Lowrance LCX-17M - Manual

vi WARNING! A CAREFUL NAVIGATOR NEVER RELIES ON ONLY ONE METHODTO OBTAIN POSITION INFORMATION. CAUTION When showing navigation data to a position (waypoint), a GPS unit will showthe shortest, most direct path to the waypoint. It provides navigation data to thewaypoint regardless of obstructions. The...

1 Section 1: Read Me First! How this manual can get you out on the road, fast! Welcome to the exciting world of digital sonar and GPS! We knowyou're anxious to begin navigating and finding fish, but we have a favorto ask. Before you grab the unit and begin installing it, please give us amoment or tw...

6 How Your Sonar Works Sonar has been around since the 1940s, so if you already know how itworks, skip down to read about the relatively new technology of GPS.But, if you've never owned a sonar fish finder, this segment will tell youthe underwater basics. Sonar is an abbreviation for SOund NAvigatio...

7 How Your GPS Works You'll navigate faster and easier if you understand how this unit scansthe sky to tell you where you are on the earth — and, where you'regoing. (But if you already have a working understanding of GPSreceivers and the GPS navigation system, skip on ahead to Section 2, Installatio...

8 file, these GPS Data Files (file format *.usr) can be shared between other Lowrance GPS or sonar/GPS units and even personal computers. Your unit has one more thing in common with a personal computer.Just as computers have a floppy disk drive for storing and exchangingfiles, this unit has a slot f...

9 The Global Positioning System (GPS) was launched July 17, 1995 bythe United States Department of Defense. It was designed as a 24-hour-a-day, 365-days-a-year, all weather global navigation system forthe armed forces of the U.S. and its allies. Civilian use was alsoavailable, but it was less accura...

11 How to use this manual: typographical conventions Many instructions are listed as numbered steps. The keypad and arrow"keystrokes" appear as boldface type, so you can easily skim theinstructions and pick out what menu command to use. Arrow Keys The arrow keys control the movement of dotte...

13 Section 2: Installation & Accessories Preparations You can install the sonar and GPS systems in some other order if youprefer, but we recommend this installation sequence: CAUTION: You should read over this entire installation section beforedrilling any holes in your vehicle or vessel! 1. Det...

15 NOTE: Some aluminum boats with strakes or ribs on the outside of thehull create large amounts of turbulence at high speed. These boatstypically have large outboard motors capable of propelling the boatat speeds faster than 35 mph. Typically, a good transom location onaluminum boats is between the...

16 How low should you go? For most situations, you should install your Skimmer transducer sothat its centerline is level with the bottom of the boat hull. This willusually give you the best combination of smooth water flow andprotection from bangs and bumps. Align transducer centerline with hull bot...

18 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 ...

19 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...

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

21 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...

23 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. Be carefulnot to install the transducer b...

24 TRANSDUCER ORIENTATION AND FISH ARCHES If you do not get good fish arches on your display, it could be becausethe transducer is not parallel with the ground when the boat is at restin the water or at slow trolling speeds. Transducer angles and their effects on fish arches. If the arch slopes up –...

25 layers. The sonar signal must pass through solid fiberglass. Asuccessful 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 chosen area. Use epoxy to place the transducer in a s...

26 Shoot-thru-hull transducer locations for high speed or trolling speed operation. To choose the proper location for shoot-thru-hull mounting, follow thesetesting procedures: (You may need a helper to complete these steps.) 1. Anchor the boat in about 30 feet of water. Add a little water to the sum...

28 Epoxy transducer to hull. WARNING: Use only the epoxy available from LEI. It has been formulated to work with these installation procedures.Other epoxy types may be too thin or may not cure to theright consistency for optimum transducer performance. 2. The epoxy consists of the epoxy itself and a...

29 Speed/Temperature Sensors Optional Speed Sensor Installation All the units in this series can display speed and distance traveled, butonly the LCX-17M comes packed with a speed sensor. If you wish topurchase an optional additional sensor for your unit, refer to theaccessory ordering information i...

30 Stern view showing good location for mounting sensor on transom. Speed sensor mounting configuration: side view (left) and rear view (right.) If the base of the transom has a radius, fill the gap between thetransom and the sensor with the sealant. This will help ensure asmooth water flow. Route t...

33 LGC-2000 remote connection to NMEA 2000 buss. NOTE: An existing operational NMEA 2000 buss will already haveterminators in place and will already be powered. If you're connectingto such a network, you won't need the terminators or extension cableprovided. Do not add terminators or power to a func...

36 all electrical devices, this unit could be damaged to apoint that it is unrepairable and could even cause harmto the user when not properly fused. 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 re...

40 Install the gimbal bracket. Place the bracket so the arms slope toward the front of your unit. Once a location is determined, use the bracket as a template and markthe mounting holes and the hole for the cables. Drill a 1-inch (25.4 mm)hole in the dash for the power, transducer and antenna cables...

41 Front view (left) and side view (right) showing dimensions of the sonar/GPS unit when mounted on gimbal bracket. To pass all connectors through the 1" hole, first pass the transducerconnector up through the hole from under the dash, followed by the antenna connector and any accessory cables. ...

42 In-dash mounting template for this unit, showing dimensions. NOTE: The figure above is not printed to scale. MMC or SDC Memory Card Installation Your unit uses MultiMedia Cards to store information, such as sonarlogs, custom maps, waypoints, trails and other data. The unit can alsouse Secure Digi...

43 The drawer will come out of the unit. Place the MMC in the drawer face down (see following figures.) Memory card drawer on the LCX-17M. Slide the drawer back into the unit and twist the retainer clockwise.The MMC is now ready for use. Other Accessories MMC and MapCreate Other available accessorie...

44 External Speaker Your unit can play sounds to an external speaker. This feature can beconvenient any time you are away from the unit — especially in alarger boat — but still want to hear its alarms. You might install asmall speaker at the stern of your boat so you won't miss a dangerousShallow Al...

47 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 ...

48 2. PAGES – Pressing this and the ← → arrow keys switches the unit between the four different page screens. (Satellite Status Page,Navigation Page, Map Page and Sonar Page.) Each page represents oneof the unit's major operation modes. 3. MENU – Press this key to show the menus and submenus, which ...

49 Main Menu The unit has a Main Menu, which contains some function commandsand some setup option commands. The instructions in this section willdeal only with sonar functions, the basic commands that make the unitshow sonar signals on your screen. This unit will work fine right out ofthe box with t...

50 destination waypoint, Point of Interest or map cursor location; or afteryou reach the end of a route or trail. Sonar Setup command: sets various sonar options. GPS Setup command: sets various GPS receiver options. System Setup command: sets general configuration options. Sun/Moon Calculations com...

51 No matter what Page you are on, a flashing current positionindicator/question mark symbol and flashing GPS data displaysindicate that satellite lock has been lost and there is no positionconfirmed. WARNING: Do not begin navigating with this unit until the numbershave stopped flashing! Satellite S...

52 always at the top of the screen. The arrow in the center of the screen isyour present position. It points in the direction you're traveling. Map Page, showing position on Bull Shoals Lake, Arkansas. The full map option (left). Map with sonar option (right). Map Page is the default screen that app...

53 Pages Menu, showing sonar chart display option commands (left). Sonar Page in full sonar chart display mode (right). Sonar chart display options (from left) split zoom and split frequency. Sonar chart display options (from left) digital data and FlashGraf  .

55 LCX-17M Sonar Quick Reference 1. Mount the transducer, antenna and unit. Connect the unit to electricpower and the transducer. (If GPS operation is desired, connect GPSantenna, too.) Make sure the MMC is in. (See complete installationdetails beginning on page 13.) 2. Launch your boat. 3. To turn ...

56 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...

58 Important Tip: While you are experimenting and learning, it's possible to scramblethe settings so that the sonar picture disappears from your screen.If that happens, remember that it's easy to switch back to fullautomatic operation by simply restoring the factory auto settings.Here's how: To Rest...

60 A free training emulator is available for your unit on our web site. The emulator works exactly like your real sonar/GPS unit. Using theSonar Simulator and GPS Simulator features, it allows you to playback sonar logs, run GPS routes and trails, even create real waypointsyou can use in the field! ...

61 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...

62 Alarms This unit has three different types of sonar alarms. The first is the FishAlarm. 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 trigge...

63 4. Press ← to S HALLOW A LARM E NABLED | ENT|EXIT|EXIT|EXIT. 5. To turn off the alarm, press MENU|MENU| ↓ to A LARMS | ENT| ↓ to S ONAR A LARMS | ENT|ENT|EXIT|EXIT|EXIT. To switch to a different depth setting, open the Sonar Alarms menu andrepeat the instructions in step 3 above. To adjust and tu...

64 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. 5. Press EXIT | ← to Z ONE A LARM E NABLED | ENT | EXIT | EXIT | EXIT . Now, any echo — fish, bottom, structure — within the zone alarm's depth rang...

65 actual speed, you will enter – 10 in the calibration window. If thesensor is reading 5 percent slower than true speed, you will enter + 5 inthe window. A good way to gauge your speed sensor's performance is to compare itsreading with the ground speed measured by your unit's GPS functions.When you...

66 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 PEED | ENT . 2. The Chart Speed Control Bar appears. Press ↓ to decrease chart speed;...

67 Sonar Page menu with Depth Range command selected (left); The Depth Range Control Scale (right). 2. The Depth Range Control Scale appears. Press ↑ or ↓ to select a different depth range. A black bar highlights the selected range. Theshaded numbers can not be selected. 3. When the new range is sel...

68 Changing the upper and lower limits gives you far greater control overthe depth range. This feature lets you "zoom in" the display in almostunlimited combinations. Nearly any segment of the water column, fromthe surface to the bottom can be shown. This enlarges the sonar targetsto best su...

69 To turn off upper and lower limits: From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to A UTO D EPTH R ANGE | ENT|EXIT. FasTrack  This feature automatically converts all echoes to short horizontal lineson the display's far right side. The graph on the rest of the screencontinues to operate normally. FasTrack...

70 Does that mean Fish I.D. is broken? No. The feature is simplyinterpreting sonar returns in a specific way to help take some of thework out of reading the screen. Remember: Fish I.D. is one of the manytools we provide so you can analyze your sonar returns for maximumfish finding information. This ...

71 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. FishTrack  The FishTrack feature shows the depth of a fish symbol when itappears on the display. This lets y...

72 Sonar Features menu with Fish I.D. Depths selected (left). When the check box to the left is unchecked, the feature is off. Sonar Page showing Fish I.D. symbols and FishTrack depths turned on (right). Frequency (Change Transducer Frequency)(Dual-Frequency Transducers only) A dual-frequency transd...

73 Sonar Features menu with a frequency of 200 kHz selected. To change the frequency setting to 50 kHz: 1. From the Sonar Page, press MENU | ↓ to S ONAR F EATURES | ENT . 2. Press ↓ to 50 K H Z | ENT . 3. Press EXIT | EXIT to clear the menu. To change the frequency setting to 200 kHz: 1. From the So...

74 Grayline selected on sonar menu (left); Grayline control bar (right). Press ↑ or ↓ to increase or decrease Grayline. Echoes scrolling onto the screen will show the effects of the change. If you reach the maximum orminimum level, a tone sounds alerting you to the limit. Press EXIT to clear the men...

75 To record or log chart data: 1. Press MENU | ↓ to L OG S ONAR C HART D ATA | ENT . 2. To record data using the default settings, press ENT . The menu clears and the Sonar Page title bar shows the name of the file you arerecording. Warning messages will appear as recording time begins to runout. N...

76 To overlay information on your screen: 1. Press MENU | ↓ to O VERLAY D ATA | ENT . 2. If you have overlay data on your display, you’ll see a list of that dataon the overlay data shown menu. To add data select (E NT TO ADD ) and press ENT . The data viewer shows information categories with "+&...

77 Overlay Data Shown, with water speed selected (left). Press ENT to access R EMOVE option (right). Press ENT again to remove item and return to the Overlay Data Shown screen. To move overlaid data: You may find it useful to rearrange data floating in your displaywindow. 1. Press MENU | ↓ to O VERL...

78 The overlay data on this sonar display includes, Depth, Temperature, Ground Speed and the Track the boat is following. NOTE: Some data types can be displayed in only one font size. If that is thecase, the Data Size box will not be displayed for that data type. Ping Speed & HyperScroll  Ping ...

79 Sonar Menu with Ping Speed command selected (left). The 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; press ↓ to decrease ping speed. Wh...

80 System Setup menu with Reset Options command selected (left). The Reset Options dialog box (right). NOTE: Reset Options does not erase any waypoints, routes, plot trails, or sonar logs. Reset Water Distance The sonar chart's Digital Data display option includes a window thatshows distance travele...

81 transducer to the lowest part of the boat. In this example, we will use 3.5feet. This will entered as a negative 3.5 feet, which makes the depth indicators perform as if the transducer's lower in the water than it reallyis. 1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to S ONAR S ETUP | ENT. 2. Use ↓ to scroll down ...

83 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...

84 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 the factory defaults. The bottom signal scrolls across the screen from right to left. Depthscales on the right side of the screen aid ...

85 Split Zoom Sonar Chart A split chart shows the underwater world from the surface to thebottom on the right side of the screen. The left side shows an enlargedversion of the right side. The zoom range shows at the bottom leftcorner of the screen. Split Zoom Sonar Chart. Image (left) shows the left...

86 3. The Sensitivity Control Bar appears. Press ↓ to decrease sensitivity; press ↑ to increase sensitivity. When it's set at the desired level, press EXIT . (When you reach the maximum or minimum limit, a tone sounds.) The Split Frequency Sonar Chart page allows you to adjust sensitivity separately...

87 Trip Calculator, Time, Sonar and Miscellaneous Data. You can selectitems from any of these categories for display in any data box. Thecategory divisions are only there to help you sort through theinformation. To change information displayed in a data box: On the page with the digital data box you...

88 show weaker targets as lighter shades. The bottom depth is shown as ablack bar across the outer circle. You can adjust the size of the chartand the flasher windows by using the Resize Window command, whichis described on page 109. FlashGraf page. Map With Sonar Split Screen There is a page mode t...

89 Sonar Simulator This unit has a built-in simulator that lets you run it as if you were onthe water. All sonar features and functions are useable. When insimulator mode, you will see the chart file name in the Sonar Page titlebar and a play symbol will flash on and off at the right end of the titl...

90 Tip: The Sonar Simulator can use sonar charts recorded (logged) on aMMC card. (To see how, read the entry in this section on Log SonarChart Data.) To play back a sonar chart, make sure the MMCcontaining the chart is installed, then: 1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to S ONAR S ETUP | ENT | ↓ to S ONAR S ...

91 Sonar Menu with Stop Chart command selected. 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, temperature inversion and more. The surface clarity control reduces or eliminates ...

92 In the illustration on the left, Surface Clarity is turned off. The view on the right shows Surface Clarity set on high. Upper and Lower Limits See the entry in this section for Depth Range - Upper and Lower Limits Zoom & Zoom Bar "Zooming in" is a common, fast and easy method used to...

93 Zoom Pan Your unit has the handy ability to quickly zoom in on any portion of thewater column with just the touch of an arrow key. The Zoom Pan featurelets you rapidly move the zoomed area up and down to different depths.By "pointing" your zoom at different portions of the chart as it scr...

95 Section 5: Sonar 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 th...

97 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 effec...

99 Section 6: Basic GPS Operations This section addresses the unit's most basic GPS operations. The tutorials presented in Sec. 6 follow a chronological order. Sec. 7, Advanced GPS Operations , will discuss other more advanced functions and utilities. Material in Sec. 7 is arranged in alphabetical o...

102 Trip Calculator command: shows trip status and statistics. Timers command: controls the up timer, down timer and alarm clock settings. Browse MMC Files command: this allows you to view the installed MMC card and the files it contains. Pages The unit has four Page displays that represent the four...

104 The Satellite Status Page has its own menu, which is used for settingvarious options. (Options and setup are discussed in Sec. 8.) To accessthe Satellite Status Page menu, from the Status Page, press MENU Navigation Page This screen has a compass rose that not only shows your direction oftravel,...

105 When navigating to a waypoint, the Navigation screen looks like thefollowing figure. Your ground speed, track, distance and bearing towaypoint, and course are all shown digitally on this screen. Navigation Page, backtracking a trail while creating a new trail. In the example figure above, the dr...

107 Far left, Map Page opening screen. Center, zoomed to 100 miles and right, zoomed to 15 miles. The Over Zoomed notice in the top left corner means you have reached the map’s detail limits for the area. Zooming in any closer will reveal no more map details because a custom map has not been loaded ...

108 MapCreate custom maps include massive amounts of information notfound in the background map. MapCreate contains: Points of Interestdatabase, all the minor roads and streets, all the landmark features(such as summits, schools, radio towers, etc.); more rivers, streams,smaller lakes and ponds and ...

111 GPS Quick Reference Start outdoors, with a clear view of the open sky. As you practice, trynavigating to a location at least a few blocks away. While you're learning,navigation in too small an area will constantly trigger arrival alarms. 1. Connect the unit to electric power and the antenna modu...

112 Find Your Current Position Finding your current position is as simple as turning the unit on.Under an unobstructed sky, the unit automatically searches forsatellites and calculates its position in approximately one minute orless. If for some reason satellite acquisition takes longer, you may be ...

113 The selected airport to the northwest is 4.25 miles away. Selecting Any Map Item With the Cursor 1. Use the zoom keys and the arrow keys to move around the map andfind the item you wish to select. 2. Use the arrow keys and center the cursor cross-hair on the desiredobject. On most items, a pop-u...

114 Category Selection menu (left) and list of the nearest restaurants (right). 4. You could select the nearest restaurant at the top, but we have chosen a restaurant further down the list. Press ENT. 5. The POI information screen appears. This is how you can use the unit as a business phone directo...

115 Map screen showing the result of a restaurant search. 7. To clear the search and return to the last page displayed, press 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 th...

116 Sequence for setting a waypoint. Fig. 1: While traveling, press WPT twice to call up the Find Waypoint screen (Fig. 2) and set a point. Fig. 3: A message says the waypoint has been saved. Fig. 4: vehicle continues on its way; the waypoint number is visible on map. NOTE: The Quick Save method use...

117 Create Waypoint by Entering a Position 1. Press WPT | → to S UBCATEGORY column| ↓ to N EW | ENT . 2. Press ↓ to E NTERED P OSITION | ENT | → to C REATE | ENT . 3. Press → to L ATITUDE | ENT . Enter the latitude by pressing ↑ or ↓ to change the first character, then press → to the next character ...

118 Navigation Page, navigating toward waypoint 001. Set Man Overboard (MOB) Waypoint One of boating's most terrifying events is having a friend or familymember fall overboard. It's particularly dangerous at night or if you'reout of sight of land. Of course, the first thing to do is remain calm andt...

119 Navigating to Man Overboard: Navigation Page, left, and Map Page, right. The victim is astern of the vessel; the GPS shows which direction to steer to for the rescue. The man overboard position is also stored in the waypoint list for futurereference. It can be edited the same as any other waypoi...

120 Navigate to cursor. In this example, the town of Oologah, Oklahoma has been selected. 3. Press MENU|ENT and the unit will begin navigating to the cursor location. The Map Page will display a course line from your current position to thecursor position. See the following examples. The 30-mile zoo...

121 earlier in this section or turn to Sec. 9, Searching , for detailed instructions on POI searches.) After you have looked up an item with the Find Waypoint command,use the → to make sure the G O T O command is highlighted at the top of the screen, then press ENT . The unit begins navigating to th...

122 2. Press ↓ to the active Trail Name | ENT . 3. Press → then ↓ to A CTIVE | ENT . This unchecks the Active option. 4. To return to the previous page, press EXIT | EXIT | EXIT | EXIT . As you left the Edit Trail menu, you will notice a new trail was started with anew sequential number. In the exam...

123 To turn off trail display: 1. Press MENU|MENU| ↓ to M Y T RAILS | ENT . 2. Press ↓ | ↓ to enter the Saved Trail list, then use ↑ or ↓ to select the desired Trail Name | ENT . 3. Press ↓ → to V ISIBLE | ENT . To return to the previous page, press EXIT | EXIT | EXIT | EXIT . To turn on trail displ...

126 Navigate a Back Trail (backtrack, or reverse) 1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to M Y T RAILS | ENT . 2. Press ↓ | ↓ to enter the Saved Trail list, then use ↑ or ↓ to select the desired Trail Name | ENT . 3. Press → to D ELETE T RAIL | ↓ to N AVIGATE | ENT . 4. Press ↓ to N AVIGATE | → to R EVERSE | ENT...

127 S ETUP | ENT | ↓ to T RANSFER M Y D ATA | ENT and the following screen appears. The Transfer My Data submenu asks if you want to save data to the MMC or load data from the MMC into the unit's memory. 2. The Transfer My Data menu includes a message which tells you if aMMC is present or not. If no...

128 4. Loading to unit memory: There may be more than one GPS Data File (*.USR) on the card. To select a file, press ENT to activate the MMC Card selection box, use ↓ or ↑ to highlight the file, then press ENT . Next, press ↓ to L OAD | ENT . The unit will display a completion message when the data ...

129 Section 7: Advanced GPS Operations Find Distance From Current Position 1. While on the Map Page press: MENU| ↓ to F IND D ISTANCE | ENT . 2. To find the distance to a specific location, center your cursor over theposition. A rubber band line appears, connecting your current positionto the cursor...

131 Delete icons menu. The Delete All Icons command will ask if you are sure. Press ← to Y ES | ENT . All icons will be deleted from the map. The Delete by Symbol command will launch the Select Symbol menu.Press ← or ↑ or → or ↓ to select the icon symbol to delete, then press ENT . A message appears...

132 Create and Save a Route You have the option of creating and editing a route in the unit, or youcan make a route on your computer with our MapCreate 6 software. PC-created Routes MapCreate is the easiest method for preparing a route, simply becauseyour PC's larger screen, keyboard and mouse are e...

133 Edit Route menu (left). Edit Route Waypoints menu (right) with Add From Map command selected. 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. 4. To set the first route waypoint press ENT . In this example,...

135 Edit Route Waypoints menu. 3. Use ↓ and ↑ to select a command from the Edit Route Waypoints menu and press ENT . Add From Map lets you insert a waypoint in the route by clicking on a map location with the cursor. Add Waypoint callsup the Waypoint list so you can insert a waypoint. The RemoveWayp...

137 Trails Delete a Trail This is the command used to delete a trail: Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to M Y T RAILS | ENT | ↓ to trail name | ENT | → to D ELETE T RAIL | ENT | ← to Y ES | ENT . Tip: You can also delete all trails at once:1. Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to M Y T RAILS | ENT . 2. Press → to D ELETE A...

138 correct. Press ENT , then EXIT | EXIT | EXIT | EXIT to return to the previous page display. Edit Trail Menu with Pattern option selected (left). Edited trail with dotted line pattern (right). Utilities Utilities are useful tools for traveling or for outdoor activities. Alarm Clock To get to the ...

140 1. Press WPT | → to S UBCATEGORY column| ↓ to N EW | ENT . 2. Press ↓ or ↑ to A VERAGE P OSITION | ENT |press → to C REATE | ENT . 3. Wait while the unit takes points to average for the position. (The greaterthe number of points, the greater the accuracy.) When the desired numberof points accumu...

142 4. When your adjustments are finished, return to the last pagedisplayed 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 Al...

143 Main Menu (left); MMC File Browser (right). Communications Port Configuration The unit has two NMEA 0183 version 2.0 compatible communicationports, or com ports for short. The Com Port Menu, which is accessedfrom the System Setup Menu, allows you to configure thecommunications ports to send or r...

144 2. Press ↓ to C OMMUNICATIONS P ORT | ENT | ↓ to C ONFIGURE NMEA | ENT . 3. A menu appears showing the prefixes of the available NMEAsentences. A check mark next to a prefix means the prefix is in use. Use ↑ ↓ , → ← to select a prefix, then press ENT to turn off the prefix. (Press ENT again to c...

145 on this unit. Your position and datum in use determines which one touse. If you use standard, and your position is off significantly, then trythe alternate. NOTE: When the position format is changed, it affects the way all positions are shown on all screens. This includes waypoints. To change th...

147 Customize Page Displays Several page display options have customizable data boxes to provideconstant on-screen information. The various data available from your unit are divided into categories inthe Data Viewer menu. These categories include GPS Data, Navigation,Trip Calculator, Time, Sonar Dat...

148 GPS Simulator The GPS simulator lets you use the unit as if you were outdoorsnavigating somewhere. It's a great way to practice using your unit. Youcan set the starting location by entering latitude or from a storedwaypoint, map place or POI location ( C HOOSE S TART command). You can steer your...

149 2. Set S PEED to zero. Select S TEER WITH A RROWS command and press ENT, which turns on the simulator and returns you to the Map Page . 3. Begin navigating along the trail/route. (If you are close enough to thefirst waypoint, the arrival alarm will usually go off as soon asnavigation begins. Pre...

150 Map Auto Zoom This receiver has an auto zoom feature that eliminates much of thebutton-pushing characteristic of other brands of GPS receivers. Itworks in conjunction with the navigation features. First, start navigation to a waypoint. (See the waypoint section formore information on navigating ...

151 Map Boundaries From the Map Page, press MENU | ↓ to M AP D ATA | ENT . Press ↓ to D RAW M AP B OUNDARIES . With the option highlighted, press ENT to check it (turn on) or uncheck it (turn off.) After the option is set, press EXIT|EXIT to return to the page display. Fill Water With White From the...

152 All datums are named. The GPS system is based on the WGS-84datum, which covers the entire world. Other datums may also cover theentire world, or just a small portion of it. By default, your unit uses theWGS-84 datum. It, however, can show your position using one of 191different datums. To change...

153 Map Menu (left); Map Categories Drawn 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. Map orientation is shown in north up (left) and track up (right). This is fine if you'...

154 Map Orientation menu with the North Up map option selected (right). Navionics  Charts Your unit can display Navionics  electronic charts on MMCs. They work just like a MapCreate custom map on a MMC. Entrance to Chesapeake Bay in a MapCreate 6 custom map with a 10- mile zoom (left). The same po...

155 These figures show menu sequence (from left to right) for selecting a Navionics chart for the South Chesapeake Bay area. 3. To turn off a Navionics chart, from the Map Page, press MENU| ↓ to M AP D ATA | ENT| → to N AVIONICS M AP C HOICE | ENT . Use ↑ or ↓ to select L OWRANCE , then press ENT|EX...

156 3. To scroll through the Service Categories window: press ENT then use ↑ or ↓ to see the types of services available. As you highlight a different category, the list in the lower window changes. To return to the MapPage, press EXIT|EXIT. 4. The General Services category includes a long list of i...

158 You can look up tidal current data for other dates by changing themonth, day and year selection boxes. To select another date: 1. Use → and ← to highlight month, day or year, then press ENT . 2. Use ↑ and ↓ to select the desired month, day or year, then press ENT . To clear the information scree...

159 Tide Information screen. The Tide Information screen displays daily tidal data for the station atthe present time. The graph at the top of the screen is an approximateview of the tidal range pattern for the day, from midnight (MN), tonoon (NN) to midnight (MN). The dotted line across the graph i...

160 System Setup menu (left) with Pop-up Help command highlighted. The example on the right shows the Pop-up Help message for the Screen command, located on the Map Menu. Reset Options To reset all features to their factory defaults: Press MENU | MENU | ↓ to S YSTEM S ETUP | ENT| ↓ to R ESET O PTION...

161 Screen Command (left) and Screen Menu with Contrast selected, (right). To adjust the display's brightness: 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: Press ↓ to D IS...

162 Set Local Time Using the correct local time setting is handy when estimating localarrival time while navigating. Also, the time and date are saved when awaypoint is created. To access the Set Local Time menu, you must first acquire yourposition. Once that is done press MENU|MENU| ↓ to S YSTEM S ...

163 Show WAAS Alarm When the signal is available, your unit will automatically use WAAS toboost the accuracy of the position fix. When the WAAS signal is lost oracquired, an alarm message appears. Since the U.S. government is stilldeveloping the WAAS system, it's not unusual for a GPS/WAASreceiver t...

164 Sounds command (left); The Sounds menu (right). Once in the Sounds menu To set Key Press Sounds: With the option highlighted, press ENT to check it (turn on) or uncheck it (turn off). After the option is set, press EXIT|EXIT to return to the page display. To set Alarm Sounds: Press ↓ to A LARM S...

165 Track Smoothing option, turned on. 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 and the way they’re displayed. Trails also maybe hidden, created or deleted in t...

166 Update Trail Criteria (Auto, Time, Distance) The options are automatic, time or distance. When it's in the defaultautomatic mode, the unit doesn't update the plot trail while you'retraveling in a straight line. Once you deviate from a straight line, theunit "drops" a plot point (trail wa...

167 Edit Trail menu. New Trail To manually start a new trail in the Trails Menu make sure N EW T RAIL is highlighted and press ENT|EXIT. Trail Visible/Invisible and Other Trail Options The name, maximum number of points in the trail, activity, andvisibility are all changed on the Edit Trail menu scr...

169 Section 9: 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 ofInterest...

170 Find Address Menu. 3. To enter an address , 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. 4. To enter a street name , press ↓ to S TREET | ENT. There are two options: A. You can spell out the na...

172 the map, press WPT. The POI's Waypoint Information window appears, with the Go To Waypoint command highlighted. If youwant to go ahead and navigate to the POI address, just press ENT | EXIT. Map Page showing location of the address on the map, highlighted by cursor (left). This address is a busi...

174 Find Exit menu, with an exit selected in the Exit List. 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 Exit option (left); Find On Map option (right). Tip: You can also look up so...

175 Exit Information screen (left); general location and amenities information (right). Find Map Places or Points of Interest (POI) 1. Press WPT , press ↓ or ↑ to select a map place or POI category, then press ENT. (To narrow your search, press → then press ↓ or ↑ to select a subcategory before pres...

176 3. Search by name of POI. Press ENT. There are two options : A. You can spell out the POI 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. Or jump down to the lower...

177 Find Streets command (left); Find Streets menu (right). 2. You must first fill in a street name in the First Street dialog box. Press ENT to display the Find By Name menu. There are two options : A. You can spell out the street in the top selection box. Press ↑ or ↓ to change the first letter, t...

178 The Find Streets menu (left) with the Find First Street command highlighted. Streets Found list (right). 4. The Map Page appears, with the cursor pointing to the found street . Map Page showing results of a street search. The cursor points to the located street. If you want to navigate to the fo...

179 repeat until the name is correct, then press ENT|ENT. B. Or you can jump down to the lower box and pick a street from the selection list . Press ENT, then press ↓ or ↑ to select a street from the list and press ENT. 3. The Find Streets menu reappears with the street you're searching for in the F...

180 Map Page showing results of an intersection search. The cursor points to the located intersection. If you want to navigate to the found intersection, just press MENU | ENT | EXIT . Find Waypoints 1. Press WPT | ENT. 2. If searching for the waypoint By Name , press ENT. If searching for the Neare...

181 Calculating message (left) and list of the nearest waypoints (right). 4. To see location information on the closest waypoint, press ENT and the Waypoint Information screen appears. (If you wanted, you couldselect another waypoint from the list with the ↑ or ↓ keys.) A. To navigate to the waypoin...

182 a waypoint from the list, then press ENT . The waypoint information screen appears. Find By Name menu (left); Waypoint Information screen (center). The found waypoint is highlighted by the cursor on the Map Page (right). A. To navigate to the waypoint, press ENT . (Go To Waypoint command is alre...

183 Section 10: 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 A...

187 FCC Compliance This device complies with Part 15 of the U.S. FederalCommunications Commission (FCC) Rules. Operation is subjectto the following two conditions: (1) this device may not causeharmful interference, and (2) this device must accept anyinterference received, including interference that...

192 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 theproduct as a consumer item for personal, family, or household use. TheDatabas...

193 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...

194 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 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...