................................... 58
SavedTracks........................................................................ 59
Waypoints.......................................................................... 60
Routes.............................................................................. 61
ChartOrientation................................................................... 62
NorthReference.................................................................... 62
GridRotation ....................................................................... 62
Table of Contents

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TrackpointInterval ................................................................. 63
Track Min istance
(Advanced) ...................................................... 63
Map atum
(Advanced) ............................................................. 64
CourseProjectionLine.............................................................. 65
elete All Nav ata
(Advanced) ...................................................... 65
Chart Menu Ta 66
Chart etailLevel................................................................... 67
MapBorders........................................................................ 67
Lat/LonGrid........................................................................ 68
Set Simulation Position
(Advanced) .................................................. 68
Set Map Offset
(Advanced) .......................................................... 69
Clear Map Offset
(Advanced) ........................................................ 69
Alarms Menu Ta 70
epthAlarm........................................................................ 71
FishI Alarm........................................................................ 71
LowBatteryAlarm.................................................................. 72
TempAlarm........................................................................ 72
OffCourseAlarm................................................................... 73
ArrivalAlarm ....................................................................... 73
riftAlarm......................................................................... 74
AlarmTone......................................................................... 74
Setup Menu Ta 75
Units- epth....................................................................... 76
Units - Temp
(International only) ...................................................... 76
Units- istance..................................................................... 76
Units-Speed........................................................................ 77
UserMode.......................................................................... 77
Language
(International only) ......................................................... 77
TriplogReset ....................................................................... 78
Restore efaults.................................................................... 78
Select Readouts
(Advanced, Sonar view only) ........................................... 79
Table of Contents

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Depth Offset (Advanced) ............................................................. 80
Temp Offset
(Advanced) ............................................................. 80
Spee Calibration
(Advanced, with Temp/Speed only) .................................... 81
Local Time Zone
(Advanced) .......................................................... 81
Daylight Saving Time
(Advanced) ..................................................... 82
Position Format
(Advanced) .......................................................... 82
Time Format
(Advanced, International only) ............................................. 83
Date Format
(Advanced, International only) ............................................. 83
NMEA Output
(Advanced) ............................................................ 84
Sonar............................................................................... 85
View Menu Tab 86
Trouble hooting 87
300 SeriesTM Doesn’tPowerUp...................................................... 87
300 SeriesTM Defaults to Simulator with a Trans ucer Attache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
DisplayProblems................................................................... 88
Fin ingtheCauseofNoise.......................................................... 89
Specification 90
Glo ary 92
SonarTerms........................................................................ 92
GPS&NavigationTerms........................................................... 101
Contact Humminbird® 109
NOTE: Entries in this Ta le of Contents which list (International Only) are only availa le on
products sold outside of the U.S. y our authorized international distri utors. To o tain a list
of authorized international distri utors, please visit our we site at www.h mminbird.com
or contact our Customer Resource Center at [phone].
NOTE: Entries in this Ta le of Contents which list (with Temp/Speed) require the purchase
of a separate accessory. You can visit our we site at www.h mminbird.com to order this
accessory online or contact our Customer Resource Center at 1-800-633-1468.
Table of Contents

1
How Sonar Works
Sonartechnologyisbasedonsoundwaves.The300SeriesTM FishingSystemusessonar
to locate and define structure, bottom contour and composition, as well as depth
directly below the transducer.
Your 300 SeriesTM 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 LC screen. Each time a new
echo is received, the old echoes are moved across
the LC , creating a scrolling effect.
When all the echoes are viewed side by side, an
easy to interpret "graph" of the bottom, fish and
structure appears.

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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 detectsmaller targetsat greaterdistances,
ability to overcome noise, better high speed
performance and enhanced depth capability.

3
DualBeam PL STM Sonar
Your 300 SeriesTM Fishing System uses a
200/83 kHz ualBeam PLUSTM sonar system
with a wide (60°) area of coverage. ualBeam
PLUSTM sonar has a narrowly focused 20° center
beam, surrounded by a second beam of 60°,
expanding your coverage to an area equal to
yourdepth. In20feetofwater,thewiderbeam
covers an area 20 feet wide. ualBeam PLUSTM
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 GPS and Cartography Work
Your 300 SeriesTM Fishing System also supports GPS and chartplotting, and 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.
The GPS Receiverincludedwithyour 300SeriesTM Fishing System, allowsyouto combine
easy-to-use FishingGPSTM chartplotter and navigation capabilities with advanced
fishfinding. The following GPS functionality is currently supported by the 300 SeriesTM
Fishing System:
• 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 unit also comes with a built-in Uni-MapTM 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 300 SeriesTM uses the GPS Receiver to determine the position of the boat
automatically, and uses the zoom level settings on a particular view to select the best
chart to display. See Viewing Cartography for more information.
4

5
What’s On the Display
The 300 SeriesTM can display a variety of useful information about the area under and
Timer - elapsed time with Temp/Speed Accessory
or GPS Receiver.
Depth - water depth; can be set to alarm when the
water becomes too shallow.
Speed - if a Temp/Speed accessory or GPS Receiver
is attached, the 300 SeriesTM can display the speed
of the boat, and can keep a Triplog of nautical or
statute miles traveled.
Second Sonar Return - 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.
Cursor Dialog Box - indicates cursor depth on
Longitude of the cursor position is shown,
be marked at the cursor position for later
Bait Ball
Hard Bottom
Rocky Bottom
Distance - distance traveled with Temp/Speed
Accessory or GPS Receiver.
NOTE: Entries in this view that list (with Temp/Speed or GPS Receiver) are available if either
only the information from the GPS receiver will be displayed on the view.
Temperature - water surface temperature.
Average Speed - average speed reading with
Temp/Speed Accessory or GPS Receiver.
Cursor - available in Freeze Frame and can
depth of a sonar return and bottom depth

6
adjacent to your boat, including the following items:
the display and the depth of the bottom directly below the cursor. In addition, the Latitude and
the distance to travel to the cursor position and the bearing to the cursor position. A waypoint can
retrieval and use.
RTS® (Real 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.
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 Fish I +TM is on, a Fish I +TM symbol
with depth is displayed. The size of the symbol
shows the intensity of the sonar return. The unit
will clearly show schools of Bait Fish as "clouds"
of different shapes and sizes, depending on the
number of fish and boat speed.
200 kHz, Narrow Beam Shaded Fish Symbol
device is connected to the 300 SeriesTM Fishing System. f both devices are connected, then
be positioned in the Sonar View to provide
below the cursor.
83 kHz, Wide Beam Hollow Fish Symbol
Structure - where fish may be hiding.

7
Views
The views available on your 300 SeriesTM Fishing System are:
Sonar views: avigation views:
• Sonar View • Bird’s Eye View
• Zoom View • Chart View
• 200/83 kHz Split Sonar View • Combo View.
• Big igits View
• Circular Flasher View.
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 " nverse" and "Structure D®" from the X-PressTM 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.

8
Sonar View
Sonar View presents a historical log of sonar returns. epth 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 igital epth Readout is displayed in the upper left corner. A scale
with Upper and Lower epth 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. epth Range is automatically selected to keep the
bottom visible on the display, although you can adjust it manually as well (see Sonar
X-PressTM Menu). Five additional igital 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: f 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
indow
Depth
Cursor
Dialog Box
Temperature
Triplog
Lower Depth
Range
RTS® indow
Cursor

9
nderstanding Sonar History
It is important to understand the significance of
the 300 SeriesTM Fishing System display. The
display does NOT show a literal 3-dimensional
representation of what is under the water. Each
vertical band of data received by the control head
and plotted on the display represents something
that was detected by a sonar return at a particular
time. As both the boat and the targets (fish) may be
moving, the returns are only showing a particular
segment of time when objects were detected, not
exactly where those objects are in relation to other
objects shown on the display.
Real Time Sonar (RTS®) 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 arrow RTS® Window
indicates the sonar intensity
throughtheuse ofgrayscale.
The grayscale used matches
the bottom view grayscale
setting used in the sonar
history window (i.e. Inverse,
StructureI ®, 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 in-
dicates 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
Freeze Frame
Freeze Frame - Pressing any arrow on the 4-WAY Cursor Control key will freeze the
screen and a cursor will be displayed on the screen. The cursor can be positioned on the
display using the 4-WAY Cursor Control key to determine the depth of any sonar return.
The RTS® Window continues to update in Freeze Frame. In addition, see the effects of
menu setting changes with Instant Image Update. Pressing EXIT will exit Freeze Frame
and the display will start to scroll. Freeze Frame is available in the Sonar, Sonar Zoom,
and 200/83 kHz Split Sonar Views.
Bottom Presentation
Asthe boat moves,the unit chartsthe changes in depth on thedisplay tocreateaprofile
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®, orBottomBlack. See SonarX-PressTM Menu:
Bottom View for details on how to set the bottom view.
Bottom Contour Profile with RTS® Window.
Temp/Speed Accessory is optional.
Rocky Bottom
Hard Bottom
Soft Bottom

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.
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 I ® method.

12
Sonar Zoom View
Sonar Zoom View increases the displayed resolution to separate sonar returns that
are very close together, such as those caused by fish suspended close to the bottom
or within structure. In Zoom View, the display is split to show a narrow slice of the
full range view on the right and the zoomed view on the left. The full range view on
the right also contains the Zoom Preview Box that shows what part of the full range
view is shown in zoom view on the left; the Zoom Preview Box tracks the bottom in
the full range view.
As the depth changes, the zoomed view updates automatically to display a magnified
image of the bottom. The Zoom Preview Box shows where the zoomed view is in
relation to the full range view. The Zoom Level, or magnification, is displayed in the
lower left corner and can be changed to suit conditions (see Sonar X-PressTM Menu: Zoom
Level). Upper and Lower Zoom epth Range numbers indicate the depth of the water
which is being viewed.
igital 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

13
200/83 kHz Split Sonar View
Split Sonar View displays sonar returns from the 83 kHz wide beam on the left side of
the screen and displays sonar returns from the 200 kHz narrow beam on the right side
of the screen. epth is always displayed in the upper left hand corner. You can use the
Split Sonar View to make side by side comparisons between the sonar returns from the
83 kHz wide beam and the 200 kHz narrow beam.
The digital readouts in the Split Sonar View cannot be customized; therefore,
information such as water temperature and voltage are unavailable in the Split
Sonar View.
200/83 kHz Split Sonar View
Depth
83 kHz
Sonar History
indow
200 kHz
Sonar History
indow
Lower Depth Range
Upper Depth
Range