Lowrance X-55A User manual

HowtoObtain Service
Webackyour
investmentin
qualityproductswith
quick,expert
serviceand
genuine Lowrance®
replacementparts. If
you'reintheUnitedStatesand
you
have
questions,
please
contactthe
Factory
CustomerService
Depart-
mentusing
ourtoll-free
numberlistedbelow.Youmustsendtheunitto
the
factory
forwarranty
serviceor
repair.Pleasecall
the
factory
before
sending theunit.You will be askedforyourunit'sserial number (shown
above).Usethe
followingtoll-freenumber:
800-324-1356
U.S.A.only. Monday through Friday 8:00AM.-8:00P.M.
Central time,exceptholidays.
Yourunitiscoveredby
afull
one-yearwarranty. (See
the
backofthisflyer
forcomplete
warrantydetails.)If
yourunitfails
andthefailure
isnotcovered
by
the
originalwarranty,Lowrancehasaflat-rate repairpolicy
thatcovers
yourunitandaccessories packedwiththeunitatthe
factory. There isa
180-day warranty on all non-warranty repairs
fromthe
factory, whichis
similartothe
originalwarranty,but
isfor180
daysratherthan oneyear.
For
furtherdetails,
pleasecallusattheabove number.
On
factoryrepairs,
we
guaranteeyour unitwill
berepairedin
threeworking
days
fromthetime
itisreceived.
Thisdoesnot
include
shippingtime.Iffor
some reason we cannot meet this commitment, we will extend your
warranty
foranotherfull year,freeofcharge, fromthedateofrepair.
Lowrance
also
gives
you
freeUPS
shippingfrom
anywhere
inthecontinen-
tal UnitedStates both
toandfrom
the
factory
forall
warranty
repairs.You
canalso
usetheenclosedUPSshippinglabel
fornon-warrantyshipments.
Seethe
insideofthis
flyer
formore
information.
Remember, non-warrantyrepairs
aresubject
toLowrance'spublishedflat-
rate
charges
and180-day
warranty.
A3
workingdayturnaroundtimeatthe
factoryrepaircenterisguaranteed.
(Doesnotincludeshipping
time.)
LITHO INU.S.A. 988-0133-10
X-55A
INSTALLATION AND OPERATION
INSTRUCTIONS
•®LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS, INC.
12000
E.SKELLY DR., TULSA, OK 74128
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TABLEOFCONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
INSTALLATION
MOUNTING .2
POWER CONNECTIONS .2
TRANSDUCER 4
KEYBOARD BASICS 11
DISPLAY 12
MENUS
HELP 13
OPERATION 13
AUTOMATIC 13
SENSITIVITY 14
RANGE 15
Upper
and
LowerLimits 15
ZOOM 16
Automatic
Operation 16
Manual
Operation 17
ALARMS
FISH ALARM
ZONEALARM 18
DEPTHALARMS
ALARMMUTE 20
MENU
-PAGE I 21
CHARTSPEED 21
GRAYLINE — .. 2l
FISH I.D 22
FISHTRACKTM 23
DISPLAY
CONTRAST 24
MENU-PAGE2 24
ADJUSTBACK
LIGHTLEVEL 24
BACKLIGHTON/OFF 24
SPEAKER VOLUME 25
TURN
DIGITAL BOXOFF 25
CONSTRUCT DIGITAL BOX 25
MENU-PAGE3 26
CHARTCURSOR 26
DISPLAY ZOOM BAR 27
DISPLAYZONEBAR 27
DIGITAL SONAR 28
MENU-PAGE4 28
FASTRAK 28
SELECT UNITS OFMEASURE 29
CLEAR DISTANCE LOG 29
MENU-PAGES 29
ADJUST CHARTSURFACE CLARITY 29
ADVANCED SIGNAL PROCESSING (ASP) 30
WINDOWS 31
VIEWING WINDOWSOPTIONS 32
MODIFYING GROUPS 32
RESETrING
ALLGROUPS 34
BROADVIEW 34
TRANSDUCERS AND
CONEANGLES 36
FISHARCHES 37
SIGNAL INTERPRETATION 38
WATER TEMPERATURE ANDTHERMOCLINES 39
SURVEYING ALAKE 40
BAITFISH 41
TROUBLESHOOTING 41
WARRANTY 47
FREE UPS SNIPPING 48
MISSING PARTS so
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
INFORMATION si
Copyright® 1994 LowranceElectronics Allrights
reserved.
Allfeaturesandspecificationssubject
tochange without
notice.
Allscreens in
thismanualaresimulated.
NOTICE!
Thisproduct
usesthreaded nutsinsidethecasetohold
the
gimbal
knobs
ontotheunit.
Thesenutswillrattlewhen
you
shaketheunit,It's
normalfor
thisto
happen
and
shouldn'tbeacause
forconcern.This
doesn'taffectthe
watertight integrity oftheunit.
Theunit won't raffle whenit's installed Withthe gimbalknobs
onto its
bracket.
53
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NOTES: INTRODUCTION
TheX-55Aisahighquality, wide screensonarwithperformance thatis
secondtononeinitsclass.Usingmenufeaturesand "soft-key"operation,
theX-55Ais
alsooneoftheeasiest-to-usesonarsthatLowrancehasever
built.Thewide
screenshowstheundetwaterworldwith
high
resolutionand
detail.Thedisplay
andkeyboardarealsolighted fornightoperation. The
X-55Aalsohas
digitaldepth,
boat
speed,surfacewater
temperature, and
distancetravelled (log)displays.Inorderto
usethe
digitalspeed,tempera-
ture,and logdisplays, youmust purchase andinstall an optional ST-T
(transom mount)orST-H
(through-hullmount)speed/temperature sensor.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions 57/8"Hx73/4Wx3
718"D
Transmitter
Frequency(allchannels) 192 kkz
Transmitter
Power (downchannel) 600watts(p-p, typical)
75
watts
(RMS, typical)
TransmitterPower
(left
&right channels) ...275watts (p-p. typical)
34.4
watts(RMS,typical)
Display Supertwist LCD
128
verticalx160horizontal
20,480
totalpixels
NOTICE!
Thestoragetemperaturefor
your
unitisfrom-4
degrees
to+167
degrees
Fahrenheit (-20degreesto+75degrees Celcius). Extended storage
in
temperatures
higher
orlowerthanspecifiedwilldamage
the
liquidcrystal
display
in
yourunit. This
typeofdamage isnotcovered
bythe
warranty.
Formoreinformation,contactthe factory'sCustomerService Department
or
yourlocalservice center.
TOOLS
YOUWILLNEED:
TRANSOM
MOUNT TRANSDUCER INSTALLATION:
Hand-held" Drillwitha
variety
ofsmallbits
Two(2)#12stainless steelscrews (toattach bracket tothe transomS)
Marine
gradecaulking compound (to seal screws)
SHOOT-THRU-HULL MOUNT:
100grit sandpaper
Onepackage oftheeitherofthe
followingepoxies:
PowerPoxft, 1 ozpackage; Madeby:Power Pox?Adhesives, Inc.or
TrueValue®brand TRUE BOND epoxy
orPLASTICWELDERTM epoxy
soldbyTrueValue®storesor
Devcon®
brandPLASTIC WELDERTM
epoxy.
52
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MOUNTING
InstalltheX-55Ain
any
convenient location, providedthereisclearance
behind the unitwhen
itistiltedforthebestviewingangle. Holes in the
bracket baseallowwood
screworthrough-bolt mounting.Youmay
need
toplace a
piece
ofplywoodonthebackofthin
fiberglasspanels
tosecure
the
mountinghardware.
Makecertainthereis
enoughroombehindtheunit
toattachthe
power
andtransducer cables.
Thesmallestholethatwill
pass
one
powerortransducer
plug
is5/8".After
theholeisdrilled, pass
thetransducerconnector
upthrough
thehole
first,
thenpassthepowercabledownthrough it.
Afterroutingthe
cables,
filltheholewithagoodmarinesealingcompound.
Offsetthe
brackettocoverthehole.Routethe powercablethrough theslot
andbreakoutoneofthe
otherslotsinthebracketforthetransducercable.
POWER CONNECTIONS
TheX-55Aworksfromatwelve-voltbatterysystem. Forthe best
results,
attachthepower cable
directly
tothebattery. Youcanattach thepower
cabletoanaccessoryorpowerbuss, howeveryou mayhave problems
withelectrical interference.
Therefore,it'ssaferto
go
aheadand
attachthe
power
cable
directly
tothe
battery. Ifthecableisnotlongenough,splice
#18
gauge
wireontoit.The
powercablehastwo
wires, redandblack.Red
isthe
positive
lead,blackisnegative or
ground.Makecertain toattachthe
in-line
fuseholdertotheredleadas
closetothe
powersource
as
possible.
For
example, if you
havetoextendthe
power
cabletothe
battery
orpower
buss,
attachoneendof
thefuse
holderdirectlyto
the
batteryorpower
buss.
Thiswill
protect
boththeunitand thepower
cablein the
eventofashort.
TheX-55Ausesa3-amp fuse.
IMPORTANT!
Donotusethisproduct withouta
3-ampfusewiredintothe
power
cable!
Failuretousea
3-amp fusewillvoidyourwarranty.
2 51
HowtoObtain Service
(Canadian
CustomersOnly)
Webackyourinvestment in quality products with quick, expert
serviceand genuine
Lowrance replacement parts. Ifyouneedservice or repairs, contactthe Lowrance
Factory Customer ServiceDepartmentatthe toll-treenumberlistedbelow. A
technician
may beabletosolvetheproblemand save
you
theinconvenience of
returningyour
unit.
Youwillbeaskedfor
your
units
serial number.
800-347-1014
Canada
Only. Monday through Friday 8:00A.M. -8:00P.M.centralTime,
Howto ObtainService
(International CustomersOnly)
If
you
needserviceor
repairs, contactthedealerinthe
country youpurchased your
unit.
WARRANTY
REPAIR WILLBEHONORED ONLY INTHECOUNTRY
UNITWAS PURCHASED.
Pleasefollowthe
shipping instructionsshown belowonthis
page
ifyouhavetomailyour
unittothedealer.For
propertesting, repair,
and
service,
sendabrief
notewiththe
product
describing theproblem. Besuretoinclude yourname, return shipping address, anda
daytime telephone number.
Shipping Information
When
sending aproduct for
repair,please dothefollowing:
1.Always use
theoriginalshipping container andfiller
material the
product
waspacked
inwhen
shipping yourproduct.
2 Always insuretheparcelagainstdamageorloss during shipment.Lowrance doesnot
assume
responsiblityfor goods lostor damagedintransit
3.For
propertesting,repair,and service,
sendabriefnotewiththeproductdescribingthe
problem. Be sure
toinclude yourname, return shipping address, and adaytime
telephone number.
Accessory OrderingInformation
Toorderaccessoriessuch
as
powercablesor
transducers,please
contact:
1. Your local marinedealer. Mostquality dealers that handle marine electronic
equipmentshouldbeableto
assist
you
withtheseitems. consultyour
local
telephone
directory forlistings.
2. canadiancustomers only
canwrite:
Lowrance/Eagle canada,919Matheson Blvd., E. Mississauga, OntarioL4W2R7
orfax416-629-3118
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NOTICE!
Pleasechecktheitems intheboxagainst thislist. You
!houldhave allofthe
itemsshown onthispage. If
youare missing anyofthe items, please
callour
specialtoll-free number:
1.800-324-1353
ARECORDED MESSAGE willrequest thefollowing information. Pleasehave
itreadybefore
you call.
1.Yourname, shipping address, and telephone number.
2.Thepartthat's
missing.
3.Themodel, serial number, andDATEANDPLACE OFPURCHASE OF
YOUR UNIT.
4.Thebesttimeofdaytocallyouifwehave
questions.
Provided thatall ofthe requested informationisrecordedandapproved by
our
Customer
Service Department,themissingitem(s) willbeshippeddirectly
to
you
freeofcharge.
DISPLAY UNIT
GIMBAL KNOB GIMBAL KNOB
RUBBER WASHER RUBBERWASHER
GIMBAL BRACKET
o TRANSDUCER,
BRACKET,
AND
HARDWARE
(TRANSDUCER NOT
SOLD WITH ALL X-55'S)
FUSE
FUSE HOLDE)
50 3
SLOT
POWER CABLE
RED
OPTIONAL
SPEED!
TEMP
SENSOR
X-55A POWER CONNECTIONS
3
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TRANSDUCER
SomeX-55A's aresoldwithaHS-WSBK transommounttransducer. It
canbeinstalled onany outboard orstern-drive (inboarcf\outboard)pow-
eredboat. Itcanalsobepermanentlyinstalled insidetheboatto"shoot-
through1'
thehull onsomefiberglass boats.
The"kick-up" mounting bracket helpsprevent damage
ifthetransducer
strikes anobject
whiletheboatis
moving. Ifthetransducer does"kick-
up", thebracket caneasily bepushed backinplacewithouttools.
If your unitcame with atransducer, readthissectioncarefully before
attempting theinstallation. Determinewhichofthe
mounting positionsis
right
foryourboat. Use extreme care ifmountingthetransducer inside
thehull, since onceit is epoxied intoposition, the transducer usually
cannot be removed. Remember, thetransducerlocation is the most
criticalpart ofasonarinstallation. Ifitisn'tdone
properly,thesonar can't
perform
atit'sdesigned potential.
Location -General
1. Thetransducer mustbeplaced in alocationthathasasmoothflowof
wateratalltimes. Ifthetransducer istobemountedinside thehull,
then thechosen location must be in thewateratall times. Ifthe
transducerisnotplaced in asmooth flow ofwater, interference will
show on thesonar's display in the form of random lines or dots
whenevertheboatismoving.
2. The transducershould be installed with it's face pointing straight
down,
ifpossible.
3. Ifthetransducer ismounted onthe transom, makecertainitdoesn't
interfere withthetrailer orhauling ofthe boat. Also, don'tmountit
closerthanapproximatelyone
footfromtheengine's lowerunit. This
will prevent cavitation interference with the propeller. Typically, the
transducer
shouldbemountedas
deep
inthe
wateraspossible.This
increases thechance thatitwillbein thewaterinhigh speedand
reducesthepossiblityofairbubble interference.
4. Ifpossible, routethetransducer cable away fromother wiringonthe
boat. Electrical noise
fromenginewiring, bilge
pumps, and areators
canbe displayed onthesonar'sscreen. Use caution when routing
thetransducercable aroundthesewires.
TO
,Dè1rp010Ar,ON
uMe0H
1III tIIIllhIll lluI
Lowrance Electronics may find Itnecessary to change or end our shipping policies,
regulations, andspecial offersat
any
time.Wereservetheright
todosowithoutnotice.
Accessory
Ordering Information
Toorder
accessoriessuchas
powercables
or
transducers,please
contact:
1) Yourlocal marine dealer. Most quality dealers that handle marine
electronic equipment should be abletoassistyouwiththeseitems.
Consult
yourlocaltelephone directoryfor listings.
2) LEIExtras, Inc. P.O.Box129Catoosa, OK 74015-0129
orcall
800-324-0045
(USA
ordersonly.)
4 49
UPS
AuthorizedReturnSent
'II.tI
LOWOANCE
ELEOThONICS
12000
EStSKELQY
DONE1
ILILSA,
OK74120
UPSAuthorizedReturn
Sen'icej
KEEPTHISLABELl
YOU WILLNEED ITIFYOU EVER NEEDTORETURN YOUR UNITTOTHE
FAcToRYFOR REPAIR.
ThisusshippingofferIsgoodonly InThe continentalunitedstates(excludesAlaskaandHawaii).
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Lowrance's UPSReturnService
Lowrance ElectronicsandUnitedParcelService(UPS)are
proud
tooffer
allof
ourcustomersfreeshippingforall
unitssentto
usforrepairorservice.
If
youhave
tosend this unittothe
factory, andyouareinthecontinental
UnitedStates,usetheenclosedUPS
shippinglabel foreasy,
free
shipping
toour
factory
customerservice
department. Therearesix
easysteps:
1
.CallLowranceatthetoll-freenumberonthefrontof
thisflyerforaReturn
Authorization (IRA) numberandinstructions aboutwhataccessoriesto
return. Do not return a product tothefactory withouta Return
Authorization (RA)Number!
2.Packyour
unitand
any
accessoriesinthe
originalshippingcontainer,if
possible.
Besuretoincludeproof ofpurchaseforwarrantyverifica-
tion!
3. Write a brief note detailing the problem you'rehaving with the unit.
Pleaseinclude
yourname,address,and daytimetelephone number.
4.Pleaseincludepayment for
non-warrantyrepairs.Check,moneyorder,
Visa, orMasterCardmaybeused.
5.Fill inyourname,address,zipcode,date,and RAnumberintheblanks
provided ontheUPS
formincludedwith
your
unit.
6.Attach thelabeltothe
shippingbox,tearoffthetabfor yourreceiptand
give the package toanyUPS driverortakethepackage to anyUPS
Customer Center. Youwillnotbechargedforthisshipment.
That's it! Your unitwill be shipped to Lowrance's customerservice
departmentatno charge
to
you.
Ournormalin-plantturnaround onrepairs
is3
working
days.Units underwarrantywill bereturnedtoyou
atno
charge.
NOTE!
Lowrance will payUPS surface shipping charges both to and fromthe
factoryforthisunitintheeventitneedsrepair.
Yourunitisinsuredagainst
loss orshippingdamagewhen
youusetheenclosedUPSlabel.
Shoot-thru-bull v,s,TransomMounting
Typically, shoot-thru-hull installationsgiveexcellent highspeedopera-
tionand good to excellent depth capability. There is no possibility of
damage fromfloating objects. Itcan'tbeknocked offwhendocking
or
loading onthetrailer.
However,theshoot-thru-hull installationdoeshaveitsdrawbacks. One,
some lossofsensitivity does
occur, even onthebesthulls. Thisvaries
fromhull tohull,evenfromdifferent installationsonthesamehull. This
iscaused by differences in hull layup and construction. Two, theangle
ofthetransducer cannotbeadjusted forthebest fisharches. Thiscan
beaproblem onsomehulls thatsitwiththebow high whenatrestorat
slowtrolling speeds. Followthe procedure listed inthe shoot-thru-hull
installation sectioninthis manual todetermine ifyoucansatisfactorily
shootthrough thehull.
TRANSOM MOUNT -Assembly
1. First attachthemounting bracket's halves together
as shown below.
Next, slidethe rubberpad intothespace
between thetwo slots. This
padkeeps
tensiononthebracket's latch, preventing itfromopening ata
low
speed. Don'tclose thebracket atthis time!.
48 5
_ _ EJ
RuBBER PAD
Lb=H
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2. Slip thetransducer's mounting pad between thebracket's mounting
"ears". Sandwichtwointernal lockwashersbetween thetransducer and
onesideofthe
mountingbracket asshownbelow. Placeonewasheron
theothersideofthetransducer.
11111
INSTALLATION
-TransomMount
1. Thetransducer mustbeplaced in alocationthathasasmoothflowof
wateratalltimes. Airbubblescreated
by
themovement ofthe
boathull
against
thewaterinterferewiththesonar
signal. Thiscauses "noise" or
random marks to appear on thesonar'sdisplay. You mayneed to
carefully
viewthewater's
pathatthetransomwhiletheboatismovingto
determine thebestlocationforthetransducer.
2. Makecertain the chosen locationdoesn't interfere withtheboat's
trailer. Mountthetransducer atleastonefootfromthe engine's lower
unit.Thiswillpreventairbubblesfromthetransducer interferingwiththe
propeller.
LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS
FULL ONE-YEAR WARRANTY
'We","our",or"us" referstoLOWRANCE ELECTRONICS. INC., themanufacturerofthis
product."You" or "your"
referstothefirst
personwho
purchases thisproductasaconsumer
item for
personal, family,
orhousehold use.
Wewarrantthis
productagainst
defectsormalfunctions inmaterialsand workmanship,and
againstfailuretoconformtothisproduct'swrittenspecifications, allforone
year(1)
from
the
dateof
original purchase byyou. WE MAKE NOOTHER EXPRESS WARRANTY OR
REPRESENTATION OFANY KIND WHATSOEVER CONCERNING THISPRODUCT.
Yourremediesunderthis
warrantywillbeavailableso
long as you
canshowinareasonable
mannerthatany
defectormalfunctioninmaterialsor
workmanship, or any
non-conformity
withthe product's written specifications, occurred within oneyearfromthedateof your
original purchase, which must besubstantiated by
adated salesreceiptorsales
slip.Any
such
defect, malfunction, ornon-conformity
whichoccurswithinone year from
youroriginal
purchase datewilleitherbe repaired without
charge
orbe replaced with anew
product
identicalor
reasonablyequivalentto this product,
atour
option,withinareasonabletimeafter
our
receipt
oftheproduct Ifsuch
defect, malfunction, ornon-conformity remainsaftera
reasonable number of
attempts to
repairbyus, youmay electtoobtain without
chargea
replacementof
the
productorarefundforthe product.THIS
REPAIR,REPLACEMENT,OR
REFUND (ASJUST
DESCRIBED) ISTHEEXCLUSIVE REMEDY AVAILABLE TOYOU
AGAINST USFORANY
DEFECT,MALFUNCTION,ORNONCONFORMITY CONCERN-
INGTHEPRODUCTORFORANYLOSSORDAMAGE RESULTINGFROMANYOTHER
CAUSEWHATSOEVER. WE
WILLNOTUNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BELIABLE
TOANYONEFORANY SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, OROTHER INDI-
RECT DAMAGEOFANY KIND.
Somestatesdonotallowtheexclusionorlimitationofincidentalor
consequentialdamages,
sotheabove limitations orexclusionsmaynot
apply
to
you.
Thiswarranty does NOT
apply
inthe
following circumstances: (1)whentheproducthas
beenserviced orrepaired byanyone otherthan us, (2) whenthe product has been
connected, installed, combined, altered, adjusted, or handled in a manner other than
according totheinstructions fumished with theproduct, (3)when anyserial number has
beeneffaced,altered, orremoved,or (4)when
any
defect, problem, loss,ordamage has
resulted from anyaccident, misuse, negligence, orcarelessness, orfrom any
failure to
provide
reasonableandnecessarymaintenanceinaccordance withtheinstructions ofthe
owner's manual fortheproduct.
Wereserve theright tomake changesorimprovements inour
products
from
timetotime
without
incurringtheobligation to install such
improvements or changes on equipmentor
itemspreviously manufactured.
Thiswarranty givesyouspecificlegalrightsand youmay alsohaveother rights
whichmay
vary
fromstatetostate.
REMINDER: Youmustretainthesales
slip
orsales
receipt provingthedateof youroriginal
purchase incasewarranty service isever
required.
LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS
12000ESKELLYDRIVE TULSA, OK
74128
[phone]
WASHER
WASHER
TWOWASHI
BOLT &
SLEEVE
3. Slidethemetalsleeve overthebolt. Slip
theboltand sleevethrough
the
bracket,washers,andtransducer assembly. Placeaninternaltooth
lockwasherovertheend oftheboltandthread thenutonto it. Donot
tighten thenutatthistime. Thetransducer isnowreadyforinstallation.
BOLT III1111111111111111111111 I
6 47
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3. Don't mount thetransducer directlybehind strakesor ribs on the
bottomofthe hull. Typically, a good location on aluminum boats is
between theribsclpsesttothe
engine. (Seeabove.)Theport(left)
side
ofthetransomis
preferredformountingthe
transducer, howeverifthisis
notpossible, thestarboard (right) sidecanbeusedwithgood results.
4. Onceyou determine thebestlocation forthetransducer, holdthe
bracket against thetransom. Thetransducer shouldberoughly parallel
totheground. Thebottom ofthehull should beabout halfway
between
the centerline ofthetransducerand it's bottom. (Seethe illustration
below.) Swing
thebracket upandmarkthetransom
through theslotsin
the transducer bracket. Nowdrill twoholesin the centerof the slots.
Use#12stainlesssteelsheetmetal screwstoloosely
attachthebracket
tothetransom.
46 7
ni
fl-I :1: °
——— 12
— — 24
— — 36
e-I-&o
GROUPUji
CAUTIONI
CLAMPThETRANSDUCER CABLETO
TRANSOM NEARTHETRANSDUCER. This
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FRDMENTERING ThEBOATIFITIS
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5. Adjust thetransducer and bracket so thatthefrontofthetransducer
isslightlylowerthanthe back. Seethe sectionon fisharches inthis
manual forproper transducer angles. Tighten all screws. (CAUTION:
Don't overtighten the bolt that holdsthetransducerto the bracket.
Overtightening thebolt mayresult in adistorted bracket whichwillallow
thetransducer to"kick-up" athigh speed.) Snapthetransducer bracket
together by pressing the outerbracket(the one with the transducer
attached) against
theonescrewed tothetransom.
NOTE:Some aluminum boatswithstrakesorribsontheoutside ofthe
hull create large amounts ofturbulence
at high speed. Theseboats
typicallyhave largeoutboard motors
capable
ofpropelling the boat at
speeds
over35mph. Thetransducer should be mounted asfarbelow
thehull aspossible onthese boats. (Seebelow)Thiswillplacetheface
ofthe transducer below theturbulent
water, allowing thesonar unitto
workathigh speeds.
6. Route thetransducer cabletothesonarunit. Keep thetransducer
cableawayfromotherwiring on the boat, ifpossible. Electrical noise
fromenginewiring or
bilgepumps canbepicked
uponthetransducer cable. Thiscanshowupas
unwanted interference onthesonar
display.
7. Make atestrun to determine the results. If
thereisinterference onthe
display
whenrunning
the boat at high speed, try lowering the
transducer's bracket asshown atright.
8 45
a
Cr
r
100 100
GROUP "K"
,0
-
IMPORTANT!
Clampthetransducer cabletothetransomclose tothetransducer.
Thiswillprevent thetransducerfrom
enteringtheboat if itisknocked
offathighspeed.
FH, J
GROUP "B"
sr
0.01
t*a
0.0
MPH
.Qjj
0.OMI 100
GROUP "A"
ja:• ani;ra
I FEET I I I
45.2 65.4
—2D$DI I
IMILESII MPH I
5.4 2.0
GROUP "C"
OMih:•
I FEET I
51.1
r
I JOLTSI
T—.
12.6 100
FLAT-BO1TOM HULL DEEP-"VEE" HULL
GROUP "D"
GROUP "E" GROUP "P
GROUP"G"
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Ifyou findnoiseinterferencefromanelectricalinstrument,trolling
motor,
pump,orradio,trytoisolatethe problem.
Youcan
usuallyreroutethe sonar
unit's power cableandtransducer cableawayfromthe wiring that is
causing theinterference. VHFradioantennacables radiate noisewhen
transmitting,sobecertaintokeep
thesonar'swires
away
fromit.You
may
needtoroute
thesonarunit's
powercabledirectly
tothe
battery
toisolate
itfromother
wiring
ontheboat.
Ifnonoise
displays
onthesonarunitfrom
electricalequipment,then make
certaineverythingexceptthe sonarunitisturnedoff,thenstartthe
engine.
IncreasetheRPM withthegearshift inneutral. Ifnoise
appears onthe
display,the problemcouldbeoneofthree
things;sparkplugs,alternator,
ortachometer
wiring. Tryusing
resistorsparkplugs, alternatorfilters,
or
routing
thesonar unit'spowercable
awayfromengine wiring. Again,
routingthepowercabledirectlyto the battery helpseliminate noise
problems.Makecertain tousethein-line
fuse
suppliedwiththeunitwhen
wiringthe power
cabletothebattery.
Whennonoise
appearsonthesonarunitafterallofthe
abovetests, then
the noisesource is probably cavitation. Manynovices orpersons with
limitedexperience makehasty sonarinstallationswhichfunctionperfectly
inshallowwater,orwhentheboatisatrest.Innearly allcases,thecause
ofthemalfunctionwillbethelocationand/or
angle
ofthetransducer. The
faceofthetransducer mustbeplacedinalocationthat
hasasmooth flow
ofwateratallboat
speeds.Readyour
transducerowner's manualforthe
bestmountingposition.
WINDOWSSUMMARY
Allofthewindow
groups used bytheX-55Aare shownonthe
following
pages. Toviewthesegroups, simply press theWINDOWS key, then
repeated press
thedownarrow
key.Thiswill"cycle"theunit
through all
groups. Remember, each group canbecustomized, howeverthegroup
willreverttotheonesshown onthesepageswhen
theunitisturnedoff.
SHOOT-THRU-HULL INSTALLATION
Thetransducer installation inside afiberglass hull must be in an area
that does not have air bubbles in the resin or separated fiberglass
layers. Thesonar
signal mustpassthrough solidfiberglass. Asuccess-
ful transducer installation oan bemade on hulls withflotationmaterials
(such as plywood, balsa
wood, orfoam)between layers
offiberglass if
thematerialis removed from the chosenarea. For example, some
manufacturers use a layerof fiberglass, then a core of balsawood,
finishing with anouterlayer
offiberglass. Removing the innerlayerof
fiberglass
andthebalsawoodcore
exposestheouterlayer
offiberglass.
Thetransducer canthen be epoxieddirectly
totheouterlayer offiber-
glass.Afterthe epoxy
cures,thehulliswatertight and structurally sound.
Remember,the
sonar
signal must pass
throughsolid fiberglass. Anyair
bubbles in the
fiberglass
ortheepoxy
willreduceoreliminatethesonar
signals.
Tochoose theproper location forthru-hull mounting, anchortheboatin
60feet ofwater. Adda littlewatertothesumpofthe boat. Plugthe
transducerintothesonarunit,turniton,then hold thetransducerover
FILLWITHEPOXY,J?1 INNER HULL
— ) -a
EpoxyTOHULLFIRST— OUTER HULL
the sideoftheboat. Adjustthe sensitivity and range controlsuntil a
second bottomechoisseen onthedisplay. (you will need toturn the
automatic function offon L.C.G. units.) Don'ttouchthecontrolsonce
they've
beenset. Next,takethetransducer outofthewaterand place
it
inthewaterin thesump oftheboat. Observe thesonar
signal toseeif
thereisanoticeable decrease in
sensitivity. Thesecond bottom
signal
maydisappear and the bottom signal maydecrease inintensity. Move
thetransduceraround tofindthebestlocation. Ifthesensitivity control
hastobeincreased greatly tocompensate,thenthetransducer should
bemountedonthe
outsideofthehull. Ifnot, then markthelocation that
shotthrough the hullthebestand followthe instructions on thenext
pages forashoot-thru-hull mounting.
44 9
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TRANSDUCER LOCATION TRANSDUCER LOCATION 2.Electrical noisefromtheboat'smotorcaninterfere withthesonar.This
Shoot-thru-hull Installation
1. Makecertain theareais clean. dry. and freeofoilorgrease, then
sandboth the inside surface ofthehull andthefaceofthetransducer
with100
gritsandpaper. Thesurface ofthehullmustbeflatsotheentire
transducerfaceisin contactwiththehullprior tobonding.
2. Follow the instructions ontheepoxypackage andmixitthoroughly.
Do not mix it too fast, as itwill cause bubbles to form in the epoxy.
(NOTE!Use onlythe epoxiesspecifiedon page 1 ofthis
manual! Failure
to useone of theseepoxies may result in poorsonar performance!)
Applya small amounton theface ofthetransducer as shown above,
thenspread asmall amountontothesanded areaonthehull. Placethe
causesthesonartoautomatically increase its Discrimination or noise
rejectionfeature.Thiscan
causetheunittoeliminateweaker
signalssuch
asfishorevenstructurefrom
the
display.Tryusingresistorsparkplugsor
routing
thesonar unit's
powerand transducercablesaway fromother
electrical wiring ontheboat.
NofisharcheswhentheFishIDfeatureisoff:
1. Make certaintransducer is pointing straight down. This isthemost
common
problem ifapartialarch isdisplayed.SeetheFishArch section
in
yourowner's manualformore information.
2.Thesensitivity may notbehighenough. Inorderfortheunittodisplay
afisharch,ithastobeabletoreceivethefish'sechofromthetimeitenters
theconeuntilitleaves.Ifthe
sensitivity
isnot
highenough,theunitdisplays
thefishonlywhenitisin thecenterofthecone.
3. UsetheZoomfeature. Itis much easiertodisplay fisharcheswhen
zoomedin onasmall range ofwaterthan a
large one. For example,you
willhavemuchbetterIuckseeingfish archeswithaSOto60footrangethan
a0to60foot
range.
This
enlarges
the
targets,allowingthe displaytoshow
muchmoredetail.
4.Theboat mustbemovingataslow
trolling speedtoseefisharches. If
theboatis motionless,fishstayinthecone, showing onthedisplayas
straight horizontallines.
NOISE
Amajorcauseofsonar problemsiselectrical noise.This
usuallyappears
onthesonar's
displayasrandom patternsofdotsorlines.Inseverecases,
it cancompletely coverthe screen with black dots, orcause the unit
operate erratically, ornotatall.
Toeliminateorminimizetheeffectsofelectricalnoise,firsttryto determine
thecause.Withtheboatatrestinthe
water,thefirstthingyoushoulddo
isturnallelectrical equipmentontheboatoff.Makecertain the
engineis
off, also. Turn your X-55Aon, then turn off ASP (Advanced Signal
Processing). Thereshouldbea steadybottomsignalonthe display.Now
turnoneach piece ofelectricalequipment ontheboatandviewtheeffect
onthesonar's display. For
example, turnonthe bilgepumpandviewthe
sonar
display
fornoise. Ifnonoiseispresent,turnthe
pumpoff,
thenturn
ontheVHFradioand
transmit.Keepdoingthis untilallelectrical
equipment
hasbeenturnedon,theireffectonthe
sonardisplay
noted,thenturnedoff.
(HIGH SPEED) (TROLLING SPEED)
SPREAD
SANDTHISSURFACE
10 43
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terminals orwiring ontheterminals are corroded, orthe battery needs transducerintotheepoxy,twisting and
turning
ittoforce
anyairbubbles
charging.
Unit
freezes,locks up,
or
operateserratically:
1.Electrical noisefromtheboat's motor,trolling motor, oranaccessory
may
beinterferingwiththesonarunit.Rerouting the
powerand
transducer
cablesaway fromotherelectricalwiringontheboatmayhelp. Routethe
sonarunit's
powercable
directly
tothebattery instead ofthrough afuse
block orignition switch
2.Inspect thetransducer cableforbreaks, cuts,orpinched wires.
3.Checkboththetransducerandpowerconnectors.Makecertainbothare
securelyplugged in tothe
unit.
Weakbottom
echo,digitalreadingserratic, ornofishsignals:
1.Makecertaintransducerispointingstraightdown. Cleanthefaceofthe
transducer. Oil,dirt, andfuelcancause afilm toformonthe
transducer,
reducingitseffectiveness. Ifthetransducerismountedinsidethe hull,be
sureit
is
shooting throughonly
one
layeroffiberglassandthatitis securely
bondedtothehull.DoNOTuseRTVsiliconerubberadhesiveorMarinetex
2.Electrical noisefromtheboat'smotorcaninterferewiththesonar.This
causesthesonartoautomatically increase its Discrimination ornoise
rejection
feature.Thiscancausetheunittoeliminateweaker
signalssuch
asfishorevenstructurefromthedisplay.
3.Thewatermaybedeeper than thesonar's ability tofindthebottom.If
thesonarcan'tfindthebottom
signalwhileit'sintheautomaticmode,
the
digitalwillflash continuously. It maychangethe range
tolimitsfargreater
thanthewateryou
arein.Ifthis
happens,placethe
unitinthemanualmode,
then change therange toarealisticone, (forexample, 0-100feet)and
increasethe
sensitivity.Asyou
move
into
shallowerwater, abottomsignal
should
appear.
4. Checkthebattery voltage. Ifthevoltagedrops, theunit'stransmitter
power
alsodrops,reducingitsabilitytofindthebottomortargets.
Bottomechodisappearsathighspeeds orerratic
digitalreadingor
weakbottomechowhileboatismoving
1.Thetransducer maybe in turbulent water. It must be mounted ina
smooth flowofwaterinorderforthesonartoworkatallboat
speeds.Air
bubblesinthewater
disruptthesonar signals,interferingwithitsability
to
findthebottomorother
targets.
Thetechnical termforthis isCavitation.
outfromunderthetransducerface. Thefaceofthe
transducershould
beparallel withthe hull, withaminimum amount ofepoxy between the
hullandtransducer. Aftertheepoxydries, routethe cabletothe
X-55A.
KEYBOARD
Thekeyboardhas
keysarrangedintwo
verticalcolumnsplusahorizontal
rowatthebottom. Thekeys intheleftcolumnareusedtoenternumbers
andmenu selections. Thekeys in therightcolumn activatethewindows
feature and thebasicsonarfunctions. Themenu keyinthebottom
right
cornerofthekeyboardactivates thefirstmenu page.Thekeys alongthe
bottomofthescreen areusedtoactivatethealarm menu, stop
the
chart,
andmake menu selections withthearrowkeys.
WINDOWS -Thiskeygives
youaccesstothewindows
mode,whichlets
youcustomize displays.
SENS -Pressthiskeytoadjust theunit's
sensitivity.
RANGE-This
keyletsyouadjust
therange whentheunitisinthemanual
mode.
ZOOM
-TheX-55A
gives you
2Xand4Xzoom capability withthiskey.
AUTO
-Thisturnstheautomaticfeatureoffand on.
MENU - Press this key to showthe menus and gainaccessto most
functions.
CLEAR-Thiskeyclearsmenusanderases entriesfromthescreen.
ALARM
-Pressthis
keytoactivate any
ofthesonaralarms.
STOP-When thiskey ispressed,thechart
stopsscrolling. Thisdoesn't
affectthe
digitaldisplay, however.
ARROWKEYS
-Thesekeys
areusedtomakemenu selectionsandto
move
objects
onthescreen.
ON-TheONkeyturnstheX-55Aon.
OFF
-Press and HOLDtheOffkeytoturntheX-55Aoff.
42 11
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DISPLAY
-General Themostefficientwaytobecome
acquainted with abody
ofwater isto
Thelightsareturnedonfor
approximatelytensecondswhentheX-55Ais
firstturnedon.Menusappearatthe sametime.To
keep
the
lights
on,
press
the
keyadjacent tothe
Light
label.Itcontrolsthe
backlighting usedonthe
display
and
keyboard. Ifyou
don'twantthe
lightson,waittensecondsand
the lightswill automatically turn themselves off. The menus will also
disappear
aftertenseconds, oryou canturnthemoffby pressing the
CLEAR
keyatthebottomofthescreen.
TheMetriclabelatthe
top
ofthescreen worksthesame
way. Pressthe
keyadjacent
totheMetriclabeltochange the
depthfromfeettometers.
Thisalso changes the
temperature display
todegreesCelsius,speed to
knots,
and logtokilometers ontheX-55A.
The
Display menuatthebottomofthescreenletsyou
adjustthedisplay's
contrastforthebest
viewingangle.Pressing theleftarrow keydecreases
the
contrast,
therightarrowincreases it.Aftersettingthecontrastforthe
bestviewingangle, press the CLEAR keyto erase themenu orwait
approximatelyten secondsanditwillautomaticallyerase.Seethe Display
Contrastsectionformoreinformation onthisfeature.
WhentheX-55A
isfirstturned
on,
the
displaywillappear
similartotheone
atleft. Theword"AUTO" inthe
upper
leftcornerofthedisplayindicates
theautomaticfeature ison.The
digital
bottom
depthalsoshowsin
thisbox.
survey
itwithyourX-55A. Startwithamap ofthelake, ifpossible,and
indicate the
promising spots
in relationtolandmarks onshore.
Asyougoabout
yoursurvey, your
X-55Awilltell you the
depthandtype
ofbottom. Itwillalso revealsuspendedfish.
Keep afewmarker buoysinthe
boat, readytotossoverboard. Whenthe
X-55Aindicates aschoolof
fish,throwthe
buoy
out.Withtheschoolthus
marked,you
canmakeyourturn andcomebacktofishin
exactlytheright
spot.Thisisessentialwhenyou're
farfromshoreona
big
lake.
Unlessyou
marktheschool offish when
you're
over
it,youmaynotbeabletofindit
again.
BAITFISH
The
importanceofbaitfishtosuccessfulfishing can'tbe
overemphasized.
They
aretheprinciplefoodofallgamefish in most
waters.
Baitfisharethe
planktonfeedingforage
fish,suchasminnowsandshad.
They
canalsobethe
youngofgame fish, such
ascrappies, bluegill,and
bass.
Mostbaitfishconcentrate within fivefeetofthesurfacewhere
sunlight
promotes thegrowth ofthe
plankton onwhich theyfeed. Onemethodof
fishing istousetheX-55Atofindthebaitfishfirst.WiththeFishIDfeature
off,aschoolofbait
fishwilllooklikea"cloud"onthe
display.Usually,game
fishwillbenearby, oftendirectly
beneaththeschool ofbaitfish.
TROUBLESHOOTING
If
yourunitisnot
working, orifyou need technical help, please usethe
followingtroubleshootingsection beforecontacting the
factory
customer
service
department. Itmaysaveyou
thetroubleofreturningyour unit.
Unitwon'tturnon:
1.Checkthe
power
cable's connection attheunit.Alsocheckthe
wiring.
2.Makecertainthe
power
cableiswired
properly.Theredwireconnects
tothepositive batteryterminal, blacktonegativeorground.
3.Checkthefuse.
4.Measurethe
batteryvoltage attheunit's power
connector. Itshouldbe
atleast11 volts.Ifitisn't, thewiring totheunitisdefective, thebattery
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SURVEYINGALAKE
Themostsuccessfulanglers on
anybody
ofwaterare
thosewhofishit
day
afterdayandyearafter
year. Eventually,theylearn thehotspotsthat
producefish consistently.They
discover
throughexperience where, and
atwhat
depth,theycanexpectto
findthefish
theywant
at
any
season.And
they realize that theseproductive areas change throughout theyear
dependingonwater level,temperature, food, and otherfactors. Withthe
X-55A, anyone caneliminate guesswork and concentrate onthe areas
wherefisharelikelytobe.Even ifit'sthefirsttimeon
thelake!
MENUS
The X-55Auses menus ex-
tensivelytoguide
youthrough
thefunctionsandfeatures
of
the unit. The menu key ac-
cesses many of these fea-
tures,allowingyou
tocustom-
ize theunittoyourparticular
needs and waterconditions.
Although you may have to
leave one menu and enter
another to reach the desired
function, allyouhavetodois
press
themenukey toselectthenextmenu. If
you
ever
get
lostina
menu,
simplypress
theCLEAR key.
HELP
An
extremely usefulfeature incorporatedintotheX-55Aseriesisthe
1-leIp
menus. Virtuallyevery featurehasa
help
menulabel
that,when pressed,
gives
oneor more pagesoftext describing howtousethatfeature. For
example, pressingtheAUTO keybringsupamenu lettingyouswitchthe
unitintooroutofthe
automatic mode. Ahelplabelalsoappears onthe
screen. Pressingthe
keyadjacentto
the
help
labelgivesyou a
description
ofhowautomaticworksandhow itaffectsdifferentfunctions.
SONAR
OPERATION -AUTOMATIC
WhentheX-55Aisfirstturned
on,
theAutomaticfeatureisenabled.This
isindicated bytheword"AUTO" atthe
top
ofthescreen. TheAutomatic
feature
adjusts
the
sensitivity and rangesothebottom signal isdisplayed
in thelowerhalfofthescreen atalltimes.
ToturnAutomatic off, firstpresstheAUTO
key. Amenu appears atthe
bottomofthescreenabovethe
leftand
right
arrows. Pressthe
leftarrowkeytoswitchtothe
manual mode, then pressthe
CLEARkeyto
erasethemenu.
Theletters"Man"appear inthe
upper
leftcornerofthe
display,
indicating the unit is in the
manual mode. To turn Auto-
matic
on,presstheAUTO
key
again, thenpress the right ar-
rowkey.
J4flPS/A? 83°
78°
77°
760
75°
680
56°
50°
470
40 13
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SENSITIVITY Big rocksorstumps on asmooth bottom send back
signals above the
Thesensitivity keyontheX-55Acontrolstheabilityoftheunittopickup
echoes. Alowsensitivity levelexcludes muchofthebottom information,
fishsignals, andother
target
information. High sensitivity levelsenables
you
toseethisdetail,butitcanalsoclutterthe
screenwith
many
undesired
signals. Typically, the bestsensitivity level shows a good solid bottom
signal withGraylineandsomesurface clutter.
WhentheX-55A
isintheAutomaticmode, the
sensitivity isautomatically
adjusted tokeepasolid bottom signaldisplayed, plusalittle more. This
gives
itthe
capability
toshowfishand otherdetail.
However,
situations occurwhereitbecomes necessary to increase or
decreasethe
sensitivity.This typicallyhappenswhenyou
wishtoseemore
detail,
soanincrease insensitivity isindicated. The
proceduretoadjust
it
isthesamewhethertheunitisin the
automatic ormanual mode.
Toadjust the
sensitivity,presstheSENSkey.The sensitivityadjustmenu
appears
atthebottomofthescreen.
The
sensitivity
menuhasleftandrightarrows, plusahorizontalbargraph.
Thegraphgivesavisualindication ofthesensitivity level. Thenumber
abovetheINCarrow
also showsthe
percentage ofsensitivityin use.
Toincrease thesensitivity level,press
theright arrow key.Asyoupress
thekey, the menu's bargraph will grow widerand thepercentage will
increase invalue.Youcanalsoseethedifference onthechartrecord as
itscrolls.Whenthesensitivity isatthedesired level,release the
key.
Todecrease
thesensitivitylevel, pressthekeyadjacent totheleftarrow.
Thebargraphand
percentage
willdecrease. Whenthe
sensitivityisatthe
desired level, release thekey.
When you reach either the
maximum orminimum limit, a
tonesounds.
bottom
level
signal.The heightofthe signaldependson thetarget's height.
Asyou
pass
overa
post,
itshouldbe
clearlyvisible
asashortlineextending
abovethebottom
signal.
Asteepslope
returnsawide
signal,the steeperthewider.Signalsreturned
fromahigh underwatercliffareusuallythewidestofall.
WATERTEMPERATURE ANDTHERMOCLINES
Water
temperaturehasan important-ifnot
controlling-influenceuponthe
activitiesofallfish. Fisharecoldbloodedand
theirbodiesarealways the
temperature ofthe surrounding water. During the winter, colderwater
slows downtheirmetabolism. Atthistime,theyneedabout afourth as
much food asthey consume inthesummer.
Most
fishdon't
spawnunlessthe watertemperature
iswithinrathernarrow
limits. Asurface temperature meterhelps identify the desired surface
water
spawningtemperaturesforvarious species. Trout
can'tsurvive in
streams
thatget toowarm. Bass and otherfish eventuallydieoutwhen
stockedin lakesthatremaintoocold duringthe
summer.Whilesomefish
havea
widertemperature tolerancethan
others,eachhasacertainrange
within
which ittriestostay.Schoolingfish suspendedover
deepwaterlie
atthelevelthat
providesthistemperature.Weassumethey
arethemost
comfortable here.
Thetemperature
ofwaterinthelakeisseldomconstantfrom topto
bottom.
(See
the
pictureonthenext page.)Layers ofdifferenttemperatures
form,
andthe
junction ofawarmandcool layer
ofwateriscalledathermocline.
Thedepth andthickness ofthethermocline canvary
withtheseasonor
timeofday.Indeep lakestheremay
betwoormore atdifferentdepths.
Thermoclines areimportant tofishermen because theyareareaswhere
fish areactive. Manytimesbaitfishwillbeabovethethermoclinewhile
largergamefishwillsuspend inor just
below it.
TheX-55Acandetectthisinvisiblelayerinthe
water,butthe sensitivitywill
probably
havetobeturneduptoseeit.
WhentheFish l.D.mode isoff, thedepth ofthewaterwillaffectthesize
andshapeofthefish arch duetothecone angle diameter.For
example,
ifthecone
passesoverafishinshallowwater,the
signaldisplayedonthe
X-55A
may
notarchatall.Thisisduetothenarrowconediameterandthe
resolution limitationsofthe
display.
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RANGE -Automatic
When turned on forthe firsttime,theX-55Aautomatically places the
bottomsignal inthelowerhalf
ofthescreen. ThisiscalledAutoRanging
and ispart of the automatic function. The range cannot be changed
manuallywhiletheunit
isinautomatic.
RANGE
-Manual
TheX-55A
givesyou
controloverthe
rangewhenit'sinthemanualmode.
Tochange the
range,firstmakecertaintheX-55A
isinthemanual mode.
Next,press
theRANGE key.Therangeadjustment
menu appears inthe
lowerright corner ofthedisplay. Press theupordownarrowkeysto
decreaseorincrease
the
range. __________________________________
10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 100, 150, ___________________________
Theavailable ranges are0-5,
200, 300, 500, 800, and 1000
feet.Afterthe
desired rangeis
displayed, press the CLEAR
keytoerase therange menu. \CHANGE UPPER LIMIT I 29
NOTE:Thedepthcapability of ______
the X-55A depends on the ___________
transducer installation, water
and bottom conditions, and _________________
otherfactors.
Oneofthebest
ways
toget fish archesistoexpand or"zoom"a
segment
ofthewater.
Forexample,
from
45to60feet.Thesmallerthe
segment,the
betterthescreen resolutionwillbe.Theeasiestwayto
dothisontheX-55A
iswiththeZoomfeature.Thisfeature expandstheechoes,makingit
easier
toseedetail. Forthebest
results,turnthe sensitivityupas high
aspossible
withoutgetting toomuchnoiseonthescreen.Inmediumto
deepwater,
this
method
shouldworktodisplay fish arches.
Ifyou
seefishsignals wheictheunitisinthemanualmode, butdon't
get
fishsymbols
whentheFishl.D.featureison,try
increasingthe sensitivity.
SIGNAL INTERPRETATION
YourX-55Agivesan accurate picture ofthebottomthat your boat is
passing.Abottom offirm
sand,
gravel, shell,orhard
clayreturnsa fairly
wide
signal.Iftheautomaticmodeisoffandthe
signalnarrowsdown,then
it
meansthatyou havemovedoveramud
bottom.Mudabsorbsthesound
waveand returns aweak
signal. Turn upthesensitivity toseea better
bottomsignal.
RANGE
-Upperand LowerLimits
TheX-55Aletsyouchange the
upper
andlower
range limitswhenit'sin
the manual mode. Thislets you"zoom"in on
segments ofthewateras
smallas5feet. Inother
words,youcansettheupper
limitto30feetand
thelowerlimitto35
feet,regardless ofthebottom depth.Thisin
essence,
givesyou
aSfootzoom.
Youcanchoose
anysegment
of
thewater,
as
long
asthedistancebetween the
upper
limitandlowerlimitis5feet
(2meters,
1 fathom)ormore. Usingthezoomfeature
(described inthenext section)
Ietsyou
viewa
segmentof
thewateron
thescreen'srightside(forexample,
from20to30
feet),andazoomofthatsegment
ontheleft.
Tochange the upperorlowerlimit, first makecertain theunitis in the
manual mode.Next, presstheRANGE key. The menu shown above
appears.Now pressthe keynexttothe"CHANGEUPPER LIMIT"label
to
change theupper limit or"CHANGE LOWER LIMIT" labeltochange
the
lowerlimit.We're
changing theupper
limitinthisexample.Afterpressing
the
keynexttothe
"CHANGE UPPERLIMIT" label, thescreenshown at
the
topofthenextpageappears.
BOATS DIRECTIONOF
TRAVEL
4.
p
A B C
(CHiNGE LOWER
LIMIT I
___ ___
48
i0EHAL 150
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Using
thenumberedkeys,enteranumberforthe
upper
Iimitthatisatleast _________
ZOOM
Enlargingor"zooming"thepictureisacommonmethpdusedtoshowsmall
detailandfishsignals.TheX-55A
givesyou
twodifferentzoom
sizes,plus
a
splitscreen
zoom
option.The
zoom
operationand adjustmentisdifferent
intheautomatic andmanual modes.
ZOOM -AUTOMATIC MODE
Tozoomthe
display
in
theautomatic mode,first
press
theZOOMkey. All
targets
onthedisplayareenlarged fourtimesnormal size
automatically.
Themenus shown belowalso appear.
Turnthezoomfeature
on(oroff)bypressingthe
keyadjacentto
the"OFF!
ON"label.
Pressingthe keyadjacentto
the"2X14X"label
enlarges
echoes
fromtwotimes
tofourtimestheirnormal size.
To switch between the split
screen zoom and full screen
zoom,press thekeyadjacent
tothe"SPLIT/FULL"label.The
screen instantlysplits intotwo
sections asshownatthe
top
of
thenext
page.Alltargets
onthe
leftsideofthescreenareshown
at four times thesize of the
onesonthe
right. If youswitch
tothe2Xzoom mode, echoes
ontheleftsideofthescreenare
FISHARCHES
Fisharchesarecreated
whentheconeofsound passesoverafish.The
distancetoafishwhentheconefirststrikes itisshownas"A"onthenext
page.Whenthecenterof
theconestrikesthe
fish,thedistanceisshorter
asshown "B".As
theconeleavesthe
fish,
thedistanceincreases
againas
shown in
Very
smallfishprobably willnotarch atall. Mediumsizedfishwillshowa
partialarch,ora shapesimilartoan
archif
they're
in
deep
water.Largefish
will arch, butturn the sensitivity up in deeperwaterto seethe arch.
Becauseofwater
conditions,suchas
heavy
surfaceclutter,thermoclines,
etc.,thesensitivity sometimes cannot beincreased enough togetfish
arches.
fivefeetlessthanthe
lowerlimit. Inthis case, weentered40, giving a20
footzoom.Whenyou've
enteredthe desiredupperlimit,pressthe
uparrow
key
atthebottomof
thescreen. ________ ______________________
The unit returns tothe sonar qg3
screenwiththenewupper
limit. 0
Changethelowerlimitthesame
way.
Usingtheupperand
lower
limitsinthis manner lets you
expand a segmentof water
quickly
and
easily.
1
ENUMBERKEYSTO
USE RIGHT ARROW
TO BACKSPACE.
L ___
•12
29
36
q8
60
20degree
TRANSDUCER CONE ANGLES
8degree
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theAUTO
keyagain
toswitchit. PresstheCLEARkeyto
erasetheAUTO! _________________ ________________ shown attwicethesizeasthe
MANmenu.
All of theX-55A's features adjustthe same with the Broadview on.
Sensitivity,Range,Grayline®and
alltheothers
adjusteitherusing
thefront
panelbuttonsorthrough
menuselections.The
onlydifference
iswhentwo
charts are showing onthedisplayatthesametime.Youwillgetanew
menu,lettingyou
switchbetweencharts.This
givesyou
the
abilityto
have
differentranges, sensitivitysettings, etc., oneachchart.
TRANSDUCER CONEANGLES
Thesoundwavesfromthetransducerspread outintothewaterinacone
shapedbeam.Thislooksmuchlike
thebeamfroma
flashlight.Theangle
betweentheoutside
edges oftheconeisthecone angle.
Lowrance
offersachoiceoftransducerswitheitheran 8or2Odegreecone
angle.ThetransducersuppliedwiththeX-55A hasa2o degreecone angle.
Typically,
widecone
angletransducers (20degrees)
areideal
foroperating
inshallowtomediumwater
depths.The20degreecone angleallows you
toseemoreoftheunderwaterworid. In15feetofwaterthe2o
degreecone
coversanareaaboutsixfeetacross.TheBdegreetransducercovers only
aboutatwofootcircle.
The20degreetransducerisalmost
alwaysthebesttouseinfresh
water,
thea
degreemostlyinsaltwater.Ina deepwaterenvironment, (300
feet
-freshwater,1Oofeet-
saltwater)the narrowconeangle ismoredesirable.
Sincethesoundenergy isconcentrated ina
smallerarea, itcan
penetrate
tomuchdeeperdepths.
Both8
degree
and20
degree
transducersgiveaccuratebottomreadings,
eventhoughthebottom
signalismuch
wide!
onthe20
degreemodel.This
isbecause youareseeing moreofthebottom. Remember,theshallow
edgeofthe signalshows you
thetruedepth. Therestofthe
signaltells you
whether
youare over
rocks, mud, etc.
iftheconepasses overafishinshallow
water,the signaldisplayed onthe
X-55A
may
notarchatall.Thisisduetothenarrowconediameterandthe
resolutionlimitationsofthe
display.
onesontheright.Theechoes
that scroll acrossthe screen
aretheexact
sameechoes
on
both sides of the screen.
They'resimplyenlarged on
the
left side. This featuretracks
the bottom, keeping itonthe
displayatall times,
whenthe
automatic featureison.Once
you've set thezoom as de-
sired,
press
theCLEARkeyto
erase themenus.
ZOOM-MANUALMODE
When youpressthezoom
key
whiletheunitisin themanual mode, the
screen shown below appears. All of the menus on this screen work
identically as described above. However, one additional menu item is
shownwhentheunitisinthemanual mode: "ADJUST".
Toadjust the zoom, press the
keyadjacent tothe"ADJUST"
label.Ascreensimilartotheone
belowappears.Azoombarand
adjust arrows appear on the
screen. Theechoes onthe left
side ofthescreen arethe ones
that
appearbetweenthe
top
and
the bottom of the zoom bar.
Pressthe
up
ordown
arrowkeys
to move the zoom bar up or ___________
down.Asyouadjust the zoom
bar,
theechoesmoveontheleftsideofthescreen atthesametime.The
zoomadjust menuswillautomatically clearafewsecondsafteryou've
pressed
thelastkey. Remember,theX-55Awon'ttrackthe
bottomwhen
it'sinthemanual mode.
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SONARALARMS thenitshowsechoesfromboth.
TheX-55Ahasthree
different
types
ofsonaralarms.ThefirstistheFish
Alarm. ItsoundswhentheFishl.D.featuredeterminesanechoorgroup
ofechoesisafish.AnotheralarmistheZoneAlarm whichconsistsofabar.
Any
echothatappearsinsidethisbartriggersthealarm.Thelastalarm is
calledthe
DepthAlarm. Onlythebottomsignalwill trigger
thisalarm.This
isusefulasananchor
watch, ashallowwater alert,orfornavigation.
Toadjust analarm, firstpresstheALARM key. Thescreenshown below
appears.Pressthe key
nexttothedesiredalarm'slabeltoadjust itortoturn
iton.
FISHALARM
Usethefish alarmforadistinc-
fiveaudiblealarmwhenfishor
other suspended objectsare
detectedby theFish 1.0. fea-
ture.Adifferenttonesoundsfor
eachfish symbolsize shown
onthe
display.
Tousethis
alarm,
simplypressthekeynexttothe
"TURNFISHALMON" label.
SET DEPTH 4LARNS
n
SET ZONE 4LPM
jTLJKN FISH ALF1LII
a
ZONE ALM UN
ZONEALARM
Thezonealarmconsists ofa barthat appears onthe right sideofthe
screen. Anyechothat
appearsonthescreen betweenthe top
andbottom
ofthezonealarm'sbarwill"trip" thezonealarm. (Note:Thezone alarm
isn'tavailable intheWindows mode.)
Tosetthezonealarm, presstheALARM key.Now
press
thekeynextto
the "Set ZoneAlarm" label. Ascreen similar to the one shown below
appears. _________
Thezonealarm
barappears on
the right side of the screen.
Usethearrow
keys
tomovethe
bottom of the bar higher or
lower. Tomove the
topofthe
bar,firstpressthekeynextto _____________________
the"CHANGE TOUPPER"la ____
bel.Nowusethearrow
keys
to
movethe
top
ofthebar
higher
or lower. When youhavethe
When either the left or right
transducerelements areinuse,
the display scrollstheechoes
fromthe
top
ofthe
display
tothe
bottom, insteadoffromrightto
left.Onthe
example
screenson
the previous page , both the
right and left transducer ele-
ments areinuse.Thebottom
echoshowsonthefarleftside
oftheleftelement'sdisplayand
thefar
right
sideoftherightelement'sdisplay.Theclosera
targetistothe
zeroline,thecloserthe
targetistoyour
boat.
WhentheFishIDfeatureis
on,
FishIDsymbolsappearon thescreenwhen
theunit's
computerthinks targetsarefish.IftheFishTracklMfeatureison,
the
distancefromtheboattothe
symbol shows beneaththefishsymbol.
(Note:FishIDand FishTrackTM only
workwhentheautomaticmodeison.
Thesefeatures are notavailable whenthesonarunit is in the manual
mode.)Thelabelatthe top
ofthescreenshowswhichtransducerelement
isinuseand therange.Inthe
example screen onthe previouspage,the
rangeis60feetandtheunitis using boththeleft and righttransducer
elements.To
change elements,presstheWINDOWSkey,
then
pressthe
upordownarrowkeyuntil thedesired screen appears. TheX-55Acan
showleftanddown,rightanddown,orbothleftandrightviewsatthesame
time.
AUTOMATIC vsMANUALOPERATION
Yoursonar unitcanusetheBroadViewTM transducerin either theauto-
maticormanual mode.Theabovescreenshowsascreenwithautomatic
and
FishIDon.Thescreen shownbelowshowsamuchdifferentviewwith
automatic and Fish IDoff.This
viewshows the scattered sig-
nals (called "surface clutter)
nearthesurface andactualso-
narreturns fromobjects inthe
water, structure, and thebot-
tom.
To switch between automatic
and manual modes, press the
AUTO key to view the auto-
matic/manual
menu,
then
press
IMSMTII
Ii SET ZONE
IILOWER LIMIT
(CHANGE TO UPPER
I
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