Lowrance HDS-8 User manual

Fish Finding Sonar and GPS
Operations Guide
988-0176-07B
HDS-8 & HDS-10

Software updates for your unit.
Occassionally check the Lowrance website for free software upgrades for your
unit. Go to www.lowrance.com for the software upgrades. Select the Down-
loads option from the grey menu bar near the top of the Lowrance website
homepage. The Downloads screen will appear. Select Products Software
Updates from the list on the left side of the screen. The Products Software
Updates screen will appear. Scroll through the Product list and select your unit
to download the software update.

1
Contents
Table of contents
Introduction ....................................................................................... 5
Getting Started................................................................................. 7
Turning on the Unit..................................................................................... 7
Keypad ....................................................................................................... 7
Backlight .................................................................................................... 7
Cursor ........................................................................................................ 7
Language ................................................................................................... 7
Menus ........................................................................................................ 8
Softkeys ..................................................................................................... 8
Selecting Chart Data ................................................................................ 9
Selecting a Fishing Mode .......................................................................... 9
Entering Letters in Text Boxes................................................................. 10
Restore Defaults ...................................................................................... 10
Pages............................................................................................... 11
Pages Screen .......................................................................................... 11
Data Overlay ............................................................................................ 12
Softkeys ................................................................................................... 13
Conguration menu ................................................................................. 17
Sonar Page .............................................................................................. 18
Chart Page............................................................................................... 18
Radar Page.............................................................................................. 19
Info Page.................................................................................................. 19
Utilities ..................................................................................................... 24
Displaying Combo Pages ........................................................................ 26
Sonar Operation............................................................................. 29
Viewing Sonar History ............................................................................. 29
Sonar Menu ............................................................................................. 30

2
Contents
Softkeys ................................................................................................... 30
Sonar Options .......................................................................................... 34
Palette...................................................................................................... 35
Log Sonar Data........................................................................................ 37
Chart Operation............................................................................... 41
Waypoints ................................................................................................44
Routes...................................................................................................... 49
Trails......................................................................................................... 53
Measuring Distances on Chart page....................................................... 56
Search by Coordinates ............................................................................ 56
Find Chart item ........................................................................................ 56
Map Orientation ....................................................................................... 57
Look Ahead.............................................................................................. 57
Chart categories ...................................................................................... 58
Navionics ................................................................................................. 60
Radar Operation............................................................................. 63
Radar page softkeys................................................................................ 63
Radar menu ............................................................................................. 67
Radar Cursor active softkeys...................................................................69
Cursor position window............................................................................ 70
Radar Overlay.......................................................................................... 71
Settings Menu ................................................................................. 73
Chart Settings Menu................................................................................ 80
Sonar Settings Menu ............................................................................... 83
Manual Mode ........................................................................................... 84
Fishing Modes ......................................................................................... 85
Installation Menu...................................................................................... 86
Keel Offset ............................................................................................... 86
Radar Settings Menu ............................................................................... 90
Fuel .......................................................................................................... 97

3
Contents
Alarms.................................................................................................... 101
Trails....................................................................................................... 103
Units....................................................................................................... 104
Network.................................................................................................. 105
Vessels....................................................................................................112
Simulator.................................................................................................114
Specications.................................................................................117
Unit Care .........................................................................................118
Troubleshooting............................................................................ 119
Index ............................................................................................... 127

4
Contents
Blank page

5
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing from Lowrance, the industry leader in marine technology.
This manual is packaged with a Quick Start Guide, Installation Guide, License and
Warranty booklet and NMEA 2000 Networks Installation Instructions. If any of
these documents are missing, you may acquire them via a free download at www.
lowrance.com or by contacting customer service.
Lowrance Customer Service
12000 E Skelly Dr
Tulsa, OK 74128
[phone]
Canada [phone] or [phone]
About this manual
This manual documents how to adjust features and options in your display unit. The
information in each section follows the same sequence as your display unit’s menus.
If you would like information on how to get the most out of your unit, visit our web
site, www.lowrance.com; click on the Support tab and select Tips and Tutorials.
Manual Conventions
When you are instructed to press a button in this manual, the button will be shown
in all caps and bold text like — MENU, EXIT, ENTER, etc. If you are instructed
to select an item from a menu, the item to be selected will be listed in bold like —
Brightness, Key beeps, etc.
For example: Press MENU, select Language and press ENTER.
Introduction
WARNING:When a GPS unit is used in a vehicle, the
vehicle operator is solely responsible for operating the
vehicle in a safe manner. Vehicle operators must main-
tain full surveillance of all pertinent driving, boating or
ying conditions at all times. An accident or collision re-
sulting in damage to property, personal injury or death
could occur if the operator of a GPS-equipped vehicle
fails to pay full attention to travel conditions and vehicle
operation while the vehicle is in motion.

6
Introduction
Lowrance HDS-8 and HDS-10
ZOUT: Zoom out to see more of the map with less detail
ZIN: Zoom in to see less of the map with more detail
MOB: Pressing ZOUT and ZIN at the same time will set a man overboard waypoint
LIGHT/POWER:
controls backlight
level & turns the
unit on/off
MMC/SD Card slot: insert
MMC/SD and high-detail
mapping cards here
WPT/FIND: saves a waypoint
at current position; accesses
searching tools
EXIT: cancels
entries, closes
menus & windows;
toggles between
cursor position and
chart location on
Chart page
KEYPAD: move the
cursor, scroll through
menus, adjust features,
view sonar/GPS history
MENU: opens
context &
settings menus
SOFTKEYS: controls com-
monly used features and
functions
FLYWHEEL: scroll
through menus &
adjust features
PAGES: opens Pages
menu; selects active
panel for combo
display
ENTER: nalize menu
selections; shortcut key
for functions like saving
a waypoint at cursor
position

7
Getting Started
Getting Started
Turning on the Unit
Press the POWER/LIGHT key to turn on the unit. If the unit is not
connected to a transducer, the unit will start up in simulator mode. To turn
off the unit, press the POWER/LIGHT key for three seconds.
Keypad
This unit’s keypad can be used in two ways. Pressing the arrow
symbols on the keypad will move the cursor in the corresponding
direction on the screen and allow you to scroll through menus.
Sliding your nger around the Flywheel surrounding the keypad
allows you to scroll through menus and adjust certain features.
Backlight
Tap the LIGHT/POWER key to make adjustments to the
backlight level and open the Backlight Menu. To turn on Night
Mode from the menu, highlight Night Mode and press ENTER.
Night mode optimizes the display for low light conditions.
Cursor
Use the unit’s keypad to move the cursor around the display, select onscreen objects,
highlight data items and view sonar history. Press EXIT to remove the cursor from
the screen.
Language
Selects language used for menus, text boxes and messages.
To select a language:
Press1. MENU twice.
Select2. System and press ENTER
Highlight3. Language and press ENTER.
4. Use the keypad to select a language and
press ENTER.
Keypad
Flywheel

8
Getting Started
Menus
This unit has a Settings menu, a Pages screen and several context
menus. The Settings menu provides access to the settings menus for
the three main operation modes: Sonar, Chart and Radar. The Settings
menu is accessed by pressing MENU twice.
The Pages screen allows you to select a page to be shown on the
display. Utilities are also accessed from the Pages screen. Press the
PAGES key to select a page.
Each page has its own context menu which allows you to access
functions for that page. Context menus are accessible only when its
corresponding page is displayed. The Sonar Menu, for example, will
only be available when the Sonar Page is on the display. To access a
context menu, select the desired page and press the MENU key.
Closing Menus
Press the EXIT key to close a menu. Repeatedly pressing EXIT will close all menus,
taking you back to the main screen.
Softkeys
Provide easy access to some of the most commonly used commands and features.
To make adjustments, press the button below the onscreen softkey. Make the desired
changes and press the button a second time to close the menu/feature.
Radar menu
Chart menu
Sonar menu
Pages screen
Settings
menu
Softkeys

9
Getting Started
Selecting Chart Data
This unit supports three types of map data:
Navico, Navionics and Navico 3D (US only).
To use Navionics or Navico 3D data, you
must select it from the Chart Data menu.
To select Chart data:
Press1. MENU twice.
Highlight2. Chart and press ENTER.
Select3. Chart Data and press ENTER.
Select the desired map data option and press4. ENTER.
Selecting a Fishing Mode
Fishing modes enhance the performance of your unit by providing preset packages
of sonar settings geared to specic shing conditions.
To select a shing mode:
Press1. MENU twice.
Select2. Sonar and press ENTER.
Highlight3. Fishing Mode and press ENTER.
Select the desired shing mode and press 4.
ENTER.
Fishing Mode Options
General Use Bottom brown/blue background; 50% ping speed
Shallow Water Bottom brown/white background; best suited for
depths less than 100 feet
Fresh Water Bottom brown/white background; 50% ping speed
Deep Water Deep Blue; 50% ping speed; 50kHz is primary
transducer frequency
Slow Trolling Bottom brown/white background; 50% ping speed
Fast Trolling Bottom brown/white background; slightly lower chart
speed
Clear Water Bottom brown/white background; 50% ping speed
Brackish Water Bottom brown/blue background; higher ASP; slightly
lower chart speed

10
Getting Started
Entering Letters in Text Boxes
This unit has some features and functions that may
require you to enter data in a text box.
To enter data in a text box:
Highlight the text box and press 1. ENTER.
A keyboard will appear on the screen.
Use the keypad to highlight the rst 2.
character and press ENTER. Repeat
this step until all characters have been
entered.
Highlight3. OK and press ENTER.
Restore Defaults
The Restore Defaults command switches the unit back to the settings it had when
you purchased it (default settings),
To Restore Defaults:
Press1. MENU twice.
Select2. System and press ENTER.
Highlight3. Restore Defaults and press ENTER.
A conrmation message will appear.
Select4. Yes and press ENTER.
Keyboard window
Keypad button controls
uppercase & lowercase

11
Pages
Pages
Pages Screen
Consists of four page icons that scroll horizontally around the Pages menu. To view the pages screen,
press the PAGES key.
Selecting Pages
Pressing the keypad left or right will move the page icons around the menu. To select a page, move
the desired page icon to the center of the screen.
When selected, the page name will be highlighted in blue at the top of a list of combo display options.
Its icon, will be framed by a blue border below the list. To display the page, press ENTER.
With Sonar selected, unit will
display a full sonar screen
Combo
display
options
allows you
to display a
split screen
Sonar icon rotated to center of
page; has blue border indicating
it is the selected page option
Page Icons
Page icons
rotate around
the circular
Pages
menu

12
Pages
Data Overlay
Data overlay is information you can display on top
of the page screen, allowing you to customize each
page with desired data.
Data Overlay menu
Every page option has its own Data Overlay menu. The menu allows you to edit,
add or remove overlay data from the display. To access Data Overlay menu, select
a page option and press MENU.
Edit Overlay menu
Accesses data overlay options for all the unit’s page screens.
To access Edit Data Overlay menu:
1. Select Edit Data overlay from the Data Overlay
menu and press ENTER.
Press2. MENU. The Edit Overlay menu will appear
with Add Gauge selected.
NOTE: Adjusting Panel Sizes is covered later in this section in
the Displaying Combo Pages segment.
Edit Overlay menu

13
Pages
Softkeys
Data overlay can be displayed using the Edit Overlay menu or Data Overlay soft-
keys. Removing Gauges or making adjustment to Bezel, Caption and Invert Text
settings must be done through the Edit Overlay menu.
Add Gauge
Places a data overlay gauge in the upper left-
hand corner of the screen. To add a gauge to
the display, press the Add Gauges softkey.
Repeat the previous step to add multiple
gauges to the display.
To remove gauge:
Select1. Remove Gauge from the
Edit Overlay menu and press
ENTER. A conrmation message
will appear.
Select2. Delete and press ENTER.
Data Overlay softkeys are located at the bottom of the screen.
Add Gauges softkey

14
Pages
Edit Mode
When a gauge is added to the display it will be shown in edit mode. Analog and
bar gauges are shaded in blue when they are in Edit Mode. Digital Gauges will be
shown with a blue border.
Move or Placing a Gauge
The Move gauge command allows you to move data overlay to any position on the
screen. When you use the Place gauge command, the gauge will be locked in its
current position.
To move or place a gauge:
Press the1. ENTER key when the gauge is in Edit
mode. Four directional arrows will appear when
the gauge can be moved.
Use the keypad to move the gauge to a desired 2.
location on the screen.
Press3. ENTER to place the gauge.
Select Data
Used to select data that will be shown on the data overlay display. When selecting
data you rst will open a main data category and then choose data to be displayed
from the a data subcategory.
Analog gauge in edit
mode
Digital gauge in edit mode

15
Pages
To select data overlay:
1. Press the Select data softkey. The Select Data menu will appear.
Use the keypad to select the desired category and press2. ENTER. A
list of subcategories will appear.
Select the desired subcategory and press 3. ENTER.
Type
Switches data overlay display between analog, digital and bar gauge formats,
provided the format is appropriate for the selected data type.
To change Type press the Type softkey to toggle between digital and analog gauge
formats.
Size
Selects the size of the data overlay display. Data overlay can be displayed in four
sizes.
With the gauge in edit mode (shaded in blue) press the ZOOM OUT key to increase
overlay size; press the ZOOM IN key to decrease overlay size.
Select data menu Time subcategory
Time in analog format
Time in digital format

16
Pages
Limits
Controls the number scale used on data overlay gauges and
selects warning thresholds. Changing the limits on an analog
or bar gauge removes unnecessary numbers from the gauge,
making them easier to read. Warnings help you stay within
selected warning thresholds.
Limits are congured by inputting analog or bar gauge limits
in the Limits text boxes — minimum and maximum. Warnings
thresholds are entered in the Low and High text boxes.
To congure limits:
Press the1. Limits softkey. The Conguration Limits menu will
appear.
Select the Limits or Warnings text box and press 2. ENTER.
Use the keypad to enter the desired threshold.3.
Select4. OK and press ENTER.
Finish Edit
Finalizes data overlay changes. After making changes to data overlay settings, you
must nalize the changes before they can be saved.
To save changes:
Press the1. Finish Edit softkey. A conrmation
message will appear.
Select2. Save and press ENTER.
Conguration
Limits menu
Large analog gauge
Small digital gauge

17
Pages
Conguration menu
Allows you to Add/Remove sources and adjust Bezel, Caption and
Invert Text Settings. Other conguration menu options are covered
previously in the section.
To access the Conguration menu, highlight Conguration on the
Edit Overlay menu and press ENTER.
Conguration Settings
Bezel Adds a bezel to the data overlay gauge, making it easier to
see against certain backgrounds
Caption Allows you to add/remove data label from gauge
Invert Text Changes appearance of data overlay text
Add Source
Displays the same type of data from different sources on
the same analog gauge.
If, for example, you have multiple engines, you could
select port engine RPM as your data type and then display
starboard engine RPM using the Add source command.
Both data sources could be displayed simultaneously on
an analog gauge with two needles; one dedicated to each
source.
To use Add Source:
Select1. Add Source from the Edit Overlay menu
and press ENTER. The Add source menu will
appear.
Highlight a category a press2. ENTER. A list of
subcategories will appear.
Select the desired subcategory and press3.
ENTER.
To remove add source data:
Highlight1. Remove source from the Edit Overlay menu and press
ENTER. A list of sources will appear.
Select the source you want to remove and press 2. ENTER.
Add Source menu
Analog gauge
showing RPM from
two engines.

18
Pages
Sonar Page
Displays the water column moving from
right to left on your unit’s screen. On the
right side of the screen, the Amplitude
Scope bar previews echoes about to appear
on the display.
The sonar page has three splitscreen view
settings and 14 color palette settings. Sonar
display options are covered in more detail
in the Sonar Operation section.
On the Sonar Page you can:
Move the cursor to any location on the screen to get a depth reading•
Show sh echoes as sh symbols with sh depths•
Adjust Range to view only desired portion of the water column •
To access the Sonar Page, use the keypad to highlight Sonar on the Pages menu and
press ENTER.
Chart Page
Consists of a Map that moves in real time
as you move. By default, the map is shown
from a birds-eye view with North at the top
of the screen.
This page has three map orientation options
(North Up, Track Up & Course Up) and
two ways to view the map: 2D and Shaded
Relief (only available on select models).
The cursor is used to scroll the map, select
objects and nd the distance between
objects. The Chart page is covered in more detail in the Chart Operation section.
On the Chart Page you can:
Save Waypoints•
Find points of interest (POI)•
Navigate routes; navigate to cursor and waypoints•
To access the Chart page, use the keypad to highlight Chart on the Pages menu and
press ENTER to access the Chart Page.