Lowrance electronic X-3 User's Manual
Contents
1. E COMMAND SUMMARY DIGITAL OFF ON 2nd 5 DIGITAL s SIZE 2nd 2 AUTO RANGING OFF ON 2nd 8 HIGH SPEED Scroll ON OFF 2nd 4 CLEAR ENTRY I 2nd 0 or 2nd 2nd CLEAR SCREEN 2nd 0 0 FREEZE CHART STOP RESUME RESTART CHART STOP RESUME DISCRIMINATION 0 1 or 2 DISC AUTO RANGING W ZOOM WINDOW SIZE 2nd 8 BOTTOM TRACK INCREASE SENSITIVITY PRESS gt KEY DECREASE SENSITIVITY PRESS lt KEY INCREASE CHART SPEED PRESS FAST KEY DECREASE CHART SPEED PRESS SLOW KEY VIEW CHART SPEED PRESS 2nd FAST or SLOW WITHOUT CHANGING TURN OFF ON AUTO PRESS AUTO KEY SENSITIVITY TURN ON OFF LIGHTS 2nd 9 FEET FATHOMS METERS 2nd 6 CHART ALARM SET DEPTH ALARM SET CLEAR ALARM TURN ALARM SPEAKER OFF ON SELECT SHALLOW SET or DEEP SET UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW TO ADJUST DEPTH SELECT SHALLOW ALARM DEPTH SHALLOW SET DEEP ALARM DEPTH DEEP SET 2nd 0 SELECT NOTE KEY 988 0105 04 INSTALLATION AND OPERATION MANUAL X 3 LCG RECORDER E LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS INC 12000 E SKELLY DR TULSA OKLA 74128 INDEX Installation Power Connections BASIC OPERATION OFF ON Sensitivity Chart Speed Clear Range Auto Range Scale Lower Limit Upper Limit Digital ALARMS Chart Alarm Clearing Chart Alarm Depth Alarm Clearing Depth Alarm Light Discrimination ADVANCED OPERATION High Speed Scroll FASTRAK Feet Fathoms Meters Auto Range with Zoom Bottom Track Auto Sensitivity Other Tips Transducers and Cone2. A 7 FASTRAK The FASTRAK causes the X 3 to display the bottom fish trees or other echoes including the bottom signal will be converted into short straight horizontal lines As the bottom or other echoes moves shallow or deeper the lines will rise or fall accordingly This gives quick precise depth information at a glance If the auto sensitivity auto ranging and digital functions are on they will be disabled when the FASTRAK mode is enabled To start the FASTRAK mode press 2nd 7 FISH BOTTOM Figure 17 To exit the FASTRAK mode press 2nd 7 again The auto sensitivity auto ranging and digital functions will still be off after the FASTRAK mode is tumed off ea opua DEEP SHALLOW ALARM was gena RM SET Ae DEPTH ALM ANGA DEPTH ALM RANGING Figure 12 Figure 13 Clearing the Depth Alarm A quick method to erase or clear all functions of the depth alarm can be done by pressing 2nd 0 SELECT This erases all alarm settings for the alarm that is currently in use For example to disable both the shallow and deep settings press the SELECT key until the DEPTH ALARM annunciator is displayed in the bottom left corner of the screen then press 2nd 0 SELECT and it will immediately be cleared The annunciator will go off showing that the alarm is no longer in use The note key L turns the audible tone off or on When the alarms are first set the audible tone is on which can be seen by the no
3. Angles Signal Interpretation Fish Signals Surface Clutter Water Temperature and Thermoclines Surveying a Lake Bait Fish Troubleshooting Specifications How to Obtain Service Schematic Diagram and Parts List SHALLOW Water Operation O OO OO OO at BWP SHALLOW WATER OPERATION In very shallow water less than eight feet the LCG may operate better with the automatic and digital functions tumed off The easiest way to do this is to press HI SPD Next select a depth range SENSITIVITY If the sensitivity is too high press Selecting the high speed scroll feature not only gives a high chart speed but also turns off the digital sonar auto sensitivity and auto ranging If a slower chart speed is desired press the 2nd key and then the 4 key again This will turn off the High Speed Scroll mode however the auto matic sensitivity auto ranging and digital function will remain off The sensitivity is too high if the screen appears black obscuring the bottom signal 74 Range 20 to 40 feet Discrimination Level 1 High Speed Scroll On Sloping Bottom Large Fish from 22 to 34 feet Range 5 to 40 feet Large Fish on Bottom Fish at 19 feet Surface Clutter Extends to 15 feet 33 INTRODUCTION The Lowrance X 3 Liquid Crystal Graph LCG is a compact unit that packs more power and features than any other sonar using a liquid crys tal display L C D The L CDD sets the X 3 apart from other son
4. alarm will sound and the ALARM can be seen atthe bottom of the display If the range is changed the chart alarm may need to be changed also since it operates independently and does not track range settings The note key turns the audible tone off or on When the alarms are first set the audible tone is on which can be seen by the note annuncia tor 4 atthe bottom of the display To turn the audible tone off press the note key on the keyboard once To turn it back on press the note key again Clearing the Chart Alarm To turn the Chart Alarm off press the SELECT key to switch over to the Deep Alarm or press 2nd 0 SELECT The annunciator CHART ALARM in the bottom left hand corner of the screen will go off showing that the alarm is no longer in use Note Simply pressing the SELECT key will switch the X 3 from the chart alarm to the depth alarm All of the chart alarm settings will remain in memory Pressing 2nd 0 SELECT will erase the chart alarm settings DEPTH ALARM The Depth Alarm is actually two alarms The shallow alarm gives a visual and or audible signal when in water that is shallower than the alarm set point The deep alarm will give a visual and or audible signal when in water that is deeper than the alarm set point Note that this alarm window is exactly opposite from the chart alarm Also the depth alarm can be set off only by the bottom signal not by fish or any other echoes NOTE The digital must be on in order
5. an echo is detected such as a fish or a school of fish inside its window To set the chart alarm press the SELECT key on the alarm section of the keyboard The words CHART ALARM will be displayed in the lower left corner of the screen To view the Chart Alarm setting press either SHAL LOW SET or DEEP SET keys A vertical bar will be displayed on the left side of the screen This is the alarm window Any echo that appears between the top and bottom of the bar will sound the alarm Both shallow and deep ends of the bar may be adjusted to make a smaller or larger alarm window G e WINDOW Figure 11 CHART ALARM ANNUNCIATOR To adjust the top or shallow alarm press the SHALLOW SET key then press the up arrow key to move the top of the window up or the down arrow key to move the top of the window deeper The bottom part of the alarm window is set in the same manner Press the DEEP SET key then press either the up arrow key to make the bottom part of the window move shallow or press the down arrow key to move the bottom of the window deeper After you release the keys the bar will remain on the screen for six seconds and then disappear If you wish to view the chart alarm bar at any time make certain that the CHART ALARM annunciator is visable then press either SHALLOW SET or DEEP SET keys and the bar will be displayed for another six seconds 14 If the chart alarm is set off by a fish or the bottom the
6. if turned on will be cleared from the display RANGE Although the X 3 will automatically change the range whenever the bot tom gets shallower or goes deeper there are times when it is desirable to expand the range or look ata different segment of the water below The range can be set anywhere from 0 to 989 feet on the upper limit and 10 to 999 feet on the lower limit provided the lower limit is no closer to the upper limit than 10 feet AUTO RANGE When the X 3 is first turned on the AUTO RANGE function is enabled It may be turned off anytime by pressing the 2nd key then the 8 key In this manual pressing keys in sequence as just described will be shown like this 2nd 8 The AUTO RANGING annunciator in the bottom right hand corner of the display will disappear signifying the automatic ranging cap ability has been turned off To return to the AUTO RANGE mode simply press the 2nd 8 keys again and the unit will automatically track the bot tom and place it in the lower 4 5 of the screen SCALE There are ten scale markers printed on both sides of the X 3 s display to help determine what the depth of a target is For example if the depth range is 0 to 60 feet then each mark is equal to six feet If the target such as a fish was next to the 5th line then it is 30 feet deep 5 lines times six feet 30 feet To make it easier to use the depth scale use ranges in multiples of ten i e 10 30 140 etc mmmu SENSITIVI
7. in between to expand or zoom a portion of the display If a ten foot segment is chosen then the screen resolution is 112 This means that each dot is equal to 1 2 inches when a ten foot segment is chosen Example Set range to 16 to 31 feet Press 1 6 UPPER LIMIT then 3 1 LOWER LIMIT UPPER LIMIT Figure 8 NOTE When the X 3 is in the AUTO RANGE mode the upper limit may be changed at any time If the upper limit is changed while the unit is in the AUTO RANGE mode the X 3 will continue to select a lower limit that will keep the bottom displayed in the lower portion of the screen DIGITAL A complete digital sonar is incorporated into the X 3 It automatically dis criminates between the valid bottom echoes and false echoes from fish thermocline or surface clutter The digital display will show only the bot tom depth It may be used at any time in conjunction with any other mode the X 3 may be in with the exception of FASTRACK or High Speed Scroll modes described in the Advanced Operation section of this manual When the X 3 is turned on the bottom depth will be displayed on the screen The 20 degree transducer is almost always the best to use in fresh water while the 8 degree is used mostly in salt water In a deep water environ ment 300 feet fresh water 100 feet salt water the narrow cone angle is more desirable because it can penetrate to much deeper depths since the sound energy is conc
8. our Authorized Service Centers or the Lowrance Customer Service Department in Tulsa OK If you live out of the state of Oklahoma call 1 800 331 3889 toll free If you live in the state of Oklahoma call collect 918 437 6881 Please detail the problem you are experiencing Our Service Department may be able to save you the inconvenience of returning your unit If it is determined that your unit must be retumed full shipping instruc tions will be provided SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM AND PARTS LIST Should you desire a schematic and parts list for your Lowrance sonar send 1 00 to the address below and it will be mailed to you promptly Please be sure and give us the model and serial number of your Lowrance sonar unit Mail To Lowrance Electronics 12000 E Skelly Dr Tulsa Oklahoma 74128 Dimensions Weight Transmitter Output Power Receiver Sensitivity Operating Current Operating Voltage Number of pixels Depth Capability Display Scroll Speed Temperature operating Temperature storage SPECIFICATIONS 594 H x 83 6 W x 25 D 134 pounds 192 kHz 600 watts peak to peak typical 75 watts RMS 2 90 db 200 ma lights off 500 ma lights on 9 15 vdc 82x32 2624 Total 300 500 typical with 20 degree transducer 500 700 typical with 8 degree transducer 5 per minute minimum normal mode 8 per minute maximum normal mode 32 per minute High Speed Scroll 0 degrees C to 60 degrees
9. to be even if its the first time on the lake The most efficient way to become acquainted with a body of water is to survey it with your X 3 Start out 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 3 will tell you the depth and kind of bottom It will also reveal fish perhaps schools of crappies or white bass suspended over deep water lf multiple signals on the display indicate a good school it is worth it to stop and fish for them You may not get any farther Keep a few Lowrance Fish N Floats in the boat ready to toss overboard When the X 3 indicates a school of fish throw the buoy out The string will unwind until the sinker hits bottom Then because of the marker s flat shape it won t unwind any farther With the school thus marked you can make your turn and come back to fish in exactly the right spot This is essential when you re far from shore on a 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 over emphasized They are the principle food of 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 white bass which also feed near the surface Most bait fish are concentrated within five feet
10. to use the Depth Alarm To use the depth alam press the SELECT key until the DEPTH ALM annunciator appears in the lower left hand corner of the screen When first turned on both alarms are automatically set to zero To set the Deep alarm press the desired depth using the number keys on the keyboard then press the DEEP SET key For example if a Deep alarm setting of 55 feet is desired press 5 5 DEEP SET The number 55 will show in the display in large numbers for 6 seconds and then disappear Now if the water depth goes below 55 feet the alarm will sound NOTE The maximum alarm depth setting is 999 feet 15 FT FA M FEET FATHOMS METERS The X 3 can display the depth in either feet fathoms or meters When it is first turned on the display reads in feet To change it to fathoms or meters press 2nd 6 The letters ft will be displayed on the screen showing that the X 3 is in the feet mode While the letters ft are still displayed press the 6 key again Now the letters ft will disappear and the letters fa will appear The range has changed to fathoms Press the 6 key again and the display will show the letter M and change to meters After six seconds the letters will disappear To change the range back to feet press 2nd 6 6 To see which range mode the unit is in press 2nd 6 at any time and the letters ft fa or m will appear When the unit is turned off and then back on it will always return to feet Figure 18
11. C 32 degrees F to 140 degrees F 40 degrees C to 80 degrees C 40 degrees F to 176 degrees F 31 BASIC OPERATION When first turned on the X 3 automatically adjusts the sensitivity range and chart speed according to water and bottom conditions In fact it can be left in this mode and it will track the bottom and display it at all times automatically changing the range as the bottom depth varies The sensi tivity will also change as required to keep the bottom signal displayed If present fish or other targets may be seen At first operate the X 3 in the automatic mode only Just turn it on and watch it work Then read the following chapter on the X 3 s basic operation and learn how to adjust it for your specific needs Later read the Advanced Operation section to make the most out of the X 3 s remarkable capabilities ud ON OFF ON The off on key is in the lower right hand corner of the keyboard It was placed in this location so that it would be easy to find even at night Turning power on To turn the X 3 on press the off on key Note the unit will beep every time a key is pressed This is how the X 3 signals that an entry on the keyboard has been made The chart lights will begin flashing then turn themselves off after six seconds A message see figure 4 will be dis played and the number 0 will flash This number is the digital bottom depth display After the unit has found the bottom the depth wi
12. MS The X 3 has two alarms a chart alarm and a depth alarm The chart alarm requires both an upper limit and a lower limit setting The alarm then sounds off whenever an echo such as a fish is detected inside the boundaries set by the upper and lower limits The depth alarm also allows an upper and lower limit but it sounds whenever the bottom echo is detected outside the boundaries set by the alam s upper and lower limits Both chart and depth alarms can be set then switched back and forth However they cannot be used simultane ously and will be treated separately in this section 13 AUTO SENSITIVITY Whenever the X 3 is in the auto sensitivity mode it will adjust the sensi tivity of the unit to three steps above the minimum required to pick up the bottom signal There are 32 steps of sensitivity available The sensitivity may be adjusted while the X 3 is in the auto sensitivity mode This may be desirable if the level of sensitivity that the X 3 picked is not enough to show fish or other detail Once the sensitivity has been changed the X 3 will increase the sensitivity enough to pick up the bot tom signal then add the level that you programmed in For example if it took the X 3 five steps of sensitivity to find and lock onto the bottom it will add three more steps for a total of eight If desired any amount of sensitivity up to 24 for a total of 32 may be added Or three steps of sensitivity could be subtracted howeve
13. TY CHART Bumu C LIII v oe ji 24 SCALE MARKERS E 36 n 48 bn ae Figure 6 LIMIT LOWER LIMIT To change the lower limit press the lower limit desired from 10 feet to 999 feet and then press the LOWER LIMIT key The display will imme diately change to the new depth range and display the new lower limit at the bottom of the screen The lower limit may be changed anytime even if the AUTO RANGE func tion is on However if a lower limit is selected that is less than the depth of the bottom while the unit is in the AUTO RANGE mode it won t accept the entry For example suppose the X 3 is in the AUTO RANGE mode and the lower limit is 75 feet with the bottom at 60 feet If a new lower limit of 55 feet were entered on the keyboard the X 3 would chirp and keep the lower limit setting of 75 feet Remember there must be some movement between the boat and the fish to develop the arch Usually this means trolling at very slow speeds with the main engine in gear at a minimum throttle setting 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 3 may not arch at all due to the narrow cone diameter and the resolution limitations of the display Compared to a paper graph the X 3 cannot show as fine detail because the pixels dots on the screen are much larger
14. am ple if the upper limit was 0 and 9 LOWER LIMIT was entered the X 3 would disregard the 9 and set the lower limit to ten feet AUTO RANGE WITH ZOOM BOTTOM TRACK An optional Auto Range feature is AUTO RANGE with ZOOM BOTTOM TRACK When the X 3 is in the auto range mode it picks a lower limit range that will keep the bottom signal in the lower 4 5 of the screen The upper limit is normally set to zero unless you have changed it However a window can be used to zoom or expand the area near the bottom and track it as the bottom rises or falls For example suppose the bottom is 85 feet deep To display a 50 foot window around the bottom press 5 0 2nd 8 The X 3 will choose an upper and lower limit that will place the bottom signal in a fifty foot win dow The upper limit of the display may read 45 feet while the lower limit may change to 95 feet The bottom will be tracked and always kept inside this window as it goes deeper or shallower This is useful if you wish to expand or zoom the lower section of the display without disabling the auto range function Figure 19 AUTO RANGING NOTE The upper and lower limits cannot be changed when the X 3 is in the Auto Range with Zoom Bottom Track mode To exit from the Zoom Bottom Track press 2nd 8 This will turn off Auto Ranging also To return to Auto Range only press 2nd 8 again CHART ALARM The chart alarm can be thought of as a fish alarm It wil sound whenever
15. ar units Instead of a stylus writing on chart paper or a flashing neon light the X 3 displays the depth information on a screen using small squares which turn black when an echo is received As each echo is detected the signals move across the screen leaving behind a record of the area that was just passed No other sonar has as many automatic features as the X 3 Once turned on it will find and display the bottom signal fish and other targets As the depth of the bottom changes the X 3 will automatically change the range sensitivity and other controls so that the bottom will always be displayed on the screen If desired the only key on the keyboard that needs to be touched is the off on key However the X 3 has built in override capability that allows the features to be used in any combination to best suit local conditions The X 3 is nitrogen filled and sealed for complete waterproof protection of the internal parts The liquid crystal display and keyboard are back lighted for easy use at night and the X 3 is fully covered by a one year Lowrance full warranty which covers all parts and labor for one year from date of purchase INSTALLATION The X 3 may be installed in any convenient location provided it can be tilted for the best viewing angle Holes in the bracket base allow wood screw or thru bolt mounting The bracket may be attached to aluminum panels with sheet metal screws however a piece of plywood may be required on th
16. crease again as shown in C If a partial arch occurs most of the time on your unit the mark curves up but not back down or vice versa it could be the transducer is not pointed straight down If the transducer is mounted on the transom adjust it until the fish show the distinctive arch This may take some trial and error until the correct mounting angle is achieved 2ZEWE Q 2 25 2 Figure 21 For example to set the range from 0 to 31 feet press 3 1 LOWER LIMIT Figure 7 LOWER LIMIT NOTE Although the maximum lower limit of the X 3 is 999 feet the actual depth that the X 3 will reach is dependent on the water conditions bottom conditions and the quality of the transducer installation UPPER UPPER LIMIT It is often desirable to expand a section of the display to show more detail This is made possible on the X 3 by using the UPPER LIMIT key To change the upper limit of the screen simply press the desired depth any number between 0 and 989 feet and then the UPPER LIMIT key The only restriction on the upper limit is that it must not be closer to the lower limit than 10 feet In other words if the lower limit is set to 81 feet the upper limit cannot be set any closer than 71 feet A ten foot segment or larger 20 30 120 etc is required Upper and lower limits may be set in various combinations to show seg ments from the surface to the bottom and nearly anywhere
17. desirable to stop or freeze the display to examine an echo Pressing the STOP RESUME key once wil freeze the display While the display is stopped the very top of the surface line will flash on and off to signify that the unit is in the freeze mode Pressing STOP RESUME again will start the display moving at the last chart speed setting 2ND KEY The X 3 has many different functions but only a limited amount of space for keys Therefore some of the keys have more than one function The key s primary function is printed very large while the secondary function is printed undemeath with small letters of a different color The key in the middle of the bottom row labeled 2nd must be used to access the secondary functions of the keys For example the 9 key has a small label beneath the number nine that says LIGHT If you press the 9 key by itself the X 3 thinks that you want the number 9 However if you press the 2nd key first then press the nine key the X 3 will turn on the lights in the display The 2nd key just reas signed the meaning of the 9 key from a 9 to LIGHT A knowledge of the water temperatures various fish prefer and in which they usually remain helps you get the most from your X 3 To find the dif ferent temperatures a surface temperature meter such as the LDT 3000 is a valuable aid to your fishing This unit provides an extremely quick response to identifying the desired surface water temperatures for various speci
18. e back of thin fiberglass panels to secure the mounting screws Stainless steel is recommended for all mounting hardware Make certain there is enough room behind the unit to attach the power and transducer cables A 7 hole is in the base of the gimbal bracket that allows the power and transducer cables to be routed straight down through the mounting sur face The smallest hole that will pass one connector thru is 24 This will allow the transducer connector and cable to be passed up through the hole and gimbal bracket then the power cable wire can be pushed down thru the bracket and dash After the cables have been routed the hole may be filled with silicone rubber adhesive RTV or the bracket can be offset so that the majority of the hole is covered z POWER CONNECTIONS Twelve volt DC power should be supplied by the boats electrical system The power cable may be attached to an accessory or power buss but if you have problems with electrical interference random dots or lines that show whenever the boat s engine or other accessory is on the cable should be attached directly to the battery m To Ground 12 Volts DC Negative Positive Figure 1 The power cable has two wires red for the positive lead and black is ground or negative An in line fuse holder containing a 3 amp fuse is supplied with the X 3 This should be attached to the red wire on the power cable with the crimp connector The other end of the fuse h
19. entrated in a smaller area Both the 8 degree and the 20 degree transducers give accurate bottom readings even though the bottom signal is much wider on the 20 degree model because you are seeing more of the bottom Remember the shal low edge of the signal shows you the true depth The rest of the signal tells you whether you are over rocks mud dropoffs etc Salt water boats need to have the transducer painted with a thin coat of anti foulant paint to prevent organisms from growing If unchecked bar nacies and other marine growth will cause a decrease in the transduc er s sensitivity Do not use a metal based anti foulant paint as it will decrease the transducer s sensitivity also There are special anti foulant paints carried by most marine dealers specitically designed for transducers SIGNAL INTERPRETATION Because your X 3 is both extremely sensitive and powerful it can give you an accurate picture of the kind of bottom over which your boat is passing A bottom of firm sand gravel shell or hard clay returns a fairly wide signal If the automatic sensitivity is turned off and the signal nar rows down then it means that you have moved over a mud bottom Mud absorbs the sound waves and returns a weak signal Turn up the sen sitivity If you have the automatic sensitivity turned on watch the sensitiv ity bar As the boat passes over the mud bottom the X 3 will automati cally increase the sensitivity to maintain a good bottom si
20. es The temperature of water in the lake is seldom constant from top to bot tom 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 sus pend in or just above it The X 3 can detect this invisible temperature layer in the water but the sensitivity will probably have to be turned up to see it THERMOCLINE Figure 24 ve SURFACE CLUTTER The markings at the top of the screen represent the surface of the water which can extend many feet below the surface This can interfere with fish signals or other targets It s called Surface Clutter and is caused by algae plankton air bubbles caused by wave action or boat wakes bait fish or temperature inversions These marks are normal and can be seen at any time during the year It s usually the worst in the spring and summer slacking off in the fall and winter SURFACE CLUTTER Figure 23 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 near the temperature of the surrounding water D
21. gnal The sensitivity bar will help you in determining if the bottom is soft or hard If it increases while in the same depth of water then the boat has moved over a soft bottom If it decreases then it is over a hard bottom Of course as the water depth increases or decreases the sensitivity will change also Big rocks or stumps on a smooth bottom send back signals above the bottom the distance depending upon their height If you watch as you approach a post or a tree stump it will be clealry visable as a short line extending above the bottom signal PA TRANSDUCERS AND CONE ANGLE UN a The sound waves from the transdiicer go down into the water in a cone shaped beam much like the beam from flashlight The angle between I the outside edges of the cone is called the cone angle Lowrance offers a choice of transducers with either an 8 or 20 degree cone angle that will interchange with any of th 192 kHz sonar products In other words any Lowrance sonar instrument can be used with any Lowrance transducer of the same frequency without retuning of any kind and no loss of performance However the use of any other manufactur ers transducer will result in a loss of performance Generally wide cone angle transducers 20 degrees are ideally suited 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 t
22. hat s about six feet across The 8 degree transducer covers only about a two foot circle Cone Angle Diameter 50 100 150 Figure 20 200 Z 8 at3db Figure 9 For easier reading the size of the digital numbers can be doubled by pressing 2nd 2 To retum them back to the smaller size press 2nd 2 again The numbers must be displayed on the screen before you press 2nd 2 Pe TU Figure 10 To turn the digital display off or back on again press 2nd 5 NOTE Even if the digital numbers are not being displayed on the screen the digital sonar will still continue to function If the digital loses the bottom signal the chart display will stop until the digital finds the bottom If the digital numbers are being displayed on the screen the chart display will Stop but the digital will flash the last valid bottom depth until it regains the bottom signal If the chart is in the freeze mode the digital display will continue to show the bottom depth as it changes It does not freeze when the chart does This gives an accurate means of determining the precise bottom depth at all times In fact the X 3 can be turned into a digital sonar by pressing 2nd 0 5 This will clear the screen of all echoes including the bottom signal and increase the size of the numbers for easier viewing To display the bottom and other echoes again press the STOP RESUME key in the chart section of the keyboard ALAR
23. hen travelling at high speeds the High Speed Scroll mode may be effective in showing targets such as fish When this feature is turned on all targets including the bottom sig nal will be scrolled extremely fast across the screen Noise will still be displayed as single dots however true target echoes such as fish will be displayed as very long lines that will stretch out across tiie screen This separates the fish from the noise Random dots are noise Fish are long lines that may or may not arch To turn on HIGH SPEED SCROLL press 2nd 4 To turn off HIGH SPEED SCROLL press 2nd 4 again AUTO a a aa t aS Figure 15 Figure 16 HIGH SPEED SCROLL HIGH SPEED SCROLL OFF ON It is important to note when the HIGH SPEED SCROLL is enabled auto sensitivity auto ranging and the digital including the digital alarm will be turned off When the HIGH SPEED SCROLL is tumed off these functions will still be off I 1
24. ll be shown in the display proper sensitivity and range will be selected and retum echoes from the bottom fish or other targets will begin scrolling across the display Turning power off To turn the X 3 off press and HOLD the off on key until the display is erased This may take several seconds The unit wil beep continuously until you release the off on key Remember you must hold the Off On key down until the screen is erased If you don t hold it for several seconds the unit won t turn off Figure 2 i SENSITIVITY Le vo gt SENSITIVITY When first turned on the X 3 is in the AUTO SEARCH mode This means the sensitivity and range are being automatically adjusted by the micro computer to find and lock onto the bottom The sensitivity can be leit in the automatic mode or it can be manually adjusted higher or lower to suit conditions The sensitivity level settings are displayed by a horizontal bar at the top of the display See Figure 2 When the sensitivity is at minimum the bar is very short As sensitivity is increased the bar will travel to the right increasing in length corresponding with the higher sensitivity setting When the sensitivity is set to maximum the bar will run completely across the top of the display from left to right The AUTO key at the top middle position on the keyboard turns auto sen sitivity off and on Press it once and auto sensitivity is turned off Press it again and auto
25. of the surface where sun light promotes the growth of the plankton on which they feed One method of fishing is to use the X 3 to find the bait fish first Usually game fish will be nearby often directly beneath the school of bait fish at 12 to 15 feet deep 29 ANNUNCIATOR EH aE AUTO FISH WEAK BOTTOM SIGNAL STRONG BOTTOM SIGNAL RANGE 0 96 FEET AUTO RANGING Figure 3 Figure 4 To manually adjust the sensitivity press the AUTO key The AUTO annun ciator will disappear To increase the sensitivity press and hold the right arrow key gt until the sensitivity is at the desired level The left arrow lt decreases sensitivity in the same manner Notice how the sensitivity bar moves as you change settings When you press the right arrow key the bar moves to the right showing an increase in sensitivity Pressing the left arrow key moves the bar to the left showing a decrease in sensitivity You can also see the changes on the display Figure 3 shows a graph with too little sensitivity while on the right the sensitivity is adjusted properly Note how the surface signal is very small and the bottom signal is also narrow on the left chart On the right the sensitivity is adjusted properly a fish is now visible the surface clutter is more pronounced and the bottom signal has widened For more information on graph records see the section called Graph Interpretation When the horizontal bar reaches the far righ
26. older should be attached to the battery or accessory buss If the cable is not long enough splice ordinary 18 lamp cord to reach Just be certain that the fuse holder is as close to the power source battery or accessory buss as possible This will protect the power cable and unit in the event of a short The X 3 is protected from accidental polarity reversals and will not be harmed if the wires are reversed However the unit will not work until the proper polarity is applied Electrical noise picked up by the power cable can be minimized by rout ing it away from other possible sources of electrical interference One of the largest noise generators is the engine s wiring harness that runs from the engine to the boaf s instrument panel This hamess usually contains a wire for the tachometer which radiates RF radio frequency energy For the best results keep the power and transducer cables away from the engine wiring Bilge pumps are also noisy so try to keep the X 3 s cables away from them too VHF radio antenna s coax cable radiate RF energy at higher power levels than even the engine s wiring hamess It is very important to keep the X 3 s power and transducer cables as far away as possible from the VHF radio s antenna cable HOW TO OBTAIN SERVICE If you have a problem with your sonar unit please give us a chance to help before sending it in for repair Assistance can often be extended by telephone or letter Write or call one of
27. or corrosion Fish signals especially in shallow water do not always arch but appear as irregularly shaped marks Fish arches are most likely seen in 40 feet or deeper water using a zoom range for example 40 to 60 feet Read the section Fish Signals on page 25 If the unit will not turn off remember that you should press and HOLD the ON OFF key down until the display goes blank If you don t hold the key down the unit won t turn off I On rare occasions and in certain installations electrical interference could cause the LCG to display random information on the screen or the keyboard may not function properly For example pressing the ON OFF key will not turn the unit off To restore it to working order first try pressing 2nd 0 0 This should clear the screen If this doesn t work simply unplug the power cable from the back of the unit plug it back in and turn it on SURVEYING A LAKE The most successtul anglers on any lake or reservoir are those who fish it day after day and year after year until they learn the hot spots that pro duce fish consistently They discover through experience where and at what depth they can expect to find the kind of fish they want at any sea son And they realize that these productive areas change throughout the year depending on water level temperature food and other factors With the aid of the X 3 anyone can eliminate guesswork and concen trate on the areas where fish are likely
28. r only the bottom signal would be displayed at this low sensitivity setting There are two ways of adjusting the sensitivity while the X 3 is in the auto sensitivity mode The first is to press either the right arrow key 7 to increase the sensitivity or press the left arrow key lt to decrease it If the value goes below the minimum required to keep the bottom signal the X 3 will chirp The same is true if you try to go above 32 steps As you press the arrow key the sensitivity bar will move to the left or right according to the amount of sensitivity chosen The second method allows you to enter the amount of steps using the number keys on the keyboard For example to adjust the sensitivity so that it will always be ten steps above the minimum required to lock onto the bottom press the 1 0 AUTO keys The sensitivity will then increase to ten steps above the minimum required instead of three Remember the total number of steps is 32 OTHER TIPS If an incorrect entry is made wait six seconds for it to disappear then enter the desired number Or press 2nd 0 within six seconds of an entry and it will erase the last keystroke Press 2nd FAST or SLOW to display the chart speed bar without chang ing the chart speed When changing the upper or lower limits renember the minimum dis tance between the two is ten feet If a distance smaller than ten feet is pressed the unit will move the range to a ten foot separation For ex
29. sensitivity will be turned om The auto annunciator is below the sensitivity bar and can be seen when the auto sensitivity is on 5 TROUBLESHOOTING If the unit works properly when stopped or at low speeds but loses the bottom signal at high speed the transducer could be improperly installed Read the transducer installation manual for the correct mounting procedure If the transducer is installed properly then electrical interference could be the cause Double check the installation particularly the power and transducer cable routing Make certain that they are away from the engine wiring or other wiring harnesses especially the tachometer wiring Should the display freeze check to see if the top line of the display or the digital bottom depth is flashing If it is then the unit is working but the digitai has lost the bottom signal and it is trying to find it The chart stops scrolli en the digital loses the bottom It will start moving again when the Hitl Bains the bottom If neither the top line of the display nor the digita soliom desth is flashing and the chart won t scroll then turn the i ack on again The unit should begin working normally If it de csessom signal and you are in shallow water less than eight feet following the directions on page 24 conceming shallow water operation may help If the unit doesn t turn on when the ON OFF key is pressed then check the fuse or battery conections for tightness
30. t hand side of the screen the sensitivity level is at the maximum level When high sensitivity settings are used a second bottom echo may appear This is normal and is caused by the returning signal retlecting off the surface of the water maka second trip to the bottom and back To turn Auto Sensitivity back on press the AUTO key Remember the automatic sensitivity control can be tumed off or on at any time by using the AUTO key See Page 22 for more auto sensitivity features CHART SPEED When the X 3 is first turned on the chart speed runs at a pre determined speed If a higher speed is desired press and hold the FAST key in the chart section of the keyboard until it runs at the desired speed To slow the display press and hold the SLOW key Whenever either of these keys are pressed the sensitivity bar at thetop of the display will change to a dashed line This now represents the chart speed If you press and hold the FAST key for example the bar will start moving to the right signifying that the chart speed is increasing There are thirty two steps of chart speed By holding either the FAST or SLOW keys the display can be speeded up or slowed down When the horizontal bar reaches the far right side of the screen the chart speed is at its maximum value The X 3 will chirp signifying that the maximum chart speed has been reached CHART SPEED BAR HIE UW NOE H mega nume Figure 5 At times it is
31. te annuncia tor 4 atthe bottom of the display To turn the audible tone off press the note key on the keyboard once To turn it back on press the note key again 1 LIGHT LIGHT A light is provided for operation of the X 3 at night When the unit is first turned on the lights will flash for 6 seconds Press the 2nd 9 keys and the lights will stay on To turn the lights off press the 2nd 9 keys The lights will also go off when the X 3 is turned off DISCRIMINATION Noise is quite often the biggest complaint fishermen have about their sonar units Noise is any undesired signal and it can be caused either by an electrical or acoustic source or a combination of the two In both cases the noise can produce unwanted marks on the display DISCRIMINATION OFF O DISCRIMINATION LEVEL 2 Figure 14 AUTO RANGING The Discrimination feature on the X 3 processes all incoming echoes from the receiver determines which ones are noise and eliminates them then displays only the legitimate echoes Discrimination has two levels 1 and 2 0 is off 2 is the highest setting When the X 3 is turned on the Discrimination level is automatically set to 1 If noise is present on the display press the level of Discrimination desired 0 1 and 2 then the DISC key There should be an immediate change in the amount of noise displayed 17 ADVANCED OPERATION HIGH SPEED SCROLL If there is much noise on the screen or w
32. than a paper graph s Therefore the X 3 cannot show fish arches as well as a graph Very small fish probably will not arch at all while medium sized fish will show a partial arch or a shape similar to an arch if they re in deep water Large fish will arch but the sensitivity must be turned up especially in deeper water There wil be times when the sensitivity cannot be turned high enough to get fish arches because of the heavy surface clutter thermoclines etc One of the best ways to get fish arches is to expand or zoom a seg ment of the water for example 40 to 60 feet The smaller the segment the better the screen resolution will be Then turn up the sensitivity as high as possible without getting too much noise on the screen In medium to deep water this method should work to display fish arches Figure 22 FISH SIGNALS The signals displayed on the X 3 by fish can be identified by various shaped markings in certain patterns as opposed to random marks created by noise or the solid continuous markings made by the bottom Individual fish can at times be distinguished by a characteristic arch that separates them from their stationary surroundings The reason for this is shown below The distance to a fish when it moves into a sonar s cone of sound is shown as A Figure 21 When the fish has moved into the cen ter of the cone the distance to it will be shorter B and as it moves out of the cone the distance will in
33. uring the winter this slows down their metabolism so that they can only utilize about a fourth as much food as they consume in the summer Most fish don t spawn unless the water temperature is within rather nar row limits 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 So fish will do without food rather than venture into water that is too hot or too cold others will shift position for a tempera ture change as slight as one half of one degree While some fish have a wider temperature tolerance than others each of them has a certain range within which it tries to stay Schooling fish suspended over deep water lie at the level that provides this temperature in which we assume they are the most comfortable D7 0 CLEAR If you press a key that is not what you wanted you can wait six seconds before pressing another key and the X 3 will automatically clear or forget the last key entered For example if you wish to turn on the lights the proper keys to press are 2nd 9 However if you accidentally pressed the 0 key instead of the 2nd key by accident you could wait six seconds until the 0 disappears from the screen then press 2nd 9 Another quick way to clear an incor rect entry is to press 2nd 0 and the last key entered will be erased The entire display may be erased by pressing 2nd 0 0 Everything except the digital numbers
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