Lowrance X86 DS - Manual

1 Section 1: Introduction Thank you for buying a Lowrance  sonar! Your unit is a high-quality sonar designed for both professional and novice fishermen. All Lowrance sonars have an automatic mode that finds and displays the bottom, fish, underwater structure and more – right out of the box. All you...

2 Depth capability: ........... To 1,000 feet (305 meters) with 83 kHz. Ac- tual capability depends on transducer con- figuration and installation, bottom composi- tion and water conditions. All sonar units typically read deeper in fresh water than in salt water. Depth display: ................ Cont...

3 Dual Search Transducer Your unit is packed with a Dual Search Skimmer Transducer that can transmit at 83 kHz and 200 kHz. A new innovation, the 83 kHz frequency offers superior sonar perform- ance at all depths from very shallow up to 1,000 ft and provides up to 120º of fish-finding coverage. Prep...

5 Section 2: Installation & Accessories These instructions will help you install your Skimmer  transducer on a transom, on a trolling motor or inside a hull. Please read all instruc- tions before proceeding with any installation.Your Skimmer transducer typically comes packaged with a one-piece ...

6 NOTE: Some aluminum boats with strakes or ribs on the outside of the hull create large amounts of turbulence at high speed. These boats typically have large outboard motors capable of propelling the boat at speeds faster than 35 mph. Typically, a good location on alumi- num boats is between the ri...

7 Align transducer centerline with hull bottom. If you want to adjust the transducer slightly higher or lower, the slots in the mounting brackets allow you to loosen the screws and slide the transducer up or down. If you frequently lose bottom signal lock while running at high speed, the transducer ...

8 Lack of angle adjustment can be particularly troublesome on hulls that sit with the bow high when at rest or at slow trolling speeds.Third, a transducer CAN NOT shoot through wood and metal hulls. Those hulls require either a transom mount or a thru-hull installation.Fourth, if your Skimmer transd...

9 If you can, then go to step 3. If it doesn't, repeat step 2, but use a dif- ferent alignment letter until you can place the transducer on the transom correctly. Insert bolt and check transducer position on transom. 3. Assembling the transducer. Once you determine the correct posi- tion for the rat...

10 Position transducer mount on transom and mark mounting holes. Side view (left) and shown from above (right). 5. Attaching transducer to transom. Remove the transducer from the bracket and re-assemble it with the cable passing through the bracket over the bolt as shown in the following figures. Ro...

11 6. Route the transducer cable through or over the transom to the sonar unit. Make sure to leave some slack in the cable at the transducer. If possible, route the transducer cable away from other wiring on the boat. Electrical noise from the engine's wiring, bilge pumps, VHF radio wires and cables...

12 3. Route the transducer cable alongside the trolling motor shaft. Use plastic ties (not included) to attach the transducer cable to the troll- ing motor shaft. Make sure there is enough slack in the cable for the motor to turn freely. Route the cable to the sonar unit and the trans- ducer is read...

13 If only the back half of the arch is printed, then the nose of the trans- ducer is angled too far down and needs to be raised. NOTE: Periodically wash the transducer's face with soap and water to re- move any oil film. Oil and dirt on the face will reduce the sensitiv- ity or may even prevent ope...

14 1. Anchor the boat in about 30 feet of water. Add a little water to the sump of the boat. Plug the transducer into the sonar unit, turn it on, then hold the transducer over the side of the boat in the water. Adjust the sensitivity and range controls until a second bottom echo is seen on the displ...

15 You will need to figure some way to prop the transducer into position while you make your test run. A brick or two might be sufficient to hold it in place.5. When you are satisfied with a location, mark it and proceed with the installation. Shoot-thru-hull transducer locations for high speed or t...

16 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 tothe right consistency for optimum transducer perform-ance. 2. The epoxy consists of the epoxy itself and a hardener. Remove the t...

17 ble to the auxiliary power switch included in most boat designs. Ifthat results in electrical interference, or if such a switch is notavailable, we recommend connecting direct to the battery and in-stalling an inline switch. This will let you shut off power to thepower cable when the unit is not ...

18 No damage will occur if the power wires are reversed. However, the unit will not work until the wires are attached correctly. Mounting The Sonar Unit: In-Dash or Bracket You can install the sonar unit on the top of a dash with the supplied bracket. It can also be installed in the dash with an opt...

19 In-dash mounting template for X86 DS & X86 TX, showing dimensions. The preceding figure is not printed to scale. A scaled template is avail- able for free download from our web site, www.lowrance.com. Bracket Installation Mount the unit in any convenient location, provided there is clearance ...

20 Front view (left) and side view (right) showing dimensions of sonar unit mounted on gimbal bracket. Drill a 5/8" (15.9 mm) hole in the dash for the power/transducer cable. The best location for this hole is immediately under the gimbal bracket location. This way, the bracket can be installed ...

21 Install the gimbal bracket. Orient the bracket so the arms slope to- ward the front of your unit. Attach the unit to the gimbal bracket using the supplied gimbal knobs and washers. Slide the rubber washers onto the gimbal knobs then loosely screw the knobs into their sockets. Slide the unit into ...

22 Install batteries in power case battery adapter. Portable Transducer Assembly Recommended tools for installation include a slotted screw driver and two adjustable wrenches.Assemble the transducer and bracket as shown in the following figure. Attach the transducer to the bracket with the supplied ...

23 Portable transducer assembly: rear view (left) and side view (right.) Clean the chosen area of the hull before attaching the suction cup. Lo- cate the transducer on the hull as shown in the following figure. Don't allow the bracket to extend below the hull, because water pressure against it can c...

25 Section 3: Operation Keyboard Basics The unit sounds a tone when you press any key. Numbers in the figure correspond to key explanations below: Lowrance X86 DS 1. PWR/CLEAR In this manual, the Power/Clear key is referred to as PWR . Press this key to turn the unit on and off. It also clears menus...

26 3. UP & DOWN ARROWS ( ↑ ↓ ) These Up and Down arrow keys are referred to as ↓ (DOWN) or ↑ (UP) in this manual. You will use these keys to adjust most features and functions on your unit. Memory This unit has permanent memory that saves the following user settings when power is turned off: Uni...

27 In the following figure, the screen shows a depth range from 0 to 80 feet and the bottom depth is 36.9 feet, shown by the digital sonar. Thewater temperature is 34.5 ° F. Full Chart page. FasTrack  This feature automatically converts echoes to short horizontal lines on the display's far right si...

28 Pages The Pages menu allows you to display a full sonar chart or a Flash-Graf  . The FlashGraf is a split screen that displays the sonar chart on the left side of the screen with a flasher on the right. Pages menu with Sonar Chart selected (left). FlashGraf (right). The FlashGraf uses the grayli...

29 Full Chart page showing digital depth (above) and temp (below). The Fish I.D. feature is turned off. Depth Range The unit automatically adjusts the depth range according to water con- ditions. When in auto range mode, it always keeps the bottom dis- played in the lower portion of the screen. You ...

30 Zoom The zoom feature enlarges all images on the screen by doubling (2X) or quadrupling (4X) the size of the echoes. When you activate the zoom command, the screen will be split in half with the zoomed area dis- played on the left. The normal view will be shown on the right side of the screen.To ...

31 Zoom Range menu with the 40-80 foot zoom selected. Notice the win- dow on the left zoomed 2X. The zoom range, 40-80 feet, covers a 40-foot water segment. When zoomed in 2X, the zoom window will show 20 feet of the water column with echoes magnified to twice their normal size. You can select from ...

32 You can change the sensitivity level whether you are in Auto Sensitivity mode or Manual Sensitivity mode. The adjustment method works the same in both modes, but provides slightly different results. To adjust sensitivity in Auto Mode: Repeatedly press MENU until the S ENSITIVITY menu appears. Mak...

33 Grayline ® Grayline  lets you distinguish between strong and weak echoes. It al- lows you to tell the difference between a hard and soft bottom. For ex- ample, a soft, muddy or weedy bottom returns a weaker signal which is shown with a narrow line or no gray line at all. A hard bottom returns a ...

34 To change the Grayline level, repeatedly press MENU until the G RAYLINE scroll bar appears. Press ↑ to increase Grayline, ↓ to decrease it. Echoes scrolling on the screen will show the effects of the Grayline adjustment.If you reach the maximum or minimum level, a tone sounds alerting you to the ...

37 If you want to turn off FishTrack depths, but leave Fish I.D. on, press ↓ to select O N , then press PWR . Remember, Fish I.D. must be on in order to use the FishTrack feature. Fish ID menu and symbol with FishTrack on. The fish is 44 feet deep. Alarms Your sonar unit has four alarms: fish, shall...

40 Press the ↓ to S ET V ALUE . The Low Battery Alarm Value dialog box will appear. Input a voltage value between 7 and 18 volts. Use the ↑ ↓ keys to enter the first number in the dialog box, then press MENU DOWN to move to the next digit. Repeat those steps until the desired value has been entered ...

41 setting. There are times when you may want to turn off ASP. This al- lows you to view all incoming echoes before they are processed by the ASP feature.To change the ASP setting, repeatedly press MENU until the N OISE R EJECTION menu appears. Use ↑ ↓ to select the desired setting, then press PWR t...

42 Temperature menu (left). Temperature display set to small size (right). Voltage The Voltage menu allows you to display battery voltage on the screen in a small or medium size or can be turned off completely. To display voltage: Repeatedly press MENU until the V OLTAGE menu appears. Use ↑ ↓ to se-...

43 Units set to Feet, which displays temperature in Fahrenheit (left). Units set to Meters, which shows the temperature in Celsius. (right) Backlight The display's backlight allows the unit to be used at night. To turn the backlight on or off, repeatedly press MENU until the B ACKLIGHT menu appears....

44 Simulator This unit has a built-in simulator that shows simulated sonar returns with fish signals. This lets you practice with the unit as if you were on the water. All the unit's functions and features are usable in simulator mode.To use the simulator, repeatedly press MENU until the S IMULATOR ...

45 Troubleshooting If your unit is not working, or if you need technical help, please use the following troubleshooting section before contacting the factory cus- tomer service department. It may save you the trouble of returning your unit for repair. For contact information, refer to the last page,...

46 3. The water may be deeper than the sonar's ability to find the bottom. If the sonar can't find the bottom signal while it's in the automatic mode, the digital sonar display will flash continuously. It may change the range to limits far greater than the water you are in. If this happens, place th...

50 How to Obtain Service… …in the USA: We back your investment in quality products with quick, expert service and genuine Lowrance replacement parts. If you're in the United States and you have technical, return or repair questions, please con- tact the Factory Customer Service Department. Before an...

Accessory Ordering Information for all countries To order Lowrance GPS accessories such as computer cables or MMC cards, please contact: 1) Your local marine dealer or consumer electronics store. Most quality dealers that handle marine electronic equipment or other consumer electronics should be abl...