INSTALLATION AND OPERATION MANUAL X-3 COMMAND SUMMARY DIGITALOFF/ON DIGITALWs SIZE AUTORANGING OFF/ON• HIGH-SPEED Scroll ON/OFF CLEAR ENTRY CLEAR SCREEN FREEZE CHART RESTARTCHART DISCRIMINATION AUTO-RANGING W/ZOOM BO1TOMTRACK INCREASE SENSITIVITY DECREASE SENSITIVITY INCREASE CHART SPEED DECREASE CHART SPEED VIEW CHART SPEED WITHOUTCHANGING TURN OFF/ONAUTO SENSITIVITY TURN ON/OFF LIGHTS FEET-FATHOMS-METERS CHART ALARM SET DEPTH ALARMSET CLEAR ALARM TURN ALARM SPEAKER OFF/ON 2nd-5 2nd-2 2nd-B 2nd-4 2nd-
INDEX 2 3 4 Installation Power Connections BASIC OPERATION OFF/ON Sensitivity ChartSpeed Clear Range Auto Range Lower Limit Upper Limit ALARMS Chart Alarm Clearing Chart Alarm Depth Alarm Clearing Depth Alarm Light Discrimination ______ ______ Theeasiestway to do this is to press I 2ND I I 4 HISPO______J _______ 9 lithe sensitivityis too high, press 14 15 15 16 17 17 18 18 19 ADVANCED OPERATION High Speed Scroll FASTRAK Feet-Fathoms-Meters Auto Range with Zoom Bottom Track Auto Sensitivity Other
INTRODUCTION The LowranceX-3 Liquid CrystalGraph (LCG) is a compact unit that packs more power and featuresthan anyothersonar using a liquid crystal display (LCD.). The LCD. sets the X-3 apart from othersonar units. Insteadof a stylus writing on chart paper or a flashing neon light, the X-3 displays the depth information on a screen using small squares which turn black whenan echo is received.
POWER CONNECTIONS Twelve volt DC power should be supplied by the boat's electrical system. Thepower cable may be attached to an accessoryor powerbuss, but if you have problemswith electrical interference(random dotsor lines that show whenever the boat's engine or other accessory is on), the cable should be attached directly to the battery. HOW TO OBTAINSERVICE If you have a problemwith your sonar unit, please give us a chance to help before sending it in for repair.
SPECIFICATIONS Dimensions 5¾"H x 8°/16"Wx 2%"D Weight 1¾ pounds Transmitter 192 kHz OutputPower 600 watts peak to peak typical 75 watts RMS 90 db ReceiverSensitivity > Operating Current 200 ma (lights off) 500 ma (lights on) Operating Voltage 9-15 vdc Number of pixels 82 x 32 2624Total Depth Capability 300'-500' typical (with 20 degree transducer) 500'-700'typical (with 8 degree transducer) DisplayScroll Speed .
TROUBLESHOOTING SENSITM If the unitworks properlywhen stopped or at low speeds,but loses the bottom signal at high speed,the transducer couldbe improperly installed. Readthe transducer installationmanualfor the correct mounting liii BAR procedure. If the transducer is installed properly,then electrical interferencecould be the cause. Double check the installation, particularlythe power and transducer cable routing.
SURVEYING A LAKE Themost successfulanglers on any lake or reservoirare those who fish it dayafter dayand year afteryear until theylearn the hot spots that pro- duce fish consistently.They discover through experiencewhere, and at whatdepth, they canexpect to find the kind of fish they wantat any season.And they realizethat these productiveareas change throughout the year dependingon water level,temperature,food, and other factors.
SLOW LCHARTp STOP I RESUME FAST A knowledge ofthe water temperaturesvarious fish prefer, and in which 1 CHART SPEED When theX-3 is firstturned on, the chartspeed runs at a pre-determined speed. If a higherspeed is desired, press and hold the FAST key in the chart section of thekeyboard until it runs at the desired speed.To slow the display,press and hold the SLOWkey. Whenever either of these keys are pressed, the sensitivitybar at the top of the display will changeto a dashed line.
SURFACECLUTTER Themarkings at the top of the screen representthe surface of the water which can extend manyfeet below the surface.This can interferewith fish signals or other targets. It's called Surface Clutter and is caused by algae, plankton, air bubblescaused by wave action or boat wakes, bait fish, or temperatureinversions. These marks are normal and can be seen at any timeduring the year.It's usually the worst in the spring and summer,slacking off in the fall and winter.
SCALE There are ten scale markers printed on both sides of the X-3's display to help determine whatthe depth of a target is. For example, if the depth range is 0 to 60 feet, then each mark is equal to six feet. If the target (such as a fish) was next to the 5th line, then it is 30 feet deep (5 lines times six feet=30feet). To make it easier to use the depth scale, use ranges in multiples often, i.e. 10, 30, 140, etc.
For example, to set the range from 0 to 31 feet, press 3-1 -LOWER LIMIT. FISH SIGNALS The signals displayedon the X-3 by fish can be identified by various shaped markings in certain patterns,as opposed to random marks created by noise, or the solid, continuous markings made by the bottom. Individualfish can,attimes, be distinguished by a characteristicarch that separatesthem from their stationarysurroundings.The reason for this is shown below.
Example: Set range to 16 to 31 feet Press: 1-6-UPPER LIMIT then 3-1 LOWER LIMIt UPPER LIMIT The20 degree transducer is almost always the best to use in fresh water, while the 8 degree is used mostly in salt water In a deep water environment, (300 feet—freshwater, 100 feet—salt water) the narrow coneangle is more desirable because it can penetrateto much deeper depths since the sound energy is concentrated in a smallerarea.
TRANSDUCERS AND CONE ANGLE Thesound waves from the transducr go down ihtothe water in a cone shaped beam, much like the beam frOm a flashlight Theangle betWeen the outside edges ofthe cone is called the cone angle. Lowrance offersa choice of transducers with either an 8 or 20 degree cone angle that will interchangewith any!of the 192 kHz sonar products.
To turnthe digital displayoff, or back on again, press 2nd-5. NOTE Even if the digital numbersare not being displayedon the screen,the digital sonar will still continueto function.If the digital loses the bottom signal,the chart display will stop until the digital finds the bottom. If the digital numbersare being displayed on the screen,the chart display will stop, but the digital will flash the last valid bottom depth until it regains the bottom signal.
AUTO RANGEWITH ZOOM BOTTOM TRACK An optionalAuto Rangefeature is AUTORANGEwith ZOOM BOTTOM TRACK. When the X-3 is in the auto-range mode, it picksa lower limit range that will keep the bottom signal in the lower 4/5 of the screen.The upper limit is normallyset to zero, unless you have changed it However, a "window" can be usedto "zoom" or expand the area near the bottom and track it as the bottom risesor falls. For example, supposethe bottom is 85 feet deep.
If the chart alarm is setoff by a fish or the bottom, the alarm will sound and the ALARM canbe seen at the bottomofthe display lithe range is changed,the chart alarm may need to be changed also, since it operates independentlyand does not track range sethngs. I'll Thenote key turns the audible tone off or on. When the alarms are firstset, the audible tone is on which canbe seen by the note annunciator at the bottom of the display. To turn the audible tone off, press the note key on the keyboard once.
iuuammm•iuu r71 FASTRAK J FASTRAK The FASTRAK causesthe X-3 to display the bottom, fish, trees, or other echoes including the bottom signal will be converted into short, straight horizontal lines.As the bottom or otherechoes moves shallow or deeper, the lines will rise or fall accordingly.This gives quick, precise depth informationat a glance. DEEP ALARM — SET SHALLOW —SE; p ALARM— SET a..
19 ADVANCED OPERATION LIGHT LIGHT A light is provided for operation of the X-3 at night. When the unitis first turned on, the lights will flash for 6 seconds. Press the 2nd-9 keys and the lights will stay on. To turn the lights off, press the 2nd-9 keys. The lights will also go off when the X-3 is turned off. DISCRIMINATION Noise is quite often the biggestcomplaintfishermen have about their sonar units.
