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Lowrance electronic X-55A User's Manual

1. The transducer can then be epoxied directly to the outer layer of fiber glass After the epoxy cures the hull is watertight and structurally sound Remember the sonar signal must pass through solid fiberglass Any air bubbles in the fiberglass or the epoxy will reduce or eliminate the sonar signals To choose the proper location for thru hull mounting anchor the boat in 60 feet of water Add a little water to the sump of the boat Plug the transducer into the sonar unit turn it on then hold the transducer over INNER HULL NW SS m Lll EPOXY TO HULL FIRST OUTER HULL the side of the boat Adjust the sensitivity and range controls until a second bottom echo is seen on the display you will need to turn the automatic function off on L C G units Don t touch the controls once they ve been set Next take the transducer out of the water and place it in the water in the sump of the boat Observe the sonar signal to See if there is a noticeable decrease in sensitivity The second bottom signa may disappear and the bottom signal may decrease in intensity Move the transducer around to find the best location If the sensitivity control has to be increased greatly to compensate then the transducer should be mounted on the outside of the hull If not then mark the location that shot through the hull the best and follow the instructions on the next pages for a shoot thru hull mounting TRANSDUCER LOCATION HIGH SPEE
2. We our or us refers to LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS INC the manufacturer of this product You or your refers to the first person who purchases this product as a consumer item for personal family or household use We warrant thls product against defects or malfunctions in materials and workmanship and against failure to conform to this product s written specifications all for one year 1 from the date of original purchase by you WE MAKE NO OTHER EXPRESS WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER CONCERNING THIS PRODUCT Your remedies under this warranty will be available so long as you can show in a reasonable manner that any defect or malfunction in materials or workmanship or any non conformity with the product s written specifications occurred within one year from the date of your original purchase which must be substantiated by a dated sales receipt or sales slip Any such defect malfunction or non conformity which occurs within one year from your orginal purchase date will either be repaired without charge or be replaced with a new product identical or reasonably equivalentto this product at our option within a reasonable time after our receipt of the product If such defect malfunction or non conformity remains after a reasonable number of attempts to repair by us you may elect to obtain without charge a replacement of the productor a refund forthe product THIS REPAIR REPLACEMENT OR REFUND AS JUST DES
3. to the ON position To turn the backlights off repeat the same steps 24 SELECT UNITS OF MEASURE The X 55A can display the wa amp DEPTH mg FM oh ter depth in feet fathoms or meters surface water tempera ture 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 Tochange the units of measure press the key adjacent to the SELECT UNITS OF MEASURE label The screen shown at right ap pears The black box on each line shows the unit of measure currently in use In the screen shown below the units of measure are in feet for the depth temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and both speed and log are in statute miles per hour 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 The X 55A starts counting distance as soon as the X 55A is turned on To reset the distance log to zero press the MENU key until the CLEAR DISTANCE LOG label appears then press the key adjacent to that label MENU PAGE 5 ADJUST CHART SURFACE CLARITY The markings extending downward from the zero line on the chart are called surface clutter Th
4. department at no charge to you Our nomalin planttumaround on repairs is 3 working days Units under warranty will be returned to you at no charge NOTE Lowrance will pay UPS surface shipping charges both to and from the factory for this unit in the event it needs repair Your unit is insured against loss or shipping damage when you use the enclosed UPS label 48 Shoot thru hull v s Transom Mounting Typically shoot thru hull installations give excellent high speed opera tion and good to excellent depth capability There is no possibility of damage from floating objects It can t be knocked off when docking or loading on the trailer However the shoot thru hull installation does have its drawbacks One some loss of sensitivity does occur even on the best hulls This varies from hull to hull even from different installations on the same hull This is caused by differences in hull layup and construction Two the angle of the transducer cannot be adjusted for the best fish arches This can be a problem on some hulls that sit with the bow high when at rest or at slow trolling speeds Follow the procedure listed in the shoot thru hull installation section in this manual to determine if you can satisfactorily shoot through the hull TRANSOM MOUNT Assembly 1 First attach the mounting bracket s halves together as shown below Next slide the rubber pad into the space between the two slots This pad keeps tension on the bracket
5. s latch preventing it from opening at a low speed Don t close the bracket at this time Ee p E E A n RUBBER PAD 2 Slip the transducer s mounting pad between the bracket s mounting ears Sandwich two internal lock washers between the transducer and one side of the mounting bracket as shown below Place one washer on the other side of the transducer TWO WASHERS ea WASHER N I SLEEVE SS Hm 3 Slide the metal sleeve over the bolt Slip the bolt and sleeve through the bracket washers and transducer assembly Place an internal tooth lock washer over the end of the bolt and thread the nut onto it Do not tighten the nut at this time The transducer is now ready for installation _INSTALLATION Transom Mount 1 The transducer must be placed in a location that has a smooth flow of water at all times Air bubbles created by the movement of the boat hull against the water interfere with the sonar signal This causes noise or random marks to appear on the sonars display You may need to carefully view the water s path at the transom while the boat is moving to determine the best location for the transducer 2 Make certain the chosen location doesn t interfere with the boat s trailer Mount the transducer at least one foot from the engine s lower unit This will prevent air bubbles from the transducer interfering with the propeller LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS FULL ONE YEAR WARRANTY
6. boat It can also be permanently installed inside the boat to shoot through the hull on some fiberglass boats The kick up mounting bracket helps prevent damage if the transducer strikes an object while the boat is moving If the transducer does kick up the bracket can easily be pushed back in place without tools If your unit came with a transducer read this section carefully before attempting the installation Determine which of the mounting positions is right for your boat Use extreme care if mounting the transducer inside the hull since once it is epoxied into position the transducer usually cannot be removed Remember the transducer location is the most critical part of a sonar installation If it isn t done properly the sonar can t perform at it s designed potential Location General 1 The transducer must be placed in a location that has a smooth flow of water at all times If the transducer is to be mounted inside the hull then the chosen location must be in the water at all times If the transducer is not placed in a smooth flow of water interference will show on the sonar s display in the form of random lines or dots whenever the boat is moving 2 The transducer should be installed with it s face pointing straight down if possible 3 If the transducer is mounted on the transom make certain it doesn t interfere with the trailer or hauling of the boat Also don t mount it closer than appr
7. first turned on only the depth is displayed You can turn each digital display on as desired or turn al of them off as desired ir To select the digital displays menu first press the menu key three times Next press the key adjacent to the CON STRUCT DIGITAL BOX menu Ascreen appears thatis similar to the one at right 25 Now press the key adjacent to the desired display For ex ample to turn the temperature display on press the key adja cent to the INCLUDE TEMP label Once you do this the digital display in the comer of the screen will show the tem perature in addition tothe depth The temperature menu label now shows REMOVE TEMP Youcantum each display onor off individually REMOVE DEPTH Press the CLEAR key to exit from this menu or wait approximately ten seconds and the menus will automatically clear Toturn the entire digital box off press the MENU key twice then press the key nextto the TURN DIGITAL BOX OFF label The unit will retum to the sonar display with the digital box erased from the screen To tum it on again repeat the above steps The label on the second menu page now reads TURN DIGITAL BOX ON MENU PAGE 3 CHART CURSOR The X 55A has a chart cursor that allows you to pinpoint a target s depth The cursor is simply a horizontal line that DISPLAY ZOOM BAR extends across thedisplayfrom left to right A depth box at the end of the line on the right
8. for approximately ten seconds when the X 55A is firstturned on Menus appear atthe 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 CLEAR key at the bottom of the screen 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 on the X 55A The Display menu at the bottom of the screen lets 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 CLEAR 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 X 55A is firsttumed on the display will appear similar to the one at left The word AUTO in the upper left corner of the display indicates the automatic feature is on The digital bottom depth also shows in this box DISPLAY SLIT ORK 12 The most efficient way to become acquainted with a bo
9. isn t shown on this page press the key adjacent to the MORE PRESET ALL GROUPSE label In this example the key next to the GROUP A label was pressed The screen shown below appears The depth window appears in the upper right corner of the screen Press the key adjacent to the NEXT WINDOW labe 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 pressthe 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 se lections until the screen is filled The unit will stay in the win dows mode using your new customized screen lf you don t want to fill a screen and only use one two orthree windows in a group simply press the key adjacent to the STOP label This saves the group and SELECT 18 exits the modify windows mode WINDOW Remember you can always return to the full screen sonar mode by pressing the 0 key in the upper left corner 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 Turning the unit off erases all customized scree
10. side shows the line s depth In the example below the cursor line is at 30 0 feet To display the chart cursor press the menukeythreetimes Now press the key adjacent to the TURN CHART CURSOR ON label A screen similar to the one at right appears Use the up or down arrow keys to move the cursor up or down to the desired depth Toturn the chart cursor off press the menu key three times Now press the 26 key adjacent to the TURN CHART CURSOR OFF label The X 55A returns to the sonar screen with the chart cursor turned off 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 sec tion of water on the right side of the screen that the zoom aes displays onthe left side Toturnthe zoom bar on continuously first press the MENU key until the 3rd menu page appears Now press the key next to the DISPLAY ZOOM BAR label To turn the zoom bar off press the MENU key until the third menu page appears then press the key adjacent to the RE MOVE ZOOM BAR label Note Turning the zoom bar on alsoturns the zoom feature on DISPLAY ZONE BAR When the zone alarm is on the zone bar doesn t normally show on the screen Toturnthe zone baron continuously first press the MENU key until the 3rd menu page appears Now press the key next to the DISPLAY ZONE BAR label To turn the zone bar off press the MENU key until
11. the results If there is interference on the display when running the boat at high speed try lowering the transducer s bracket as shown at right 8 GROUP G 45 60 LEFT 0 0_RIGHT 60 60 LEFT O Ol GROUP H If you find noise interference from an electrical instrument trolling motor pump orradio tryto isolate the problem You can usually reroute the sonar units power cable and transducer cable away from the wiring that 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 sonarunit from electrical equipment then make certain everything except the sonar unitis turned off then startthe 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 units 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 cavit
12. the third menu page appears then press the key adjacent to the RE MOVE ZONE BAP label Note Turning the zone bar on also turns the zone alarm on 27
13. 045 USA orders only 49 Lowrance s UPS Return Service Lowrance Electronics and United Parcel Service UPS are proud to offer allof ourcustomers free shipping forall units sent to us for repair orservice If you have to send this unit to the factory and you are in the continental United States use the enclosed UPS shipping label foreasy free shipping to our factory customer service department There are six easy steps 1 Call Lowrance atthe toll free number on the front of this flyerfor a Return Authorization RA number and instructions about what accessories to return Do not return a product to the factory without a Return Authorization RA Number 2 Pack your unit and any accessories in the original shipping container if possible Be sure to include proof of purchase for warranty verifica tion 3 Write a brief note detailing the problem you re having with the unit Please include your name address and daytime telephone number 4 Please include payment fornon warranty repairs Check money order Visa or MasterCard may be used 5 Fill in your name address zip code date and RA number in the blanks provided on the UPS form included with your unit 6 Attach the label to the shipping box tear off the tab for your receipt and give the package to any UPS driver or take the package to any UPS Customer Center You will not be charged for this shipment That s it Your unit will be shipped to Lowrance s customer service
14. After routing the cables fill the hole with a good marine sealing compound Offset the bracket tocover the hole Route the powercable through the slot and break out one of the other slots in the bracket for the transducer cable POWER CONNECTIONS The X 55A 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 saferto go ahead and attach the power cable directly to the battery If the cable is not long enough splice 18 gauge wire onto it The power cable has two wires red and black Red is the positive lead black is negative or ground Make certain to attach the in line fuse holderto 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 thefuse 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 X 55A 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 How to Obtain Service Canadian Customers Only We back your investment in quality products with quick expert service and genuine Lowrance replacement parts If you need service or repairs contact the Lowrance Factory C
15. CRIBED IS THE EXCLUSIVE REMEDY AVAILABLE TO YOU AGAINST US FOR ANY DEFECT MALFUNCTION OR NON CONFORMITY CONCERN ING THE PRODUCT OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE RESULTING FROM ANY OTHER CAUSE WHATSOEVER WE WILL NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR ANY SPECIAL CONSEQUENTIAL INCIDENTAL OR OTHER INDI RECT DAMAGE OF ANY KIND Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you This warranty does NOT apply In the following circumstances 1 when the product has been serviced or repaired by anyone other than us 2 when the product has been connected installed combined altered adjusted or handled in a manner other than according to the instructions fumished with the product 8 when any serial number has been effaced altered or removed or 4 when any defect problem loss or damage has resulted from any accident misuse negligence or carelessness or from any failure to provide reasonable and necessary maintenance In accordance with the instructions of the owners manual for the product We reserve the right to make changes or improvements in our products from time to time without incurring the obligation to install such improvements or changes on equipment or items previously manufactured This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which may vary from state to state REMINDER You m
16. D TRANSDUCER LOCATION TROLLING SPEED Shoot thru hull Installation 1 Make certain the area is clean dry and free of oil or grease then sand both the inside surface of the hull and the face of the transducer with 100 grit sandpaper The surface of the hull must be flat so the entire transducer face is in contact with the hull prior to bonding SPREAD EPOXY HER 2 Follow the instructions on the epoxy package and mix it thoroughly Do not mix it too fast as it will cause bubbles to form in the epoxy NOTE Use only the epoxies specified on page 1 of this manual Failure to use one of these epoxies may result in poor sonar performance Apply a small amount on the face of the transducer as shown above then Spread a smail amount onto the sanded area on the hull Place the 10 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 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 owners manual for more information 2 The se
17. How to Obtain Service We back your investmentin quality products with quick expert service and genuine Lowrance replacement parts If you re in the United States and you have questions please contact the Factory Customer Service Depart ment using our toll free number listed below You must send the unit to the factory for warranty service or repair Please cali the factory before sending the unit You will be asked for your unit s serial number shown above Use the following toll free number 800 324 1356 U S A only Monday through Friday 8 00 A M 8 00 P M Central time except holidays Your unit is covered by a full one year warranty See the back of this flyer forcomplete warranty details If your unit fails and the failure is not covered by the original warranty Lowrance has a flat rate repair policy that covers your unit and accessories packed with the unit at the factory There isa 480 day warranty on all non warranty repairs from the factory which is similar to the original warranty but is for 180 days ratherthan one year For further details please call us at the above number On factory repairs we guarantee your unit will be repaired in three working days from the time it is received This does not include shipping time If for some reason we cannot meet this commitment we will extend your warranty for another full year free of charge from the date of repair Lowrancealso gives youfree UPS shipping from anywherein t
18. MENU PAGE 2 sasssnsnensesnnsesennnenenna 24 ADJUST BACK LIGHT LEVEL 24 BACK LIGHT ON OFF 24 SPEAKER VOLUME TURN DIGITAL BOX OFF CONSTRUCT DIGITAL BOX F 25 MENU PAGE 83 cessscesseestseeeertesneeseees 26 CHART CURSOR 26 DISPLAY ZOOM BAR 27 DISPLAY ZONE BAR 27 DIGITAL SONAR 28 MENU PAGE 4 28 SELECT UNITS OF MEASURE 29 CLEAR DISTANCE LOG 29 MENU PAGE 5 000 29 ADJUST CHART SURFACE CLARITY ADVANCED SIGNAL PROCESSING ASP 30 WINDOWS ccssessesssseeeeeeststtaneecees ae 34 VIEWING WINDOWS OPTIONS 32 MODIFYING GROUPS 32 RESETTING ALL GROUPS 34 BROADVIEW ose 1 34 TRANSDUCERS AND CONE ANGLES FISH ARCHES 000 SIGNAL INTERPRETATION ccccssesseeersesseeees WATER TEMPERATURE AND THERMOCLINES SURVEYING A LAKE cescssscsesssssessnsesseeaeeers BAIT FISH cseseeeereee TROUBLESHOOTING wee 41 WARRANTY 0 47 FREE UPS SHIPPING 48 MISSING PARTS cccsssssseessseesesecesteses 50 INTERNATIONAL SERVICE INFORMATION sssssssssssssssssssssssecessrcssseseecccrsessestsntesssrsesestusenseseeseces 51 Copyright 1994 Lowrance Electronics All rights reserved All features and specifications subject to change without notice All screens in this manual are simulated NOTICE This product uses threaded nuts inside the case to hold the gimbal knobs onto the unit These nuts will rattle w
19. OLD VALUE NEW VALUE After you ve entered the desired alarm depth press the key next to the ACCEPT label This enters the alarm depth into memory and automati cally tums the shallow alarm on Now press the key next to the ACCEPT label The screen shown at right ap pears next The shallow alarm is now set If the bottom goes shallower than 10 feet the alarm will sound and awarning message appears on the screen at the same time A label also appears letting you mute the alarm if desired To return to the Sonar screen pressthe keynextto the EXIT label ALARM MUTE When either the shallow or deep alarmis triggered an audio tone sounds Adifferent tone sounds forthe shallowthan the deep alarm thus letting you know which alarm is sounding without looking at the unit Once a depth alarm is triggered it keeps sounding until youchange depth Forexample if the shallow alarm is Set to 10 feet and you move into and stay in water that s five feet deep you re going to get tired of listening to the alarm beeping ali the time To keep this situation from happening a new label appears on the sonar screen whenever a depth alarm sounds This label says Silence Alarm This mutes or tums the alarm s sound off until it s triggered again 20 The screen shown at right ap pears Select the letter of the group you wish tocustomize by press ing the key adjacent to the group s label If the label
20. RT 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 at the bottom of the screen Increase the chart speed by pressing the right ar row key or decrease it by press ing the left arrow key The per centage 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 adjust ment press the CLEAR key to erase the menu To stop the chart press the STOP key in the unit s lower left corner To start the chart press the STOP key again GRAYLINE GRAYLINE lets you distinguish between strong and weak echoes It paints gray on targets that are stronger than a preset value This lets you tell the difference between a hard and soft bottom For example a soft muddy or weedy bottom retums 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 GRAYLINE is adjustabl
21. and features of the unit The menu key ac i cesses many of these fea tures allowing you to custom ize 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 menu key to select the next menu If you ever get lost in a menu simply press the CLEAR key HELP An extremely useful feature incorporated into the X 55A 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 SONAR OPERATION AUTOMATIC When the X 55A 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 then press the CLEAR key to erase the menu The letters Man appear inthe upper left co
22. ast is adjustable to suit different light ing 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 at right appears Now press the key j adjacent to the left arrow to decrease the contrast Press the key adjacentto the rightarrow toincrease it The percentage of contrast in use changes as the arrow keys are 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 CLEAR key to erase the menu MENU PAGE 2 ADJUST BACKLIGHT LEVEL The X 55A has internal lights for the display and keyboard eee LIGHT ON Lela To adjust the intensity of the SPEAKER VOLUME LOW RIIIE lighting press the MENU key twice then press the key adja cent to the ADJUST BACK LIGHT 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 CLEAR key to erase the menu BACK LIGHT ON OFF To turn the back lighting on press the menu key twice then press the key adjacent to the BACK LIGHT label This moves the black box from OFF
23. at the front of the transducer is slightly lower than the back See the section on fish arches in this manual for proper transducer angles Tighten all screws CAUTION Don t overtighten the bolt that holds the transducer to the bracket Overtightening the bolt may result in a distorted bracket which will allow the transducer to kick up at high speed Snap the transducer bracket together by pressing the outer bracket the one with the transducer attached against the one screwed to the transom IMPORTANT Clamp the transducer cable to the transom close to the transducer This will prevent the transducer from entering the boat if it is knocked off at high speed FLAT BOTTOM HULL DEEP VEE HULL NOTE Some aluminum boats with strakes or ribs on the outside of the hull create large amounts of turbulence at high speed These boats typically have large outboard motors capable of propelling the boat at speeds over 35 mph The transducer should be mounted as far below the hull as possible on these boats See below This will place the face of the transducer below the turbulent water allowing the sonar unit to work at high speeds 6 Route the transducer cable to the sonar unit Keep the transducer cable away from other wiring on the boat if possible Electrical noise from engine wiring or bilge pumps can be picked up on the transducer cable This can show up as unwanted interference on the sonar display 7 Make a test run to determine
24. ation 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 ina location that has a smcoth flow of water at all boat speeds Read your transducer owner s manual for the best mounting position WINDOWS SUMMARY All of the window groups used by the X 55A 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 each group can be customized however the group will revert to the ones shown on these pages when the unit is turned off SHOOT THRU HULL INSTALLATION The transducer installation inside a fiberglass hull must be in an area that does not have air bubbles in the resin or separated fiberglass layers The sonar signal must pass through solid fiberglass A success ful transducer installation can be made on hulls with flotation materials such as plywood balsa wood or foam between layers of fiberglass if the materia is removed from the chosen area For example some manufacturers use a layer of fiberglass then a core of balsa wood finishing with an outer layer of fiberglass Removing the inner layer of fiberglass and the balsa wood core exposes the outer layer of fiberglass
25. 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 ifthe cone passes over a fish in shallow water the signal displayed on the X 55A may not arch atall This is due to the narrow cone diameter and the resolution limitations of the display 36 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 de sired press the CLEAR 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 Ascreen similarto the one below appears A zoombar 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
26. dy of water is to survey it with your X 55A Start with a map of the lake if possible and indicate the promising spots in relation to landmarks on shore As you go about your survey your X 55A will tell you the depth and type of bottom It will also reveal suspended fish Keep a few marker buoys in the boat ready to toss overboard When the X 55A indicates a school of fish throw the buoy out With the school thus marked youcan make your tum and come back to fish in exactly the right spot This is essential when you re far from shore ona big lake Unless you mark the school of fish when you re over it you may not be able to find it again BAIT FISH The importance of bait fish to successful fishing can t be overemphasized They are the principle food of all game fish in most waters Bait fish are the plankton feeding forage fish such as minnows and shad They can also be the young of game fish such as crappies bluegill and bass Most bait fish concentrate within five feet of the surface where sunlight promotes the growth of the plankton on which they feed One method of fishing is to use the X 55A to find the bait fish first With the Fish ID feature off a school of bait fish will look like a cloud onthe display Usually game fish will be nearby often directly beneath the school of bait fish TROUBLESHOOTING If your unit is not working or if you need technical help please use the following troubleshooting section be
27. e 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 X 55A at power on is usually adequate for most conditions Experiment with your unit to find the GRAYLINE setting that s best for you Toadjust GRAYLINE pressthe MENU key then press the key adjacent to the ADJUST GRAYLINE label A screen similar to the one at right ap pears 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 onthe screen both onthe menu and on the chart record as you press the keys After you ve made the adjustment press the CLEAR key to erase the menu i SOK To turn the menus off press the key adjacent to the CLEAR key at the bottom left side of the unit or wait a few seconds and the menus will disappear FISH I D The Fish I D feature identifies targets that meet certain conditions asfish The microcomputer 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 ofthe actual fish echoes There are four fish symbol sizes tiny small medium and large These are used t
28. eit 20 degrees to 75 degrees Celcius 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 Formore information contact the factory s Customer Service Department or your local service center TOOLS YOU WILL NEED TRANSOM MOUNT TRANSDUCER INSTALLATION Hand held Drill with a variety of small bits Two 2 12 stainless steel screws to attach bracket to the transom Marine grade caulking compound to seal screws SHOOT THRU HULL MOUNT 100 grit sandpaper One package of the either of the following epoxies Power Poxy 1 oz package Made by Power Poxy Adhesives Inc or True Value brand TRUE BOND epoxy or PLASTIC WELDER epoxy sold by True Value stores or Devcon brand PLASTIC WELDER epoxy MOUNTING Install the X 55A 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 roombehindthe unit to attach the power and transducer cables The smallest hole that will pass one power or transducer plug is 5 8 After the hole is drilled pass the transducer connector up through the hole first then pass the power cable down through it
29. ese markings are caused by wave action boat wakes temperature inversion and other natural causes ADJUST CHART SURFACE CLARITY The Surface Clarity Control OFF MED HIGH SCC reduces or eliminates surface clutter signals from the display SCC varies the sensi tivity of the receiver decreas ing it near the surface and gradually increasing it as the depthincreases The maximum depth that SCC will affect is ADJUST LEVEL OF CHART ASP MERA DIGITAL SONAR When the X 55A 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 J D feature Toturn the digital sonar off press the Menu key three times Now press the key adjacent to the TURN DIGITAL SONAR OFF label To turn it on again repeat the same steps MENU PAGE 4 FASTRAK This feature converts all ech oes to short horizontal lines on the display s far right side The graph continues to operate nor mally FASTRAK gives you a rapid update of conditions di rectly under the boat This makes i
30. fore contacting the factory customer i fvic department It may save you the trouble of returning your unit Jgiteger t turn on cV Ne power cable s connection at the unit Also check the wiring TECHNOLOGIES 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 4i 78 SURFACE LAYER ABSORBS HEAT FROM THE SUN l EPILIMNION 77 76 75 THERMOCLINE MOST PRODUCTIVE ZONE FOR FISHING 68 56 VARIES IN DEPTH DUE TO WIND CURRENTS SEASONS 50 47 SURVEYING A LAKE The most successful anglers on any body of water are those who fish it day after day and year after year Eventually they learn the hot spots that produce fish consistently They discover through experience where and at what depth they can expect tofind the fish they want at any season And they realize that these productive areas change throughout the year depending on water level temperature food and other factors With the X 55A anyone can eliminate guesswork and concentrate on the areas where fish are likely to be Even if it s the first time on the lake 40 MENUS The X 55A uses menus ex tensively to guide you through the functions
31. gh 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 five times Then press the key next to the ADJUST LEVEL OF CHART ASP label until the desired level is obtained 30 The microcomputer 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 outwards froma group of limbs is the hardest object forthe 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 Fish ID On Off FishTrack label until the black box surrounds the ON label Echoeswill continue to scroll across the screen however the surface clutter at the top will no longer be displayed Any targets the microcomputer determines are fish will be displayed as f
32. he continen tal United States both to and from the factory for all warranty repairs You can also use the enclosed UPS shipping label for non warranty shipments See the inside of this flyer for more information Remember non warranty repairs are subject to Lowrance s published flat rate charges and 180 day warranty A 3 working day turnaround time at the factory repair center is guaranteed Does not include shipping time LITHO IN U S A 988 0133 10 X 55A INSTALLATION AND OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS E LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS INC 12000 E SKELLY DR TULSA OK 74128 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ssssssseesessssecesssansneessnseeeessnsestttnsesstesststeessnsossessssssterstrsngrarseaeartuauesseseeae weed INSTALLATION ww MOUNTING ceeeeseeees we POWER CONNECTIONS we TRANSDUCER 4 KEYBOARD BASICS DISPLAY cesses MENUS 13 HELP 13 OPERATION 013 AUTOMATIC 18 SENSITIVITY 14 RANQE iisu 15 Upper and Lower Limits 15 ZOOM aneian 16 Automatic Operation 16 Manual Operation 17 ALARMS ceeeeeeeeee 18 FISH ALARM 18 ZONE ALARM 18 Par EE a e E EE E EE E 19 ALARM MUTE 20 MENU PAGE 1 sa 21 CHART SPEED ini a Ea a a alice Sovak shen 21 GRAYLINE non 21 FISH I D 22 Eaa E eaa EAE E AEE 29 DISPLAY CONTRAST s ssssstessesseessuesssessuecenseesseesutssrsceeeetsessssesseese 24
33. hen you shake the unit It s normal for thisto happen and shouldn t be acause forconcern This doesn t affectthe watertight integrity of the unit The unit won t rattle when it s installed with the gimbal knobs onto its bracket 53 NOTES 52 INTRODUCTION The X 55A 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 X 55A is also one of the easiest to use sonars that Lowrance has ever built The wide screen shows theunderwater world with high resolutionand detail The display and keyboard are also lighted for night operation The X 55A also has digital depth boat speed surface water temperature and distance travelled log displays In orderto use the digital speed tempera ture and log displays you must purchase and install an optional ST T transom mount orST H through hull mount speed temperature sensor SPECIFICATIONS DIMENSIONS ccsccsscssseseceerseeneeaseseteeseneees 5 7 8 H x 7 3 4 W x 3 7 8 D Transmitter Frequency all channels 192 kHz Transmitter Power down channel 600 watts p p typical 75 watts RMS typical Transmitter Power left amp right channels 275 watts p p typical 34 4 watts RMS typical DISPLAY Er E ATT Supertwist LCD 128 vertical x 160 horizontai 20 480 total pixels NOTICE The storage temperature for your unit is from 4 degrees to 167 degrees Fahrenh
34. ify the desired surface water spawning temperatures for various species Trout can t survive in streams that get too warm Bass and other fish eventually die out when stocked in lakes that remain too cold during the summer While some fish have a wider temperature tolerance than others each has a certain range within which it tries to stay Schooling fish suspended over deep water lie at the level that provides this temperature We assume they are the most comfortable here The temperature of water inthe lake is seldom constantfromtopto bottom See the picture on the next page Layers of different temperatures form and the junction of a warm and cool layer of water is called a thermocline The depth and thickness of the thermocline can vary with the season or time of day In deep lakes there may be two or more at different depths Thermoclines are important to fishermen because they are areas where fish are active Many times bait fish will be above the thermocline while larger game fish will suspend in or just below it The X 55A can detect this invisible layer in the water but the sensitivity will probably have to be turned up to See it When the Fish 1 D mode is off the depth of the water will affect the size and shape of the fish arch due to the cone angle diameter For example if the cone passes over a fish in shallow water the signal displayed on the X 55A may not arch at all This is due to the narrow cone diameter and the resolut
35. ion limitations of the display 39 lt _ BOAT S DIRECTION OF TRAVEL A i One of the best ways to get fish arches is to expand or zoom a segment of the water For example from 45 to 60 feet The smallerthe segment the betierthe screen resolution will be The easiest way to do this on the X 55A is with the Zoom feature This 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 noiseon 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 SIGNAL INTERPRETATION Your X 55A gives an accurate picture of the bottom that your boat is passing A bottom of firm sand gravel shell or hard clay retums a fairly wide signal If the automatic mode is off and the signal narrows down then it means that you have moved over a mud bottom Mud absorbs the sound wave and returns a weak signal Turn up the sensitivity to see a better botiom signal RANGE Automatic When turned on for the first time the X 55A automatically places the bottom signa 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 X 55A gives yo
36. ish symbols To turn the Fish I D feature off again first press the menu key Next press the key adjacent to the Fish ID On Off FishTrack label until the black box surrounds the OFF label The menu immediately disap pears and the sonar screen returns Remember the Fish I D feature can t be used when the X 55A is in the manual mode If you turn the Fish 1 D feature on when the X 55A is in manual the microcomputer 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 FISHTRACK The FishTrack feature shows the depth of a fish symbol when it appears on the display This fets you accurately gauge the depth of targets This feature is available only when the Fish ID feature is on To turn the FishTrack feature on press the menu key then press the key adjacent to the Fish ID On Off FishTrack label until the black box surrounds the FishTrack label Echoes will continue to scroll across the screen with the depth of fish symbols showing above them as they appear on the display To turn the FishTrack feature off again first press the menu key Next press the key adja cent to the Fish ID On Off cot Be FishTrack label until the black boxsurrounds the ON labelto MWS 36 leave Fish ID on or the OFF pjaga label to turn both Fish ID and FishTrack off gee pee 23 DISPLAY CONTRAST The unit s display contr
37. ments that view to the right left and down The transducer attaches to your boat s transom or it can mount ona trolling motor using the optional TMB S trolling motor bracket The BroadView transducercable attaches directly to yoursonar unit s transducer connector See the BroadView s installation instructions included with the BroadView transducer for more detail When your sonar unit is first urned on with a BroadView transducer the down transducer element is in use To see echoes from either the left or right transducer elements first press the WINDOWS key Next press the up or down arrow keys until a Broadview window appears as shown at the top of the next page The X 55A automatically switches to the transducer element shown on the screen If both left and right elements are showing 34 zone alarm bar set as desired press the CLEAR 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 ALARM key then 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 ofthe time see the Display Zone Alarm Bar section in this manual for instructions 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 se
38. ncrease 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 mea SET SENS per 4 DEC INC 14 Big rocks or stumps on a smooth bottom send back signals above the bottom level signal The height of the signal depends onthe target s height As you pass over a post it should be clearly visible as a short line extending above the bottom signal A steep slope returns a wide signal the steeper the wider Signals returned from a high underwater cliff are usually the widest of all WATER TEMPERATURE AND THERMOCLINES Water temperature has an important if not controlling influence upon the activities of all fish Fish are cold blooded and their bodies are always the temperature of the surrounding water During the winter colder water slows down their metabolism At this time they need about a fourth as much food as they consume in the summer Most fish don t spawn unless the water temperature is within rather narrow limits A surface temperature meter helps ident
39. nd view the effect on the sonar s display For example tum on the bilge pump and view the sonar display for noise If no noise is present turn the pump off then tum on the VHF radio and transmit Keep doing this until all electrical equipment hasbeen turned on their effect on the sonardisplay noted thentumed off 43 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 sonarunit Rerouting the power and transducer cables away from other electrical wiring on the boat may help Route 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 powerconnectors Makecertain 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 itis shooting through only one layer of fiberglass and that itis securely bonded to the hull Do NOT use RTV silicone rubberadhesive or Marinetex 2 Electrical noise from the boat s motor can interfere with the
40. ns and user settings 33 ample if you press the key ad jacentto the window menu label on the sonar chart window the screen will clear and you will have a new menu with selec tions such as ADJUST CHART SPEED and ADJUST GRAY LINE as shown below Other window menus let you change the units of measure or adjust alarms AFFECT ALL CHART WINDOWS AND To exit from a window menu press the CLEAR 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 keynext to the VIEW ALL WINDOWS label The screen at the top of the next page appears The first window appears inthe upperright cornerofthe screen A description of the screen shows in the box at the bottom of the screen Now press the key adjacent to the NEXT la bel This changes thedisplayed window and description Digital Depth WATER DEPTH DISPLAY DEPTH ALARMS AND UNITS OF MEASURE ARE SET IN MENU When you ve finished viewing the windows press the CLEAR key MODIFYING GROUPS To modify or customize a group first press the WIN DOWS key then press the MENU key Now press the key adjacent to the MAIN MENU labelatthebottomofthescreen The screen shown at right ap pears Nowpress the key adja cent to the REPROGRAM A GROUP label MENU PAGE 1 ADJUST CHART SPEED CHA
41. nsitivity 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 Ifthe 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 rangethan aQto 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 onthe 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 erratically or not at all Toeliminate 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 tum all electrical equipment on the boat off Make certain the engine is off also Turn your X 55A 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 a
42. o designate the relative size between targets In other words it displays a small fish symbol when itthinks atargetis a smali fish a medium fish symbol on a larger target etc 22 WINDOWS mnaye meeen You can change the displays DEPTH on the X 55A by using the win dows feature This lets youcus tomize displays to your own fishing or boating situations This feature also gives you 15 window display screens onthe X 55A 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 above has the digital displays in one window and the sonar chartin the other To use the windows feature first pressthe WINDOWS key A Screen similar to the one shown at left appears The menu at the bottom of the screen lets you switch be tween the pages of displays These are lettered A through O 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 GROUP arrow key once shows the group B screen which is the side scan screen To return to the full sonar screen press the key next to the FULL CHART label at the top of the screen Every one ofthe groupscreens can be modified to some ex DEPTH tent For example press the MENU key while group A is displayed Four new labels ap pear on the display a
43. oximately one foot from the engine s lower unit This will prevent cavitation interference with the propeller Typically the transducer should be mounted as deep in the water as possible This increases the chance that it will be in the water in high speed and reduces the possiblity of air bubble interference 4 If possible route the transducer cable away from other wiring on the boat Electrical noise from engine wiring bilge pumps and areators can be displayed on the sonar s screen Use caution when routing the transducer cable around these wires sia LA PS Authorized Return Service f TO X pasa eet K ON NUMBER Ac AUTHORED PETUAN SERVICE RECEIPT REF fOATE KEEP THIS LABEL YOU WILL NEED IT IF YOU EVER NEED TO RETURN YOUR UNIT TO THE FACTORY FOR REPAIR i This UPS shipping offer is good only In the continental United States excludes Alaska and Hawaii Lowrance Electronics may find it necessary to change or end our shipping policies regulations and special offers at any time We reserve the right to do so without notice Accessory Ordering Information To order accessories such as power cables or transducers please contact 1 Your local marine dealer Most quality dealers that handle marine electronic equipment should be able to assist you with these items Consult your local telephone directory for listings 2 LE Extras Inc P O Box 129 Catoosa OK 74015 0129 or call 800 324 0
44. pears Now press the key next to the CHANGE UPPER LIMIT label to change the upper limit or CHANGE LOWER LIMIT label to change the lower limit We re changing the upper limit in this example After pressing the key next to the CHANGE UPPER LIMIT label the screen shown at the top of the next page appears Using the numbered keys enter a number for the upper limit thatis at least five feet less than the lower limit In this case we entered 40 giving a 20 footzoom When you ve entered the desired upper limit pressthe up arrow key at the bottom of the screen The unit returns to the sonar screen with the new upper limit Change the lowerlimitthe same E DANCE i TIPPER neve To way Using the upper and lower USE RIGHT GRROW limits in this manner lets you TO BACKSPACE expand a segment of water ky ell quickly and easily PA ACCEPT JER ZOOM Enlarging or zooming the picture is acommon method used to show small detail and fish signals The X 55A gives you two different zoom sizes plus a split screen zoom option The zoom operation and adjustmentis 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 below also appear Turn the zoom feature on or off by pressing the key adjacent to the OFF ON label Pressing the key adjacen
45. ransducer After the epoxy dries route the cable to the X 55A KEYBOARD The keyboard has keys arranged in two vertical columns plus a horizontal row at the bottom The keys in the left column are used to enter numbers and menu selections The keys in the right column activate the windows feature and the basic sonar functions The menu key in the bottom right corner of the keyboard activates the first menu page The keys along the bottom of the screen are used to activate the alarm menu stop the chart and make menu Selections with the arrow keys WINDOWS This key gives you access to the windows made which lets you customize displays SENS Press this key to adjust the unit s sensitivity RANGE This key lets you adjust the range when the unit is in the manual mode ZOOM The X 55A gives you 2X and 4X zoom capability with this key AUTO This turns the automatic feature off and on MENU Press this key to show the menus and gain access to most functions CLEAR This key clears menus and erases entries from the screen ALARM Press this key to activate any of the sonar alarms STOP When this key is pressed the chart stops scrolling This doesn t affect the digital display however ARROW KEYS These keys are used to make menu selections and to move objects on the screen ON The ON key turns the X 55A on OFF Press and HOLD the Off key to turn the X 55A off DISPLAY General The lights are turned on
46. rner of the display indicating the unit is in the manual mode To turn Auto matic on press the AUTO key again then press the right ar S amp S X SSK row key SSE AUTO Oa e N SENSITIVITY The sensitivity key on the X 55A 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 itcan 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 X 55A 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 at the bottom 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 INC arrow also shows the percentage of sensitivity in use To i
47. s shown at right Two ofthese labe s are window menus Pressing the key adjacent to one of the win dow menu labels gives you a menu with functions that relate only to that window For ex 75 of the selected depth range For example on a 0 60 foot range with maximum SCC surface clutter will be reduced down to 45 feet There are three levels of SCC available on the X 55A 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 five times then press the key adjacent to the ADJUST CHART 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 ASP Advanced Signal Processing The ASP feature is a noise rejection system built into the X 55A 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 so SURER ce Lhe nar terms noise is any undes ired signal Itis caused by elec az Eee trical and mechanical sources such as bilge pumps engine ignition systems and wiring air bubbles passing over the face of the transducer even vibra tion from the engine in all cases noise can produce un wanted marks on the display ADJUST LEVEL OF CHART ASP HOR MAL The ASP feature has two levels Normal and Hi
48. screen on the previous page the range is 60 feet and the unit is using both the left and right transducer elements To change elements press the WINDOWS key then press the up or down arrow key until the desired screen appears The X 55A can show left and down right and down or both left and right views at the same time AUTOMATIC vs MANUAL OPERATION Your sonar unit can use the BroadView transducer in either the auto matic or manual mode The above screen shows a Screen with automatic and Fish ID on The screen shown below shows a much different view with automatic and Fish ID off This view shows the scattered sig nals called surface clutter near the surface and actual so nar returns from objects in the water structure and the bot tom To switch between automatic and manual modes press the AUTO key to view the auto matic manual menu then press RESETTING ALL GROUPS To retum 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 REPROGRAM A GROUP label Finally press the key next to the RESET ALL GROUPS label BROADVIEW Your unit has the unique ability to view targets not only straight down but also out to the left or right of the boat This requires the optional BroadView transducer This transducer has three ele
49. sducers please contact 1 Your local marine dealer Most quality dealers that handle marine electronic equipment should be able to assist you with these items Consult your local telephone directory for listings 2 Canadian customers only can write Lowrance Eagle Canada 919 Matheson Blvd E Mississauga Ontario L4W2R7 or fax 416 629 3118 51 NOTICE Please check the items in the box against this list You should have all of the items shown on this page If you are missing any of the items please call our special toll free number 1 800 324 1353 A RECORDED MESSAGE will request the following information Please have it ready before you call 1 Your name shipping address and telephone number 2 The part that s missing 3 The model serial number and DATE AND PLACE OF PURCHASE OF YOUR UNIT 4 The best time of day to call you if we have questions Provided that all of the requested information is recorded and approved by our Customer Service Department the missing item s will be shipped directly to you free of charge DISPLAY UNIT GIMBAL KNOB GIMBAL KNOB RUBBER i RUBBER WASHER GIMBAL BRACKET bee ae POWER CABLE AND HARDWARE TO TRANSDUCER NOT TONAL SOLD WITH ALL X 55 S PEE sBNDET SENSOR BATTERY FUSE FUSE HOLDER _ TRANSDUCER Some X 55A s are sold with a HS WSBK transom mount transducer It can be installed on any outboard or stern drive inboard outboard pow ered
50. 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 signa while it s in the automatic mode the digital will flash continuously It may change the range to limits far greater thanthe water you are in If this happens place the unit in the manual made 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 42 transducer into the epoxy twisting and turning it to force any air bubbles out from under the transducer face The face of the transducer should be parallel with the hull with a minimum amount of epoxy between the hull and t
51. st either using the front panel buttons or through menu selections The only difference is when two charts are showing on the display at the same time You will get a new menu letting you switch between charts This gives you the ability to have different ranges sensitivity settings etc on each chart TRANSDUCER CONE ANGLES The sound waves from the transducer spread out into the water in acone 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 or20 degree cone angle The transducer supplied with the X 55A has a 20 degreeconeangle 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 Both8 degree and 20 degree transducers give accurate bottom readings even though the bottom signal is much wider on the 20 degree model This is
52. t 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 as shown at the top of the next page Alltargets on the leftside of the screenare shown at four times the size of the ones on the right If you switch to the 2X zoom mode echoes onthe left side of the screenare SAK Se tree ere te enema a TRANSDUCER CONE ANGLES 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 partial arch ora shape similarto 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 37 the AUTO key again to switch it Press the CLEAR key to erase the AUTO MAN menu All of the X 55A s features adjust the same with the Broadview on Sensitivity Range Grayline and all the others adju
53. t useful for ice fishing or when you re fishing at an chor Since the unit is not mov ing fish signals are long drawn out lines on a normal chart display FASTRAK converts the graph to a vertical bar graph that with practice makes a useful addition to fishing at a stationary location To turn FASTRAK on press the menu key four times then press the key adjacent to the TURN FASTRAK ON label To turn it off repeat the same steps The TURN FASTRAK OFF label appears instead of the TURN FASTRAK ON la bel LIGHT SPEAKER VOLUME The speaker volume has two levels high or low When the X 55A is first turned on the speaker volume is high To change it press the MENU key twice then press the key next to the SPEAKER VOLUME LOW HIGH key This switches the volumefromhighto low A shorttune sounds letting you hear the volume To switch back to high simply press the key again To exit from this menu press the CLEAR key TURN DIGITAL 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 twice then press the key adjacent to the TURN DIGITAL BOX OFF label Repeat the above steps to turn the box on CONSTRUCT DIGITAL BOX The X 55A can display the depth speed surface water temperature and distance log in the upper left portion of the screen When the X 55A is
54. the same time The zoom adjust menus will automatically clear a few seconds after you ve pressed the last key Remember the X 55A won t track the bottom when it s in the manual mode 17 SONAR ALARMS The X 55A 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 echoesisafish Another alarm isthe 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 ALARM key The screen shown below appears Press the key nextto the desired alarm s label to adjustit orto turn it on FISH ALARM SET DEPTH ALARMS Use the fish alarm for a distinc tive audible alarm when fish or SET ZONE ALARM other suspended objects are detected by the Fish I D fea ture A different tone sounds for each fish symbol size shown onthe display To use thisalarm simply press the key nextto the TURN FISH ALM ON label 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 made To set the zone alarm press the ALARM ke
55. tting 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 con tinue 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 goesdeeperthan 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 orby themselves To set the depth alarms first press the ALARM key then press the key next to the SET DEPTH ALARMS label The screen shown above appears To adjust the shallow alarm press the key next to the Shal low label To adjust the deep 0 alarm press the key next to the Deep label Both alarms ad just 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 position to the number on the right side of the arrow This number is the SE NUMERIC KEYS T CHANGE VALUE USE RIGHT ARROW TO BACKSPACE current shallow alarm setting To change it press the key next to the CHANGE LIMIT label at the bottomofthe screen as shownat right A new screen appears as shown atthe top of the next page Use the num bered keypad on the right side of the unit to enter the shallow alarm setting We used 10 feet in this example
56. u control over the range when it s in the manual mode To change the range first make certain the X 55A is in the manual mode Next press the RANGE key The range adjustment menu appears in the lower right corner of the display Press the up or down arrow keys to decrease orincreasethe range The available ranges are 0 5 Iie T 10 20 30 40 60 100 150 18 8 T ARNOA 200 300 500 800 and 1000 f feet After the desired range is displayed press the CLEAR key to erase the range menu NOTE The depth capability of the X 55A depends on the transducer installation water and bottom conditions and other factors RANGE Upper and Lower Limits The X 55A lets you change the upper and lower range limits when it s in the manua mode This lets you zoom in on segments of the water as small as 5 feet In other words you can set the upper limit to 30 feet and the lower limit to 35 feet regardless of the bottom depth This in essence gives you a5 footzoom You can choose any segment of the water as long as the distance between the upper timit and lower limit is 5 feet 2 meters 1 fathom or more Using the zoom feature described in the next section lets you view asegment of the wateronthescreen s right side for example from 20 to 30 feet and a zoom of that segment on the left To change the upper or lower limit first make certain the unit is in the manual mode Next press the RANGE key The menu shown above ap
57. ust retain the sales slip or sales receipt proving the date of your original purchase in case warranty service is ever required LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS 12000 E SKELLY DRIVE TULSA DK 74128 800 324 1356 47 a O Dem BALAFT TEMP BATTERY GROUP oO GROUP p 46 CAUTION CLAMP THE TRANSDUCER CABLE TO TRANSOM NEAR THE TRANSDUCER THIS WILL HELP PREVENT THE TRANSDUCER FROM ENTERING THE BOAT IF IT IS KNOCKED OFF AT HIGH SPEED GOOD LOCATION POOR ANGLE GOOD LOCATION 3 Don t mount the transducer directly behind strakes or ribs on the bottom of the hull Typically a good location on aluminum boats is between the ribs closest to the engine See above The port left side of the transom is preferred for mounting the transducer however if this is not possible the starboard right side can be used with good results 4 Once you determine the best location for the transducer hold the bracket against the transom The transducer should be roughly parallel to the ground The bottom of the hul should be about halfway between the centerline of the transducer and it s bottom See the illustration below Swing the bracket up and mark the transom through the slots in the transducer bracket Now drill two holes in the center of the slots Use 12 stainless steel sheet metal screws to loosely attach the bracket to the transom r h BOTTOM OF BOAT 5 Adjust the transducer and bracket so th
58. ustomer Service Department at the toll free number fisted below A technician may be able to solve the problem and save you the inconvenience of returning your unit You will be asked for your unit s serial number 800 347 1014 Canada Only Monday through Friday 8 00 A M 8 00 P M Central Time How to Obtain Service International Customers Only If you need service or repairs contact the dealer in the country you purchased your unit WARRANTY REPAIR WILL BE HONORED ONLY IN THE COUNTRY UNIT WAS PURCHASED Please follow the shipping instructions shown below on this page if you have to mail your unit to the dealer For proper testing repair and service send a brief note with the product describing the problem Be sure to include your name return shipping address and a daytime telephone number Shipping Information When sending a product for repair please do the following 1 Always use the original shipping container and filler material the product was packed in when shipping your product 2 Always insure the parcel against damage or loss during shipment Lowrance does not assume responsiblity for goods lost or damaged in transit 3 For proper testing repair and service send a brief note with the product describing the problem Be sure to include your name return shipping address and a daytime telephone number Accessory Ordering Information To order accessories such as power cables or tran
59. y Now press the key next to the Set Zone Alarm label A screen similar to the one shown below appears The zone alarm bar appears 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 la bel Now use the arrow keys to move the top of the bar higher RS or Jower When you have the 18 thenitshows echoesfrom both When either the left or right transducer elements are in use the display scrolls the echoes from the top of the display to the bottom instead of from right to left On the example screens on the previous page both the right and left transducer ele ments are in use The bottom aie echo shows on the far left side E _ of the left element s display and the far right side of the right element s display The closer a target is to the zero line the closer the target is to your boat 60 LEFT When the Fish ID feature is on Fish ID symbols appear onthe screen when the unit s computer thinks targets are fish If the FishTrack feature is on the distance from the boat to the symbol shows beneath the fish symbol Note Fish ID and FishTrack only work when the automatic mode is on These features are not available when the sonar unit is in the manual mode The tabel at the top of the screen shows which transducer element is in use and the range In the example

Lowrance electronic X-55A User's Manual

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