Pub. 988-0105-951 www.lowrance.
Copyright © 2002 Lowrance Electronics, Inc. All rights reserved. Lowrance® is a registered trademark of Lowrance Electronics, Inc. Marine-Tex is a trademark of Illinois Tool Works Inc. Lowrance Electronics may find it necessary to change or end our policies, regulations, and special offers at any time. We reserve the right to do so without notice. All features and specifications subject to change without notice. All screens in this manual are simulated.
Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................. 1 Capabilities and Specifications: X51 and X58DF........................ 1 Installation.................................................................................. 2 Transducer Installation................................................................ 2 Recommended Tools and Supplies ........................................... 3 Selecting a Transducer Location ...........................
System Setup ............................................................................ 44 Backlights................................................................................ 44 Display Contrast ..................................................................... 44 Depth Units of Measure.......................................................... 45 Temperature Units of Measure .............................................. 46 Speed and Distance Log Units of Measure ............................
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 have to do is press the on (PWR) key. However, if you want to fine-tune your unit, press the MENU UP key.
Sonar Frequency:...................... 200 kHz (or 50/200 kHz – X58DF only). Transducers: .................. A dual-frequency Skimmer transducer comes packed with the X58DF. It has 35°/12° cone angles. Single frequency models for X51 with a 20° cone angle are sold separately. Both models offer a wide fish detection area of up to 60º with high sensitivity settings. Transmitter: ................... 1500 watts peak-to-peak power (typical); 188 watts RMS power (typical). Sonar sounding depth capability: ......
both single- and dual-frequency Skimmer transducers. Please read all instructions before proceeding with any installation. The smaller single-frequency Skimmers typically use a one-piece, stainless steel mounting bracket. The larger dual-frequency Skimmers typically use a two-piece, plastic mounting bracket. The trolling motor mount uses a one-piece plastic bracket with an adjustable strap. These are all "kick-up" mounting brackets.
then the chosen location must be in the water at all times. If the transducer is not placed in a smooth flow of water, interference caused by bubbles and turbulence will show on the sonar's display in the form of random lines or dots whenever the boat is moving. 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.
Transom Transducer centerline Hull bottom Align transducer centerline with hull bottom. However, there are times when you may need 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 may be coming out of the water as you cross waves or wakes. Move the transducer a little lower to help prevent this.
The following instructions sometimes vary depending on the mounting bracket that came with your transducer. Single frequency Skimmers come with a one-piece stainless steel bracket, while dual frequency Skimmers come with a two-piece plastic mounting bracket. Use the set of instructions that fits your model. 1. Assembling the bracket. A. One-piece bracket: Press the two small plastic ratchets into the sides of the metal bracket as shown in the following illustration.
Transducer bracket Transducer Ratchet Ratchet 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 assembly and hold it against the transom. Looking at the transducer from the side, check to see if it will adjust so that its face is parallel to the ground. If it does, then the "A" position is correct for your hull.
B. Two-piece bracket: Assemble the transducer and bracket as shown in the following figure. Temporarily slide the bolt though the transducer assembly but don't tighten the nut at this time. Hold the assembled transducer and bracket against the transom. Looking at the transducer from the side, check to see if it will adjust so that its face is parallel to the ground. If it does, then the "A" positions are correct for your hull.
B. Two-piece bracket: Once you determine the correct position for the ratchets, assemble the transducer as shown in the figure in step 2B. Don't tighten the lock nut at this time. 4. Drilling mounting holes. Hold the transducer and bracket assembly against the transom. The transducer should be roughly parallel to the ground. The transducer's centerline should be in line with the bottom of the hull. Don't let the bracket extend below the hull! Mark the center of each slot for the mounting screw pilot holes.
Both bracket types: Attach the transducer to the transom. Slide the transducer up or down until it's aligned properly with the bottom of the hull as shown in the preceding and following figures. Tighten the bracket's mounting screws, sealing them with the caulking compound. Adjust the transducer so that it's parallel to the ground and tighten the nut until it touches the outer washer, then add 1/4 turn.
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 the transducer bracket down. This puts the transducer deeper into the water, hopefully below the turbulence causing the noise. Don't allow the transducer bracket to go below the bottom of the hull! TROLLING MOTOR BRACKET INSTALLATION (single-frequency only) 1.
TRANSDUCER ORIENTATION AND FISH ARCHES If you do not get good fish arches on your display, it could be because the transducer is not parallel with the ground when the boat is at rest in the water or at slow trolling speeds. Partial fish arches Transducer aimed too far back Transducer aimed too far forward Full fish arch Proper transducer angle Transducer angles and their effects on fish arches.
transducer installation can be made on hulls with flotation materials (such as plywood, balsa wood or foam) between layers of fiberglass if the material is removed from the chosen area. Fill with epoxy Flotation material Epoxy to hull first Inner hull Outer hull Epoxy the transducer to a solid portion of the hull. For example, some (but not all) manufacturers use a layer of fiberglass, then a core of balsa wood, finishing with an outer layer of fiberglass.
cation that shot through the hull the best and follow the instructions on the following pages for a shoot-thru-hull mounting. Transducer location (high speed) Transducer location (trolling speed) Shoot-thru-hull transducer locations for high speed or trolling speed operation. Shoot-thru-hull Installation 1. Make sure the area is clean, dry and free of oil or grease, then sand both the inside surface of the hull and the face of the transducer with 100 grit sandpaper.
Place the transducer into the epoxy, twisting and turning it to force any air bubbles out from under the transducer face. The face of the transducer should be parallel with the hull, with a minimum amount of epoxy between the hull and transducer. After the epoxy dries, route the cable to the sonar unit. Speed/Temperature Sensors The X51 and X58DF can accept as many as two temperature sensors, which can be used to monitor the temperature of surface water, a live well or some other location.
X51 or X58DF rear view Temperature sensor built into transducer MY-4X Cable SP-X speed-only sensor X51 or X58DF with external speed sensor. A temperature sensor is built into the transducer. X51 or X58DF rear view Transducer with no temperature sensor MY-4X Cable TS-1X temperature sensor X51 using a transducer without built-in temperature sensor. In this example, an external temperature sensor is used.
X51 or X58DF rear view Transducer with or without temp sensor MY-4X Cable ST-TX combination speed-temp sensor X51 or X58DF with external combination speed and temperature sensor. Speed Sensor Installation Though only the X58DF comes packed with a speed sensor, both units are capable of displaying speed and distance traveled. If you wish to purchase an optional additional sensor for your unit, refer to the accessory ordering information inside the back cover of this manual.
Good location Stern view showing good location for mounting sensor on transom. Transom Bottom of hull Bottom of hull Speed sensor mounting configuration: side view (left) and rear view (right.) If the base of the transom has a radius, fill the gap between the transom and the sensor with the caulking compound. This will help ensure a smooth water flow. Route the sensor's cable through or over the transom to the sonar unit.
To unit Red wire with 3 amp fuse Black wire 12 volt battery Power connections for the X51 and X58DF sonar unit. If possible, keep the power cable away from other boat wiring, especially the engine's wires. This will provide the best isolation from electrical noise. If the cable is not long enough, splice #18 gauge wire onto it. The power cable has two wires, red and black. Red is the positive lead, black is negative or ground.
121 [4.76] Top 47 [1.85] In-Dash Template Hole diameter 3.5 [0.14] Millimeters [Inches] 112 [4.40] Cut on line ALWAYS VERIFY DIMENSIONS R 6.35 [0.25] 119 [4.68] In-dash mounting template for X51 and X58DF sonars, showing dimensions. NOTE: The figure above is not printed to scale. A scaled template is available for free download from our web site, www.lowrance.com.
61.3 [2.42] 136 [5.35] 23.8 [0.94] 132 [5.20] 147.4 [5.80] Millimeter [Inch] 66 [2.60] Front view (left) and side view (right) showing dimensions of X51 and X58DF sonar unit when mounted on gimbal bracket. If you wish, you can fill in the hole around the cables with a good marine caulking compound. (Some marine dealers stock cable hole covers to conceal the opening.) No matter what type of installation you prefer, be sure to leave enough slack in the cables to allow tilting or swiveling the unit.
for your sonar. You can use your X51 or X58DF on your boat or take it to the dock, on a float tube, on an ice fishing trip or use it as a second sonar in a friend's boat. The PPP-10 Portable Power Pack can be used with eight "D" cell alkaline batteries (not included) or an optional sealed, rechargeable battery. For set-up directions, refer to the pack's instruction sheet, part 988-0147-45. The following figure shows the proper arrangement for the washers.
NOTE: For optimum operation, the portable transducer should be adjusted so that it is parallel to the ground. For more information on this, see the earlier segment on Transducer Orientation and Fish Arches. Operation KEYBOARD BASICS The unit sounds a tone when you press any key. This tells you the unit has accepted a command. Numbers in the photo correspond to key explanations below: 4 2 3 1 Lowrance X58DF Sonar, front view, showing screen and keyboard. 1.
2. MENU UP (menu up) 3. MENU DOWN (menu down) These keys appears in the manual text as MENU UP or MENU DOWN. (In some units, the keys may appear as MENU FWD or MENU REV, respectively.) Most of the time, the instructions require you to press either menu key, so the text simply uses the word MENU. Usually, when we say MENU, you can simply press the MENU UP key for consistency. This sonar unit has many features that are accessed with the menu keys.
All you have to do to leave one menu and enter another is press MENU repeatedly. If you ever get lost in the menus, simply press the PWR key. This clears the menus from the screen. Menus change depending on the mode the unit is in. Messages may appear in menu boxes or new menus can appear, depending on previous selections. DISPLAY – Opening Screen The lights flash for about 10 seconds when the unit is turned on. The backlight menu first appears on the screen. To turn the lights on, press UP ARROW.
Chart menu. Chart is running or scrolling normally at left. Chart is stopped at right, and "Stopped" warning message appears. SCREEN DISPLAY MODES or PAGES The X51 has four screen display modes, or "Pages:" Full Chart page, Split Chart page, Large Digital page and Flasher page. The X58DF also has a Dual Frequency page. The Page menu lets you select among the display modes, or pages. X51 Page menu shown at left; X58DF Page menu shown at right.
the depth of fish, structure, and other targets. The line at the top of the screen represents the surface. The bottom depth (as determined by the digital sonar) shows in the upper left corner. If your speed sensor is connected, digital displays for speed and temperature will also be shown. Full Chart page, showing digital depth at top and speed at bottom. SPLIT CHART This shows the normal view of the underwater world from the surface to the bottom on the right side of the screen.
DUAL-FREQUENCY SPLIT CHART (X58DF only) This page shows sonar data from the 50 kHz transducer element on the left side of the screen and data from the 200 kHz transducer on the right side. All other functions and features are the same as the Full Chart page. Dual-Frequency Split Chart page, with 50 kHz view at left and 200 kHz view at right. You can adjust the sensitivity in each window. To change the 200 kHz window's sensitivity, press MENU until the SENSE 200K menu appears.
Lrg DIGITAL (Large Digital) The Large Digital page shows all information in big numbers. The digital depth display is at the top of this screen, followed by the temperature, speed, and distance readings. NOTE: Temperature, speed, and distance require a temperature or speed sensor. A speed sensor is included with the X58DF. Large Digital page. FLASHER The Flasher page represents a flasher style sonar. A circular dial shows all returning echoes at a high screen refresh rate.
RANGE When turned on for the first time, the unit automatically adjusts the depth range according to water conditions. It always keeps the bottom displayed in the lower portion of the screen. You can over-ride the automatic range control and manually select a range. To do this, press MENU until the RANGE menu appears. Use the arrow keys to select the desired range. When you're finished, press PWR to clear the menu from the display. Range Select menu.
To set upper and lower limits, press MENU until the RANGE menu appears. Press DOWN ARROW to select USE UL/LL, then press MENU UP to open the Upper Limit menu. Use the arrow keys to select the upper limit. In the example above, we have selected 10 feet. With the upper limit set, press MENU UP to open the Lower Limit menu. Use the arrow keys to select the lower limit. In the example above, we have selected 20 feet.
NOTE: Using the Zoom command while in auto Range mode will always enlarge the echoes near the bottom, because auto Range always keeps the bottom displayed in the lower portion of the screen. When you Zoom in manual Range mode, echoes are enlarged near the middle of the displayed range. For example, with a manual depth Range of 100 feet, your screen shows the water column from zero at the top of the screen to 50 feet in the middle to 100 feet at the bottom of the screen.
SENSITIVITY Sensitivity controls the unit's ability to pick up echoes. If you want to see more detail, try increasing the sensitivity, a little at a time. There are situations when too much clutter appears on the screen. Decreasing the sensitivity can reduce the clutter and show the strongest fish echoes, if fish are present. As you change the sensitivity setting, you can see the difference on the chart as it scrolls. Bait school Thermocline with fish Fish arches Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig.
you from turning sensitivity down too low to allow automatic bottom tracking. When you change the setting with auto turned on, the unit will continue to track the bottom and make minor adjustments to the sensitivity level, with a bias toward the setting you selected. Adjusting sensitivity in Manual Sensitivity Mode is similar to driving a car without cruise control — you have complete manual control of the car's speed.
NOTE: If you want to change the sensitivity in Manual Mode, first turn off Auto Sensitivity: press MENU until the SENSITIVITY AUTOMATIC/MANUAL menu appears. Press DOWN ARROW to select MANUAL, then press PWR to clear the menu. To adjust the sensitivity, follow the same steps used for adjusting sensitivity in auto mode above. ® GRAYLINE Grayline lets you distinguish between strong and weak echoes. It "paints" gray on targets that are stronger than a preset value.
Press UP ARROW to increase the level or press DOWN ARROW to decrease it. The percentage of Grayline in use shows in this menu. Echoes scrolling onto the screen will also show the effects of the Grayline change. If you reach the maximum or minimum level, a tone sounds alerting you to the limits. Press PWR to clear the menu. FISH I.D. The Fish I.D. feature identifies targets that meet certain conditions as fish.
You may see Fish I.D. symbols on the screen when actually, there are no fish. The reverse is also true — Fish I.D. can actually miss fish that are present. Does that mean Fish I.D. is broken? No — the feature is simply interpreting sonar returns in a specific way to help take some of the work out of reading the screen. Remember: Fish I.D. is one of the many tools we provide so you can analyze your sonar returns for maximum fish finding information.
FISHREVEAL When displaying actual sonar returns, the FishReveal feature helps show fish targets hidden by surface clutter, thermoclines, weed beds and other cover with 10 levels of gray tones. Normal operation (with FishReveal turned off) shows the weakest echoes as black and the strongest in light gray. Since all weak echoes are black, fish arches show boldly against the white background. The drawback is that all weak echoes — such as thermoclines — are also accentuated.
At left, standard FishReveal mode. Right, Inverted Fish Reveal mode. CHART SCROLL SPEED and HYPERSCROLL The rate that echoes scroll across the screen is called the chart scroll speed. The default for this unit is 60 percent; we recommend that you leave the scroll speed set there for virtually all fishing conditions. However, you might consider experimenting with chart speed when you are stationary or drifting very slowly.
At right, Scroll Speed menu at default 60 percent setting. At left, Scroll Speed menu, with unit set to HyperScroll mode. If you are running fast, try a HyperScroll setting of 80 to 100 percent. When using HyperScroll, you may also need to manually decrease the sensitivity for best performance. Depending on water conditions, HyperScroll may cause a second bottom echo and large amounts of clutter to appear on the screen. If this occurs, just decrease the sensitivity to a level that eliminates the clutter.
The ASP noise rejection feature is especially useful because it typically lets you operate the boat at all speeds without adjusting the sensitivity or other controls. Noise Reject menu. The ASP feature has four settings — Off, Low, Medium and High. When first turned on, noise rejection is set on low. If you have high noise levels, try using the medium or high ASP setting.
To turn off the fish alarm without turning off fish symbols, press MENU DOWN until FISH ALARM appears. Press DOWN ARROW to select OFF, then press PWR to clear the menu. Repeat the above steps to turn the alarm back on, but press UP ARROW to select ON before clearing the menu. Fish Alarm menu. Depth Alarms The depth alarms are triggered only by the bottom signal. No other echoes will activate these alarms. The depth alarms consist of a shallow and a deep alarm.
Press UP ARROW to increase the shallow alarm's depth setting or press DOWN ARROW to decrease it. The number in the shallow alarm’s menu box shows the current shallow alarm setting. When the number reaches the desired setting, press PWR to clear the menu. When the bottom depth goes shallower than the alarm’s setting, an alarm tone sounds and a message box appears on the screen. Press UP ARROW to silence the alarm. This turns the alarm sound off until the shallow alarm is triggered again.
SYSTEM SETUP To customize the display, press MENU DOWN until the SYSTEM SETUP menu appears, then press UP ARROW. The display contrast, units of measure, temperature, and system information screens are all under this menu. The Contrast menu appears first. Press the MENU UP or MENU DOWN keys to cycle through the menus. When you're finished, press the PWR key to clear the menus. System Setup menu. DISPLAY ADJUSTMENTS BACKLIGHTS The display is backlit for night use.
To adjust the contrast, press MENU DOWN until the SYSTEM menu appears, press UP ARROW, and the CONTRAST menu appears. To decrease screen contrast, press the DOWN ARROW key. Press the UP ARROW key to increase screen contrast. The bar graph in the Contrast menu box shows a graph of the contrast. The screen will also show the effects of the change. If you reach the maximum or minimum level, a tone sounds alerting you to the limits. Press the PWR key to clear the menu. Display Contrast menu.
TEMPERATURE UNITS OF MEASURE This unit can show the temperature (if a temperature sensor is attached) in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius. To change the unit of measure, press MENU DOWN until the SYSTEM menu appears. Press UP ARROW, then press MENU until the TEMPERATURE menu appears. Use the arrow keys to select the measurement unit, then press PWR to clear the menu. Temperature unit of measure menu.
RESET DISTANCE LOG You can reset the distance log to zero with this command. Press MENU DOWN until SYSTEM appears, then press UP ARROW. Press MENU until the RESET LOG menu appears. Press UP ARROW and the log returns to zero. Press PWR to clear the menu. Reset Log menu. PRESET UNIT (reset all options) This command is used to reset all features, options and settings to their original factory defaults.
SYSTEM INFO To show the operating software system information, press MENU DOWN until the SYSTEM menu appears, then press UP ARROW. Press MENU DOWN until the SYSTEM INFO screen appears. Press PWR to clear the screen. System Info screen. SIMULATOR This unit has a built-in simulator that shows a simulated bottom signal with fish signals. This lets you practice with the unit as if you were on the water; all features and functions of the unit are usable.
NOTE: If you turn on your unit before attaching a transducer, it may enter a demo mode. The words "demo mode" flash on the bottom of the screen and a sonar chart plays much like the simulator. Unlike the simulator, the demo mode is for demonstration only, and will automatically stop as soon as you turn on the unit with a transducer attached. The simulator will continue to function normally. CHART SETUP The Chart Setup menu lets you further customize the display.
High boat speed and slow ping speed (caused by the deeper bottom) can reduce the screen refresh rate. This in turn can reduce the amount of detail seen on the sonar chart. Try this command only if you are in deep water, traveling at high speed, and notice a reduction in detail on the sonar chart. When Limit Search is turned on, the digital sonar will limit its search for the bottom to the depth range you have set for the sonar chart.
The default frequency is 200 kHz, which is best for use in shallow water (about 300 feet or less). This frequency is the best choice for about 80 percent of the fresh and salt water sport fishing applications. When you get into very deep salt water, 300 to 500 feet or deeper, the 50 kHz frequency is the best choice. The 200 kHz transducer will give you better detail and definition, but less depth penetration.
Menus for changing digital number size. SCALES The depth scale between the upper and lower limit on the right side of the screen can be turned on or off. The default is on. Scales menu, with scale on (left) and off (right). With the scale off, only the upper and lower limits (zero and 60 in this case) are displayed To turn the scale off, press MENU DOWN until CHART SETUP appears, then press UP ARROW. Press MENU DOWN until SCALES appears, then press DOWN ARROW to select UPPER LOWER ONLY.
Troubleshooting If your unit is not working, or if you need technical help, please use the following troubleshooting section before contacting the factory customer service department. It may save you the trouble of returning your unit for repair. For contact information, refer to the last page, just inside the back cover of this manual. Unit won't turn on: 1. Check the power cable's connection at the unit. Also check the wiring. 2. Make certain the power cable is wired properly.
noise rejection feature. This can cause the unit to eliminate weaker signals such as fish or even structure from the display. 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.
NOISE A major cause of sonar problems is electrical noise. This usually appears on the sonar's display as random patterns of dots or lines. In severe cases, it can completely cover the screen with black dots, or cause the unit to operate erratically, or not at all. To eliminate or minimize the effects of electrical noise, first try to determine the cause. With the boat at rest in the water, the first thing you should do is turn all electrical equipment on the boat off. Make sure the engine is also off.
Notes 56
LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS FULL ONE-YEAR WARRANTY "We," "our," or "us" refers to LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS, INC., the manufacturer of this product. "You" or "your" refers to the first person who purchases this product as a consumer item for personal, family or household use. We warrant this product against defects or malfunctions in materials and workmanship, and against failure to conform to this product's written specifications, all for one (1) year from the date of original purchase by you.
How to Obtain Service… …in the USA: We back your investment in quality products with quick, expert service and genuine Lowrance parts. If you're in the United States and you have technical, return or repair questions, please contact the Factory Customer Service Department. Before any product can be returned, you must call customer service to determine if a return is necessary. Many times, customer service can resolve your problem over the phone without sending your product to the factory.
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 able to assist you with these items. To locate a Lowrance dealer near you, visit our web site, www.lowrance.com and look for the Dealer Locator. Or, you can consult your telephone directory for listings. 2) U.S.
Visit our web site: Lowrance Pub. 988-0105-951 Printed in USA 092402 © Copyright 2002 All Rights Reserved Lowrance Electronics, Inc.
