Marcum Technologies Showdown Troller User manual

Showdown Troller
Digital Fish Finder
User Manual
www.marcumtech.com

Versa Electronics www.marcumtech.com
- 2 -
Table of Contents
About Your New Showdown Troller Handheld Fish Finder ...............3
Included In Your Showdown Troller Package .........................3
Getting Started ................................................4
12 Volt Rechargeable Battery Option ...............................4
Showdown Troller Features .......................................4
Power .....................................................4
Simulator Mode .............................................4
Ice Mode ...................................................5
Other Showdown Troller Features .................................7
Tips For Using Your Showdown Troller ..............................7
How do I “see” my lure? ......................................8
Will the Showdown Troller read through the ice? ...................8
Caring For Your Showdown Troller .................................8
Troubleshooting ...............................................9
Unit will not power up: ........................................9
Unit turns on but will not read bottom: ...........................9
Screen seems to be getting heavy interference, with lots of “clutter”: ...9
Display only shows 32’ ........................................9
Showdown Troller Specifications .................................10
One-Year Limited Warranty .....................................10
How to Obtain Service .........................................10

Versa Electronics www.marcumtech.com
- 3 -
About Your New Showdown Troller Handheld Fish Finder
Congratulations! Your new Showdown Troller Digital Fish Finder is a palm-
sized sonar device with full size performance. For use in either ice-fishing or
open water situations…quickly “troll” from hole to hole while ice-fishing or
shoot through your canoe or kayak order to find fish and the correct depth.
The ultimate in portability is matched to ShowDown’s proven Crystal-Quick®
vertical display. The sonar instantly locks on to bottom, and clearly displays
the location of fish and your lure, anywhere in the water column. The Troller
delivers unmatched performance and is the most intuitive and easy to use
system on the market… the future of ice-fishing electronics is here! The
simplicity of ShowDown’s sonar presentation, as well as the user-friendliness
of the interface enables you to catch more fish and have more fun. You
will now spend more time actually fishing, and less time trying to figure out
how to interpret what your sonar unit is showing you. Simply turn on your
Showdown Troller, and immediately begin observing the action below. The
ShowDown’s Auto Depth Range feature immediately locks on to the proper
depth range, while also displaying digital depth at all times.
Standard features included in the Showdown Ice Troller are:
•25-levelnoisesensitivity
•10-levelnoise/interferencerejection
•Icemode
•DepthmeasurementinStandardorMetric
•5or10footbottomlockzoom
•Batterystatusdisplay
All these features combine into the most precise, yet simple-to-use sonar unit
on the market. Thank you for making this purchase—you’ll be glad you did.
Included In Your Showdown Troller Package
•ShowdownTrollerHandheldsonarUnit
•6-feettransducer/powercableand200kHz-20Degreetransducer
•NeckLanyard
•User’sManual
•WarrantyCard

Versa Electronics www.marcumtech.com
- 4 -
Getting Started
YournewShowdownTrollerDigitalFishFinderrunson6AAbatteries(not
included). Open up the battery compartment located in the back of the unit
andinsert6AAbatteriesintothebatterycompartmentandreplacethecover.
Next, take one looped end of the neck lanyard and feed it through the neck
lanyard slot located on the “bottom” on the Troller Unit. Take the other looped
end, and pass it through the loop that has been fed through the slot to secure
thelanyardtotheTrollerunit.Finally,simplysecuretheplugonthe6’trans-
ducer cord in to the power plug on the back of the unit and your Showdown
Trollerisnowreadytobeused.The6AAbatterieswillpoweryourShowdown
Troller unit for up to 20 hours of continuous use.
12 Volt Rechargeable Battery Option
TheTrollerunitcanalsobepoweredbyusing12Vrechargeablebattery(not
included).Thepower/transducercordthatcomeswiththeTrollerunitis
equipped with a 12V “pig-tail” lead that can be attached to an optional acces-
sory, the Showdown Troller Performance Pack. The Troller unit can be placed
in and removed from the performance pack with ease by using the Quick-
Slide bracket that comes with the performance pack. Feel free to keep AA
batteries in place while using the performance pack—when you are connected
to the big battery, you will be using current from the big battery. Should you
choose to go on a “scouting mission”, you can quickly and easily disconnect
the pigtail connection to return to running on AA battery power.
Showdown Troller Features
The ShowDown’s straightforward control panel is designed to let you concen-
trateonshing.Mostsettingsworkbyrstactivatingthefunctionitself(ex:
pressSENStotriggersensitivityadjustment),thensimplypresstheUPor
DOWNkeystoadjustlevels.
POWER ON— To turn the Showdown Troller POWER to ON, press and hold
POWER key for two seconds. The unit will beep, and a message will appear
briefly at the bottom of the screen—this message indicates which software
edition that your system is equipped with, and whether ICE MODE is on or
off.(SeebelowtoactivateICEMODE).Itisnormaltoheara“ticking”sound
coming from the transducer whenever the Troller is operating.
POWER OFF— To turn the Showdown Troller POWER to OFF, press and hold
POWER for two seconds. Showdown Troller automatically preserves your
sonar settings the next time you activate unit.
BACKLIGHT— To turn backlight on, turn Showdown Troller POWER ON, then
pressPOWERkeyagain(donotholdkeydown).Toturnbacklightoff,press
POWERmomentarilyagain(donotholdbuttondown).
SIMULATOR— With Showdown Troller POWER OFF, enter SIMULATOR mode
by pressing and holding POWER key for 5 seconds. “SI” will appear on the
bottom of the screen, indicating you are in SIMULATOR mode. SIMULATOR
mode shows how the bottom, a lure and fish would appear on the screen if
you were fishing in 32’ of water. To exit SIMULATOR mode, turn the Show-
down Troller POWER to OFF, then turn unit back ON. While in SIMULATOR

Versa Electronics www.marcumtech.com
- 5 -
mode, it is easy to experiment with the various settings to see how they work
and what effect they have on your display. While in SIMULATOR mode, you
will not hear the “ticking” sound coming from the transducer.
ICE MODE— Your Showdown Troller sonar offers exclusive ICE MODE, a
feature unique to Versa Electronics brand sonar units, which allows for seam-
less operation in the coldest conditions. With ICE MODE active, Showdown
Troller triggers an internal LCD heater that keeps the liquid crystals moving at
their normal super high speeds, regardless of sub-freezing temperature. This
means that anglers no longer have to worry about their sonar “slowing down”
due to freezing liquid crystals. While this feature is called “Ice Mode”, you may
find that your showdown performs better under a wide variety of conditions
when in “ICE” mode. The extra amount of power used to operate the LCD
heater is insignificant.
NOTE: If your Showdown Troller is left in extreme cold for an extended time
period with the POWER turned OFF, allow one to two minutes for the Ice
Mode LCD heater to warm the crystals sufficiently, after POWER has been
turned ON, and ICE Mode has been activated. After the ICE Mode LCD heater
has been running for an extended period, it is perfectly normal for the Show-
down Troller power-head to feel warm.
TO INITIATE ICE MODE, simply press the UP and DOWN buttons simultane-
ously. You will now see the message “ICE ON” flash briefly at the bottom of
the screen. The internal LCD heater is now activated. To exit ICE mode and
return Showdown Troller to normal operating mode, press the UP and DOWN
keys simultaneously. The message “ICE OFF” will now flash briefly at the
bottom of the screen.
SENSITIVITY— The Showdown Troller is a highly sensitive sonar unit capable
ofreadingthetiniestofsolidobjectsbelow.Itfeaturesa25-leveladjustable
Sensitivity function with surface clutter elimination. Ideally, Sensitivity should
be set at the lowest level possible to still view your lure and surrounding fish,
while at the same time “tuning out” excessive clutter in the water column.
Clutter can make reading the sonar screen more difficult. Clutter can be
caused by any number of suspended items, including algae, zooplankton, tiny
bubbles, and other particles.
If you’re seeing too much clutter, simply decrease the Sensitivity level until the
clutter disappears. Conversely, if you’re not reading your lure directly below
the transducer, consider increasing the Sensitivity level. In most cases, you
will have the best performance with the Sensitivity set between 5 and 10. To
adjustShowdownTrollerSENSITIVITY,presstheSENS/ZOOMbutton.The
“SENS” indicator will appear at the lower left of view-screen, along with a
numberthatindicatestheSensitivitysetting(0to25)atthebottomofthe
screen. With the SENS indicator activated, press the UP or DOWN key to
increase or decrease sonar SENSITIVITY to the desired level.
ZOOM—The Troller has a bottom lock zoom feature that allows the user
to have a close-up look at the bottom 5 or 10 feet of the water column. To
activatethebottom-lockzoom,pressandholdtheSENS/ZOOMbuttonfor
approximately 4 seconds, and the display will change to show the bottom 10

Versa Electronics www.marcumtech.com
-6-
feet of the water column. Press and hold the button again, and the display will
nowshowthebottom5feetofthewatercolumn.ToexitZOOM,pressand
hold the button again, and you will be back to full water column view.
RANGE— The Showdown Troller is equipped with 5-separate depth ranges—
20,40,60,80,and120’.Regardlessofthemanualdepthrangesetting,
Showdown Troller will always display digital depth down to 120’, even if bottom
is deeper than the bottom limit of your current RANGE setting.
AUTO RANGE—In Auto Range mode, Showdown Troller will automatically
lock into the depth range appropriate to the depth of the water. For instance,
in 32-feet of water, Showdown Troller will automatically lock in at the 40-foot
depth range. Auto Range allows you to simply turn on the power and begin
fishing. Your Ice Troller is in Auto Range Mode when you turn it on.
MANUAL RANGE—TomanuallyadjusttheTroller’sdepthrange,press
theRANGE/METRICkey.Thiswillcausethedigitaldepthmarkerstoash
on-and-off, indicating that the sonar has switched from AUTO RANGE mode
to MANUAL RANGE mode. While the display is flashing, press either the UP
orDOWNkeytotogglebetweendepthranges—20-FT,40-FT,60-FT,80-FT,
120FT, Pressing UP moves RANGE to the next shallower depth zone; DOWN
movestothenextdeeperzone.TogobacktoAutoRange,presstheRANGE/
METRICkey,thenpresstheUPkey(movingRangetothenextshallower
setting) until the Range passes the 20-foot range by one step. At this point, you
see a flashing “A” icon instead of the FEET indicator. To return to manual range,
simplypressRANGE/METRICagain,andscrollDOWNtothedesiredrange.
METRIC— To change your display to read in meters rather than feet, press and
holdtheRANGE/METRICforapproximately4seconds.Wheninmetricmode,
all depth measurements, including zoom functions, will be displayed in meters.
Repeat this process to return to measurements in feet.
NOISE (Interference Rejection)—Theunit’sNoiseRejectionfeatureallows
you to use your Showdown Troller in close proximity to other sonar units, trolling
motors, and other electronic devices without experiencing excessive signal
interference.Aten(10)levelNoiseRejectionfunctionallowsyoutoadjusttoa
widerangeofrejectionlevels.If“noiseinterference”occurs,increasetheNoise
Rejectionleveluntilyoueffectivelyeliminatethesignalinterference.Toadjust
theTroller’sNOISERejectioncontrol,simplypresstheNOISE/BATTbutton
once. The message “noi” will start to blink at the bottom of the screen, followed
byanumber.ThisnumberindicatesthelevelofNOISErejectionyouareat.
Pressing the UP or DOWN button at this time will change this number and
yourlevelofnoiserejection.Continuetoadjustuntilinterferenceiseliminated.
Afterapproximately5-seconds,allnoiserejectiondatawilldisappearfromthe
screen, but still be active.
BATTERY STATUS—PressandholdtheNOISE/BATTbuttonforapproximately
4 seconds and your battery status will appear, reflected in a percentage of
0-100 at the bottom of the display. This status indicator will disappear after a
few seconds.

Versa Electronics www.marcumtech.com
- 7 -
Other Showdown Troller Features
Backlight— Your Showdown Troller offers a warm “nightglow” backlight that
actually accentuates the pixels in the display. The backlight can be turned on
or off by briefly pressing the POWER button after unit is ON.
Digital Depth— The digital depth display on the Showdown Troller sonar
provides a quick and easy way to determine depth. Digital Depth is always
displayed in the bottom of the display. In addition, the digital depth scale
indices are shown to the left of the display area for quickly determining the
depth of fish or your lure.
Low Battery Warning— When battery power reaches very low levels, a
low battery indicator will appear and flash at the top right of the display. An
audible beep will also sound every 30 seconds. This signifies that it is time to
replacethe6AAbatteries,orrechargethe12voltbattery.
“Last Settings” Memory— Your Showdown Troller automatically remembers
the settings you used last. So when it is turned OFF and then ON again, your
previous settings will be preserved and active.
Tips For Using Your Showdown Troller
Setting up the transducer: When placing the Showdown Troller Transducer
in an ice- hole or over the side of a watercraft, the transducer will automati-
cally level itself—accurately displaying the water depth and other underwater
features like fish and weeds. When using the transducer to “shoot through”
the bottom of a canoe, kayak or other watercraft, be sure that the bottom
of the transducer is level before attempting to shoot through, so a positive
bottom reading can be seen. Many anglers successfully shoot through the
hull of their canoe or kayak by placing a wet towel on the floor of their boat,
then placing the transducer on top of that. When Ice-Fishing, we recommend
having transducer down the least amount possible. The Showdown Ice Troller
puts out enough power that in most cases it is not necessary to have your
transducer down more than a few inches below the water line to get a good
reading. When the ice thickness is over two feet, it may be necessary to have
your transducer set farther down. Remember--the less transducer cable you
have out, the easier it is to pull it out of the water when bringing in a fish, or to
move to a new location.
How to Read the Showdown Troller sonar signals: The Showdown Troller
displaysthewatercolumninitsnaturalstate(vertically),ratherthaninacircu-
lar configuration. On the Showdown, top is the surface, and bottom is bottom.
Bottom appears as a dark solid bar above decreasingly solid bars below. A
thicker “bottom band” indicates a harder bottom composition, such as rock,
gravel or sand. A thinner band indicates a softer bottom.
Generally, a solid band that appears on the screen between the surface and
bottomindicatessomeformofaquaticlife(gamesh,baitsh,insects,plank-
ton,etc.),oryourlure.Thicker,ormoresolidbands,implylargerobjects,such
asgamesh.Strongerordenserobjectsreturnastrongersignalbacktothe
transducerthansmallerobjects.

Versa Electronics www.marcumtech.com
- 8 -
At the same time, even a large fish may not return a strong signal until it
swims directly beneath your transducer. This is because the transducer emits
a cone-shaped signal that increases in diameter as the signal travels deeper.
Therefore, not only will a fish appear to grow in size as it travels beneath the
transducer(thesignalhasbecomestronger),butitwillalsoappeartobe
swimming from deeper water to shallower water, even though this may not be
the case at all. A fish that’s swimming at 25 feet may not display at 25-feet
until it passes directly beneath the sonar transducer. That’s simply because
the sonar signal travels further to return an echo from a fish that’s off to the
side than it does for a fish that’s directly below.
How do I “see” my lure?
The best way to find your lure on the Showdown Troller screen is to simply
drop it down to bottom, then reel it up about a foot. You should see a single
solid band appear above bottom to signify your lure. If you do not see this,
adjustthesonarSensitivitybypressingtheSENS/ZOOMbuttonandthen
theUP/DOWNkeys(seeSENSITVITY).Adjustsensitivityuntilyoucanmake
outyourlureevenasyoureelituptowardthesurface,orjigitupanddown.
Do not increase sensitivity too much, however, as doing this may cause your
Showdown Troller to display excess “clutter” that makes following your lure
and nearby fish more difficult.
Battery life and sonar run-time: Using6AAbatterypower,20hoursof
continuous use can be achieved.
With the use of the Optional 12V Performance Pack and Optional 12V battery,
afullycharged12-volt,9.0-ampbattery(notincluded)shouldprovideup
to 30-hours of use between charges. To avoid an unexpected shortage of
power, always have a spare set of AA batteries with you. NOTE: In ICE mode,
whetherusing6AApoweror12Vpowerthroughtheoptionalperformance
pack, run time will be decreased slightly, due to the power requirements of
the LCD heater. To assure long battery life, and peak sonar performance, we
recommendcheckingyour6AAbatteriesoftenandchargingyour12Vbattery
after every use.
Will the Showdown Troller read through the ice?
Yes. This is a great way to save time while looking for a particular spot or
depth.Toreceiveasonarsignaldirectlythroughtheice(withoutdrillinga
hole), first clear off any snow that may be covering ice. Make sure that ice in
the area is relatively “clear” ice without excessive bubbles or frost pockets,
which can deflect sonar signals. Pour about a cup of water on the spot,
and immediately rest the transducer on the standing water on the ice. If the
surface of the ice is rough or filled with air bubbles, drilling a 1” deep hole in
the ice before checking the depth may be necessary.
Caring For Your Showdown Troller
To keep your Showdown Troller running at optimal performance, we recom-
mend the following: Stow your Showdown Troller properly when not in use.
Turn sonar power off, and disconnect Power plug from back of unit. Remove
the AA batteries if storing for over 3 months. If using the Performance Pack,

Versa Electronics www.marcumtech.com
- 9 -
slidetheadjustabletransducerarmbackintothehousing,andstowtrans-
ducer into the interior pocket. If possible, gently wipe excess water or moisture
from Showdown Troller screen and transducer arm with a soft cloth. Close and
securesoftcasedoorwithhookandloopclosure.Storeincool(above30°F,
below85°F),drylocationwheneverpossible.IfyouusethePerformancepack
with a 12 volt battery, recharge battery after every use, and during prolonged
storage periods, recharge the battery every few months. These steps will
maximize the life of your battery. To clean your Showdown Troller periodically,
use a mild dishwashing soap and a soft cloth, and gently clean the Show-
down Troller power head and view screen. DO NOT use window cleaner or
alcohol-based cleaning products—they may damage LCD screen and void
your warranty.
Troubleshooting
Unit will not power up:
•6AABatteriesmayneedtobereplaced–Tryreplacingthe6AAbatteries.
•Batteriesinstalledimproperly—makesurebatteriesareinstalledobserving
proper polarity
•PowercordmaynotbeconnectedtoShowdownTrollerUnit-Check
connections and try POWER again.
•Checkwiringonpowercable.Makesureallconnectionsbetweenthe
ShowdownTroller/transducer/batteryaresolid,andbesurethatthefuse
is intact
Unit turns on but will not read bottom:
•Transducermaynotbeproperlyleveledorconnected.
•Checkcableconnections.Makesurethebottomofthetransducerhasa
clearpathtothebottom,andisnotobstructedbyanysolidobjects.
•Checktoseeifyouhaveadjustedthemanualdepthrange.Ifrangeisset
shallower than the depth of the water, bottom will not display in the viewing
area.Adjustrangetobejustslightlydeeperthanbottom.
Screen seems to be getting heavy interference, with lots of “clutter”:
•AdjusttheShowdownTrollersensitivity.Often,decreasingtheunit’ssensi-
tivity will keep unwanted signals from appearing on screen.
•Youmightbereceivinginterferencefromadjacentelectronicdevices,such
asacompetingsonarunit.ActivateandadjusttheTroller’sNoiseRejection
untilyoundalevelthatclearsupmostoralloftheinterference(seeNOISE
section).
Display only shows 32’
•TrollerisinSIMULATOR mode. Turn the Troller OFF by holding the POWER
button in for 5 seconds, and then turn it back on.

Versa Electronics www.marcumtech.com
- 10 -
Showdown Troller Specifications
200kHzTransducerAngle:20°TransmitPower:
Up to 4000 watts peak-to-peak power
2 inch Target Separation
Sensitivity Control: 25-level
NoiseRejectionControl:10-levelanti-interference
RangeControl:5depthranges—20’,40’,60’,80’,120’(AutoandManual
Settings)
Ice Fishing Mode: Activates LCD heater, and boosts gain Digital Depth Display:
Display Grayscale: 4-level Grayscale
Showdown Troller Replacement Parts
Should you need to order any replacement parts for your Showdown Troller
Digital Fish Finder, you can find them by going to the Showdown Website at
www.marcumtech.com
One-Year Limited Warranty
Versa Electronics warrants this product to be free from defects in materials
and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase. This warranty
applies to customers who properly fill out and return the warranty card included
with this manual. Failure to complete and return the warranty card voids the
warranty. Versa Electronics will, at its sole discretion and without charging the
customer repair or replace any components that fail in normal use. Failures
due to abuse, misuse, or unauthorized alteration, modification or repair are not
covered. Cut cables and submerged power-heads are not covered. Broken
cableand/orpower-headconnectorswillincuraservicerepaircharge.The
warranty is valid only for the original owner who purchases the unit from an
authorized Versa Electronics dealer. Products purchased from on-line auction
sites are not considered under warranty.
How to Obtain Service
We want our products to provide you with a pleasant on-the-water experience.
That means maximum customer satisfaction. If you have a problem with
your Showdown Troller unit please go the Showdown website at www.
marcumtech.com, call Versa Electronics toll free number at [phone],
or send email to [email protected] for a Return Authorization number
(RA#).Noservicereturnswillbeacceptedwithoutthispre-returnauthorization
number, which must be clearly marked on the outside of the package. Versa
Electronics retains the exclusive right to repair or replace the unit at its discre-
tion. The customer is responsible for shipping costs associated with return-
Versa Electronics
3943 Quebec Avenue N.
Minneapolis, MN 55427
RA#_________________
Note: The RA number must
be clearly marked on the
outside of the package

Versa Electronics www.marcumtech.com
- 11 -
ing the unit to Versa Electronics. Versa Electronics will pay for shipping the
repaired unit back to the customer while it is still under one-year warranty.
All out-of warranty services will be charged a fee for service and shipping
which must be paid in advance. After obtaining a Return Authorization number,
the unit should be securely packed and shipped “pre-paid freight” and insured
to Versa Electronics. It is the consumers’ full responsibility to track their prod-
ucts sent out in the mail or other forms of delivery service. Versa Electronics
will not be liable for lost packages sent out in the mail. Unless specified
otherwise, do not include battery or other accessories when returning the
unit for repair. Versa Electronics will not be responsible for lost or damaged
accessories. Please allow a minimum of 10 business days prior to calling
on the status of your repair.
Other Marcum Products
Here are some other great systems from Marcum. These items can
be purchased from one of our many fine retailers, or direct from us at
marcumtech.com
LX5 The LX-5 incorporates the latest in sonar technology, featuring a patented
flexible zoom that can be set anywhere between surface and bottom, a patent
pending TrueColor display, 2500 watts of peak-to-peak power, patented signal
interferencerejection,SuperneLineTechnology,andtargetseparationdown
to3/4inch.
LX7 The LX-7 Digital Sonar takes DNA from other fine Marcum sonars—you
might say it was “bred” for excellence. Because the LX-7 is digital, we can
pack it full of more features than have ever been found in an ice sonar before.
With an 8” customizable dashboard display, superior target separation,
12-levelinterferencerejection,dual-beamtransducer,expandablezoom,and
much, much more, the LX7 is the perfect combination of macro features and
micro precision.
VS825SD The VS825sd offers several technologies that are the first of their
kind, making this system the most technologically advanced underwater
viewing system available.
Using new technology such as an 8” Solar Intelligent- H2D display will deliver
the sharpest, most vivid display, even in direct sunlight; Color Kill technology
allows you to switch between a Color or Black and White image on demand,
while maintaining crisp screen resolution; On-Screen displays of Camera
Direction, Depth, Temp and Battery Voltage take all of the guess work out of
your camera position so your new VS825sd can be used to hunt for under-
water treasures, locate the “spot on the spot”, observe fish in their natural
habitat or learn how fish react to your lure or bait presentation. The applica-
tions are endless, and it’s never been easier or more fun to view.

www.marcumtech.com
MarCum User Manuals are available for download from
www.marcumtech.com.