Lowrance X96 - Manuals

1 Section 1: Read Me First! How this manual can get you out on the water, fast! Welcome to the exciting world of digital sonar! We know you're anxiousto begin finding fish, but we have a favor to ask. Before you grab yourunit and begin installing it, please give us a moment to explain how ourmanual ...

2 If you're having difficulty with your sonar, you can find an answer tothe most common problems in Section 5, Sonar Troubleshooting . Finally, in Section 6, we offer Supplemental Material , including a list of warranty and customer service information. Now, if you are into the fine details, glance ...

3 Audible alarms: ............. Deep/shallow/fish/zone. Automatic ranging: ....... Yes, with instant screen updates. Zoom bottom track: ...... Yes. Split-screen zoom: ......... Yes. Surface water temp: ..... Yes. Speed/distance log: ....... Optional (requires optional speed sensor). NOTICE! The stor...

5 Section 2: Installation & Accessories Preparations You can install the sonar system in some other order if you prefer, butwe recommend this installation sequence: Caution: You should read over this entire installation section beforedrilling any holes in your vessel! 1. Determine the approximat...

7 Electrical noise from engine wiring, bilge pumps and aerators can bedisplayed on the sonar's screen. Use caution when routing thetransducer cable around these wires. Good and poor transducer locations. How low should you go? For most situations, you should install your transducer so its centerline...

9 Align plastic ratchets in bracket. B. Two-piece bracket: Locate the four plastic ratchets in the transducer's hardware package. Press two ratchets into the sides of theplastic bracket and two on either side of the transducer as shown in thefollowing illustrations. Notice there are letters molded i...

10 Add ratchets to bracket and transducer. 2. Aligning the transducer on the transom. A. One-piece bracket: Slide the transducer between the two ratchets. Temporarily slide the bolt though the transducer assemblyand hold it against the transom. Looking at the transducer from theside, check to see if...

11 B. Two-piece bracket: Assemble the transducer and bracket as shown in the following figure. Temporarily slide the bolt though the transducerassembly but do not tighten the nut at this time. Hold the assembledtransducer and bracket against the transom. Looking at the transducerfrom the side, check...

12 B. Two-piece bracket: Once you determine the correct position for the ratchets, assemble the transducer as shown in the figure in step2B. Don't tighten the lock nut at this time. 4. Drilling mounting holes. Hold the transducer and bracket assembly against the transom. Thetransducer should be roug...

13 Both bracket types: Attach the transducer to the transom. Slide the transducer up or down until it's aligned properly with the bottom ofthe hull as shown in the preceding and following figures. Tighten thebracket's mounting screws, sealing them with the caulking compound. Adjust the transducer so...

14 7. Make a test run to determine the results. If the bottom is lost at high speed, or if noise appears on the display, try sliding thetransducer bracket down. This puts the transducer deeper into thewater, hopefully below the turbulence causing the noise. Don't allowthe transducer bracket to go be...

15 TRANSDUCER ORIENTATION AND FISH ARCHES If you do not get good fish arches on your display, there is a goodpossibility the transducer is not parallel with the ground when the boatis at rest in the water or at slow trolling speeds. Transducer angles and their effects on fish arches. If the arch slo...

16 A successful transducer installation can be made on hulls with flotationmaterials (such as plywood, balsa wood or foam) between layers offiberglass if the material is removed from the selected area. Epoxy the transducer to a solid portion of the hull. For example, some (but not all) manufacturers...

17 If not, then mark the location that gave you the best sonar returns andread through the instructions on the following pages for shoot-thru-hullmounting. Shoot-thru-hull transducer locations for high speed or trolling speed operation. Shoot-thru-hull Installation 1. Make sure the area is clean, dr...

18 Place the transducer into the epoxy, twisting and turning it to forceany air bubbles out from under the transducer face. The face of the transducer should be parallel with the hull, with aminimum amount of epoxy between the hull and transducer. Afterthe epoxy dries, route the cable to the sonar u...

20 Optional Speed Sensor Installation If you wish to purchase an optional speed sensor for your unit, refer tothe accessory ordering information inside the back cover of thismanual. The following instructions describe how to install the speedsensor. Recommended tools for this job include: drill, 5/8...

21 If the base of the transom has a radius, fill the gap between thetransom and the sensor with the caulking compound. This will helpensure a smooth water flow. Route the sensor's cable through or over the transom to the sonar unit.If you need to drill a hole in the transom to pass the connector thr...

22 Power connections for the sonar unit. CAUTION: Do not use this product without a 3-amp fuse wired into the powercable! Failure to use a 3-amp fuse will void your warranty. This unit has reverse polarity protection. No damage will occur if thepower wires are reversed. The unit, however, will not w...

23 bracket to a swivel mount, which can be used on the dash or overheadmounting positions. Installation instructions are supplied with theR-A-M mounting kits. Optional R-A-M mounting system. Bracket Installation Mount the unit in any convenient location, provided there is clearancebehind the unit wh...

24 Drill a 1-inch (25.4 mm) hole in the dash for the power and transducercables. The best location for this hole is immediately under the gimbalbracket location. This way, the bracket can be installed so that it coversthe hole, holds the cables in position and results in a neat installation.Some cus...

25 In-Dash Installation You can mount the unit in the dash with an optional FM-5 In-DashAdapter Kit. The kit includes mounting hardware, a template forcutting the hole and an instruction sheet, part 988-0147-43. In-dash mounting template for the sonar unit, showing dimensions. NOTE: The figure above...

26 Install batteries in power pack battery adapter. "D" cell battery

27 Section 3: Basic Sonar Operation This section addresses the unit's most basic sonar operations. The instructions presented in Sec. 3 follow a chronological order. Sec. 4, Sonar Options & Other Features , will discuss other more advanced functions and utilities. Material in Sec. 4 is arranged ...

28 4. ARROW KEYS – Used to navigate through the menus, make menu selections, move the sonar chart cursor and enter data. 5. ENT – Allows you to accept values or execute menu commands. 6. EXIT – Lets you return to the previous screen, clear data or erase a menu. 7. ALARM – Shortcut to the sonar alarm...

29 Main Menu. The Main Menu commands and their functions are: Screen : changes the contrast or brightness of the display screen. Sounds : enables or disables the sounds for key strokes and alarms and sets the alarm style. Sonar Alarms : turns alarms on or off and changes alarm thresholds. Units of M...

32 Sonar Page, showing full sonar chart mode. You can customize how the Sonar Page displays its pictures and otherdata in many ways. Your unit also includes several features andoptions that can help you better interpret the underwater scene. We'll discuss all of those features and options in Section...

33 Basic Sonar Quick Reference 1. Mount the transducer and unit. Connect the unit to electric powerand the transducer. 2. Launch your boat. 3. To turn on the unit, press and release PWR key. 4. Head for your fishing grounds. Your unit automatically displaysdigital depth and surface water temperature...

34 Sonar Operations As you can see from the quick reference on the previous page, basic operationis pretty easy, right out of the box. If you are a sonar novice, try operating theunit with the factory defaults until you get a feel for how it's working. As you're learning the basics, there is one set...

36 Sonar Menu with Sensitivity command selected (left). The Sensitivity Control Bar (right). NOTE: If you want to change the sensitivity in Manual Mode, first turn offAuto Sensitivity. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to A UTO S ENSITIVITY | ENT | ↑ to S ENSITIVITY | ENT . Press ↓ or ↑ to pick a ...

39 Section 4: Options & Features ASP  (Advanced Signal Processing) The ASP  feature is a noise rejection system built into the sonar unit that constantly evaluates the effects of boat speed, water conditionsand interference. This automatic feature gives you the best displaypossible under most ...

40 Alarms This unit has three types of sonar alarms. The first is the Fish Alarm.It sounds when the Fish I.D.  feature determines an echo is a fish. Another alarm is the Zone Alarm, which consists of a bar on the side ofthe screen. Any echo on the chart that appears inside this bar triggersthis ala...

41 4. Press ← to S HALLOW A LARM E NABLED | ENT | EXIT . 5. To turn off the alarm, press A LARM | ENT | ENT | EXIT . To switch to a different depth setting, open the Sonar Alarms menu andrepeat the instructions in step 3 above. To adjust and turn on the deep alarm: 1. Press A LARM . 2. Press ↓ to D ...

42 Notice the size of the black alarm bar on the right side of the screenchanges as you manipulate the ↑ ↓ keys. 4. To set the lower boundary for the Zone Alarm, use ← or → to select L OWER , then press ↑ or ↓ to move the bottom of the bar to the desired depth. Notice size of the black alarm bar on ...

43 Calibrate Speed The speed sensor can be calibrated to compensate for inaccuracies.Before you change the setting, calculate the percentage the speed is off.You will enter this percentage in a moment. If you figure the sensor is reading 10 percent faster than actual speed,you will enter – 10 in the...

44 Sonar Page menu (left) with Chart Speed selected. Chart Speed Control Bar (right). If you do experiment with chart speed, remember to reset it tomaximum when you resume trolling or moving across the water athigher speed. To change chart speed: 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to C HART S PE...

45 Sonar Page menu with Depth Cursor selected (left). Chart with depth cursor active (right). Cursor line shows the large fish is 34.64 feet deep. The cursor can be moved to any location on the screen, letting youpinpoint the depth of a target. 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to D EPTH C URSO...

46 2. The Depth Range Control Scale appears. Press ↑ or ↓ to select a different depth range. A black bar highlights the selected range. Rangenumbers in gray cannot be selected. 3. When the new range is selected, press EXIT to clear the menu. Depth Range - Manual You have complete control over the ra...

47 Sonar Page showing FasTrack. Fish I.D.  (Fish Symbols & Depths) The Fish I.D. feature identifies targets that meet certain conditions asfish. The microcomputer analyses all echoes and eliminates surfaceclutter, thermoclines, and other signals that are undesirable. In mostinstances, remaining...

48 Figures 1A and 2A (left) show Sonar Page in normal chart mode. Figures1B and 2B (right) show the same underwater scene with Fish I.D. turned on. Note how arches are replaced with symbols. To turn the Fish I.D. feature on: 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to S ONAR F EATURES | ENT . 2. Press...

49 To turn on FishTrack: ( Note: These instructions will turn on FishTrack and Fish I.D. at the same time.) 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to S ONAR F EATURES | ENT . 2. Press → | ↓ to F ISH D EPTHS | ENT | EXIT | EXIT . To turn off FishTrack, repeat steps 1 and 2. Turning off FishTrack will...

50 Sonar Chart Mode command with FishReveal selected To turn FishReveal on: 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to S ONAR F EATURES | ENT . 2. Press ↓ to S ONAR C HART M ODE | ENT | ↓ to F ISH R EVEAL | ENT . 3. Press EXIT | ↑ to A UTO S ENSITIVITY | ENT | ↑ to S ENSITIVITY | ENT . 4. Press ↑ unt...

51 Grayline  Grayline helps you distinguish between strong and weak echoes,highlighting the differences between a hard soft bottom. A soft, muddyor weedy bottom will return a weaker signal, shown with a narrow grayline or with no line at all. A hard bottom returns a strong signal,displayed as a wid...

53 HyperScroll  See the entry on Ping Speed, which controls the HyperScroll feature. Noise Rejection See the entry on Advanced Signal Processing in this section. Overlay Data To change the digital data shown on top of the sonar page: 1. Press MENU | ↓ to O VERLAY D ATA | ENT . 2. To add data or rem...

55 Sonar chart with Overlay Data turned on. This example shows Depth, Water Temperature and the boat’s Water Speed. Ping Speed & HyperScroll  Ping Speed controls the rate at which the transmitter and transducerbroadcast sonar sound waves — pings — into the water. The unit has adefault ping spee...

56 Ping Speed command on the Sonar Menu (left). Ping Speed Control Bar (right) at default setting. To change Ping Speed: 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to P ING S PEED | ENT . 2. The Ping Speed Control Bar appears. Press ↑ to increase ping speed or press ↓ to decrease ping speed. When it's s...

57 To turn on Popup Help , press MENU | MENU | ↓ to P OPUP H ELP . With the option highlighted, press ENT to check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn off.) After the option is set, press EXIT to return to the page display. Main Menu (left) with Pop-up Help command highlighted. This example (right) sh...

58 Main Menu with Reset Options command selected (left). The Reset Options dialog box (right), with Yes selected. Reset Water Distance The sonar chart's Digital Data display option includes a window thatshows distance traveled, called Water Distance (W Distance). Thisinformation is calculated from a...

59 Screen Command (left) and Screen Menu (right) with Contrast bar selected. To adjust the display's brightness: 1. Press ↓ to B RIGHTNESS . Press → or ← to move the bar. The left end of the scale is minimum contrast. The right end is maximum contrast. To adjust the screen's display mode: 1. Press ↓...

61 To adjust sensitivity in manual mode: 1. Turn off Auto Sensitivity from the Sonar Page by pressing MENU | ↓ to A UTO S ENSITIVITY | ENT . 2. Press ↑ to S ENSITIVITY | ENT and the Sensitivity Control Bar appears. Press ↓ or ↑ to pick a different sensitivity setting. When it's set at the desired le...

62 1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to S ET K EEL O FFSET | ENT . 2. The Keel Offset dialog box appears. Press ↓ to change the plus (+) sign to a minus (–) sign. 3. Press → to the first number, then press ↑ to change the number to 3 4. Press → to the second number, then press ↑ to change the number to 5, th...

63 Main Menu with Software Information command selected (left). The Software Information screen (right). 1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to S OFTWARE I NFO | ENT . 2. Read the information displayed on the screen.3. To return to the main page display, press EXIT | EXIT. Sonar Chart Mode The default scheme f...

64 Pages Menu showing sonar chart display options Full Sonar Chart This is the default mode used when the unit is turned on for the firsttime or when it's reset to factory defaults. The bottom signal scrolls across the screen from right to left. Depthscales on the right side of the screen aid in det...

65 Digital Data/Chart This mode shows the chart on the right side of the screen. The left side hassix digital data boxes containing: Water Depth; Water Speed (from anoptional speed sensor); Water Distance (distance traveled or log, it alsorequires a speed sensor); Surface Water Temperature; Temperat...

66 Options List for customizing Digital Data windows. The list appears with Water Speed selected (left). Temperature 2 has been chosen to replace Water Speed in the top digital data window (right). Tip: You can customize other digital data windows before returning tothe Sonar Page. After changing th...

67 Main Menu, with simulator turned on (check box is checked). 2. Turn off Sonar Simulator by pressing MENU | MENU | ↓ to S ONAR S IMULATOR | ENT | EXIT . Full Sonar Chart with sonar simulator turned on. Stop Chart If you are running multiple units on a boat, there are times when youmay want to turn...

68 Sonar Menu with Stop Chart command selected. The box is unchecked, indicating the chart is scrolling across the screen. Surface Clarity The markings extending downward from the top of the chart are calledsurface clutter. These markings are caused by wave action, boat wakes,temperature inversion a...

69 Surface Clarity turned off (left). Surface Clarity set to High (right). Units of Measure This menu sets the speed and distance (statute or nautical miles,meters), depth (feet, fathoms, or meters) and temperature (degreesFahrenheit or Celsius). To change units: Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to U NITS OF M...

71 Section 5: Troubleshooting If your unit is not working, or if you need technical help, please use thefollowing troubleshooting section before contacting the factory customerservice department. It may save you the trouble of returning your unitfor repair. For contact information, refer to the last...

73 NOISE A major cause of sonar problems is electrical noise. This usuallyappears on the sonar's display as random patterns of dots or lines. Insevere cases, it can completely cover the screen with black dots, orcause the unit to operate erratically, or not at all.To eliminate or minimize the effect...

75 LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS FULL ONE-YEAR WARRANTY "We," "our," or "us" refers to LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS, a division of LEI, themanufacturer of this product. "You" or "your" refers to the first person who purchases thisproduct as a consumer item for personal, family...

76 How to Obtain Service… …in the USA: We back your investment in quality products with quick, expert serviceand genuine Lowrance replacement parts. If you're in the United Statesand you have technical, return or repair questions, please contact theFactory Customer Service Department. Before any pro...

Accessory Ordering Informationfor all countries To order Lowrance accessories such as power cables or transducers,please contact: 1) Your local marine dealer or consumer electronics store. Most quality dealers that handle marine electronic equipment or other consumerelectronics should be able to ass...