Lowrance iFINDER H2O - Manual

iii Alarm Clock ............................................................................. 56Sun/Moon Rise & Set Calculator ............................................ 57Trip Calculator ........................................................................ 57Trip Down Timer...................

iv In Advanced Mode............................................................... 80In Easy Mode ....................................................................... 80 Screen Contrast and Brightness ................................................ 80Set Language ...................................

1 Section 1: Read Me First! How this manual can get you out on the road, fast! Welcome to the exciting world of GPS satellite navigation! We knowyou're anxious to begin finding your way with this hand-held technol-ogy, but we have a favor to ask. Before you grab the batteries and headoutside, please...

2 Easy Mode operation will meet the navigation needs of many users.But, after you've learned the basics (or if you already have some GPSexperience), you may want to try out some of iFINDER's many ad-vanced navigation features. That brings us to Section 4 , Advanced Mode Operation . After we introduc...

4 Graphic symbols forwaypoints or eventmarker icons: ................. 42. Routes: ............................. 100; up to 100 waypoints per route. Plot Trails: ...................... 99 savable; up to 9,999 points per trail. Man Overboard: ............. MOB feature precisely marks man overboard lo...

6 iFINDER automatically reads Custom Map Files directly from the MMCor SD Card. To use a custom map, all you need to do is slide an MMCcontaining a map into the unit. Introduction to GPS and WAAS Well, now you know the basics of how iFINDER does its work. Youmight be ready to jump ahead to Section 2...

8 Also remember that this unit will always show navigation informationin the shortest line from your present position to a waypoint, regardlessof terrain! It only calculates position, it can’t know what’s between youand your destination, for example. It’s up to you to safely navigatearound obstacles...

9 Section 2: Installation & Accessories Power The iFINDER operates from AA batteries or on 3 volts DC using anoptional external power cable with a cigarette lighter adapter. Whenthe power cable is used, the iFINDER automatically switches to it if theexternal power is greater than the battery vol...

10 Battery Installation Turn the unit over so that the back is facing you. With your thumb ornail, pull back on the small clip to release the battery cover latch asshown in the following images. Once the latch is released, pull the bat-tery cover up out of the grooves in the bottom of the case. Remo...

11 Cigarette Lighter Power Adapter To use external DC power: Plug the power cable's cigarette lighteradapter into a cigarette lighter receptacle. Next, pull aside the rubbercover on the bottom of the unit and insert the other connector as shownin the following image. A small clip on the connector sh...

12 The PC-DI8 combines a cigarette lighter power adapter with a DB-9plug for a NMEA/serial com port connection to a laptop computer orother device. This is our favorite cable for connecting the iFINDERH2O to a laptop computer in an RV or other vehicle. By transmittingNMEA data to the computer, you c...

15 signals. Your unit will automatically switch between the active RAA-3and its internal antenna (located in the top of the case). If you purchasethe passive FA-8, you must use a menu check box to manually switchbetween it and the internal antenna. See the topic "External PassiveAntenna" in ...

16 One model has a mounting arm and cradle attached to a swivel ballplate that can be screwed or bolted to a supporting surface. Another hasa moldable, weighted, rubber foot and gooseneck for support virtuallyanywhere without screws or adhesives. R-A-M even has suction cupbases for attachment to win...

17 Section 3: Easy Mode Operation This section addresses Easy Mode operation for iFINDER's main GPSfunctions. The principles are the same in both operating modes, so thisdiscussion also serves as a good introduction to Advanced Mode work. Before you turn on iFINDER and find where you are, it's a goo...

18 6. EXIT – The Exit key lets you return to the previous screen, clear data or erase a menu. 7. FIND – The Find key launches the iFINDER search menus and some navigation functions. 8. ZOUT – (Zoom Out) – This key lets you zoom the screen out to see a larger geographic are on the map. Less detail is...

19 Screen command: changes the contrast or brightness of the display screen and backlight delay. Sounds command: enables or disables the sounds for key strokes and alarms and sets the alarm style. Navigate Trail command: sets up navigation back to the start of the current trail. Clear Trail command:...

20 Satellite Page. Left view indicates unit has not locked on to any satel- lites and does not have a fix on its position. Center view shows satel- lites being scanned. Right view shows satellite lock-on with a 3D posi- tion acquired (latitude, longitude and altitude.) This screen shows a graphical ...

22 Travel Time is the time that it will take to reach your destination atyour present closing speed. Arrival Time is the local time that it will bewhen you arrive at the destination, based upon your present closingspeed and track. Navigation Page, going to cursor. Driver is headed east (a 68º track)...

23 The map zoom range is the distance across the screen. This numbershows in the lower left corner of the screen. In the first example belowleft, the range is 4,000 miles from the left edge of the map to the rightedge of the map. The Zoom In and Zoom Out keys zoom the map to enlarge or reduce itscov...

24 Background map vs. MapCreate map content The background map includes: low-detail maps of the whole world (con-taining cities, major lakes, major rivers, political boundaries); and me-dium-detail maps of the United States. The medium-detail U.S. maps contain: all incorporated cities; shadedmetropo...

26 iFINDER  Easy Mode Quick Reference Start outdoors, with a clear view of the open sky. As you practice, trynavigating to a location a few blocks away. Navigation in too small aspace, like a backyard, will constantly trigger arrival alarms. 1. Install two AA batteries and an MMC card in the batter...

27 Find Your Current Position Finding your current position is as simple as turning iFINDER on. Un-der clear sky conditions, the unit automatically searches for satellitesand calculates its position in approximately one minute or less. NOTE: "Clear sky" means open sky, unobstructed by terrai...

28 Tip: Use the cursor to determine the distance from your current position(or last known position, when working indoors) to any map object orlocation. Simply use the arrow keys to position the cursor over theobject or place. The distance, measured in a straight line, appears inthe data box at the b...

29 3. iFINDER says it is calculating, then a list of restaurants appears,with the closest at the top of the list, and the farthest at the bottom ofthe list. The nearest is highlighted. 4. If you wish, you could scroll ↑ or ↓ here to select another restaurant, but for now we will just accept the near...

30 7. To clear the search and return to the last page displayed, press EXIT | EXIT | EXIT . (Before you completely exited out of the Search menus, you could have gone looking for another place.) NOTE: Search works from mapping and POI data loaded in iFINDER. Ifyou do not have a high-detailed custom ...

31 Set Man Overboard (MOB) Waypoint One of boating's most terrifying events is having a friend or familymember fall overboard. This situation can be deadly on any body of wa-ter — fresh or salt. It's particularly dangerous at night or if you're outof sight of land. Of course, the first thing to do i...

32 1. Use the cursor (controlled by the arrow keys) with the zoom in andzoom out keys to maneuver around the map until you find a locationyou want to go to. 2. Center the cursor over the location to select it. See the example be-low. (Many map items such as waypoints, Points of Interest, towns, etc....

33 To stop navigating to the cursor, use the Cancel Navigation command:press MENU | ↓ to C ANCEL N AVIGATION | ENT | ← to Y ES | ENT . iFINDER stops showing navigation information. Navigate to a Point of Interest For POIs that are in view on the map, you can easily use the Navigateto Cursor command ...

34 Navigate Trail menu. Caution: You also have the option of turning off trail recording in Ad-vance Mode. If the option is left turned off, it will cancel theautomatic trail creation feature in Easy Mode. Displaying a Saved Trail The trail is automatically displayed in Easy Mode by default. Trail d...

35 Navigate trail, map views: at left driver is southbound heading straight toward trail point 6; steer arrow says steer straight. At right, southbound driver has reached point 6 and must turn east to follow trail. Steer arrow swings around to say turn left (east), toward the next trail waypoint (ar...

36 WARNING: Clearing a trail will erase the trail from iFINDER's memory. Youwill not be able to backtrack to that trail head if the trail is erased.If you need to preserve the trail, switch to Advanced Mode and usethe instructions in Sec. 4 for Creating and Saving a Trail . 1. Press MENU | ↓ to C LE...

37 2. The Transfer My Data menu includes a message which tells you if anMMC is present or not. If no MMC is present, you must first insert acard into iFINDER in order to activate the Load or Save commands. To transfer data from iFINDER to the MMC : press ENT (for S AVE .) To transfer data from the M...

38 Switch to Advanced Mode To leave Easy Mode and switch to Advanced Mode: 1. Press MENU | ↓ to A DVANCED M ODE | ENT . 2. Unit asks "Are you sure you want to enter Advanced Mode?"3. press ← | ENT and the unit switches to Advanced Mode. Switch Back to Easy Mode from Advanced Mode To leave Ad...

39 Section 4: Advanced Mode Operation Keypad iFINDER H2O keypad. 1. PWR/LIGHT (Power & Light) – The PWR key turns the unit on and off and activates the backlight. 2. PAGES – Pressing this key switches the unit between the four dif- ferent page screens in Advanced Mode. (Satellite, Position, Navi...

40 Power/lights on and off To turn on the unit, press PWR . To turn on the backlight, press PWR again. Pressing PWR once again will turn off the backlight. (Press EXIT to clear any message or alarm displays.) Turn off the unit by pressing and holding the PWR key for 3 seconds. Main Menu Advanced Mod...

44 Moving Around the Map: Zoom & Cursor Arrow Keys The map is presented from a bird's-eye view perspective. The currentzoom range shows in the lower left corner of the screen. If the zoomrange says "4 mi," the map shows an area 4 miles wide from the leftedge of the screen to the right ed...

45 3. Move the cursor to the second position. The rubber band line reap-pears, connecting the first point you set to the cursor. The distancealong that line will appear in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. 4. Press EXIT to clear the command and return to the page screen. Find Your Current Po...

46 Save icon menu, left, Select symbol menu, right. Create Icon at Current Position 1. While you are traveling, press and hold ENT until the screen shows a "Save Icon" menu, then release the ENT key. 3. Press ← or ↑ or → or ↓ to select your icon symbol, then press ENT . The icon appears on t...

47 1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to S YSTEM S ETUP | ENT | ↓ to T RANSFER M Y D ATA | ENT and the screen below appears. The Transfer My Data submenu asks if you want to save data to the MMC or load data from the MMC into iFINDER's memory. 2. The Transfer My Data menu includes a message which tells you if...

49 3. If the list is short, you can jump directly to the F IND I N L IST box by pressing ENT . Use ↑ or ↓ to select the waypoint name, press ENT and the waypoint information screen appears with the G O T O command selected. 4. To begin navigating to the waypoint, press ENT . Navigate a Trail 1. Pres...

50 Backtrack a Trail See the "tip" paragraph in the previous entry, Navigate a Trail . Routes A route is a series of waypoints, linked together in an ordered sequence,that's used to mark a course of travel. You can visualize a route as astring of beads: The beads represent waypoints and the ...

51 2. Press ENT | ↓ to (R OUTE END ) | ENT | ↓ to A DD F ROM M AP | ENT . The Map Page appears with the cursor showing. 3. Use the Zoom keys and arrow keys to move the map and cursor untilthe cursor is centered on the spot where you want your route to begin.(If you are starting at your current posit...

52 7. To save your route, press EXIT . iFINDER reverts to the Route screen, with the route automatically named "Route 1" and stored in iFINDER'sinternal memory. 8. You can edit the name if you wish. Press ↑ to select the screen's command box, then press → to E DIT N AME | ENT . Press ↑ or ↓ ...

54 6. iFINDER's map appears, with the cross-hair cursor highlighting therestaurant's POI symbol. A pop-up name box identifies the POI. A databox at the bottom of the screen continues to display the location's lati-tude and longitude, distance and bearing. Map screen showing Finding Waypoint, the res...

55 Easy Mode only allows you to work with one trail. But Advanced Modelets you save up to 10 trails in iFINDER's memory. Since you can copythese trails to MMCs in the form of GPS Data Files (*.usr format), theonly true limit on the number of trails you can record is the number ofMMCs you can carry i...

56 GPS Data files: GPS Data Files contain waypoints, routes, trails and event markericons. Instructions for copying GPS Data Files between your computerand an MMC are contained in the instruction manual for your MMCcard reader and MapCreate 6 software. GPS data automatically recorded in the unit's i...

57 Sun/Moon Rise & Set Calculator To get to the Sun/Moon menu: press MENU | MENU | ↓ to U TILI- TIES | ENT | ENT . Trip Calculator To get to the Calculator menu: press MENU | MENU | ↓ to U TILITIES | ENT | ↓ to T RIP C ALCULATOR | ENT . Trip Down Timer To get to the Down Timer menu: press MENU |...

58 Create a Waypoint by Average Position This feature sets a waypoint at the current position after taking severalposition readings and averaging them. This boosts waypoint positionaccuracy by helping to eliminate errors caused by atmospheric condi-tions and other factors. 1. Press ENT | ↓ to A VERA...

61 Section 5: System & GPS Setup Options Alarms This unit has several GPS alarms. The factory default setting has allthe alarms turned on. You can turn the alarms off and on and changetheir distance settings. You can set an arrival alarm to flash a warning message and sound atone when you cross ...

62 4. When your adjustments are finished, return to the last page dis-played by repeatedly pressing EXIT . IMPORTANT ALARM NOTES: Anchor Alarm – The anchor alarm may be triggered even whenyou're sitting still. This typically happens when using small (lessthan 0.05 mile) anchor alarm ranges. Arrival ...

63 You can force the unit to immediately kick into auto search mode.Here's how: 1. While in Advanced Mode press PAGES until you are on the "Satel- lites" screen. 2. Press MENU | ↓ to A UTO S EARCH | ENT then ← to Y ES | ENT . Check MMC Files and Storage Space To check MMC Files: 1. In Advanc...

64 For connectors and wiring information for another device, consult thefactory; phone numbers are in the back of this manual. To set Com PortConfiguration: 1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to S YSTEM S ETUP | ENT . 2. Press ↓ to C OM P ORT | ENT . Configure NMEA You can configure the unit to use specific N...

65 Coordinate System Selection The Coordinate System Menu lets you select the coordinate system touse when displaying and entering position coordinates. Access thisfunction only in Advanced Mode. Menus for changing coordinate system used to display positions. To get to Coordinate System Selection:1....

66 To select a coordinate system:To change the coordinate system, press ENT while C OORDINATE S YSTEM is highlighted. Press the ↑ or ↓ arrow keys to highlight the desired for- mat. Press ENT to select it. Press EXIT to erase the menus. To setup Loran TD: NOTE: If the Loran TD conversion is chosen, y...

67 Now press MENU | MENU | ↓ to GPS S ETUP | ENT | ↓ to C OORDINATE S YS- TEM | ENT | ↓ to S ETUP M AP F IX | ENT . The following screens appear, and M AP S CALE is highlighted. Press ENT and enter the map's scale. This is gener- ally at the bottom of the paper map. It's shown as a ratio, for exampl...

68 Customize Map Page While on the Map Page press MENU | ↓ to C USTOMIZE | ENT . Press ↓ or ↑ to select a display option. With the option highlighted, press ENT to check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn off.) After all options are set, press EXIT to return to the page display. External Passive Ante...

69 To get to the GPS Simulator:1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to GPS S ETUP | ENT . 2. Press ↓ to GPS S IMULATOR | ENT . GPS Setup Menu, left, GPS Simulator Menu, right. Make the desired settings, then turn the simulator on by highlighting the S IMULATOR O N box and pressing ENT key. Press EXIT to erase t...

70 4. Press EXIT to turn off the steering and speed boxes. The unit will now automatically "steer" along the trail or route. When you arrive at your"destination," cancel navigation as you normally do. Map Auto Zoom This receiver has an auto zoom feature that eliminates much of the bu...

71 unit operates like a GPS plotter) to High. After the option is set, press EXIT to return to the page display. Popup Map Information Press MENU | ↓ to M AP D ATA | ENT . Press ↓ to P OPUP I NFORMATION . With the option highlighted, press ENT to check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn off.) After t...

72 ated using different datums will show the same latitude/longitude inslightly different locations. All datums are named. The GPS system is based on the WGS-84 da-tum, which covers the entire world. Other datums may also cover theentire world, or just a small portion of it. By default, your positio...

73 Map Menu, left, Map Categories Menu, right. Map Orientation By default, this receiver shows the map with north always at the top ofthe screen. This is the way most maps and charts are printed on paper.However, you can change the map orientation to Track Up or CourseUp if you switch to Advanced Mo...

74 default North Up. But, we'll sometimes switch to Track Up when we'rein an unfamiliar area and want to instantly coordinate what we see outthe window with what we see on the screen. Try all three modes to findwhat works best for you. To change map orientation: from the Map Page, press MENU | ↓ to ...

75 2. From the Map Page, press MENU | ↓ to M AP D ATA | ENT | ↓ to M AP C HOICE | ENT . Use ↑ or ↓ to select the Map Name , then press ENT | EXIT | EXIT . These figures show menu sequence (from left to right) for selecting a Navionics chart for the West Gulf of Mexico area. 3. To turn off a Navionic...

76 The Port Services information screen has two windows. The top windowlists the various service categories. The lower window lists the detailedservices available in each basic category. 3. To scroll through the Service Categories window: press ENT then use ↑ or ↓ to see the types of services availa...

77 When you zoom in to a sufficiently small zoom range (1/2 nauticalmile), the icon itself becomes an animated arrow showing tidal currentvelocity and direction for the selected tidal station at the present time. At larger zoom ranges, you can select the boxed " C " icon and it becomes an an...

78 scale at the top left side of the graph changes dynamically based uponthe maximum velocity of the current for that day. Slack water, the period of little or no current, is represented by theSlack Water Line (SWL). The flood appears above the SWL and the ebbappears below the SWL. You can look up t...

79 Tide Information screen. The Tide Information screen displays daily tidal data for this station onthis date at the present time. The graph at the top of the screen is anapproximate view of the tidal range pattern for the day, from midnight(MN), to noon (NN) to midnight (MN). The dotted line acros...

80 This example shows the Pop-up Help message for the Screen com- mand, located on the Main Menu in Advanced Mode. Reset Options To reset all features to their factory defaults: In Advanced Mode 1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to S YSTEM S ETUP | ENT | ↓ to R ESET O PTIONS | ENT | ← to Y ES | ENT . In Easy...

81 Once in the Screen menu: To adjust the display's contrast: 1. The C ONTRAST slider bar is already selected. Press → or ← to move the bar. The left end of the scale is minimum contrast; the right end ismaximum contrast. Screen Command, left, and Contrast bar, right. To adjust the display's brightn...

82 To adjust the display's back light delay options:1. Press ↓ to L IGHT D ELAY | ENT |press ↑ or ↓ to select mode | EXIT . 2. To leave screen settings and return to the last page displayed, press EXIT | EXIT . Light Delay menu. Setting shown is "continuous," which is ideal for night travel ...

84 Software Version Information From time to time, Lowrance updates the operating system software insome of its products. These software upgrades are usually offered tocustomers as free downloads from our web site, www.lowrance.com.These upgrades make the unit perform better or introduce a new fea-t...

85 Sounds command: left, Easy Mode; center Advanced. At right, the Sounds menu. Once in the Sounds menu: To set Key Sounds: With the option highlighted, press ENT to check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn off). After the option is set, press EXIT|EXIT to return to the page display. To set Alarm Sou...

86 Trail Options There are several options you can use with trails. Some affect all trails,other options can be applied to a particular trail. You can change theway trails are updated, you can display or hide trails, make them flashon the screen or not flash, create a new trail, delete a trail, etc....

88 Trail Update Rate (Time, Distance) You can update a trail by time, with a range from 1 second to 9999 sec-onds; the default is 3 seconds. You can update by distance, with a rangefrom 0.01 mile/nm/km to 9.99 mile/nm/km; the default is 0.10 mile. With Update Criteria selected, press ↓ to either the...

89 Trail Visible/Invisible and Other Trail Options The name, maximum number of points in the trail, activity, and visibilityare all changed on the Edit Trail screen. The Active setting determineswhether or not iFINDER is recording new points for a particular trail. On the Edit Trail menu, press ↓ or...

91 Section 6: Searching NOTE: The background map loaded in your unit lets you search for U.S.Interstate Highway exits and exit services, as well as some landfeatures, including cities and lakes. For a full set of searchable landfeatures, including landmarks, streets, addresses and Points of In-teres...

92 Find Address Menu. 3. To enter an address number , press ↑ or ↓ to change the first number, then press → to move the cursor to the next number and repeat until the number is correct, then press ENT . To return to the previous page, press EXIT . 4. To enter a street name , press ↓ to S TREET | ENT...

94 Find Any Item Selected by Map Cursor With a POI or map feature selected by the cursor, press FIND | ENT . To return to the previous page, press EXIT . A POI selected by the cursor, left, The Find Menu, center, POI informa- tion screen, right. NOTE: Since the Go To command is highlighted, you can ...

95 Details on searching for waypoints in Advanced Mode can be foundlater in this section, in the segment Find Waypoints . Find Interstate Highway Exits 1. Press FIND | ↓ to H IGHWAY E XITS | ENT , which calls up the Find Exit Menu. Easy Mode Find menu, left; Advanced Mode Find menu, right. 2. First,...

96 Selected exit. 4. In the Exit Information screen you have two choices. A. Press ENT to navigate or "go to" the exit. B. Press → | ENT to find the exit on the map. "Go To" option, left, "Find On Map" option, right. Tip: You can also look up some additional information on th...

97 2. Press ↓ or ↑ to select a Map Place or POI category then press ENT . (To narrow your search, press ← or → to select a subcategory before pressing ENT .) You will be given two options: Search by Name or by Nearest. Map Places category menu. 3. Search by nearest POI. At the Find By menu, press EN...

98 Find by name option, left, Find by name menu, right. 5. When the POI's Waypoint Information screen appears, you can chooseto "Go To" the POI by pressing ENT or find it on the map by pressing → | ENT . "Go To" POI option, left, "Find on Map" POI option, right. Find Streets ...

99 can spell out the street in the top selection box. Press ↑ or ↓ to change the first letter, then press → to move the cursor to the next letter and repeat until the name is correct, then press ENT | ENT . B. Jump down to the lower selection list by pressing ENT , then press ↓ or ↑ to select a stre...

101 Find Waypoints (Advanced Mode only) 1. Press FIND | ENT . 2. If searching for the Nearest waypoint, press ENT . If searching for a waypoint By Name , press ↓ to N AME | ENT . (To search by name, jump to step 5 below.) Find menu, left, and Find By Nearest, center, Find by Name, right. 3. If you'r...

103 Section 7: Supplemental Material Datums Used by This Unit WGS 1984Default AdindanMean for Ethiopia,Sudan AdindanBurkina Faso AdindanCameroon AdindanEthiopia AdindanMali AdindanSenegal AdindanSudan AfgooyeSomalia Ain el Abd 1970Bahrain Ain el Abd 1970Saudi Arabia Anna 1 Astro 1965Cocos Islands An...

107 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 interference re-ceived, including interfere...

109 Index A Accessories, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14, 15, 16, 36, 55, 68 Sec. 2, Installation & Accessories, 9 Advanced Mode, 2, 8, 17, 19, 22, 31, 33, 34, 36, 38, 39, 40, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50,54, 55, 61, 63, 65, 67, 72, 73, 80, 82,84, 86, 89, 91, 94, 95, 96, 98, 101 Switch To, 38 Alarm Clock, 56Alarms, 26,...

114 DATABASES LIMITED WARRANTY "We", "our", or "us" refers to Lowrance Electronics, Inc., the manufacturer ofthis product. "You" or "your" refers to the first person who purchases the prod-uct as a consumer item for personal, family, or household use. The Data...

115 LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS FULL ONE-YEAR WARRANTY "We," "our," or "us" refers to LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS, INC., the manufacturer ofthis product. "You" or "your" refers to the first person who purchases this product as aconsumer item for personal, family or househol...

116 How to Obtain Service… …in the USA: We back your investment in quality products with quick, expert serviceand genuine Lowrance parts. If you're in the United States and youhave technical, return or repair questions, please contact the FactoryCustomer Service Department. Before any product can be...

Accessory Ordering Informationfor all countries To order Lowrance GPS accessories such as computer cables or MMCcards, 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 t...