Eagle 500CDF - Manual

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 or two to explainhow our ...

2 any longer, turn to the Quick Reference on page 45 and headfor the water with your sonar unit!) After you've gained some experience with your sonar, you'll want tocheck out Section 4, which discusses more advanced Sonar Options and Other Features . When you come to a sonar menu command on the unit...

4 Surface water temp: ..... Yes. Speed/distance log: ....... Optional (requires optional speed sensor). NOTICE! The storage temperature range for your unit is from -4 degrees to +167degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees to +75 degrees Celsius). Extended stor- age in temperatures higher or lower than speci...

5 How to Use this Manual: Typographical Conventions Many instructions are listed as numbered steps. The keypad and arrow"keystrokes" appear as boldface type. So, if you're in a real hurry (orjust need a reminder), you can skim the instructions and pick out whatmenu command to use by finding ...

6 For example, instructions for turning on the Fish ID  feature would look like this: 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to S ONAR F EATURES | ENT . 2. Press → or → ↓ to F ISH ID S YMBOLS | ENT | EXIT | EXIT . Translated into complete English, step 1 above would mean: "Start onthe Sonar Pag...

7 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 before drill-ing any holes in your vessel! 1. Determine the approxim...

8 optional trolling motor mount uses a one-piece plastic bracket with anadjustable strap. These are "kick-up" mounting brackets. They helpprevent damage if the transducer strikes an object while the boat ismoving. If the transducer does "kick-up," the bracket can easily bepushed back...

9 or similar tool for stirring and applying epoxy, and a paper plate orpiece of cardboard to mix the epoxy on. Supplies: rubbing alcohol, 100grit sandpaper, specially formulated epoxy adhesive available from LEI(see ordering information on the inside portion of the back cover). Asandwich hull also r...

10 closer than approximately one foot from the engine's lower unit. Thiswill prevent cavitation (bubble) interference with propeller operation. 5. If possible, route the transducer cable away from other wiring on theboat. Electrical noise from engine wiring, bilge pumps and aerators canbe displayed ...

11 Align transducer centerline with hull bottom. A dual frequency trans- ducer is shown at left and a single frequency transducer at right. However, there are times when you may need to adjust the transducerslightly higher or lower. (The slots in the mounting brackets allow youto loosen the screws a...

13 1. Assembling the bracket. A. One-piece bracket: Press the two small plastic ratchets into the sides of the metal bracket as shown in the following illustration. Notice there areletters molded into each ratchet. Place each ratchet into the bracket withthe letter "A" aligned with the dot s...

14 Insert and align ratchets. Add ratchets to bracket and transducer. 2. Aligning the transducer on the transom. A. One-piece bracket: Slide the transducer between the two ratch- ets. Temporarily slide the bolt though the transducer assembly andhold it against the transom. Looking at the transducer ...

15 holes in the bracket with the letter "B" aligned with the dot stampedin the bracket. Reassemble the transducer and bracket and place them against thetransom. 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 3A. If it doesn't...

16 parallel with the ground. If you can, then go to step 3B. If it doesn't,repeat step 2B, but use a different alignment letter until you canplace the transducer on the transom correctly. Assemble transducer and bracket. 3. Assembling the transducer. A. One-piece bracket: Once you determine the corr...

17 Hold the transducer and bracket assembly against the transom. Thetransducer should be roughly parallel to the ground. The trans-ducer's centerline should be in line with the bottom of the hull. Don'tlet the bracket extend below the hull! Mark the center of each slot for the mounting screw pilot h...

19 If you need to drill a hole in the transom to pass the connector through,the required hole size will be 5/8". Caution: If you drill a hole in the transom for the cable, make sure it is lo-cated above the waterline. After installation, be sure to seal thehole with the same marine grade above- ...

20 motor shaft. Make sure there is enough slack in the cable for the motorto turn freely. Route the cable to the sonar unit and the transducer isready for use. Transducer mounted on trolling motor, side view. Transducer Orientation and Fish Arches If you do not get good fish arches on your display, ...

21 Transducer angles and their effects on fish arches. If the arch slopes up – but not back down – then the front of the trans-ducer is too high and needs to be lowered. If only the back half of thearch is printed, then the nose of the transducer is angled too far downand needs to be raised. NOTE: P...

22 Shoot-Thru-Hull Preparation Hulls With Flotation Materials The transducer installation inside a fiberglass hull must be in an areathat does not have air bubbles in the resin or separated fiberglass lay-ers. The sonar signal must pass through solid fiberglass. A successfultransducer installation c...

23 pass through solid fiberglass. Any air bubbles in the fiberglass or the ep- oxy will reduce or eliminate the sonar signals. Testing Determines Best Location Ideally, the shoot-thru transducer should be installed as close to thetransom as possible, close to the centerline. This will give you the b...

25 After sanding, clean the hull and transducer with rubbing alcohol toremove any sanding debris. Epoxy transducer to hull. WARNING: Use only the epoxy available from LEI. It has been for- mulated to work with these installation procedures.Other epoxy types may be too thin or may not cure to therigh...

26 Spread a thin layer of epoxy (about 1/16" or 1.5 mm thick) on the face ofthe transducer as shown in the previous figure. Make sure there are no air pockets in the epoxy layer! Then, apply the remaining epoxy to the sanded area on the hull. 3. Press the transducer into the epoxy, twisting and ...

27 perature sensor. See the following wiring diagram for temperature andspeed sensor combinations. Sonar unit with external temp sensor, external speed sensor, or combo speed/temp sensor. The primary temperature sensor is built into the transducer. Optional Speed Sensor Installation All the units in...

28 wish to purchase an optional additional sensor for your unit, refer tothe accessory ordering information inside the back cover of this man-ual. The following instructions describe how to install the speed sensor. Recommended tools for this job include: drill, 5/8" drill bit, 1/8" drill bi...

29 Speed sensor mounting configuration: side view (left) and rear view (right.) 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 through,the required hole size is 5/8". Caution: If you drill a hole in the tran...

30 This may result in corrosion of the plug body along with the electri-cal contacts in the cable and the unit's power socket. In saltwater environments we recommend you connect the powercable to the auxiliary power switch included in most boat designs.If that results in electrical interference, or ...

32 Install the gimbal bracket. Orient the bracket so the arms slope toward the front of your unit. 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 ...

33 Front view (left) and side view (right) showing dimensions of the sonar unit when mounted on gimbal bracket. Before positioning the bracket, be sure to hold the cables against therear edge of the hole. Then, slide the bracket over the hole and butt therear of the bracket base firmly against the c...

34 In-dash mounting template for the sonar unit, showing dimensions. NOTE: The figure above is not printed to scale. A scaled template (FM-5 In-Dash Adapter Kit instructions) is available for free download from our web site, www.eaglesonar.com. Portable Installation Like many Eagle products, this so...

35 Install batteries in power pack battery adapter. Face Cover Your unit comes with a white protective cover that snaps on and off thefront of the unit. This cover is intended for use when your unit and thevehicle it's mounted in are idle. WARNING: When the unit is mounted in an unprotected area, su...

37 Basic Sonar Operation This section addresses the unit's most basic sonar operations. The in- structions 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 in alphab...

38 1. PWR/LIGHT (Power & Light) – The PWR key turns the unit on and off and activates the backlight. 2. PAGES – Pressing this and the ↑ and ↓ arrow keys switches the unit between the three different page display options. (Full Sonar Chart,Split Zoom Sonar Chart and Digital Data.) 3. MENU – Press...

39 Turn off the unit by pressing and holding the PWR key for 3 seconds. Main Menu The unit has a Main Menu, which contains some function commands andsome setup option commands. The instructions in this section will dealonly with sonar functions, the basic commands that make the unit showsonar signal...

40 Sounds command: enables or disables the sounds for key strokes and alarms and sets the alarm style. Transparency command: adjust the level of transparency for dialogs. Sonar Alarms command: turns sonar alarms on or off and changes alarm thresholds. Units of Measure command: changes the depth, spe...

41 Pages Menu, showing Sonar display options. All of the display options show the sonar chart in some format. This is a"cross-section" view of the water column beneath the boat. The chartmoves across the screen, displaying sonar signal echoes that representfish, structure and the bottom. The...

43 Sonar Page Menu. Most of these functions are discussed in Sec. 4. You can customize how the Sonar Page displays its pictures and otherdata in many ways. Your unit also includes several special sonar featuresand options that can help you better interpret the underwater scene. We'll discuss all of ...

44 Sonar Page, showing full sonar chart mode. Surface clutter Bottom signal Fish arches In FasTrack, fisharches show ashorizontal bars. Depth scale Digital dataoverlay(depth &temperature) Surface signal

45 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 displays digi-tal depth and surface water temperatu...

46 Press ↓ (or ↑ ) to align the cursor line with the fish arch. The exact depth appears in a box at the right end of the cursor line. To clear thecursor, press EXIT . 9. If you are drifting at a very low speed or anchored, you are not mov-ing fast enough for a fish to return the tell-tale fish arch ...

51 For the ultimate training aid, be sure to download the free emulatorsoftware for your unit. Aside from being just plain fun, this programcan help you learn both basic and advanced operations without burningboat fuel! Eagle is one of the first sonar manufacturers to provide thistype of training to...

53 Section 4: Sonar Options & Other Features Material in this section is arranged in alphabetical order. ASP  (Advanced Signal Processing) The ASP  feature is a noise rejection system built into the sonar unit that constantly evaluates the effects of boat speed, water conditionsand interferenc...

54 At left, Sonar Menu with Sonar Features selected. In the Sonar Features menu, Noise Rejection is selected with ASP in the default low setting (center, dual-frequency menu; at right, single-frequency menu). To change the ASP level: 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to S ONAR F EATURES | ENT ....

55 The last alarm is the Depth Alarm, which has both a Shallow and aDeep setting. This is useful as an anchor watch, a shallow water alertor for navigation. Depth Alarms The depth alarms sound a tone when the bottom signal goes shallowerthan the shallow alarm's setting or deeper than the deep alarm'...

56 2. Press ↑ or ↓ to change the first number, then press → to move the cursor to the next number and repeat until the depth is correct, thenpress ENT . 3. Press ← to S HALLOW A LARM E NABLED | ENT | EXIT . 4. To turn off the alarm, press ALARM | ENT | EXIT . To switch to a different depth setting, ...

57 At left, Sonar Alarms menu, with Adjust Zone command selected. At right, Adjust Zone Alarm selection box, with Upper selected. 4. Press EXIT | ← to Z ONE A LARM E NABLED | ENT | EXIT . Now, any echo — fish, bottom, structure — within the zone alarm's depth range will trig-ger the zone alarm. 5. T...

58 Sonar Alarms menu with Fish Alarm selected. The check box to the left is blank, indicating the alarm is turned off. To turn the fish alarm on: 1. Press ALARM | ↓ to F ISH A LARM | ENT | EXIT . 2. To turn off the alarm, press ALARM | ↓ to F ISH A LARM | ENT | EXIT . Backlight Level The unit defaul...

59 The Backlight Level control bar appears automatically whenever you turn on the unit. Calibrate Speed The speed sensor can be calibrated to compensate for inaccuracies. Be-fore you change the setting, first calculate the percentage that thespeed is off. You will enter this percentage in a moment. ...

60 2. Enter the number you calculated earlier: press ↑ or ↓ to change the first character (+ or –), then press → to move the cursor to the next number and repeat until the percentage is correct, then press EXIT . Chart Speed The rate that echoes scroll across the screen is called the chart speed.The...

61 If you do experiment with chart speed, remember to reset it to maxi-mum when you resume trolling or moving across the water at higherspeed. To change chart speed: 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to C HART S PEED | ENT . 2. The Chart Speed Control Bar appears. Press ↓ to decrease chart spee...

62 At left, Sonar Page menu with ColorLine command selected. At right, the ColorLine control bar. At left, little ColorLine indicates a soft bottom, probably sand or mud. At right, the wider ColorLine indicates a harder, rocky bottom. WiderColorLine Thin or no ColorLine

63 Contrast To adjust the display's contrast: Press MENU | MENU | ENT . The C ONTRAST slider bar appears. Press ↑ or ↓ to move the bar. The lower end of the scale is minimum contrast; the upper end is maximum contrast. Depth Cursor The depth cursor consists of a horizontal line with a digital depth ...

64 Depth Range - Automatic When turned on for the first time, the bottom signal is automaticallyplaced in the lower half of the screen. This is called Auto Ranging andis part of the automatic function. However, depending upon the bottomdepth and the current range, you can change the range to a diffe...

65 To switch to Manual Depth Range: 1. First, turn off automatic depth range. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to A UTO D EPTH R ANGE | ENT . 2. Press ↑ to D EPTH R ANGE | ENT and the Depth Range Control Scale appears. 3. Press ↓ or ↑ to select a different depth range. A horizontal black bar high...

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

67 Does that mean Fish I.D. is broken? No — the feature is simply inter-preting sonar returns in a specific way to help take some of the workout of reading the screen. Remember: Fish I.D. is one of the many toolswe provide so you can analyze your sonar returns for maximum fishfinding information. Th...

68 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 D EPTHS | ENT | EXIT | EXIT . To turn off FishTrack, repeat the instructions in step 1. Turning offFishTrack in...

69 The default frequency is 200 kHz, which is best for use in shallow water(about 300 feet or less). This frequency is the best choice for about 80percent of the fresh and salt water sport fishing applications. When youget into very deep salt water, 300 to 500 feet or deeper, the 50 kHz fre-quency i...

70 3. Press EXIT | EXIT to clear the menu. To change the frequency setting to 200 kHz: 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to S ONAR F EATURES | ENT . 2. Press ↓ to F ISH S YMBOLS | → to 200 K H Z | ENT . 3. Press EXIT | EXIT to clear the menu. HyperScroll  See the entry on Ping Speed, which con...

71 Overlay Data command on the Sonar Menu, at left. Overlay Data Shown selection menu, right. In this example, Depth will be displayed in a large font. When selected, the data type shifts to the top of the data list and acheck mark appears beside the data type. (If you wish, you may nowuse ↓ or ↑ to...

72 Data list showing Water Speed selected to display on Sonar Page. 3. To return to the previous page, press EXIT . To turn off displayed data: 1. Press MENU | ↓ to O VERLAY D ATA | ENT . 2. Press ↓ or ↑ to select Data Type | ENT. The selected data type disappears from the top of the list and revert...

73 Tip: If you wish, you can change the displayed data font size when youselect a data type: 1. From the Sonar page, press MENU | ↓ to O VERLAY D ATA | ENT . 2. Press ↓ or ↑ to select Data Type |press → or ← to select Data Size | ENT . The data will be shown in the new font size. To return to the pr...

74 matically provides enough return echoes to refresh the screen and scrollthe chart at maximum chart speed. However, when you are running at high speeds, or just want the fastestpossible screen update, you may want to use the HyperScroll  feature. When you change the Ping Speed to any setting grea...

76 Example showing the Pop-up Help message for the Sensitivity com- mand, located on the Sonar Menu. Reset Options This command is used to reset all features, options and settings to theiroriginal factory defaults. This is useful when you have changed severalsettings and want to return the unit to b...

77 At left, Main Menu with Reset Options command selected. At right, the Reset Options dialog box, with "Yes" selected. Reset Water Distance The sonar chart's Digital Data display option includes a box that showsdistance traveled, called Water Distance. This information is calculatedfrom an ...

79 2. The Keel Offset dialog box appears with a plus (+) sign at thefront of the box. 3. Press → to the first number, then press ↑ to change the number to 1. 4. Press → to the second number, them press ↑ to change the num- ber to 5, then press EXIT . The depth indicators now accurately show the wate...

80 can adjust sensitivity up to 100 percent but the unit will limit your minimum setting. In auto, the unit will continue to make small ad- justments, allowing for the setting you selected. In manual mode, you have complete control over sensitivity, with the ability to set it anywhere from zero to 1...

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

82 1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to S OFTWARE I NFO | ENT . 2. Read the information displayed on the screen.3. To return to the last page displayed, press EXIT|EXIT. Sonar Chart Mode The default color scheme for the sonar chart is white background, butwe offer other variations to suit your viewing prefer...

83 Full Sonar Chart This is the default mode used when the unit is turned on for the firsttime or when it's reset to the factory defaults. The bottom signal scrolls across the screen from right to left. Depthscales on the right side of the screen aid in determining the depth oftargets. The line at t...

84 Split Zoom Sonar Chart A split chart shows the underwater world from the surface to the bot-tom on the right side of the screen. The left side shows an enlarged ver-sion of the right side. The zoom range shows at the bottom left corner ofthe screen. Split Zoom Sonar Chart. Image at left shows the...

85 Digital Data/Chart Customizing the Digital Data/Chart Screen The Digital Data/Chart screen can be customized to show digital datadifferent from the defaults first shown. To customize this screen: 1. From the Sonar Page (in Digital Data mode), press MENU | ↓ to C USTOMIZE | ENT . At left, the Sona...

86 2. The Water Temperature box title bar flashes, indicating the box con-tents can be changed. Press ENT | ↑ or ↓ to select data type | ENT | EXIT . Water Distance has been picked to replace Water Temperature in the top digital data box. Tip: You can customize other digital data boxes before return...

87 Main Menu with Sonar Simulator command selected. The Simulator is turned off (check box is unchecked). NOTE: If you turn on your unit before attaching a transducer, it may enter ademo mode. The words "demo mode" flash on the bottom of thescreen and a sonar chart plays much like the simula...

88 Sonar Menu with Stop Chart command selected. The box is unchecked, indicating that the chart is scrolling across the screen. Surface Clarity The markings extending downward from the zero line on the chart arecalled "surface clutter." These markings are caused by wave action,boat wakes, te...

89 Sonar Features menu with Surface Clarity selected (at left, dual- frequency menu; at right, single-frequency menu). 2. Press ↓ or ↑ to select clarity level | EXIT | EXIT . In the illustration at left, Surface Clarity is turned off. The right view shows Surface Clarity set at High. Surface clutter

90 Transparency Use the transparency menu to adjust the transparency of menu win-dows. A high transparency allows you to continue monitoring the sonarchart while adjusting feature settings, though the text of the menusmay fade until it is unreadable. A low transparency will usually makemenu text eas...

91 The Units of Measure Menu. To set Units of Measure: Press ↓ to the desired units, then press ENT. After all the options are set as desired, press EXIT|EXIT to return to the page display. Volume This command adjusts the speaker volume, which controls the soundlevels for keystrokes and alarms. If y...

92 Pressing ZIN once doubles the size (2X) of all echoes on the screen. Pressing it again quadruples the size of the echoes (4X). Press the ZoomOut key, ZOUT , to return the display to the normal mode. At left, Sonar Page, normal view. Center, same view zoomed to 2X. Right, same view zoomed to 4X Zo...

93 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...

94 Weak bottom echo, digital readings erratic, or no fish signals: 1. Make sure the transducer is pointing straight down. Clean the faceof the transducer. Oil, dirt and fuel can cause a film to form on thetransducer, reducing its effectiveness. If the transducer is mountedinside the hull, be sure it...

95 2. Electrical noise from the boat's motor can interfere with the sonar.This causes the sonar to automatically increase its Discrimination ornoise rejection feature. This can cause the unit to eliminate weaker sig-nals such as fish or even structure from the display. Try using resistorspark plugs ...

97 Section 6: Supplemental Material FCC Compliance This device complies with Part 15 of the U.S. Federal Communi-cations Commission (FCC) Rules. Operation is subject to the fol-lowing two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful in-terference, and (2) this device must accept any interferenc...

99 Index A Accessories, 1, 31; Sec. 2, Installation & Accessories , 7 Alarms, 38, 40, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58; Depth Alarms, 55; FishAlarm, 54, 57, 58; ZoneAlarm, 54, 56, 57 Antenna, 96, 97ASP  (Advanced Signal Processing), 23, 53 B Backlights / Lighting, 2, 38, 58, 59, 77 Batteries, 7, 29, 30, 34, ...

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

Accessory Ordering Informationfor all countries To order Eagle 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 consumer electronics shouldbe able to assis...