NorthStar 490 Echosounder User manual

Northstar 490
Echo Sounder
Operations Manual

Limited warranty policy
Northstar Technologies, Inc. warrants the Northstar 490 to be free from defects in materi-
als and workmanship for a period of two (2) years. This warranty applies to the original
purchaser and to any subsequent owner during the warranty period, which begins on the
date of shipment of the unit, F.O.B. Acton, Massachusetts, to an authorized Northstar
dealer.
Systems may not be returned to Northstar without a Returned Materials Authorization (RMA)
number. Call your Northstar dealer or Northstar for instructions.
During the unit's warranty period, Northstar will repair or replace, at its option, any part of
the unit it finds to be defective due to faulty material(s) or workmanship. All such repairs
and/or replacements will be promptly performed by Northstar free-of-charge to the owner,
excluding freight costs incurred in shipping to the factory. Return shipments from North-
star to points within the United States are made via ground transportation, freight prepaid.
Special shipping charges (overnight, two-day, and so on) are the responsibility of the
owner.
To be covered by this warranty, the Northstar equipment must have been in normal use.
The warranty does not apply to units with defects caused by improper installation, physical
damage, abuse, tampering, lightning or other abnormal electrical discharge, or to units
with defaced or altered serial numbers, or to units repaired by unauthorized persons or
repaired in a manner that violates Northstar’s recommended service procedures.
All repairs and/or replacements made under this warranty must be performed at North-
star’s facilities in Acton, Massachusetts. Performance of warranty work elsewhere will not
be authorized, and Northstar will not pay for any charges for such work. Northstar will not
be responsible for payment of any charges imposed by a Northstar dealer or other party for
services requested by and/or performed for a unit's owner in connection with this war-
ranty. Such services might include removal of the unit from a vessel, inspection, packag-
ing, handling, reinstallation, and the like.
Northstar Technologies assumes no responsibility for any consequential losses of any
nature with respect to any of its products or services sold, rendered, or delivered. The fore-
going is the only warranty expressed or implied. No other warranty exists.

490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2 Page i
Contents
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Welcome to the Northstar 490 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Using this manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Technical support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
How echo sounding works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Powering the 490 on and off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Setting up the 490. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Quick Start: Using the Echo Sounder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Displaying the echo sounder’s picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Using demo mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Introducing the displayed information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Using automatic mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Changing the frequency of echoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Zooming in and out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Setup functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Adjusting the Echo Sounder Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
The picture menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Adjusting the gain (strong echoes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Adjusting the clutter (weak echoes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Adjusting the signal level (weak echoes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Suppressing interference (the noise limiter). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Selecting the color bar (hue) and white level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Understanding Depth Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Viewing the seabed depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Viewing the depth marker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Changing the depth settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Setting the picture’s shift (starting depth) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Setting the picture’s range. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Other Functions: Using the MORE key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Using the MORE key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Changing the advance speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Displaying the A-scope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Setting the ECHO screen data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Introducing snapshots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Setting up the video image overlay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

Page ii 490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2
Reviewing past echoes using SoundTrac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Viewing past echoes using SoundTrac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Marking fish as waypoints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Navigating to a past echo position. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Setting the Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Understanding the alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Setting the fish alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Setting the bottom alarm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Setting the temperature alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Troubleshooting 490 Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Troubleshooting the echo sounder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Checking the transducer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4

490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2 Page 1-1
Welcome
Welcome to the Northstar 490 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Using this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Technical support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
How echo sounding works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Powering the 490 on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Setting up the 490 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
This chapter introduces the Northstar 490 Operations
Manual, explains how to contact Northstar for technical
support and service, and describes the 490’s basic set-up and
power on/off procedures.

Chapter 1 - Welcome
Page 1-2 490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2
Welcome to the Northstar 490
Congratulations on your purchase of the Northstar 490 Echo
Sounder. The 490 connects with a Northstar navigator and a
third-party transducer to add echo sounding capability to the
Northstar 961, 962, 957, and 958 navigators. See the Northstar
490 Installation Manual (part number GM491) for
recommended transducers.
You may be adding the 490 to your existing Northstar
navigator for echo sounding, or you may have purchased your
navigator complete with echo sounding. In either case, the 490
should be installed and configured by a qualified marine
technician.
To get started right away, see ”Quick Start: Using the Echo
Sounder” starting on page 2-1.
Using this manual
Organization Chapter 1 introduces you to the 490 echo sounder and to this
operations manual.
Chapter 2 gives you a quick-start introduction to get you
started with echo sounding as soon as the 490 has been
installed and configured.
Chapter 3 tells how to adjust the echo sounder’s display—the
gain, clutter, colors, etc.
CAUTION!
Proper installation and configuration of your Northstar
490 is of utmost importance for accurate and effective
performance under a variety of conditions. To get the
best performance from your 490, Northstar strongly rec-
ommends installation and set-up by a qualified marine
technician. For installation procedures, see the Northstar
490 Echo Sounder Installation Manual (Part Number
GM491).

Chapter 1 - Welcome
490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2 Page 1-3
Chapter 4 describes how to adjust the depth settings to choose
what portion of the water under the vessel you’ll display.
Chapter 5 explains other functions—the A-Scope, etc.
Chapter 6 describes Northstar’s exclusive SoundTrac™ feature,
for accessing past echoes and navigating back to their
locations.
Chapter 7 tells how to use the echo sounder’s alarms: the fish
alarm, bottom alarm, and temperature alarm.
At the back of the manual are a glossary and an appendix
outlining the 490’s specifications.
Conventions Specific conventions are used to provide a consistent way to
recognize certain information, as follows:
• is the universal symbol used for caution and warning
information that pertains to your personal safety or pre-
vents damage to the 490. The CAUTION and WARNING
boxes contain critical information—please read them!
•NOTE is the type style used for titles of reader notes. These
notes contain valuable information purposely highlighted
so that you don’t miss it while reading the main text.
•KEY is the type style used to refer to the menu keys on
the display screen.
•DISPLAY TEXT is the type style representing text on the
display screens.
• A bulleted list contains a series of related items or topics.
• A numbered list contains a series of steps in a procedure.

Chapter 1 - Welcome
Page 1-4 490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2
Technical support
After you follow the instructions in this manual, if you need
technical support or if you have any other questions, you can
contact Northstar by email, fax, phone, or U.S. mail as follows:
Hearing from you Your feedback is important and helps ensure that this manual
is a valuable resource for all 490 users. Send your questions,
comments, or suggestions about this manual to:
[e-mail]
Service and repair In case of an operating problem with your Northstar 490, you
may contact your dealer or return the unit to the Northstar
factory for diagnosis and repair. When describing an operating
problem, be as complete and accurate as possible. Be sure to
have your 490’s serial number available whenever contacting
or corresponding with either your dealer or the Northstar
factory. The 490’s serial number is located at the top of the
unit. If you need help, feel free to call the Northstar Service
Department at 978-897-6600 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
weekdays, excluding major holidays.
Table 1: Contacting Northstar
Email:
Service: [e-mail]
Sales: s[email protected]om
Fax:
Service: 978/897-1595
Sales: 978/897-7241
Telephone:
978/897-6600 or 800/628-4487
U.S. mail:
30 Sudbury Road
Acton, MA 01720
Web site:
www.NorthstarNav.com (you can send email to
Northstar directly from this site)

Chapter 1 - Welcome
490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2 Page 1-5
The Northstar 490 is covered by a two-year limited warranty
(see the Limited Warranty Policy at the beginning of this
manual) which, in summary, states that if the 490 is returned
to the Northstar factory by the owner or dealer during the
warranty period, Northstar will repair or replace, free of
charge, any part found to be defective due to faulty materials
or workmanship, if the 490 has been properly installed and
hasn’t been abused. The only cost to the owner will be the
one-way shipping charges and any associated charges that
may be imposed by the dealer.
To prevent delays, it is critical that you first obtain a Return
Materials Authorization (RMA) number before returning your
unit to the factory. If you purchased your 490 through a
dealer, to get an RMA number, call the dealer with the serial
number. The 490’s serial number is located at the top of the
unit.
The 490 should be shipped in a properly designed carton with
packing material. Please reference the RMA number on the
outside of the carton.
Shipments to Northstar should be made to the following
address:
Northstar Technologies
30 Sudbury Road
Acton, MA 01720
If you have overnight or second-day shipping requirements,
please call the Northstar factory for turnaround time and
freight costs before shipping your 490.
How echo sounding works
An echo sounder produces high-voltage electrical pulses that
the transducer converts into sound waves (called “pings”). The
sound waves are sent downward through the water. When a
sound wave hits and reflects off an object, such as fish, debris,
seaweed, or the seabed, the reflected sound wave (an “echo”)
returns back to the transducer along an imaginary vertical line
called a “water column.” The transducer converts this echo
into a tiny electrical pulse. The 490 digitizes these pulses and
sends them to the navigator, so that echo sounding pictures of

Chapter 1 - Welcome
Page 1-6 490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2
the water and seabed can be displayed and analyzed on the
echo sounder screen. In essence, this system lets you see a
real-time cross section of what’s happening underneath your
vessel.
The model 490-S is a 600-watt single channel echo sounder
designed to be used with a transducer having a single ceramic
element capable of 50 and 200 kHz.
The model 490-D is a 1000-watt dual channel echo sounder
designed to be used with a transducer having dual ceramic
elements, one each for 50 and 200 kHz.
Figure 1, ”957 echo sounder system components,” below, and
Figure 2, ”961/962 echo sounder system components,” below,
show how the 490 connects to these navigators to enable echo
sounding functions.
Figure 1: 957/958 echo sounder system components
957
Navigator
490
module
2201
antenna
Transducer
Ship's
Power
10-foot cable
(Northstar-supplied)
10-foot cable
(Northstar-supplied)
33-foot cable
(part of transducer)

Chapter 1 - Welcome
490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2 Page 1-7
Figure 2: 961/962 echo sounder system components
Powering the 490 on and off
As part of its power-up sequence, the navigator automatically
activates the 490.
The 490 is automatically shut off by the navigator when you
press and hold PWR until the screen goes dark.
Setting up the 490
Your 490 should be installed by a qualified marine technician.
Your satisfaction with the system’s performance will be greatly
influenced by the practical knowledge and experience of the
installer. Unlike GPS or other marine electronics systems, echo
sounder installation is as much an art as a science.
The installation procedure includes setting up the following
options:
• the transducer’s depth
• the speed and temperature
961/962
Processor
Control
Head
490
module
GPS
antenna
Transducer
Ship's
Power
10-foot cable
(Northstar-supplied)
10-foot cable
(Northstar-supplied)
33-foot cable
(part of transducer)

Chapter 1 - Welcome
Page 1-8 490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2
• the calibration for the speed sensor
• the calibration for the temperature sensor
• the gain calibration for the transducer
You may wish to change the following options from time to
time to match your personal preferences:
• depth units (feet, meters, or fathoms) on the screen
• temperature units (Celsius or Fahrenheit) on the screen
• temperature scale (lowest and highest) on the screen
• automatic saving of *FISH##* or *THERM##* waypoints
when the 490 detects the presence of fish or a certain
water temperature that you’ve set
To see or change any of the above settings, press STAR several
times until you reach the ECHO SOUNDER SETUP screen. For
details, see ”Setup functions” starting on page 2-12.
Using the 961/962 Before starting, you should double-check that the 961/962’s
Port 3 is set to the 490 option:
1. Press STAR until you reach the SERVICE MENU screen.
2. Press PORT SETUP.
3. Press PORT 3.
4. Check that the FORMAT option is set to “490.” If not, set it
now.
Using the 957/958 Before starting, you should double-check that the 957/958’s
AUX port is set to the 490 option:
1. Press STAR until you reach the OPTIONS/SERVICE INFO
screen.
2. Press the PORT SETUP OPTIONS key.
3. Check that the AUX PORT option is set to “490.” If not, set
it now.

Chapter 1 - Welcome
490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2 Page 1-9
Figure 3: 961/962 echo sounder menu structure
STAR key
Auto
Picture
Frequency
Zoom
Depth
More
ECHO
SCREEN
Gain
Clutter
Noise Limiter
Hue
Signal level
Return
Shift
Range
Bottom box
Return
Alarms
Advance Speed
Snapshot
A-Scope
Data
Return
Fish alarm
Bottom alarm
Temp alarm
Return
Bottom box
Temp box
Temp graph
Speed
Return
Picture settings
Depth settings
More settings
Alarm settings
Data on-screen
Display
Rename
Archive
Erase
Return
Snapshot

Chapter 1 - Welcome
Page 1-10 490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2
Figure 4: 957/958 echo sounder menu structure
STAR key
Auto
Picture
Frequency
Zoom
Depth
More
ECHO
SCREEN
Gain
Clutter
Noise Limiter
Hue
Signal level
Return
Shift
Range
Bottom box
Return
Alarms
Advance Speed
Video
A-Scope
Data
Return
Fish alarm
Bottom alarm
Temp alarm
Return
Temp box
Temp graph
Bottom box
Speed
Return
Picture settings
Depth settings
More settings
Alarm settings
Data on-screen
Video on
Return
Video setup

490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2 Page 2-1
Quick Start: Using the Echo Sounder
Displaying the echo sounder’s picture . . . . . 2-2
Using demo mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Introducing the displayed information . . . . . 2-5
Using automatic mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Changing the frequency of echoes . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Zooming in and out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Setup functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
This chapter shows you how to start using the echo sounder,
and explains several of the echo sounder’s important features.

Chapter 2 - Quick Start: Using the Echo Sounder
Page 2-2 490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2
Displaying the echo sounder’s picture
Once the 961/962/957/958 has been configured to operate
with the 490, you’re ready to start viewing echo sounding
data.
To see the echo sounding screen at any time, press STAR from
any screen. You’ll see live echoes moving across the screen.
Figure 5: Illustrated ECHO screen
You can also review old echoes using Northstar’s exclusive
SoundTracäfeature. To activate SoundTrac, press the
CURSOR PAD left or right on the ECHO screen. The position
marker appears (controlled by the CURSOR PAD), and
movement of echoes to the left stops. The data boxes at the
bottom of the screen turn white and refer to the position
marker rather than to your current position. Press the green
Depth Scale
Depth
box
Water
temperature
box
Water
temperature
scale
Depth
marker
and
indicator
Echo data
Lat/lon of
vessel
Dist/brg
to waypoint
Steering indicator Speed, course, and speed
through the water
Frequency
selection and
indicator
Navigation
information
Color
bar

Chapter 2 - Quick Start: Using the Echo Sounder
490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2 Page 2-3
LIVE DATA key to return to real-time echoes. For details, see
“Reviewing past echoes using SoundTrac” on page 1-1.
Figure 6: Illustrated SOUNDTRAC screen
NOTES:
All of the alarm messages always appear on all of the echo
sounder’s screens. You won’t miss any alarms while displaying echo
sounding data, and you never have to press any keys to view the
current alarms (although you must press STAR to clear alarms that
don’t automatically clear).
The SAVE and MOB functions always work normally. Moreover,
whenever you press either of these keys, the corresponding
*SAVE##* or *MOB##* waypoints will be displayed automatically
on the echo sounder’s picture, as well as on the CHART screen
(after you press CHART).
Depth Scale
Depth
box
Water
temperature
box
Water
temperature
scale
Depth
marker
and
indicator
Echo data
Lat/lon of
position
marker
Dist/brg to
position
marker
Steering indicator Speed, course, and speed
through the water
Color
bar
Position
marker
and
indicator

Chapter 2 - Quick Start: Using the Echo Sounder
Page 2-4 490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2
Using demo mode
The echo sounder can be operated in “demo mode” for
training and familiarization. Simulated echo data generated by
the 490 will be displayed.
To enter demo mode:
1. Press STAR several times to display the ECHO SOUNDER
SETUP screen.
2. Press the CURSOR PAD down to select demo mode, then
press EDIT.
3. Press the CURSOR PAD left or right to highlight “ON,”
then press ACCEPT.
While in demo mode, the word “Demo” appears in the
upper right corner of the ECHO screen.
To leave demo mode, repeat this procedure, selecting “OFF”
instead of “ON.”
Displaying echo
sounder data on the
CHART screen
You can overlay a smaller version of the echo screen onto the
CHART screen.
For the 961/962 To overlay the echo screen:
1. Press CHART to display the CHART screen, then press
OVERLAY.
2. At the CHART OVERLAY SELECTION window, press
SHOW 490.
Both chart views A and B will display live echo sounder
data on the right-hand side of the screen.
3. To remove echo sounder data, press HIDE 490 on the
CHART OVERLAY screen.
For the 957/958 To overlay the echo screen:
1. Press CHART to display the CHART screen, then press
SOUNDER. The CHART screen will display live echo
sounder data on the right-hand side of the screen.

Chapter 2 - Quick Start: Using the Echo Sounder
490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2 Page 2-5
Introducing the displayed information
The following information can be displayed on the ECHO
screen.
Echo sounding • echo sounder data
• echo sounder frequency in use (50 or 200 kHz or both)
•A-scope
• automatic mode indicators (fishing or cruising)
• manual operation indicator
• echo colors in use (the “color bar” at the far left)
• SoundTrac’s position marker for scrolling to old echoes
Depth and
temperature
• water-depth digital display (on the left side of the screen)
• depth scale (on the right side)
• depth marker (press the CURSOR PAD to scroll the
marker down)
• water-temperature digital display (if temperature sensor is
connected; can be turned off)
• water temperature graph (if temperature sensor is con-
nected; can be turned off)
Navigation • vessel’s current lat/lon (on the SOUNDTRAC screen, this
lat/lon indicates the position marker’s location)
• vessel’s SOG and COG
• active waypoint, if any, and graphic steering indicator
• vessel’s Speed Through the Water (if speed sensor is con-
nected; can be turned off)
Status tabs To help you use the echo sounder’s functions, many of the
key’s labels on the right edge of the screen show the status of
that key’s function in a tab directly under the label.

Chapter 2 - Quick Start: Using the Echo Sounder
Page 2-6 490 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Rev. B2
Using automatic mode
To operate the echo sounder automatically, just press AUTO.
All of the 490’s adjustments will be set to produce a useful
picture under most conditions. When you’re too busy to
optimize the settings manually, the echo sounder can
automatically set the optimal gain, clutter, and range settings,
to show an excellent picture, from the surface to the bottom.
When you select auto, the range setting may change from time to
time to keep the seabed in view as the water depth changes.
It is recommended that the 490 be operated automatically
whenever possible. The 490 can reliably detect the seabed
depth only when it controls the gain and clutter settings.
You can always press AUTO on the ECHO screen to remove
any manual settings you’ve made and return to the standard
automatic configuration.
Cruising or fishing Automatic mode has two variations: autocruising and
autofishing.
• autocruising optimizes the gain and clutter for tracking
the bottom, with less emphasis on any fish in the water
• autofishing optimizes the gain and clutter for searching
for fish
Press AUTO to switch between autocruising and autofishing.
The colored tab below the menu key indicates whether the
unit is optimized for cruising or fishing.
The status tabs Colored status tabs just below the AUTO and PICTURE keys
are green when the echo sounder is operating fully
automatically. They turn yellow when any of the settings has
been set manually. (In some cases, the picture tab may be
yellow while the auto tab is still green, if the Noise Limiter is
turned on, for example.)