Pub. 988-0151-401 www.lowrance.com X96 & X96TX Fish-finding & Depth Sounding Sonar Installation and Operation Instructions Copyright © 2005 Lowrance Electronics, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed for any purpose, without prior written consent of Lowrance Electronics. Any unauthorized commercial distribution of this manual is strictly prohibited. Lowrance® is a registered trademark of Lowrance Electronics, Inc. Lowrance 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. On the cover: X96 shown. For free owner's manuals and other information, visit our web site: www.lowrance.com Lowrance Electronics Inc. 12000 E. Skelly Dr. Tulsa, OK USA 74128-2486 Printed in USA. Table of Contents Section 1: Read Me First!......................................................... 1 Capabilities and Specifications: X96 & X96TX ........................... 2 How Sonar Works ......................................................................... 3 How to use this manual: typographical conventions .................. 3 Arrow Keys ................................................................................ 4 Keyboard ................................................................................... 4 Menu Commands ...................................................................... 4 Instructions = Menu Sequences ............................................... 4 Section 2: Installation & Accessories.................................... 5 Preparations.................................................................................. 5 Transducer Installation................................................................ 5 Recommended Tools and supplies............................................ 6 Single-frequency transom installations ............................... 6 Single-frequency trolling motor installations...................... 6 Shoot-through hull installations .......................................... 6 Selecting a Transducer Location .............................................. 6 How low should you go? ............................................................ 7 Shoot-thru-hull vs. Transom Mounting ................................... 8 Shoot-thru-hull Installation ................................................... 17 Speed/Temperature Sensors ................................................. 18 Optional Speed Sensor Installation ....................................... 20 Power Connections...................................................................... 21 Mounting the Unit: Bracket, In-Dash or Portable .................... 22 Bracket Installation................................................................ 23 In-Dash Installation ............................................................... 25 Portable Installation............................................................... 25 Section 3: Basic Sonar Operation ........................................ 27 Keyboard ..................................................................................... 27 Power/lights on and off ............................................................... 28 Main Menu .................................................................................. 28 Pages ........................................................................................... 29 Sonar Pages............................................................................. 30 Basic Sonar Quick Reference ..................................................... 33 Sonar Operations ........................................................................ 34 Fish Symbols vs. Full Sonar Chart ........................................ 36 Other Free Training Aids ....................................................... 37 Section 4: Options & Features .............................................. 39 ASP (Advanced Signal Processing) ..................................... 39 To change the ASP level: ........................................................ 39 Alarms ......................................................................................... 40 Depth Alarms .......................................................................... 40 i To adjust and turn on the shallow alarm: ......................... 40 To adjust and turn on the deep alarm: .............................. 41 Zone Alarm .............................................................................. 41 To adjust and turn on the zone alarm:............................... 41 Fish Alarm............................................................................... 42 To turn on the fish alarm:................................................... 42 Brightness ................................................................................... 42 Calibrate Speed........................................................................... 43 Chart Speed................................................................................. 43 Contrast....................................................................................... 44 Depth Cursor............................................................................... 44 Depth Range - Automatic ........................................................... 45 Depth Range - Manual ............................................................... 46 To switch to Manual Depth Range:.................................... 46 To turn Auto Depth Range on again: ................................. 46 FasTrack .................................................................................. 46 Fish I.D. (Fish Symbols & Depths) ......................................... 47 To turn the Fish I.D. feature on: ............................................ 48 FishTrack ................................................................................. 48 To turn on FishTrack:............................................................. 49 FishReveal ............................................................................... 49 To turn FishReveal on: ........................................................... 50 Grayline ..................................................................................... 51 To adjust the Grayline level: .................................................. 51 HyperScroll .............................................................................. 53 Noise Rejection............................................................................ 53 Overlay Data ............................................................................... 53 To turn off displayed data:.................................................. 54 To change displayed overlay data size: .............................. 54 Ping Speed & HyperScroll....................................................... 55 To change Ping Speed: ............................................................ 56 To adjust Sensitivity: .............................................................. 56 To turn off HyperScroll:.......................................................... 56 Pop-up Help................................................................................. 56 Reset Options .............................................................................. 57 Reset Water Distance ................................................................. 58 Screen Contrast and Brightness ................................................ 58 Once in the Screen menu:.................................................... 58 Sensitivity & Auto Sensitivity.................................................... 59 Automatic Sensitivity ............................................................. 60 To turn Auto Sensitivity back on: .......................................... 61 Set Keel Offset ............................................................................ 61 Set Language .............................................................................. 62 ii Software Version Information.................................................... 62 Sonar Chart Mode....................................................................... 63 To change the chart mode scheme: ........................................ 63 Sonar Chart Display Options ..................................................... 63 Full Sonar Chart ..................................................................... 64 Digital Data/Chart .................................................................. 65 Customizing the Digital Data Screen ................................ 65 Sonar Simulator.......................................................................... 66 Stop Chart ................................................................................... 67 Surface Clarity ............................................................................ 68 To adjust the Surface Clarity level: ....................................... 68 Units of Measure......................................................................... 69 Zoom & Zoom Bar ....................................................................... 70 Zoom & Zoom Bar ....................................................................... 70 Section 5: Troubleshooting ................................................... 71 iii WARNING! A CAREFUL NAVIGATOR NEVER RELIES ON ONLY ONE METHOD TO OBTAIN POSITION INFORMATION. CAUTION When showing navigation data to a position (waypoint), a GPS unit will show the shortest, most direct path to the 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 traveling to a waypoint, but will also visually check to make sure a clear, safe path to the waypoint is always available. WARNING! When a GPS unit is used in a vehicle, the vehicle operator is solely responsible for operating the vehicle in a safe manner. Vehicle operators must maintain full surveillance of all pertinent driving, boating or flying conditions at all times. An accident or collision resulting in damage to property, personal injury or death could occur if the operator of a GPS-equipped vehicle fails to pay full attention to travel conditions and vehicle operation while the vehicle is in motion. iv Section 1: Read Me First! How this manual can get you out on the water, fast! Welcome to the exciting world of digital sonar! We know you're anxious to begin finding fish, but we have a favor to ask. Before you grab your unit and begin installing it, please give us a moment to explain how our manual can help you get the best performance from your compact, wide-screen, fish finder. First, we want to thank you for buying a Lowrance sonar. Whether you are a first time user or a professional fisherman, you'll discover your unit is easy to use, yet capable of handling demanding sonar tasks. You won't find another sonar unit with this much power and this many features for this price! Our goal for this book is to get you on the water fast. Like you, we would rather spend more time boating or fishing and less time reading the manual. So, we designed our book so that you don't have to read the whole thing from front to back for the information you want. At the start (or end) of each segment, we'll tell you what content is coming up next. If it is a concept you are already familiar with, we'll show you how and where to skip ahead for the next important topic. We've also made it easy to look up any tips you may need from time to time. Here's how: The manual is organized into 6 sections. This first section is an introduction to the sonar unit. It tells you the basics you need to know before you can make the unit look below the surface to find some fish. Section 2 will help you install your unit and the transducer. We'll also tell you about some of the available accessories. Section 3 covers Basic Sonar Operation. It will show you how easy it is run your sonar, right out of the box. This section features a one-page Sonar Quick Reference. (If you've already jumped ahead and figured out how to install the unit yourself, and you just can't wait any longer, turn to the Quick Reference on page 33 and head for the water with your sonar unit!) After you've gained some experience with your sonar, you'll want to check out Section 4, which discusses more advanced Sonar Options and Other Features. When you encounter a sonar menu command on the unit's screen, you can look it up in the manual by skimming over the table of contents, flipping through Section 3 or scanning through the sonar options in Section 4. 1 If you're having difficulty with your sonar, you can find an answer to the most common problems in Section ...