User manual LOWRANCE LMS-350A - Operation Instruction

LMS-350A INSTALLATION AND OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS IMPORTANT! YOU MUST HAVE THE OPTIONAL LGC-1 GPS MODULE ATTACHED TO THE LMS-350A TO USE THE POSITION AND NAVIGATION FEATURES ON THIS PRODUCT. WARNING! USE THIS PRODUCT ONLY AS AN AID TO NAVIGATION. A CAREFUL NAVIGATOR NEVER RELIES ON ONLY ONE METHOD TO OBTAIN POSITION INFORMATION. CAUTION The LGC-1 GPS receiver, (like all GPS navigation equipment) will show the shortest, most direct path to a waypoint. It provides navigation data to the waypoint regardless of obstructions. Therefore, the prudent navigator will not only take advantage of all available navigation tools when travelling to a waypoint, but will also visually check to make certain a clear, safe path to the waypoint is always available. NOTICE! As of this writing, the Department of Defense (DOD) has not declared the GPS navigation system operational. The system is still in a testing phase. Satellites can be turned off or accuracy can be degraded at will by the system operators. Remember that the LMS-350A, or any GPS receiver is only as accurate as the system it's using. Copyright © 1993 Lowrance Electronics All rights reserved. All features and specifications subject to change without notice. All screens in this manual are simulated. SONAR TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1 MOUNTING .................................................................................................................................... 1 POWER CONNECTIONS ............................................................................................................... 3 TRANSDUCER CONNECTIONS .................................................................................................... 4 OPTIONAL GPS MODULE INSTALLATION ................................................................................... 5 KEYBOARD BASICS ...................................................................................................................... 8 DISPLAY ......................................................................................................................................... 9 MENUS .......................................................................................................................................... 10 HELP .............................................................................................................................................. 10 WINDOWS ..................................................................................................................................... 10 VIEWING WINDOWS OPTIONS ............................................................................................... 12 MODIFYING GROUPS .............................................................................................................. 12 RESETTING ALL GROUPS ...................................................................................................... 13 SONAR OPERATION .................................................................................................................... 14 AUTOMATIC .................................................................................................................................. 14 SENSITIVITY ................................................................................................................................. 15 RANGE .......................................................................................................................................... 16 ZOOM - Automatic Operation ........................................................................................................ 17 ZOOM - Manual Operation ............................................................................................................. 18 MENU - PAGE 1 ............................................................................................................................ 19 CHART SPEED ......................................................................................................................... 19 GRAYLINE® .............................................................................................................................. 19 FISH I.D. .................................................................................................................................... 20 DISPLAY CONTRAST ............................................................................................................... 21 ALARMS .................................................................................................................................... 22 FISH ALARM .......................................................................................................................... 22 DEPTH ALARMS .................................................................................................................... 23 ZONE ALARM ........................................................................................................................ 24 SONAR FREQUENCY ................................................................................................................... 25 DUAL FREQUENCY OPERATION ............................................................................................ 26 MENU - PAGE 2 ............................................................................................................................ 27 ADJUST BACK LIGHT LEVEL................................................................................................... 27 BACK LIGHT ON/OFF ............................................................................................................... 27 SPEAKER VOLUME .................................................................................................................. 27 TURN DIGITAL BOX OFF ......................................................................................................... 28 CONSTRUCT DIGITAL BOX ..................................................................................................... 28 MENU - PAGE 3 ............................................................................................................................ 29 DISPLAY ZOOM BAR ................................................................................................................ 29 DISPLAY ZONE BAR ................................................................................................................. 29 DIGITAL SONAR ....................................................................................................................... 30 TURN ALL SONAR OFF ........................................................................................................... 30 CHART CURSOR ...................................................................................................................... 30 MENU - PAGE 4 ............................................................................................................................ 30 FASTRAK .................................................................................................................................. 31 SELECT UNITS OF MEASURE ................................................................................................. 31 CLEAR DISTANCE LOG ........................................................................................................... 32 DEPTH LINES ........................................................................................................................... 32 MENU - PAGE 5 ............................................................................................................................ 33 ADJUST CHART SURFACE CLARITY ..................................................................................... 33 ADVANCED SIGNAL PROCESSING (ASP) .............................................................................. 34 SYSTEM INFORMATION .......................................................................................................... 34 PRESET SONAR AND GPS ...................................................................................................... 35 MENU - PAGE 6 ............................................................................................................................ 35 ADJUST KEEL OFFSET ............................................................................................................ 35 CALIBRATE SPEED .................................................................................................................. 36 BATTERY BACKUP ................................................................................................................... 37 TRANSDUCERS AND CONE ANGLES ......................................................................................... 38 FISH ARCHES ............................................................................................................................... 39 SONAR TROUBLESHOOTING ..................................................................................................... 40 WINDOWS GROUP SUMMARY .................................................................................................... 44 WINDOWS SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. 47 INTRODUCTION The LMS-350A is a high quality, wide screen sonar with performance that is second to none in its class. Using menu features and "soft-key" operation, the LMS-350A is also one of the easiest-to-use sonars that Lowrance has ever built. The wide "ClearVision" screen shows the underwater world with high resolution and detail. The display and keyboard are also lighted for night operation. The LMS-350A also has digital depth, boat speed, surface water temperature, and distance travelled (log) displays (requires an optional ST-T speed/temperature sensor). If you purchase and install a LGC-1 GPS module, the LMS-350A can show position and navigation information. Utilizing Rockwell's NavCoreV technology, this GPS receiver is second to none in it's class. MOUNTING - Bracket Mount The LMS-350A can be mounted on it's gimbal bracket or in-dash mounted. Brackets are supplied for both configurations, however if the dash is thicker than 1/2", a special bracket will have to be purchased to mount the unit in the dash. You can install the LMS-350A on its bracket in any convenient location, provided there is clearance behind the unit when it is tilted for the best viewing angle. Holes in the bracket base allow wood screw or through-bolt mounting. You may need to place a piece of plywood on the back of thin fiberglass panels to secure the mounting hardware. Make certain there is enough room behind the unit to attach the power and transducer cables. FRONT SLOT BREAK OUT SLOT You will need to drill a hole in the dash for the power and transducer cables. The smallest hole that will pass one power or transducer plug is one inch. After the hole is drilled, pass the transducer connector up through the hole first, then pass the power cable down through it. After the cables have been routed, fill the hole with a good marine sealing compound. Offset the bracket to cover the hole. Route the power cable through the slot and break out one of the other slots in the bracket for the transducer cable. 1 IN-DASH MOUNTING The LMS-350A can be installed in the dash with the supplied hardware if the dash is 1/2" thick or less. Determining the dash thickness can be difficult, however, if you remove a gauge from the dash, you can easilly measure the thickness. Try this in an area that's close to the location that you wish to install the unit, since the thickness can vary significantly in some boats. Make certain there is clearance behind the dash for the unit and there is enough room to tighten the bolts on both sides of the unit. 7.625" DASH CUTOUT .400" radius (4 places) Once you've determined the location for the unit, cut the hole according to the drawing shown above. Measure carefully before cutting! After cutting the dash, place the gasket supplied with the LMS-350A around the unit and place the unit in the hole. Supplied with the LMS-350A are rubber pads, bolts, washers, and cam clamps to attach the LMS-350A to the dash. Peel the adhesive backing off the rubber pads and place one on each side of the LMS-350A in the location where the cam clamp will touch the back side of the dash. Using the hardware supplied with the unit, attach the LMS-350A to the dash. Make certain that the cam clamp on the left side of the unit is pointing down and the cam clamp on the right side of the unit is pointing up before you start tightening the bolts. RUBBER PAD RUBBER PAD BOLT BOLT LOWRANCE 5.375" CAM CLAMP (TURNED UP) CAM CLAMP (TURNED DOWN) 2 POWER CONNECTIONS The LMS-350A works from a twelve-volt battery system. For the best results, attach the power cable directly to the battery. You can attach the power cable to an accessory or power buss, however you may have problems with electrical interference. Therefore, it's safer to go ahead and attach the power cable directly to the battery. If the cable is too short, splice #18 gauge wire onto it. The power cable has four wires; red, black, green, and white. Red is the positive lead, black is negative or ground. Make certain to attach the in-line fuse holder to the red lead as close to the power source as possible. For example, if you have to extend the power cable to the battery or power buss, attach one end of the fuse holder directly to the battery or power buss. This will protect both the unit and the power cable in the event of a short. The LMS-350A uses a 3-amp fuse. IMPORTANT! Do not use this product without a 3-amp fuse wired into the power cable! Failure to use a 3-amp fuse will void your warranty. If you're installing an optional speed/temperature sensor, read the speed/ temperature sensor's installation manual for mounting instructions. Route the sensor's cable to the LMS-350's power cable and plug it into the connector marked "SPEED/TEMP CABLE" TO "P" CONNECTOR ON ACCURA RED WIRE TO GPS MODULE BLACK WIRE 3 amp FUSE TO SPEED/ TEMP SENSOR TO NMEA INTERFACE 12 VOLT BATTERY LMS-350A POWER CONNECTIONS 3 The white wire is for a NMEA interface. The LMS-350A sends data to another electronic navigation devices through the white wire. It receives data from a differential (DGPS) beacon receiver through the green wire. If the white and green wires are not used, tape their ends so that they cannot short. To connect a device to the LMS-350's NMEA output (white wire), attach a shielded, twisted pair cable from the device's NMEA intput to the white wire on the LMS-350's power cable. Solder the ground conductor of the twisted pair and the shield to the black wire on the power cable. Do not connect the shield to the other device. Use the green and black wires in the same manner to attach a DGPS recevier's output to the LMS-350's input (green wire). See the other instrument's manual and the NMEA section in this manual for more information. TRANSDUCER CONNECTIONS The LMS-350A has dual frequency capability. It can operate at 50 or 192 kHz, separately, or at the same time. The connection diagram below shows the proper method to attach the transducers to the LMS350A. See the transducer owner's manual for transducer installation instructions. If dual frequency (simultaneous) operation is desired, a 50 kHz transducer and the MY-2 transducer adapter cable must be purchased separtately. See page 18 for more information on dual frequency operation. DUAL FREQUENCY "T" CONNECTOR ON LMS-350A SINGLE FREQUENCY "T" CONNECTOR ON LMS-350A TRANSDUCER ADAPTER CABLE (MY-2) 192 kHz TRANSDUCER 192 kHz or 50 kHz TRANSDUCER 50 kHz TRANSDUCER 4 OPTIONAL GPS MODULE INSTALLATION The GPS module can be installed on a flat surface or (with the supplied adapter) on a pole. Mount the module in an area that guarantees a clear view of the sky at all times. In order for the module to receive the signals from the satellites, it must not be obstructed. An ideal location is on a cabin roof, or deck. The gunnels also make a good location. Attaching the pole mounting adapter lets you install the module on a one inch mast. However, for lightning protection, the antenna shouln't be the highest part of the boat. Surface Mounting - With Access If you have access underneath the mounting surface, use the gasket supplied with the GPS module as a template. Drill four 5.5 mm (7/32") holes and one 17 mm (11/16") hole for the module's cable. Attach the cable to the module and pass it down through the hole in the gasket and the mounting surface. Use 5 mm screws, flat washers, and lock washers to fasten the GPS module to the mounting surface. Route the cable to the LMS-350A. 5.5 mm (7/32") Hole (4 places) 17mm (11/16") Hole GASKET 5 MM SCREWS CABLE 65432121098765432109876543210987654321 1 65432121098765432109876543210987654321 6543212109876543210987654321098765432 5 MM SCREWS 5 DECK Surface Mounting - Without Access If you don't have access to the back side of the mounting surface, use the "cleats" supplied with the LMS-350A. (Note: This is assuming you can "snake" the module's cable to a location that is accessable. A hole will still need to be drilled in the mounting surface for the cable.) Using the gasket as a template, mark and drill the 17 mm (11/16") hole for the cable. Attach the cable to the module and drop the other end of the cable through the gasket and down the hole. Place the module on the gasket. Slide the "cleats" onto each end of the module and (using the cleats as templates) mark four holes for 5 mm (#10) mounting screws. Drill the holes, then replace the cleats on the module and fasten them to the mounting surface with 5 mm (#10) screws. Route the cable to the LMS-350A. "CLEAT" MARK AND DRILL FOUR PLACES GPS MODULE "CLEAT" GASKET 43210987654321098765432121098765432109876543210987654321 43210987654321098765432121098765432109876543210987654321 43210987654321098765432121098765432109876543210987654321 43210987654321098765432121098765432109876543210987654321 43210987654321098765432121098765432109876543210987654321 CABLE 6 Pole Mount First, thread the pole mounting adapter onto the mounting pole or ratchet base. Align the pole mounting adapter so the module will face the bow of the boat. Install and tighten the set screw into the pole mounting adapter and tighten it securely. This should prevent the GPS module from unscrewing from the pole. Place the gasket onto the pole mounting adapter. Now attach the cable to the GPS module and pass the cable through the gasket, pole mounting adapter, and pole. Set the GPS module on top of the pole mounting adapter and align the four threaded holes in the module with the holes in the pole mounting adapter. Using the four stainless steel 5 mm screws and lock washers supplied with the LMS-350A, attach the pole mounting adapter to the GPS module. This completes the assembly. GPS MODULE POLE MOUNTING ADAPTER SET SCREW POLE If the pole or mast you're using isn't hollow or if the hole in the middle of the pole is too small for the connectors, use the cable mounting adapter supplied with your unit. Thread the cable mounting adapter into the GPS pole mounting adapter. Then thread the pole into the cable mounting adapter. Route the cable down the outside of the pole. GPS MODULE CABLE MOUNTING ADAPTER CABLE MOUNTING ADAPTER POLE POLE 7 LOWRANCE SENS RANGE ZOOM LMS-350A 123 456 789 CLR AUTO WAYPT 0 ENT WAYPT MENU EVENT MAN MARKER OVERBOARD OFF SONAR GPS PLOTTER WINDOWS ON KEYBOARD The keyboard has keys arranged in a vertical column on the left plus a horizontal row at the bottom. A ten-key pad and arrow keys on the right side of the screen lets you enter and change data on the screen. The keys in the left column are used for sonar and menu selections. The menu key in the bottom left corner of the keyboard activates the first menu page. The keys along the bottom of the screen are used to switch between the sonar, optional GPS, and windows modes. SONAR - Press this key to switch to the sonar display. GPS - The GPS navigation displays show when you press this key. PLOTTER - Press this key to show the GPS Plotter display. WINDOWS - This key gives you access to the windows mode, which lets you customize displays. SENS - Press this key to adjust the unit's sonar sensitivity. RANGE - This key lets you adjust the sonar's range. ZOOM - The LMS-350A gives you 2X and 4X zoom capability with this key. AUTO - This turns the automatic feature off and on. WAYPT - Press this key to save and recall waypoints. 8 WAYPT QUICK SAVE - Pressing this key instantly saves your position. MENU - Press this key to show the menus and gain access to most functions. CLR - This key clears menus and erases entries from the screen. ENT - This key is used to enter numbers and make selections. ARROW KEYS - These keys are used to make menu selections and to move objects on the screen. ON - The ON key turns the LMS-350A on. OFF - Press and HOLD the Off key to turn the LMS-350A off. DISPLAY - General The lights are turned on for approximately ten seconds when the LMS350A is first turned on. Menus appear at the same time. To keep the lights on, press the key adjacent to the Light label. It controls the backlighting used on the display and keyboard. If you don't want the lights on, wait ten seconds and the lights will automatically turn themselves off. The menus will also disappear after ten seconds, or you can turn them off by pressing the CLR key on the left side of the zero (0) key. The Metric label at the top of the screen works the same way. Press the key adjacent to the Metric label to change the depth from feet to meters. This also changes the temperature display to degrees Celsius, speed to knots, and log to kilometers. The Display menu on the right side of the screen let you adjust the display's contrast for the best viewing angle. Pressing the left arrow key decreases the contrast, the right arrow increases it. After setting the contrast for the best viewing angle, press the CLR key to erase the menu or wait approximately ten seconds and it will automatically erase. See the Display Contrast section for more information on this feature. When the LMS-350A is first turned on, the display will appear similar to the one at left. The word "AUTOMATIC" in 9 the upper left corner of the display indicates the automatic feature is on. The digital bottom depth also showsin this box. MENUS The LMS-350A uses menus extensively to guide you through the functions and features of the unit. The menu key accesses many of these features, allowing you to customize the unit to your particular needs and water conditions. Although you may have to leave one menu and enter another to reach the desired function, all you have to do is press the key next to the "More" label to select the next menu. To return to the sonar screen, simply press the key next to the "Exit" label or press the CLR key. HELP An extremely useful feature incorporated into the LMS-350A series is the Help menus. Virtually every feature has a help menu label that, when pressed, gives one or more pages of text describing how to use that feature. For example, pressing the AUTO key brings up a menu letting you switch the unit into or out of the automatic mode. A help label also appears on the screen. Pressing the key adjacent to the help label gives you a description of how automatic works and how it affects different functions. WINDOWS You can change the displays on the LMS-350A by using the windows feature. This lets you customize displays to your own fishing or boating situations. This feature gives you 22 different window screens. The screens available in the windows mode are divided into two or more windows per screen. Each screen of windows is called a "group". Group "A" as shown at right has the digital displays in one window and the sonar chart in the other. 10 To use the windows feature, first press the WINDOWS key. A screen similar to the one shown at left appears. The menu on the right side of the screen lets you switch between the "pages" of displays. These are lettered "A" through "V". Group "A" shows first. Press the down arrow key to move forward through the screens. Press the up arrow key to move backward. For example, pressing the down arrow key once shows the group "B" screen. To return to the full sonar screen, press the "SONAR" key. Every one of the group screens can be modified to some extent. For example, press the MENU key while group "A" is displayed. Three new labels appear on the display as shown above. Two of these labels are window menus. Pressing the key adjacent to one of the "window menu" labels gives you a menu with functions that relate only to that window. For example, if you press the key adjacent to the window menu label on the sonar chart window, the screen will clear and you will have a new menu with selections such as "ADJUST CHART SPEED" and "ADJUST GRAYLINE". Other window menus let you change the sonar frequency or turn the Fish ID feature on. To exit from a window menu, 11 press the CLR key. VIEWING WINDOWS OPTIONS To see all of the available window options, press the WINDOWS key, then press the MENU key. Now press the key adjacent to the "MAIN MENU" label. Finally, press the key next to the "VIEW ALL WINDOWS" label. The screen at right appears. The first window appears in the upper right corner of the screen. A description of the screen shows in the box at the bottom of the screen. Now press the key adjacent to the "NEXT" label. This changes the displayed window and description. When you've finished viewing the windows, press the CLEAR key. MODIFYING GROUPS To modify or "customize" a group, first press the WINDOWS key, then press the MENU key. Now press the key adjacent to the "MAIN MENU" label at the bottom of the screen. The screen shown at right appears. Now press the key adjacent to the "RE-PROGRAM A GROUP" label. The screen shown below appears. Select the letter of the group you wish to customize by pressing the key adjacent to the group's label. If the label isn't shown on this page, press the key adjacent to the "MORE" label. In this example, the key 12 next to the "GROUP A" label was pressed. The screen shown at the top of the next page appears. The depth window appears in the upper right corner of the screen. Press the key adjacent to the "NEXT WINDOW" label to move through the windows. If you reach the last window, or if you wish to go backwards through the windows, press the key next to the "PREV WINDOW" label. When the desired window is on the screen, press the key next to the "USE WINDOW" label. The screen clears, placing the new window in the upper left corner of the screen. If the new window takes up half the screen, the unit will place it on the left side of the screen. Continue with the window selections until the screen is filled. The unit will stay in the windows mode using your new customized screen. If you don't want to fill a screen and only use one, two, or three windows in a group, simply press the key adjacent to the "STOP" label. This saves the group and exits the modify windows mode. Remember, you can always return to the full screen sonar mode by pressing the "SONAR" key in the bottom left corner of the LMS350A. To switch back to your customized screen from the full screen sonar, simply press the WINDOWS key, then use the down arrow key to switch to the group you customized. NOTE: The LMS-350A saves all window changes in memory. It keeps these changes even if power is turned off. However, a preset does erase all window changes and returns to the standard windows. RESETTING ALL GROUPS To return all of the groups to their factory settings without turning the unit off and on again, press the WINDOWS key, then press the MENU key, then press the key adjacent to the "MAIN MENU" label. Now press the key adjacent to the "RE-PROGRAM A GROUP" label. Finally, press the key 13 SONAR OPERATION AUTOMATIC When the LMS-350A is first turned on, the Automatic feature is enabled. This is indicated by the word "AUTO" at the top of the screen. The Automatic feature adjusts the sensitivity and range so the bottom signal is displayed in the lower half of the screen at all times. To turn Automatic off, first press the AUTO key. A menu appears at the bottom of the screen above the left and right arrows. Press the left arrow key to switch to the manual mode. The letters "Man" appear in the upper left corner of the display, indicating the unit is in the manual mode. To turn Automatic on, press the AUTO key again, then press the right arrow key. Remember, when the LMS-350A is in the automatic mode, you have a limited adjustment range on the Sensitivity control and no control over the Range. Zoom adjusts differently in automatic than manual, also. 14 SENSITIVITY The sensitivity key on the LMS-350A controls the ability of the unit to pick up echoes. A low sensitivity level excludes much of the bottom information, fish signals, and other target information. High sensitivity levels enables you to see this detail, but it can also clutter the screen with many undesired signals. Typically, the best sensitivity level shows a good solid bottom signal with Grayline and some surface clutter. When the LMS-350A is in the Automatic mode, the sensitivity is automatically adjusted to keep a solid bottom signal displayed, plus a little more. This gives it the capability to show fish and other detail. However, situations occur where it becomes necessary to increase or decrease the sensitivity. This typically happens when you wish to see more detail, so an increase in sensitivity is indicated. The procedure to adjust it is the same whether the unit is in the automatic or manual mode. To adjust the sensitivity, press the SENS key. The sensitivity adjust menu appears on the right side of the screen. The sensitivity menu has left and right arrows, plus a horizontal bar graph. The graph gives a visual indication of the sensitivity level. The number above the arrows also shows the percentage of sensitivity in use. To increase the sensitivity level, press the right arrow key. As you press the key, the menu's bar graph will grow wider and the percentage will increase in value. You can also see the difference on the chart record as it scrolls. When the sensitivity is at the desired level, release the key. To decrease the sensitivity level, press the key adjacent to the left arrow. The bar graph and percentage will decrease. When the sensitivity is at the desired level, release the key. When you reach either the maximum or minimum limit, a tone sounds. To turn the menus off, press the CLR key or wait a few seconds and the menus will automatically disappear. 15 RANGE - Automatic When turned on for the first time, the LMS-350A automatically places the bottom signal in the lower half of the screen. This is called Auto Ranging and is part of the automatic function. The range cannot be changed manually while the unit is in automatic. RANGE - Manual The LMS-350A gives you control over the range when it's in the manual mode. There are two different methods used to change the range. The first way changes only the lower limit by pressing the arrow keys. On the screen shown below, the lower limit is 60 feet. The upper limit is zero. The second method lets you change both the upper and lower limits. This let's you create a "zoom" window down to five feet in virtually any combination of upper and lower limits. For example, a range with a 15 foot upper limit and a 45 foot lower limit creates a 30 foot zoom window. If the original range was zero to sixty feet, then this created a 2X zoom. To change the range, first make certain the LMS-350A is in the manual mode. Next, press the RANGE key. The range adjustment menu appears on the right side of the display. To change only the lower limit, simply press the up or down arrow keys to decrease or increase the range. The available ranges are 0-5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 100, 150, 200, 300, 500, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, and 5000 feet. After the desired range is displayed, press the CLEAR key to erase the range menu. NOTE: The maximum depth capability of the LMS-350A depends on the transducer installation, water and bottom conditions, and other factors. The performance of the LMS-350A will vary from day-to-day because of changing conditions. 16 To change an upper or lower limit using the numbered keys, first press the RANGE key, then press the key next to either the "CHANGE UPPER LIMIT" or "CHANGE LOWER LIMIT" labels. On the screen shown at right, the key next to the "CHANGE UPPER LIMIT" was pressed. Now enter the desired depth, using the numbered keys. In this example, we entered 35 feet. Now press the ENT key. The LMS-350A erases the range menus from the screen, and uses the new range you entered as shown below. To change the lower limit, simply repeat the above steps, but press the key next to the "CHANGE LOWER LIMIT" label. Now enter the desired lower limit and press the ENT key. The LMS-350A erases the lower limit menus and changes the lower limit to the one you specified. If you make a mistake while entering a limit, simply press the CLR key to erase the numbers. To exit from either the upper limit or lower limit entry screen, simply press the CLR key again. ZOOM Enlarging or "zooming" the picture is a common method used to show small detail and fish signals. The LMS-350A gives you two different zoom sizes, plus a split screen zoom option. The zoom operation and adjustment is different in the automatic and manual modes. ZOOM - AUTOMATIC MODE To zoom the display in the automatic mode, first press the ZOOM key. All targets on the display are enlarged four times normal size automatically. The menus shown at the top of the next page also appear. 17 next to the "RESET ALL GROUPS" label. Turn the zoom feature on (or off) by pressing the key adjacent to the "OFF/ON" label. Pressing the key adjacent to the "2X/4X" label enlarges echoes from two times to four times their normal size. To switch between the split screen zoom and full screen zoom, press the key adjacent to the "SPLIT/FULL" label. The screen instantly splits into two sections. All targets on the left are shown at four times the size of the ones on the right. If you switch to the 2X zoom mode, echoes on the left side of the screen are shown at twice the size as the ones on the right. The echoes that scroll across the screen are the exact same echoes on both sides of the screen. They're simply enlarged on the left side. This feature tracks the bottom, keeping it on the display at all times, when the automatic feature is on. Once you've set the zoom as desired, press the CLR key to erase the menus. ZOOM - MANUAL MODE When you press the zoom key while the unit is in the manual mode, the screen shown below appears. All of the menus on this screen work identically as described above. However, one additional menu item is shown when the unit is in the manual mode: "ADJUST". To adjust the zoom, press the key adjacent to the "ADJUST" label. A screen similar to the one below appears. A zoom bar and adjust arrows appear on the screen. The echoes on the left side of the screen are the ones that appear between the top and the bottom of the zoom bar. Press the up or down arrow keys to move the zoom bar up or down. As you adjust the zoom bar, the echoes move on the left side of the screen at the same time. The zoom adjust menus will automatically clear a few seconds after you've pressed the last key. Remember, the LMS-350A won't track 18 the bottom when it's in the manual mode. MENU - PAGE 1 CHART SPEED The rate echoes scroll across the screen is called the chart speed. It's adjustable by first pressing the menu key, then pressing the key adjacent to the "Adjust Chart Speed" label. The chart speed menu appears on the right side of the screen. Increase the chart speed by pressing the right arrow key or decrease it by pressing the left arrow key. The percentage of chart speed in use changes as the arrow keys are pressed. The bar chart also gives a graphical indication of the chart speed. You can see the change on the screen (both on the menu and on the chart record) as you press the keys. After you've made the adjustment, press the CLR key to erase the menu. To stop the chart, press the key adjacent to the "STOP" label in the unit's lower left corner. To start the chart, press the key next to the "START" label. GRAYLINE® GRAYLINE lets you distinguish between strong and weak echoes. It "paints" gray on targets that are stronger than a preset value. This allows you to tell the difference between a hard and soft bottom. For example, a soft, muddy or weedy bottom returns a weaker signal which is shown with a narrow or no gray line. A hard bottom returns a strong signal which causes a wide gray line. If you have two signals of equal size, one with gray and the other without, then the target with gray is the stronger signal. This helps distinguish weeds from trees on the bottom, or fish from structure. 19 GRAYLINE® ON GRAYLINE® OFF GRAYLINE is adjustable. Since GRAYLINE shows the difference between strong and weak signals, adjusting the sensitivity may require a different GRAYLINE level, also. The level chosen by the LMS-350A at power on is usually adequate for most conditions. Experiment with your unit to find the GRAYLINE setting that's best for you. To adjust GRAYLINE, press the MENU key, then press the key adjacent to the "Adjust Chart Grayline" label. A screen similar to the one at right appears. Now press the left arrow key to decrease the gray level. Press the right arrow key to increase it. The percentage of GRAYLINE in use changes as the arrow keys are pressed. The bar chart also gives a graphical indication of the GRAYLINE level. You can see the change on the screen (both on the menu and on the chart record) as you press the keys. After you've made the adjustment, press the CLR key to erase the menu. FISH I.D. The Fish I.D. feature identifies targets that meet certain conditions as fish. The micro-computer analyses all echoes and eliminates surface clutter, thermoclines, and other signals that are undesirable. In most instances, remaining targets are fish. The Fish I.D. feature displays symbols on the screen in place of the actual fish echoes. There are four fish symbol sizes: tiny, small, medium, and large. These are used to designate the relative size between targets. In other words, it displays a small fish symbol when it thinks a target is a small fish, a medium fish symbol on a larger target, etc. 20 outwards from a group of limbs is the hardest object for the Fish I.D. feature to distinguish from fish. You may see Fish I.D. symbols on the screen when actually, there are no fish. Practice with the unit in both the Fish I.D. mode and without to become more familiar with the Fish I.D. feature. To turn the Fish I.D. feature on, press the menu key, then press the key adjacent to the "Turn Fish-ID On" label. Echoes will continue to scroll across the screen, however, the surface clutter at the top will no longer be displayed. Any targets the micro-computer determines are fish will be displayed as fish symbols. To turn the Fish I.D. feature off again, first press the menu key. Next, press the key adjacent to the "Turn Fish I.D. Off" label. The menu immediately disappears and the sonar screen returns. Remember, the Fish I.D. feature can't be used when the LMS-350A is in the manual mode. If you turn the Fish I.D. feature on when the LMS-350A is in manual, the micro-computer will turn the automatic feature on. If you turn automatic off when the Fish I.D. feature is on, the Fish I.D. feature will be turned off also. The micro-computer is sophisticated, but it can be fooled. It cannot distinguish between fish and other suspended objects such as trotlines, turtles, submerged floats, air bubbles, etc. Individual tree limbs extending DISPLAY CONTRAST The unit's display contrast is adjustable to suit different lighting conditions. To adjust it, first press the menu key. The first menu page appears. Now press the key next to the "Adjust Display Contrast" label. A screen similar to the one below appears. Now press the key adjacent to the left arrow to decrease the contrast. Press the key adjacent to the right arrow to increase it. The percentage of contrast in use changes as the arrow keys are 21 ALARMS The LMS-350A has three different types of sonar alarms. The first is the Fish Alarm. It sounds when the Fish I.D. feature determines an echo or group of echoes is a fish. Another alarm is the Zone Alarm which consists of a bar. Any echo that appears inside this bar triggers the alarm. The last alarm is called the Depth Alarm. Only the bottom signal will trigger this alarm. This is useful as an anchor watch, a shallow water alert, or for navigation. To adjust an alarm, first press the MENU key. Now press the key next to the "Adjust Alarms" label. The screen shown below appears. Press the key next to the "Set Depth or GPS Alarms" to adjust the shallow or deep digital alarms.Press the key next to the "Set Zone Alarm" to adjust the zone alarm. The fish alarm doesn't have an adjustment. It's either on or off. The following section describes each sonar alarm and its limits. FISH ALARM Use the fish alarm for a distinctive audible alarm when fish or other suspended objects are detected by the Fish I.D. feature. A different tone sounds for each fish symbol size shown on the display. To turn the fish alarm on, press the MENU key, then press the key next to the "Adjust Alarms" label. The screen shown above appears. Now press the key next to the "Turn Fish Alarm On" label. To turn the fish alarm off, repeat the above steps. The label on the Alarms menu now reads "Turn Fish Alarm Off". Press the key next to that label to turn the fish alarm off. 22 DEPTH ALARMS The depth alarms sound a tone when the bottom signal goes shallower than the shallow alarm's setting or deeper than the deep alarm's setting. For example, if you set the shallow alarm to ten feet, the alarm will sound a tone if the bottom signal is less than ten feet. It will continue to sound until you mute it or until the bottom goes deeper than 10 feet. The deep alarm works just the opposite. It sounds a warning tone if the bottom depth goes deeper than the alarm's setting. Both depth alarms work only off the digital bottom depth signals. No other targets will trip these alarms. These alarms can be used at the same time or by themselves. To set the depth alarms, first press the MENU key, then press the key next to the "Adjust Alarms" label. The screen on the previous page appears. Now press the key next to the "Set Depth Alarms" label. The screen at the top of this page appears. To adjust the shallow alarm, press the key next to the "Shallow" label. To adjust the deep alarm, press the key next to the "Deep" label. Both alarms adjust identically. We'll use the shallow alarm as an example. Pressing the key next to the "Shallow" label moves the black box from the "OFF" postion to the "Adjust". A new screen appears as shown at right. Use the numbered keypad on the right side of the unit to enter the shallow alarm setting. We used 10 feet in this example. After you've entered the desired alarm depth, press the ENT key. This enters the alarm depth into memory. Now press the key next to the "Exit" label. The shallow alarm is now set. If the bottom goes shallower than 10 feet, the alarm will sound and a warning message appears on the screen at the same time. A label also appears letting you mute the alarm, if desired. 23 ZONE ALARM The zone alarm consists of a bar that appears on the right side of the screen. Any echo that appears on the screen between the top and bottom of the zone alarm's bar will "trip" the zone alarm. Note: The zone alarm isn't available in the Windows mode. To set the zone alarm, press the MENU key. Now press the key next to the "Adjust Alarms" label. Finally, press the key next to the "Set Zone Alarm" label. A screen similar to the one shown below appears. The zone alarm bar shows on the right side of the screen. Use the arrow keys to move the bottom of the bar higher or lower. To move the top of the bar, first press the key next to the "CHANGE TO UPPER" label. Now use the arrow keys to move the top of the bar higher or lower. When you have the zone alarm bar set as desired, press the CLR key to erase the menus. The above steps automatically turn the zone alarm on if it was off. To turn the zone alarm off, press the MENU key, then press the key next to the "Adjust Alarms" label. Now press the key next to the "Turn Zone Alarm Off"label at the bottom of the screen. Normally, the zone alarm bar disappears from the screen after you make adjustments. To leave the zone alarm bar on the screen all of the time, see the "Display Zone Alarm Bar" section in this manual for instructions. 24 SONAR FREQUENCY The LMS-350A operates from 50 or 192 kHz, either independently or simultaneously. The sonar unit comes with a 192 kHz transducer, other optional transducers are available. See the transducer diagram on page 3 for single or dual transducer connections. The chart can operate from a different frequency than the digital sonar. The LMS-350A chart's operating frequency is 192 kHz when it's first turned on. To change frequencies, first press the MENU key. The menu shown above appears. Next, press the key adjacent to the "Select Sonar Frequency" label. The screen shown at left appears. This menu lets you change the frequency of both the chart and the digital sonar. Typically, you should use the 192 kHz frequency in shallow water and the 50 kHz frequency in deep water. Now press the key adjacent to the desired frequency, either 50 kHz, 192 kHz, or both 50 and 192 kHz-split screen operation. (Note: Only the chart can operate at both frequencies at the same time.) The unit will begin scrolling echoes across the display. The frequency in use will also be displayed at the bottom of the screen. NOTE: The 192 kHz frequency for both the chart and digital sonar is enabled when the LMS-350A is turned on for the first time or after a preset. This feature is saved in the battery-backed-up memory. 25 CHART DUAL FREQUENCY OPERATION Sensitivity and Grayline® adjust differently when the Dual Frequency feature is enabled. The LMS-350A lets you make changes to the sensitivity and Grayline on one side of the screen without affecting the other. To adjust the sensitivity, for example, first press the SENS key. The screen shown at right appears. To adjust the sensitivity for the left, or 50 kHz side of the screen, press the key adjacent to the "192kHz 50kHz" label. Now press the left arrow key to decrease the sensitivity or the right arrow to Dual Frequency, Split Screen Mode increase it. When you're fin- (Left chart is operating at 50 kHz, right chart is 192 kHz.) ished, press the CLR key to erase the menus. 50 kHz 192 kHz Note: If no frequency identification shows at the bottom of the screen, then the 192 kHz frequency is in use. The letters "50 kHz" always show at the bottom of the screen when the 50 kHz frequency is in use. Remember, to use the 50 kHz frequency, you must have a 50 kHz transducer attached to the unit. If you wish to use both 192 and 50 kHz frequencies at the same time, you must have both transducers plus a MY-2 adapter cable attached to the unit. See the transducer connections section at the front of this manual for more information. 26 pressed. The bar chart also gives a graphical indication of the contrast level. You can see the change on the screen as you press the keys. After you've made the adjustment, press the CLR key to erase the menu. MENU - PAGE 2 ADJUST BACK LIGHT LEVEL The LMS-350A has internal lights for the display and keyboard. To adjust the intensity of the lighting, press the MENU key, then press the key adjacent to the "More" label. Now press the key next to the "Adjust Backlight Level" label. The screen shown below appears. Now press the left arrow key to decrease the light level. Press the right arrow key to increase it. The percentage of back light in use changes as the arrow keys are pressed. The bar chart also gives a graphical indication of the level. After you've made the adjustment, press the CLR key to erase the menu. BACK LIGHT ON/OFF To turn the back lighting on, first press the MENU key, then press the key next to the "More" ADJUST SPEAKER VOLUME The volume of the speaker's amplifier is adjustable. To change the volume, press the MENU key, then press the key adjacent to the "More" label. Now press the key next to the "Adjust Speaker Volume" label. A screen appears with the speaker volume adjust menu which is similar to the light adjust menu shown above. A musical tune sounds to indicate the current speaker volume. Now press the left arrow key to decrease the volume level. Press the right arrow key to increase it. The percentage of volume in use changes as the arrow keys are pressed. The bar chart also gives a graphical indication of the level. After you've made the adjustment, press the CLR key to erase the menu. 27 TURN DIGITAL INSTRUMENT BOX OFF The digital box is displayed in the upper left corner of the full sonar screen. It has the digital depth and automatic/manual indicators. To turn this box off, press the MENU key then the key next to the "More" label, then the key adjacent to the "TURN DIGITAL INSTRUMENT BOX OFF" label. Repeat the above steps to turn the box on. CONSTRUCT DIGITAL INSTRUMENT BOX The LMS-350A can display the depth, speed, surface water temperature, and distance log in the upper left portion of the screen. When the LMS350A is first turned on, only the depth is displayed. You can turn each digital display on as desired or turn all of them off, as desired. To select the digital displays menu, first press the menu key, then press the key next to the "More" label. Next, press the key adjacent to the "CONSTRUCT DIGITAL INSTRUMENT BOX" menu. A screen appears that is similar to the one below. Now press the key adjacent to the desired display. For example, to turn the temperature display on, press the key adjacent to the "Include Temperature." label. Once you do this, the digital display in the corner of the screen will show the temperature in addition to the depth. The temperature menu label now shows "Remove Temperature". You can turn each display on or off individually. Press the CLR key to exit from this menu or wait approximately ten seconds and the menus will automatically clear. Remember, to show speed, temperature, or distance log you must have an optional speed/temp sensor installed and connected to the LMS350A. 28 label. Finally, press the key next to the "Turn Backlight On Off" label. This moves the black box from "OFF" to the "ON" position. To turn the backlights off, repeat the same steps. MENU - PAGE 3 DISPLAY ZOOM BAR When the unit is in the zoom mode, the zoom bar doesn't normally show on the screen. The zoom bar shows the section of water on the right side of the screen that the zoom feature displays on the left side. To turn the zoom bar on continuously, first press the MENU key , then press the key next to the "More" label two times. The screen shown above appears. Now press the key next to the "Display Zoom Bar" label. A screen similar to the one at left appears. Note that turning the zoom bar on also turns the zoom feature on. To turn the zoom bar off, repeat the above steps until the third menu page appears, then press the key adjacent to the "Remove Zoom Bar" label. This removes the zoom bar, but leaves the unit in the zoom mode. See the zoom section for more information on this feature. DISPLAY ZONE BAR When the zone alarm is on, the zone bar doesn't normally show on the screen. To turn the zone bar on continuously, first press the MENU key, then press the key next to the "More" label until the third menu page appears. Now press the key next to the "Display Zone Alarm Bar" label. The zone alarm bar appears on the right side of the 29 sonar screen as shown at right. This turns the zone alarm on at the same time. To turn the zone bar off, repeat the above steps, until the third menu page appears, then press the key adjacent to the "Remove Zone Bar" label. Note DIGITAL SONAR When the LMS-350A is turned on for the first time, the digital depth display is located at the top left corner of the screen. This display comes from a separate digital sonar built into the unit. It displays only the bottom depth. If it loses the bottom, the last known depth will flash on the display. When the digital finds the bottom, it will automatically display the bottom depth again. The digital sonar can be turned off, however this also turns all automatic features off also, such as auto sensitivity, auto ranging, and the Fish I.D. feature. To turn the digital sonar off, press the Menu key, then press the key next to the "More" label until the third menu page appears. Now press the key adjacent to the "Turn Digital Sonar Off" label. To turn it back on again, repeat the same steps. TURN ALL SONAR OFF To turn the LMS-350A into a GPS-only unit, press the MENU key, then press the key next to the "More" label until the third menu page appears. Now press the key next to the "Turn All Sonar Off" label. This stops both the chart and the digital sonar. To turn both of the sonars on again, repeat the above steps, then press the key next to the "Turn All Sonar On" label. CHART CURSOR The LMS-350A has a chart cursor that lets you pinpoint a target's depth. The cursor is simply a movable horizontal line that extends across the display from right to left. A depth box at the far right end of the line shows the line's depth. In the example at the top of the next page, the chart cursor depth is 16.4 feet. To turn the chart cursor on, press the MENU key until the third menu screen appears as shown at the top of this page. Now press the key next to the "Turn Chart Cursor On" label. A screen similiar to the one at the top of the next page appears. To move the chart cursor, simply 30 press the up or down arrow keys. This lets you move the cursor to verify a target's depth. To turn the chart cursor off, press the MENU key until the third menu screen appears. Now press the key next to the "Turn Chart Cursor Off" label. The LMS-350A returns to the sonar screen with the cursor turned off. MENU - PAGE 4 FASTRAK This feature converts all echoes to short horizontal lines on the display's far right side. The graph continues to operate normally. FASTRAK gives you a rapid update of conditions directly under the boat. This makes it useful for ice fishing, or when you're fishing at anchor. Since the unit is not moving, fish signals are long, drawn out lines on a normal chart display. FASTRAK converts the chart to a vertical bar graph. To turn FASTRAK on, press the MENU key, then press the key next to the "More" label until the fourth menu page appears. Now press the key adjacent to the "Turn Chart Fastrak On" label. To turn it off, repeat the same steps. The "TURN FASTRAK OFF" label appears on this page when Fastrak is on. Press the key next to this label to turn it off. 31 SELECT UNITS OF MEASURE The LMS-350A can display the water depth in feet, fathoms, or meters, surface water temperature in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius, speed in statute miles per hour, kilometers per hour, or knots, and distance (log) in miles, kilometers, or nautical miles. To change the units of measure, press the MENU key, then press the key next to the "More" label until the fourth menu page appears. Now press the key adjacent to the "Select Units of Measure" label. The screen shown below appears. The black box on each line shows the unit of measure currently in use. In the screen shown above, the units of measure are in feet for the depth, temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, speed is in statute miles per hour and log is in statute miles. Press the key adjacent to the unit that you wish to change. For example, press the key next to the "Depth" label two times to switch from feet to meters. This moves the black box two times from the "FT" to the "M". When you have the units of measure set as desired, press the key next to the "Exit" label. CLEAR DISTANCE LOG If the optional speed/temperature sensor is attached to the LMS-350A, it starts counting distance as soon as the unit is turned on. It saves the distance in memory even when the unit is turned off. To reset the distance log to zero, press the MENU key, then press the key next to the "More" label until the "Clear Distance Log" label appears, then press the key adjacent to that label. DEPTH LINES The LMS-350A prints depth lines across the display that corresponds to the scales on the right side of the screen as shown on the screen at right. To turn the depth lines on, first press the MENU until the fourth menu page appears. Now press the key next to the "Turn Depth 32 Lines On" label. A screen similar to the one shown at the bottom of the previous page appears. To turn the depth lines off, repeat the above steps. The label on the fourth menu page now reads "Turn Depth Lines Off". Press the key next to that label. The LMS-350A returns to the sonar screen. MENU - PAGE 5 ADJUST CHART SURFACE CLARITY The markings extending downward from the zero line on the chart are called "surface clutter." These markings are caused by wave action, boat wakes, temperature inversion, and other natural causes. The Surface Clarity Control (SCC) reduces or eliminates surface clutter signals from the display. SCC varies the sensitivity of the receiver, decreasing it near the surface and gradually increasing it as the depth increases. The maximum depth that SCC will affect is 75% of the selected depth range. For example, on a 0SURFACE CLUTTER 60 foot range with maximum SCC, surface clutter will be reduced down to 45 feet. There are three levels of SCC available on the LMS-350A: low, medium, and high. When it's turned on for the first time, the SCC level is low. To change it, press the MENU key, then press the key next to the "More" label until the fifth menu page appears. Now press the key adjacent to the "Surface Clarity" label until the black box is on the desired SCC level. Press the key next to the "EXIT" label when you're finished. 33 ASP (Advanced Signal Processing) The ASP feature is a noise rejection system built into the LMS-350A that constantly evaluates the effects of boat speed, water conditions, and interference. This automatic feature gives you the best display possible under most conditions. The ASP feature is an effective tool in combating noise. In sonar terms, noise is any undesired signal. It is caused by electrical and mechanical sources such as bilge pumps, engine ignition systems and wiring, air bubbles passing over the face of the transducer, even vibration from the engine. In all cases, noise can produce unwanted marks on the display. The ASP feature has two levels - Normal and High. If you have high noise levels, try using the "High" ASP setting. However, if you are having trouble with noise, we suggest that you take steps to find the interference source and fix it, rather than continually using the unit with the high ASP setting. However, there are times when you may want to turn the ASP feature off. This allows you to view all incoming echoes before they are processed by the ASP feature. To change the ASP level, press the MENU key, then press the key next to the "More" label until the fifth menu page appears. Then press the key next to the "Level of ASP" label until the desired level is obtained. SYSTEM INFORMATION The System Information menu gives you the date and revision number of the software used int the LMS-350A. To view this menu, press the Menu key, then press the key next to the "More" label until the fifth menu page appears. Now press the key next to the "System Information" label. A screen similar to the one at right appears. To return to the sonar screen, press the key next to the "Exit" label. 34 PRESET SONAR AND GPS The LMS-350A has a built-in memory that saves all settings such as sensitivity, chart speed, keel offset, speed calibration, and more. Virtually all settings except for waypoint and route information is saved in this memory. (Waypoints, icons, and routes are saved in a separate memory.) Therefore, every time you turn the unit on, the settings are exactly as you left them. However, you can return the LMS-350A to it's factory settings using the preset feature. This returns all sonar and GPS receiver settings at the same time. To use this feature, press the MENU key, then press the key next to the "More" label until the fifth menu page appears. Next, press the key adjacent to the "PRESET SONAR AND GPS" label. The screen will clear and return to the sonar display with the factory settings. MENU - PAGE 6 ADJUST KEEL OFFSET The keel offset feature lets you compensate for the transducer's location. Since this sonar unit measures the water depth from the face of the transducer, there can be a significant difference between the actual water depth and what is displayed on the unit. For example, suppose you mount a bolt-thru-hull transducer on the bottom of the boat. When you launch the boat you find that this location places the transducer three feet below the surface of the water. Therefore, the depth sounder always reads three feet shallower than the actual water depth. (In other words, if the bottom is 50 feet deep, the depth sounder will read 47 feet, if the transducer is mounted three feet below the surface.) The difference between the depth sounder's reading (47 feet) and the actual water depth (50 feet) is called the keel offset. In this example you will use a positive keel offset. Another time you may wish to change the keel offset is if you want to know the bottom depth from the deepest part of the boat. For example, by careful measurment you find that the deepest part of the boat is four feet below the face of the transducer. By setting a negative keel offset of four feet, the sonar unit will show the bottom depth from the lowest part of the boat to the bottom. 35 IMPORTANT! The digital depth display is the only sonar that is affected by the keel offset feature! The chart will always show the distance from the face of the transducer. To adjust the keel offset, first press the MENU key then press the key next to the "More" label until the sixth menu page appears. Now press the key next to the "Adjust Keel Offset" label. The screen shown below appears. The digital depth displays in the upper left corner of the screen. The keel offset in use shows in the upper right corner. To set it, simply enter the desired depth using the numbered keys. Remember to add tenths. For example, to set the keel offset to three feet, first press the 3, then press the 0 key. Finally, press the ENT key. To enter a negative keel offset, use the same steps as above, but press the key next to the "Keel - +" label. To turn the keel offset feature off, enter "0.0" or press the CLR key. When you have the keel offset at the desired setting, press the key next to the "Exit" label. The unit returns to the sonar screen, using the keel offset you entered. CALIBRATE SPEED The speed display on the sonar screens comes from the optional speed sensor - not the GPS receiver. To calibrate this sensor to your boat, first press the MENU key six times while a sonar screen is showing. Now press the key next to the "Calibrate Speed" label. The screen shown at the top of the next page appears. 36 Your current boat speed and distance log are shown in the upper left coner of the screen. The calibration in percent is shown in the upper right corner. Now enter the percent change that is needed to make the LMS-350's speed display match your actual speed. For example, if the LMS-350's speed display is five percent slower than your actual speed, then use a positive five percent. If the LMS350's speed display is five percent faster than your actual speed, then use a negative five percent speed calibration. Press the key next to the "Calib - +" label to change the factor from positive to negative. When you have the speedometer calibrated, press the key next to the "Exit" label to return to the sonar screen. BATTERY BACKUP The LMS-350A saves all system settings, such as windows, units of measure, alarm settings, and more in memory that is powered by an internal battery. This keeps the memory "alive" while the unit is turned off. The LMS-350A gives you the ability to turn this battery on or off. Turning it off causes the LMS-350A to "forget" all system settings each time you turn the unit off. This, in effect, presets the unit each time it's turned off. To turn the battery backup off or on again, press the MENU key until the screen shown at right appears. Now press the key next to the "Disable Battery Backup" label. The unit returns to the last used sonar, GPS, windows, or plotter screen with the battery turned off. To turn it on again, repeat the above steps. 37 that this doesn't turn the zone alarm off. See the Alarms section for more information on the zone alarm. TRANSDUCER CONE ANGLES The sound waves from the transducer spread out into the water in a cone shaped beam. This looks much like the beam from a flashlight. The angle between the outside edges of the cone is the cone angle. Lowrance offers a choice of transducers with either an 8 or 20 degree cone angle. The transducer supplied with the LMS-350A has a 20 degree cone angle. Typically, wide cone angle transducers (20 degrees) are ideal for operating in shallow to medium water depths. The 20 degree cone angle allows you to see more of the underwater world. In 15 feet of water the 20 degree cone covers an area about six feet across. The 8 degree transducer covers only about a two foot circle. The 20 degree transducer is almost always the best to use in fresh water, the 8 degree mostly in salt water. In a deep water environment, (300 feet - fresh water, 100 feet - salt water) the narrow cone angle is more desirable. Since the sound energy is concentrated in a smaller area, it can penetrate to much deeper depths. 20 degree 8 degree TRANSDUCER CONE ANGLES 38 Both 8 degree and 20 degree transducers give accurate bottom readings, even though the bottom signal is much wider on the 20 degree model. This is because you are seeing more of the bottom. Remember, the shallow edge of the signal shows you the true depth. The rest of the signal tells you whether you are over rocks, mud, etc. if the cone passes over a fish in shallow water, the signal displayed on the LMS-350A may not arch at all. This is due to the narrow cone diameter and the resolution limitations of the display. FISH ARCHES Fish arches are created when the cone of sound passes over a fish. The distance to a fish when the cone first strikes it is shown as "A" on the next page. When the center of the cone strikes the fish, the distance is shorter as shown "B". As the cone leaves the fish, the distance increases again as shown in "C". Very small fish probably will not arch at all. Medium sized fish will show a BOAT'S DIRECTION OF TRAVEL A B C A 39 B C partial arch, or a shape similar to an arch if they're in deep water. Large fish will arch, but turn the sensitivity up in deeper water to see the arch. Because of water conditions, such as heavy surface clutter, thermoclines, etc., the sensitivity sometimes cannot be increased enough to get fish arches. One of the best ways to get fish arches is to expand or "zoom" a segment of the water. For example, using the 2X or 4X zoom feature. The smaller the segment, the better the screen resolution will be. The zoom feature expands the echoes, making it easier to see detail. For the best results, turn the sensitivity up as high as possible without getting too much noise on the screen. In medium to deep water, this method should work to display fish arches. If you see fish signals when the unit is in the manual mode, but don't get fish symbols when the Fish I.D. feature is on, try increasing the sensitivity. areas where fish are likely to be. Even if it's the first time on the water! IMPORTANT SERVICE INFORMATION! If your unit is not working, or if you need technical help, please use the following troubleshooting section before contacting the factory customer service department. It may save you the trouble of returning your unit. Unit won't turn on: 1. Check the power cable's connection at the unit. Also check the wiring. 2. Make certain the power cable is wired properly. The red wire connects to the positive battery terminal, black to negative or ground. 3. Check the fuse. 4. Measure the battery voltage at the unit's power connector. It should be at least 11 volts. If it isn't, the wiring to the unit is defective, the battery terminals or wiring on the terminals are corroded, or the battery needs charging. Unit freezes, locks up, or operates erratically: 1. Electrical noise from the boat's motor, trolling motor, or an accessory may be interfering with the sonar unit. Re-routing the power and transducer cables away from other electrical wiring on the boat may help. Route 40 the sonar unit's power cable directly to the battery instead of through a fuse block or ignition switch 2. Inspect the transducer cable for breaks, cuts, or pinched wires. 3. Check both the transducer and power connectors. Make certain both are securely plugged in to the unit. Weak bottom echo, digital readings erratic, or no fish signals: 1. Make certain transducer is pointing straight down. Clean the face of the transducer. Oil, dirt, and fuel can cause a film to form on the transducer, reducing its effectiveness. If the transducer is mounted inside the hull, be sure it is shooting through only one layer of fiberglass and that it is securely bonded to the hull. Do NOT use RTV silicone rubber adhesive or Marinetex 2. Electrical noise from the boat's motor can interfere with the sonar. This causes the sonar to automatically increase its Discrimination or noise rejection feature. This can cause the unit to eliminate weaker signals such as fish or even structure from the display. 3. The water may be deeper than the sonar's ability to find the bottom. If the sonar can't find the bottom signal while it's in the automatic mode, the digital will flash continuously. It may change the range to limits far greater than the water you are in. If this happens, place the unit in the manual mode, then change the range to a realistic one, (for example, 0-100 feet) and increase the sensitivity. As you move into shallower water, a bottom signal should appear. 4. Check the battery voltage. If the voltage drops, the unit's transmitter power also drops, reducing its ability to find the bottom or targets. Bottom echo disappears at high speeds or erratic digital reading or weak bottom echo while boat is moving 1. The transducer may be in turbulent water. It must be mounted in a smooth flow of water in order for the sonar to work at all boat speeds. Air bubbles in the water disrupt the sonar signals, interfering with its ability to find the bottom or other targets. The technical term for this is Cavitation. 2. Electrical noise from the boat's motor can interfere with the sonar. This causes the sonar to automatically increase its Discrimination or noise rejection feature. This can cause the unit to eliminate weaker signals such 41 as fish or even structure from the display. Try using resistor spark plugs or routing the sonar unit's power and transducer cables away from other electrical wiring on the boat. No fish arches when the Fish ID feature is off: 1. Make certain transducer is pointing straight down. This is the most common problem if a partial arch is displayed. See the Fish Arch section in your owner's manual for more information. 2. The sensitivity may not be high enough. In order for the unit to display a fish arch, it has to be able to receive the fish's echo from the time it enters the cone until it leaves. If the sensitivity is not high enough, the unit displays the fish only when it is in the center of the cone. 3. Use the Zoom feature. It is much easier to display fish arches when zoomed in on a small range of water than a large one. For example, you will have much better luck seeing fish arches with a 30 to 60 foot range than a 0 to 60 foot range. This enlarges the targets, allowing the display to show much more detail. 4. The boat must be moving at a slow trolling speed to see fish arches. If the boat is motionless, fish stay in the cone, showing on the display as straight horizontal lines. NOISE A major cause of sonar problems is electrical noise. This usually appears on the sonar's display as random patterns of dots or lines. In severe cases, it can completely cover the screen with black dots, or cause the unit operate erraticly, or not at all. To eliminate or minimize the effects of electrical noise, first try to determine the cause. With the boat at rest in the water, the first thing you should do is turn all electrical equipment on the boat off. Make certain the engine is off, also. Turn your LMS-350A on, then turn off ASP (Advanced Signal Processing). There should be a steady bottom signal on the display. Now turn on each piece of electrical equipment on the boat and view the effect on the sonar's display. For example, turn on the bilge pump and view the sonar display for noise. If no noise is present, turn the pump off, then turn on the VHF radio and transmit. Keep doing this until all electrical equipment has been turned on, their effect on the sonar display noted, then turned off. If you find noise interference from an electrical instrument, trolling motor, pump, or radio, try to isolate the problem. You can usually re-route the sonar unit's power cable and transducer cable away from the wiring that 42 is causing the interference. VHF radio antenna cables radiate noise when transmitting, so be certain to keep the sonar's wires away from it. You may need to route the sonar unit's power cable directly to the battery to isolate it from other wiring on the boat. If no noise displays on the sonar unit from electrical equipment, then make certain everything except the sonar unit is turned off, then start the engine. Increase the RPM with the gearshift in neutral. If noise appears on the display, the problem could be one of three things; spark plugs, alternator, or tachometer wiring. Try using resistor spark plugs, alternator filters, or routing the sonar unit's power cable away from engine wiring. Again, routing the power cable directly to the battery helps eliminate noise problems. Make certain to use the in-line fuse supplied with the unit when wiring the power cable to the battery. When no noise appears on the sonar unit after all of the above tests, then the noise source is probably cavitation. Many novices or persons with limited experience make hasty sonar installations which function perfectly in shallow water, or when the boat is at rest. In nearly all cases, the cause of the malfunction will be the location and/or angle of the transducer. The face of the transducer must be placed in a location that has a smooth flow of water at all boat speeds. Read your transducer owner's manual for the best mounting position. 43 WINDOWS GROUP SUMMARY All of the window groups used by the LMS-350A are shown on the following pages. To view these groups, simply press the WINDOWS key, then repeated press the down arrow key. This will "cycle" the unit through all groups. Remember, the optional LGC-1 GPS module must be connected to the unit for the navigation features to work. GROUP "A" GROUP "B" GROUP "C" GROUP "D" GROUP "E" GROUP "F" 44 GROUP "G" GROUP "H" GROUP "I" GROUP "J" GROUP "K" GROUP "L" GROUP "M" GROUP "N" 45 GROUP "O" GROUP "P" GROUP "Q" GROUP "R" GROUP "S" GROUP "T" GROUP "U" GROUP "V" 46