Pub. 988-0143-751 www.eaglesonar.com & FishEasy® 240 Portable Fish-Finding & Depth-Sounding Sonars Installation and Operation Instructions Copyright © 2004 LEI-Eagle All rights reserved. Eagle® is a registered trademark of LEI FishEasy® 240 is a registered trademark of LEI Eagle Electronics may find it necessary to change or end our policies, regulations, and special offers at any time. We reserve the right to do so without notice. All features and specifications subject to change without notice. All screens in this manual are simulated. No part of this manual may be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed for any purpose, without prior written consent of Eagle Electronics. Any unauthorized commercial distribution of this manual is strictly prohibited. For free owner's manuals and the most current information on this product, its operation and accessories, visit our web site: www.eaglesonar.com Eagle Electronics P.O. Box 669 Catoosa, OK USA 74015 Printed in USA. Table of Contents Introduction.......................................................................................1 Capabilities and Specifications: FishEasy 240 Family .....................1 NOTICE! ...........................................................................................3 How Sonar Works.................................................................................3 Transducer Installation ..................................................................5 Preparations .........................................................................................5 Installation ...........................................................................................5 Recommended Tools and supplies...................................................6 Selecting a Transducer Location .....................................................7 How low should you go? ...................................................................9 Shoot-Thru-Hull vs. Transom Mounting ........................................9 Transom Transducer Assembly and Mounting ............................10 Trolling Motor Bracket Installation..............................................16 Transducer Orientation and Fish Arches.....................................17 Shoot-Thru-Hull Preparation ........................................................19 Testing Determines Best Location ................................................20 Shoot-Thru-Hull Installation ........................................................22 Speed/Temperature Sensors ........................................................25 Speed Sensor Installation ..............................................................28 Power Connections (permanent mount units only) .....................30 Mounting the Sonar Unit: In-Dash, Bracket or Portable ............32 Bracket Installation .......................................................................32 Portable Sonar Installation ...........................................................37 Installing the Batteries..................................................................37 Portable Transducer Assembly .....................................................39 Operation..........................................................................................41 Keyboard Basics .................................................................................41 1. PWR/CLEAR (power and clear) ................................................41 2. MENU UP (menu up) 3. MENU DOWN (menu down)............41 4. UP and DOWN ARROWS..........................................................42 Memory ...............................................................................................42 Menus..................................................................................................42 i Display ­ Opening Screen..................................................................43 Chart Scroll (stopping and starting) .................................................44 Screen Display Modes or Pages.........................................................45 Full Chart .......................................................................................46 Split Chart ......................................................................................46 Lrg Digital (Large Digital).............................................................47 Range ..................................................................................................48 Zoom ....................................................................................................48 Sensitivity ...........................................................................................51 ® Grayline .............................................................................................54 Fish I.D. ...........................................................................................55 FishtrackTM .........................................................................................57 FishReveal .......................................................................................58 Chart Scroll Speed and HyperScroll..............................................60 Noise Reject and ASP (Advanced Signal Processing).....................61 Alarms.................................................................................................63 Fish Alarm ......................................................................................63 Depth Alarms .................................................................................63 Shallow Alarm ................................................................................64 Deep Alarm .....................................................................................64 System Setup ......................................................................................65 Display Adjustments..........................................................................66 Backlights .......................................................................................66 Display Contrast ............................................................................67 Depth Units of Measure.....................................................................67 Temperature Units of Measure .........................................................68 Speed and Distance Log Units of Measure.......................................69 Reset Distance Log.............................................................................69 Preset Unit (reset all options) ...........................................................70 System Info .........................................................................................71 Simulator ............................................................................................71 Chart Setup ........................................................................................72 Limit Search .......................................................................................73 ii Digital Data Size for Depth, Temperature, Speed, Distance Log ...74 Scales...................................................................................................75 Troubleshooting..............................................................................77 Unit won't turn on: .........................................................................77 Unit operates only in demo mode:.................................................77 Unit freezes, locks up, or operates erratically:.............................77 Weak bottom echo, digital readings erratic, or no fish signals: ..78 Bottom echo disappears at high speeds or erratic digital reading or weak bottom echo while boat is moving .....................78 No fish arches when the Fish I.D. feature is off:..........................79 Noise................................................................................................79 Index ..................................................................................................81 iii Notes iv Introduction Thank you for buying an Eagle sonar! Your unit is a high-quality sonar designed for both professional and novice fishermen. All Eagle sonars have an automatic mode that finds and displays the bottom, fish, underwater structure and more ­ right out of the box. All you have to do is press the on (PWR) key. However, if you want to fine-tune your unit, press the MENU UP key. The FishEasy 240 family has several powerful features you can control by scrolling through easy-to-use menus with the arrow and menu keys. To get started with your Eagle sonar, first read the installation section. It contains instructions for mounting the sonar unit, the transducer and any optional accessories, such as a speed sensor. Following recommended installation practices will pay off in optimum performance of your Eagle sonar. Improper installation can cause problems down the road, especially if the transducer is badly mounted. After you've read the installation instructions, install the unit and accessories. Then, read the rest of the manual. The more you know about your sonar, the better it will work for you. Take advantage of the Simulator feature. It allows you to practice operating your sonar before you get it in the water. And when you finally head for your favorite fishing hole, take this manual along for reference. Capabilities and Specifications: FishEasy 240 Family General Case size: .........................5.8" H x 4.3" W x 2.5" D (14.7 cm H x 10.8 cm W x 6.6 cm D) sealed, waterproof; suitable for saltwater use. 1 Display: ............................High-contrast Film SuperTwist LCD. Diagonal viewing area: 3.5" (8.9 cm). Resolution: ......................240 pixels (vert.) x 160 pixels (horiz.) resolution; 38,400 total pixels Backlighting: ..................Amber LED backlit screen and keypad for night use. Input power: ...................10 to 17 volts DC. Current drain: ................170 ma lights off; 240 ma lights on. Back-up memory:...........Built-in memory stores sonar settings when unit is turned off. Sonar Frequency: ......................200 kHz. Transducers:...................A Skimmer transducer comes packed with your unit. Its 20° cone angle offers a wide fish detection area of up to 60º with high sensitivity settings. Operates at boat speeds up to 70 mph (61 kts). Transmitter:....................1500 watts peak-to-peak power (typical); 188 watts RMS power (typical). Sonar sounding depth capability:............800 feet (244 meters). Actual capability depends on transducer configuration and installation, bottom composition and water conditions. All sonar units typically read deeper in fresh water than in salt water. Depth display: ................Continuous digital readout. Audible alarms: ..............Deep/shallow/fish. Automatic ranging: .......Yes, with instant screen updates. 2 Auto bottom track: ........Yes. Zoom bottom track:.......Yes. Split-screen zoom: .........Yes. Surface water temp: .....Yes, built into transducer. Optional external temperature sensor or combo speed/temp sensor available. Speed/distance log: .......Yes, with optional speed sensor. This manual covers the FishEasy 240 and FishEasy 240 Portable. Both units operate the same way. The only difference between the two is that the portable unit includes a portable transducer and other items that enable portable use. NOTICE! The storage temperature for your unit is from -4 degrees to +167 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees to +75 degrees Celsius). Extended storage in temperatures higher or lower than specified will damage the liquid crystal display in your unit. This type of damage is not covered by the warranty. For more information, contact the factory's Customer Service Department; phone numbers are inside the manual's back cover. How Sonar Works Sonar has been around since the 1940s, so if you already know how it works, skip ahead to the next segment on the typographical conventions used in this manual. But, if you've never owned a sonar fish finder, this segment will tell you the underwater basics. Sonar is an abbreviation for SOund NAvigation and Ranging, a technology developed during World War II for tracking enemy submarines. A sonar consists of a transmitter, transducer, receiver and display. In simple terms, here's how it finds the bottom, or the fish: 3 The transmitter emits an electrical impulse, which the transducer converts into a sound wave and sends into the water. (The sound frequency can't be heard by humans or fish.) The sound wave strikes an object (fish, structure, bottom) and bounces back to the transducer, which converts the sound back into an electrical signal. The receiver amplifies this return signal, or echo, and sends it to the display, where an image of the object appears on the scrolling sonar chart. The sonar's microprocessor calculates the time lapse between the tra ...