Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product X59DF Lowrance electronic
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Pub. 988-0151-211 www.lowrance.com X52 and X59DF Fish-Finding & Depth-Sounding Sonars Installation and Operation Instructions.
Copyright © 2004 Lowrance Electronics, Inc. All rights reserved. Lowrance ® is a registered trademark of Lowrance Electronics, Inc. No part of this manual may be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed for any purpose, without prior written consent of Lowrance.
i Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................... i Capabilities and Specifications: X52 and X59DF .............................. 1 Installation & Accessories ..................
ii Backlight Level ................................................................................. 46 Calibrate Speed ................................................................................. 46 Chart Speed...................................
1 Introduction Thank you for buying a Lowrance sonar! Your unit is a high-quality sonar designed for both professional and novice fishermen. All Lowrance sonars have an automatic mode that finds and displays the bottom, fish, underwater structure and more – right out of the box.
2 Sonar Frequency: ...................... 200 kHz (or 50/200 kHz – X59DF only). Transducers: .................. A dual-frequency Skimmer transducer comes packed with the X59DF. It has 35 ° /12 ° cone angles. Single frequency models for X52 with a 20 ° cone angle are sold separately.
3 Installation & Accessories Preparations You can install the sonar system in some other order if you prefer, but we recommend this installation sequence: CAUTION: You should read over this entire installation section before drilling any holes in your vehicle or vessel! 1.
4 Recommended Tools and supplies If you prefer the option of routing the cable through the transom, you will need a 5/8" drill bit. (If you intend to install an additional speed or temp sensor and route its cable through the same hole in the transom, you will need a 1" (25.
5 3. The transducer should be installed with its face pointing straight down, if possible. For shoot-thru applications: Many popular fishing boat hulls have a flat keel pad that offers a good mounting surface. On vee hulls, try to place the transducer where the deadrise is 10 ° or less.
6 Align transducer centerline with hull bottom. A dual frequency transducer is shown at left and a single frequency transducer at right. However, there are times when you may need to adjust the transducer slightly higher or lower. (The slots in the mounting brackets allow you to loosen the screws and slide the transducer up or down.
7 Second, the transducer angle cannot be adjusted for the best fish arches on your sonar display. (This is not an issue for flasher-style sonars.) Lack of angle adjustment can be particularly troublesome on hulls that sit with the bow high when at rest or at slow trolling speeds.
8 wit h th e alignment mark mol de d in to the br ack et . Pl ac e th e r at che ts onto the transducer with the lette r "A" aligned with the 12 o' cl ock position on the transducer stem. These positions set the transducer's coarse angle adjustment for a 14 ° transom.
9 holes in the bracket with the letter "B" aligned with the dot stamped in the bracket. Reassemble the transducer and bracket and place them against the transom. Again, check to see if you can move the transducer so it's parallel with the ground.
10 Assemble transducer and bracket. 3. Assembling the transducer. A. One-piece bracket: Once you determine the correct position for the ratchets, assemble the transducer as shown in the following figure. Don't tighten the lock nut at this time. Assemble transducer and bracket.
11 Drill the holes. For the one-piece bracket, use the #29 bit (for the #10 screws). For the two-piece bracket, use the #20 bit (for the #12 screws). Position transducer mount on transom and mark mounting holes. Side view shown at left and seen from above at right.
12 bracket's mounting screws, sealing them with the sealant/adhesive compound. Adjust the transducer so that it's parallel to the ground and tighten the nut until it touches the outer washer, then add 1/4 turn.
13 Manual locking collar connector Push-on self-sealing connector requires a 1" hole. requires a 5/8" hole. Caution: If you drill a hole in the transom for the cable, make sure it is located above the waterline.
14 Transducer mounted on trolling motor, side view. Transducer Orientation and Fish Arches If you do not get good fish arches on your display, it could be because the transducer is not parallel with the ground when the boat is at rest in the water or at slow trolling speeds.
15 the arch is printed, then the nose of the transducer is angled too far down and needs to be raised. NOTE: Periodically wash the transducer's face with soap and water to remove any oil film. Oil and dirt on the face will reduce the sensitivity or may even prevent operation.
16 Testing Determines Best Location Ideally, the shoot-thru transducer should be installed as close to the transom as possible, close to the centerline. This will give you the best performance during high speed maneuvers. Shoot-thru-hull transducer locations for high speed or trolling speed operation.
17 figure on the following page.) Notice how the signal strength decreases. The second bottom signal will probably disappear and the bottom signal intensity will likely decrease. 3. Now move the transducer around to find the best location with the strongest possible bottom signal.
18 Epoxy transducer to hull. 2. The epoxy consists of the epoxy itself and a hardener. Remove the two compounds from the package and place them on the paper plate. Thoroughly stir the two compounds together until the mixture has a uniform color and consistency.
19 Speed/Temperature Sensors Optional Temperature Sensor All the units in this series can display water temperature from a single analog sensor. Your unit comes packed with a transducer with a temp sensor built into it.
20 Stern view showing good location for mounting sensor on transom. Speed sensor mounting configuration: side view (left) and rear view (right.) If the base of the transom has a radius, fill the gap between the transom and the sensor with the sealant.
21 2000 Power". The thicker three-wire cable (red, black and white) is the Power Supply for your unit (and optional external speaker connection for some units); it has no label on the cable. The Power/Data cable for this unit. Depending on your configuration, you may not use all of these wires.
22 with electrical interference. Therefore, it's safer to go ahead and attach the power cable directly to the battery. CAUTION: When using the unit in a salt water environment, we strongly recommend that you shut off the power supply to the power cable when the unit is not in use.
23 Power connections for the units in this series. NOTES: If you're powering a NMEA 2000 buss, you will attach both the NMEA 2000 Power cable and the unit's Power Supply cable to the boat's battery. To attach the NMEA 2000 Power cable, connect the red wire to battery's + and black and shield wires to battery's –.
24 This unit has reverse polarity protection. No damage will occur if the power wires are reversed. However, the unit will not work until the wires are attached correctly. An optional 8-foot, CA-4 external power cable with a cigarette lighter adapter is available from Lowrance.
25 Cable connections for this unit. Mounting the Unit: Bracket, In-Dash or Portable You can install the unit on the top of a dash with the supplied gimbal bracket.
26 If you use the supplied bracket, you may be interested in the optional R-A-M bracket mounting system. This converts the unit's gimbal bracket to a swivel mount, which can be used on the dash or overhead mounting positions. Optional R-A-M mounting system.
27 Drill a 1-inch (25.4 mm) hole in the dash for the power, transducer and data cables. The best location for this hole is immediately under the gimbal bracket location. This way, the bracket can be installed so that it covers the hole, holds the cables in position and results in a neat installation.
28 Before positioning the bracket, be sure to hold the cables against the rear edge of the hole. Then, slide the bracket over the hole and butt the rear of the bracket base firmly against the cables, thus pinning them in place against the side of the hole.
29 it to the dock, on a float tube, on an ice fishing trip or use it as a second sonar in a friend's boat. Look inside the back cover of this manual for accessory ordering information. Other Accessories Two switch boxes are available for this unit.
30 Notes.
31 Basic Sonar Operation KEYBOARD BASICS The unit sounds a tone when you press any key. This tells you the unit has accepted a command. Numbers in the photo correspond to key explanations below: Lowrance X59DF Sonar, front view, showing screen and keyboard.
32 3. EXIT Press this key to clear menus from the screen and return to the Sonar Chart display. You will also use EXIT to cancel alarms, and to clear any information windows that may appear on the screen. 4. UP and DOWN ARROWS These keys appear in the manual text as ↓ or ↑ .
33 Main Menu. Main Menu Commands There are four "basic" Main Menu commands that you'll really want to read more about. They are: • Screen commands ( C ONTRAST and B ACKLIGHT L EVEL ): change the appearance of the display screen. Use these commands to adjust how the screen looks under various lighting conditions.
34 • Set Keel Offset command: calibrates the unit to show depth under the keel or actual depth from the surface. • Calibrate Water Speed command: adjusts how a speed sensor measures water speed. • Reset Water Distance command: resets water distance log to zero.
35 Section, but Sensitivity and Auto Sensitivity are important basic functions that are discussed both he re and in the Advanced Section. The other Sonar Menu commands include: • Grayline command: separates fish and structure near the bottom from the actual bottom, and defines bottom composition/hardness.
36 Sonar Page, showing full sonar chart mode. Sonar chart display options (from left) full sonar chart and split zoom. Surface clutter Structure Bottom signal Fish arches around school of bait fish In FasTrack, fish arches show as horizontal bars.
37 Sonar chart display options (from left) digital data and flasher. You can customize how the Sonar Page pictures and other data are displayed in many ways.
38 Basic Sonar Quick Reference 1. Mount the transducer and unit. Connect the unit to electric power and the transducer. 2. Launch your boat. 3. To turn on the unit, press and release MENU key. 4. Head for your fishing grounds. Your unit automatically displays digital depth and surface water temperature in the corner of the screen.
39 Sonar Operations As you can see from the quick reference on the previous page, basic operation is pretty easy, right out of the box. If you are a sonar novic e, try operating the unit with the factory defaults until you get a feel for how it's working.
40 You can change the sensitivity level whether you are in Auto Sensitivity mode or Manual Sensitivity mod e. The adjustment method works the same in both modes, but it g ives you slightly different results.
41 NOTE: If you want to change the sensitivity in Manual Mode, first turn off Auto Sensitivity: from the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to A UTO S ENSITIVITY | ENT | ↑ to S ENSITIVITY | ENT . Press ↓ or ↑ to pick a different sensitivity setting. When it's set at the desired level, press EXIT .
42 Other Free Training Aids The following section discusses Fish I.D., fish alarms and other features in greater detail. If you or a friend has Internet access, you can also learn more about interpreting what you see on your sonar screen. Visit our web site, WWW.
43 Advanced Sonar Options & Other Features Material in this section is arranged in alphabetical order. ASP (Advanced Signal Processing) The ASP feature is a noise rejection system built into the sonar unit that constantly evaluates the effects of boat speed, water conditions and interference.
44 Alarms This unit has two different types of sonar alarms. The first is a Fish Alarm. It sounds when the Fish I.D. feature determines that an echo is a fish. The other alarm is the Depth Alarm, which has both a Shallow and a Deep setting. Only the bottom signal will trigger this alarm.
45 To switch to a different depth setting, open the Sonar Alarms menu and repeat the instructions in step 3 above. To adjust and turn on the deep alarm: 1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to S ONAR A LARMS | ENT . 2. Press ↓ to D EEP A LARM D EPTH | ENT . 3.
46 Backlight Level The unit defaults to the maximum backlight level. To adjust the display's backlight level: Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to B ACKLIGHT L EVEL | ENT . The B ACKLIGHT L EVEL slider bar appears. Press ↑ or ↓ to move the bar. At The lower end of the scale backlighting is turned off; the upper end is maximum backlight level.
47 However, you might consider experimenting with chart speed when you are stationary or drifting very slowly. You may sometimes achieve better images as you slow down the chart speed to match how fast you are moving across the bottom. If you are at anchor, ice fishing or fishing from a dock, experiment with a chart speed around 50 percent.
48 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. Grayline is adjustable. The factory default for this unit is 69 percent.
49 The Contrast control bar. Depth Cursor The depth cursor consists of a horizo ntal line with a digital depth box on the right side. The numbers inside the box show the depth of the cursor. Sonar chart with the depth cursor active. The line indicates the large fish is 40.
50 Depth Range - Automatic When turned on for the first time, the bottom signal is automatically placed in the lower half of the screen. This is called Auto Ranging and is part of the automatic function. However, depending upon the bottom depth and the current range, you can change the range to a different depth.
51 Depth Range - Upper and Lower Limits Virtually any segment of the water column can be displayed by using the upper and lower limit feature. This lets you pick the shallow and deep depth range limits that are shown on the screen, provided there is at least 5 feet between the upper and lower limit you select.
52 3. To set the lower limit, press ↓ to L OWER L IMIT | ENT . Press ↑ or ↓ until the depth is correct, then press EXIT | EXIT | EXIT . To turn off upper and lower limits: 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to A UTO D EPTH R ANGE | ENT | EXIT .
53 extending outwards from a group of limbs is the hardest object for the Fish I.D. feature to distinguish from fish. You may see fish symbols on the screen when actually, there are no fish.
54 targets. This feature is available only when the Fish I.D. feature is on. The default setting for FishTrack is off. To turn on FishTrack: ( Note: These instructions will turn on FishTrack and Fish I.D. at the same time.) 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to S ONAR F EATURES | ENT .
55 The Overlay Data selection menu. When selected, a check mark appears beside the data type. (If you wish, you may now use ↓ or ↑ to select other Data Types for display.) Data list showing "Water Speed" selected to display on Sonar Page.
56 3. To return to the previous page, press EXIT | EXIT . To change displayed data font size: 1. Press MENU | ↓ to O VERLAY D ATA | ENT . 2. Press ↓ or ↑ to select Data Type , then press ENT . The D ATA S IZE (displayed in the bottom of the Overlay Data Shown window) cycles through available sizes.
57 However, when you are running at high speeds, or just want the fastest possible screen update, you may want to use the HyperScroll feature. When you change the Ping Speed to any setting greater than 50 percent, the unit automatically enters HyperScroll mode.
58 2. The Ping Speed Control Bar appears. Press ↓ to decrease ping speed to 50 percent. When it's set at the desired level, press EXIT . When you boost ping speed and switch into HyperScroll, the width of the FasTrack bar graph display doubles in width at the right side of the screen.
59 3. All the menus are cleared and all options are returned to the factory settings. Main Menu with Reset Options command selected. Reset Water Distance The sonar chart's Digital Data display option includes a window that shows distance traveled, called Water Distance ("W Distance").
60 Automatic Sensitivity The default sensitivity mode is automatic. The unit bases the sensitivity level on water depth and conditions. When the unit is in the automatic mode, sensitivity is automatically adjusted to keep a solid bottom signal displayed, plus a little more power.
61 To adjust sensitivity in manual mode: 1. First, turn off Auto Sensitivity: from the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to A UTO S ENSITIVITY | ENT . 2. Press ↑ to S ENSITIVITY | ENT and the Sensitivity Control Bar appears. Press ↓ or ↑ to pick a different sensitivity setting.
62 2. The Keel Offset dialog box appears. Press ↓ to so that the displayed number shows a minus (–) sign instead of the plus (+) sign. 3. Press ↓ until the number shows – 3.5, then press EXIT . The depth indicators now accurately show the depth of water beneath the keel.
63 The Main Menu with Software Information command selected. 1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to S OFTWARE I NFO | ENT . 2. Read the information displayed on the screen.
64 targets. The line at the top of the screen represents the surface. The bottom depth and surface temperature (if equipped with a temperature sensor or a transducer with a temp sensor built in) show at the top left corner of the screen. The FasTrack™ display shows just to the right of the scale.
65 Split Zoom Sonar Chart. Image at left shows the left window zoomed to 2X. The right image shows the left window zoomed to 4X. The depth overlay data is set to the default large text size; the water temperature is set to the medium text size.
66 Flasher The Flasher page represents a flasher style sonar. A circular dial shows all returning echoes at a high screen refresh rate. It uses the Grayline feature to show weaker targets as lighter shades. The bottom depth is also shown as a black bar across the outer circle.
67 stops the chart from scrolling. Sonar restarts automatically each time you turn on your unit. Press MENU | ↓ to S TOP C HART | ENT | EXIT . To turn on sonar and start the chart sc rolling again, repeat the above step. Sonar Menu with Stop Chart command selected.
68 Sonar Features menu with Surface Clarity selected. 2. Press ↓ or ↑ to select clarity level | EXIT | EXIT | EXIT . In the illustration at left, Surface Clarity is turned off.
69 The Units of Measure Menu. To set Units of Measure: Press ↓ to the desired units, then press ENT . After all the options are set as desired, press EXIT | EXIT to return to the page display.
70 To switch to zoom: 1. Press MENU | ↓ to Z OOM L EVEL | ENT . 2. The Zoom Level menu appears. Press ↓ or ↑ to select the desired zoom level, then press ENT | EXIT to set the zoom and clear the menu. 3. To select a different zoom or turn zoom off, repeat steps 1 and 2.
71 Troubleshooting 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 for repair. For contact information, refer to the last page, just inside the back cover of this manual.
72 specially formulated so that it will cure properly for shoot-through applications. 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.
73 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 screen 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.
74 that has a smooth flow of water at all boat speeds. Read your transducer owner's manual for the best mounting position..
75 Index A Accessories, 1, 3, 25, 26, 29 Alarms, 33, 44, 45; Depth Alarms, 44; Fish Alarm, 44, 45 Antenna, 73 ASP (Advanced Signal Processing), 16, 43 B Backlights / Lighting, 1, 33, 46, 59 Batter.
76 Reset Water Distance, 34, 59 Route, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 18, 20, 71, 73 S Sensitivity, 16, 35, 38, 39, 40, 41, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 70, 73 Simulator, 1, 34, 66 Software Version Information, 62 Sonar.
77 LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS FULL ONE-YEAR WARRANTY "We," "our," or "us" refers to LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS, INC., the manufacturer of this product. "You" or "your" refers to the fi rst person who purchases this product as a consumer item for personal, family or household use.
78 How to Obtain Service… …in the USA: We back your investment in quality products with quick, expert service and genuine Lowrance parts. If you're in the United States and you have technical, return or repair questions, please contact the Factory Customer Service Department.
Accessory Ordering Information for all countries To order Lowrance accessories, please contact: 1) Your local marine dealer. Most quality dealers that handle marine electronic equipment should be able to assist you with these items. To locate a Lowrance dealer near you, visit our web site and look for the Dealer Locator ( www.
Visit our web site: Lowrance Pub. 988-0151-211 Copyright © 2004 All Rights Reserved Printed in USA 111904 Lowrance Electronics, Inc..
An important point after buying a device Lowrance electronic X59DF (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought Lowrance electronic X59DF yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Lowrance electronic X59DF - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Lowrance electronic X59DF you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Lowrance electronic X59DF will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Lowrance electronic X59DF, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Lowrance electronic X59DF.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Lowrance electronic X59DF. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Lowrance electronic X59DF along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
