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Pub. 988-0151-431
www.lowrance.com
Fish-Finding Sonar
Installation and Operation
Instructions
Copyright © 2006 Lowrance Electronics, Inc.
All rights reserved.
No part of this manual may be copied, reproduced, republished,
transmitted or distributed for any purpose, without prior written
consent of Lowrance Electronics. Any unauthorized commercial
distribution of this manual is strictly prohibited.
Lowrance
®
is a registered trademark of Lowrance Electronics, Inc.
Lowrance Electronics may find it necessary to change or end our
policies, regulations, and special offers at any time. We reserve the
right to do so without notice. All features and specifications subject to
change without notice. All screens in this manual are simulated. On the
cover: X50 DS shown.
For free owner's manuals and other information,
visit our web site:
www.lowrance.com
Lowrance Electronics Inc.
12000 E. Skelly Dr.
Tulsa, OK USA 74128-2486
Printed in USA.
i
Table of Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................1
Capabilities and Specifications: X50 DS ............................................1
How Sonar Works.................................................................................2
Preparations .........................................................................................3
Installation ...........................................................................................4
Recommended Tools and supplies...................................................4
Selecting a Transducer Location .....................................................5
How low should you go? ...................................................................6
Shoot-Thru-Hull vs. Transom Mounting ........................................7
Transom Transducer Assembly and Mounting ..............................7
Trolling Motor Bracket Installation..............................................12
Transducer Orientation and Fish Arches.....................................13
Shoot-Thru-Hull Preparation ........................................................13
Testing Determines Best Location................................................15
Shoot-Thru-Hull Installation ........................................................16
Power Connections (permanent mount only) ...............................17
Mounting the Sonar Unit: In-Dash, Bracket or Portable ............18
Bracket Installation .......................................................................19
Portable Sonar Installation ...............................................................21
Installing the Batteries..................................................................22
Mounting the Unit .............................................................................22
Portable Transducer Assembly .....................................................23
Portable Transducer Storage.........................................................25
Operation..........................................................................................27
Keyboard Basics .................................................................................27
Memory ...............................................................................................28
Menus..................................................................................................28
Display ................................................................................................29
Full Chart ...........................................................................................29
Depth Range .......................................................................................30
Zoom ....................................................................................................31
Sensitivity...........................................................................................32
Grayline
®
.............................................................................................34
Chart Speed ........................................................................................35
Frequency ...........................................................................................36
Fish I.D. ...........................................................................................36
FishTrack™ ........................................................................................38
Alarms.................................................................................................38
Fish Alarm ..........................................................................................38
Depth Alarms .....................................................................................39
Shallow Alarm ....................................................................................39
ii
Deep Alarm.........................................................................................40
Battery Alarm.....................................................................................40
Noise Rejection and ASP ................................................................41
Depth Display.....................................................................................43
Temperature Display .........................................................................43
Voltage ................................................................................................44
Backlight.............................................................................................44
Contrast ..............................................................................................44
Simulator ............................................................................................44
Set Language ......................................................................................45
Software Information.........................................................................45
Reset Options......................................................................................45
Troubleshooting..............................................................................46
2
Transmitter:....................1,500 watts peak-to-peak power (typical);
188 watts RMS power (typical).
Sonar sounding
depth capability:............1,000 feet (305 meters). Actual capability de-
pends on transducer configuration and in-
stallation, bottom composition and water con-
ditions. All sonar units typically read deeper
in fresh water than in salt water.
Depth display: ................Continuous digital readout.
Audible alarms:..............Deep/shallow/fish.
Automatic ranging: .......Yes, with instant screen updates.
Auto bottom track: ........Yes.
Zoom bottom track:.......Yes.
Split-screen zoom: .........No.
Surface water temp: .....Yes, built into transducer. Optional external
temperature sensor or combo speed/temp
sensor available.
NOTICE!
The storage temperature for your unit is from -4 degrees to +167
degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees to +75 degrees Celsius). Extended
storage in temperatures higher or lower than specified will damage
the liquid crystal display in your unit. This type of damage is not
covered by the warranty. For more information, contact the fac-
tory's Customer Service Department; phone numbers are inside the
manual's back cover.
How Sonar Works
Sonar has been around since the 1940s, so if you already know how it
works, skip ahead to the next segment on the typographical conventions
used in this manual. But, if you've never owned a sonar fish finder, this
segment will tell you the underwater basics.
Sonar is an abbreviation for SOund NA
vigation and Ranging, a technol-
ogy developed during World War II for tracking enemy submarines. A
sonar consists of a transmitter, transducer, receiver and display. In
simple terms, here's how it finds the bottom, or the fish:
The transmitter emits an electrical impulse, which the transducer con-
verts into a sound wave and sends into the water. (The sound frequency
can't be heard by humans or fish.) The sound wave strikes an object
(fish, structure, bottom) and bounces back to the transducer, which
converts the sound back into an electrical signal.
3
The receiver amplifies this return signal, or echo, and sends it to the
display, where an image of the object appears on the scrolling sonar
chart. The sonar's microprocessor calculates the time lapse between the
transmitted signal and echo return to determine the distance to the
object. The whole process repeats itself several times each second.
Dual Search Transducer
Your unit is packed with a Dual Search Skimmer Transducer that can
transmit at 83 kHz and 200 kHz.
A new innovation, the 83 kHz frequency offers superior sonar perform-
ance at all depths from very shallow up to 1,000 ft and provides up to
120º of fishfinding coverage.
Preparations
The following shows the recommended sequence for installing the
transducer:
CAUTION:
You should read over this entire installation section before drill-
ing any holes in your vehicle or vessel!
1. Determine the approximate location for the sonar unit, so you can
plan how and where to route the cables for the transducer and power.
This will help you make sure you have enough cable length for the de-
sired configuration.
2. Determine the approximate location for the transducer and its cable
route.
4
3. Determine the location of your battery or other power connection,
along with the power cable route.
4. Install the transducer and route the transducer cable to the sonar
unit.
5. Route the power cable from the unit's location to an appropriate
power source and connect it there.
6. Connect the transducer/power cable to the unit and mount the sonar
unit on the bracket.
Installation
These instructions will help you install your Skimmer
transducer on a
transom, on a trolling motor or inside a hull. Please read all instructions
before proceeding with any installation. Your Skimmer transducer typi-
cally comes packaged with a one-piece stainless steel bracket for mount-
ing it to the transom of your boat. The trolling motor mount uses a one-
piece plastic bracket with an adjustable strap.
These are all "kick-up" mounting brackets. They help prevent damage if
the transducer strikes an object while the boat is moving. If the trans-
ducer does "kick-up," the bracket can easily be pushed back into place
without tools.
Depending on your sonar unit's connectors, your transducer cable may
also have the sonar unit's power cable attached to it. If that is the case,
be sure to install the transducer first, before connecting the power cable
to a power source. See the instructions later in this manual for connect-
ing the power cable to a battery or other power supply.
Read these instructions 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, because once
it is epoxied into position, the transducer usually cannot be removed.
Remember, the transducer installation is the most critical part
of a sonar installation.
Recommended Tools and supplies
If you prefer the option of routing the cable through the transom, you
will need a 5/8" drill bit. Each transom mount requires use of a high
quality, marine grade above- or below-waterline caulking compound.
NOTE:
The following installation types also call for these recommended
tools and required supplies (supplies are not included):
5
Single-frequency transom installations
Tools include: two adjustable wrenches, drill, #29 (0.136") drill bit, flat-
head screwdriver (for mounting screws and their pilot holes). Supplies:
none.
Single-frequency trolling motor installations
Tools: two adjustable wrenches, flat-head screwdriver. Supplies: plastic
cable ties.
Shoot-through hull installations
Tools: these will vary depending on your hull's composition. Consult your
boat dealer or manufacturer. Supplies: 100 grit sandpaper, specially for-
mulated epoxy adhesive available from LEI (see ordering information
on the inside back cover). A sandwich hull also requires polyester resin.
Selecting a Transducer Location
1. The location must be in the water at all times, at all operating speeds.
2. The transducer must be placed in a location that has a smooth flow
of water at all times. If the transducer is not placed in a smooth flow of
water, interference caused by bubbles and turbulence will show on the
sonar's display in the form of random lines or dots whenever the boat is
moving.
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 faster than 35 mph. Typically, a good transom location on
aluminum boats is between the ribs closest to the engine.
3. The transducer should be installed with its face pointing straight
down, if possible. For shoot-thru applications: Many popular fishing boat
hulls have a flat keel pad that offers a good mounting surface. On vee
hulls, try to place the transducer where the deadrise is 10° or less.
Vee pad hull (left); Vee hull (right). A pod style transducer is shown
here, but the principle is the same for Skimmers inside a hull.
4. If the transducer is mounted on the transom, make sure it doesn't
interfere with the trailer or hauling of the boat. Also, don't mount it
closer than approximately one foot from the engine's lower unit. This
will prevent cavitation (bubble) interference with propeller operation.
Deadrise less than 10°
Pad
Strakes
6
5. If possible, route the transducer cable away from other wiring on the
boat. Electrical noise from engine wiring, bilge pumps and aerators can
be displayed on the sonar's screen. Use caution when routing the
transducer cable around these wires.
Good and poor transducer locations.
How low should you go?
For most situations, you should install your Skimmer transducer so
that its centerline is level with the bottom of the boat hull. This will
usually give you the best combination of smooth water flow and protec-
tion from bangs and bumps.
Align transducer centerline with hull bottom.
There, however, are times when you may need to adjust the transducer
slightly higher or lower. (The slots in the mounting brackets allow you
to loosen the screws and slide the transducer up or down.) If you fre-
quently lose bottom signal lock while running at high speed, the trans-
ducer may be coming out of the water as you cross waves or wakes.
Move the transducer a little lower to help prevent this.
Transom
Hull bottom
Transducer
centerline
CAUTION: Clamp the trans-
ducer cable to transom near
the transducer. This will help
p
revent the transducer from
entering the boat if it is
knocked off at high speed.
Good location
Good location
Poor angle
Poor location
Good
location
7
If you cruise or fish around lots of structure and cover, your transducer
may be frequently kicking up from object strikes. If you wish, you may
move the transducer a little higher for more protection.
There are two extremes you should avoid. Never let the edge of the
mounting bracket extend below the bottom of the hull. Never let the
bottom – the face – of the transducer rise above the bottom of the hull.
Shoot-Thru-Hull vs. Transom Mounting
In a shoot-thru-hull installation, the transducer is bonded to the inside
of the hull with epoxy. The sonar "ping" signal actually passes through
the hull and into the water. This differs from a bolt-thru-hull installa-
tion (often called "thru-hull"). In that case, a hole is cut in the hull and a
specially designed transducer is mounted through the hull with a
threaded shaft and nut. This puts the transducer in direct contact with
the water.
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.
First, 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 lay-up and construction.
Second, the transducer angle cannot be adjusted for the best fish
arches. This can be a problem on hulls that sit with the bow high when
at rest or at slow trolling speeds.
Third, a transducer CAN NOT shoot through wood and metal hulls.
Those hulls require either a transom mount or a thru-hull installation.
Fourth, a Skimmer transducer with a built-in temp sensor will show
only the temperature of the bilge, not the water surface temp.
Follow the procedure listed in the shoot-thru-hull installation section
at the end of this lesson to determine if you can satisfactorily shoot
through the hull.
Transom Transducer Assembly and Mounting
The best way to install these transducers is to loosely assemble all of the
parts first, place the transducer's bracket against the transom and see if
you can move the transducer so that it's parallel with the ground.
1. Assembling the bracket. Press the two small plastic ratchets into
the sides of the metal bracket as shown in the following illustration.
Notice there are letters molded into each ratchet.
8
Place each ratchet into the bracket with the letter "A" aligned with the
dot stamped into the metal bracket.
This position sets the transducer's coarse angle adjustment for a 14°
transom. Most outboard and stern-drive transoms have a 14° angle.
Align plastic ratchets in bracket.
2. Aligning the transducer on the transom. Slide the transducer
between the two ratchets. Temporarily slide the bolt though the trans-
ducer assembly and hold it against the transom. Looking at the trans-
ducer from the side, check to see if it will adjust so that its face is par-
allel to the ground. If it does, then the "A" position is correct for your
hull.
If the transducer's face isn't parallel with the ground, remove the
transducer and ratchets from the bracket. Place the ratchets into the
holes in the bracket with the letter "B" aligned with the dot stamped in
the bracket.
Reassemble the transducer and bracket and place them against the
transom. Again, check to see if you can move the transducer so it's par-
allel with the ground. If you can, then go to step 3. If it doesn't, repeat
step 2, but use a different alignment letter until you can place the
transducer on the transom correctly.
Insert bolt and check transducer position on transom.
Dot
Ratchets
8


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