X-28, X-38, and X-48 INST ALLA TION AND OPERA TION INSTALLA ALLATION OPERATION INSTR UCTIONS INSTRUCTIONS
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................................................... 1 INSTALLATION -Transducer ........................................................................... 2 POWER CONNECTIONS ............................................................................... 11 BRACKET INSTALLATION ..................................................
INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing a Lowrance sonar. Your sonar unit is a high quality unit designed for both professional and novice fishermen. All of our sonars have an automatic feature that finds and displays the bottom, fish, structure, and more! All you have to do is press the on key. However, if you wish to fine tune the unit, all you have to do is press the menu key. This series of sonar products has powerful features available through easy-touse menus.
Transducer Installation Some of the models covered by this manual have a transom-mount transducer included. The following are installation instructions for this transducer. The “kick-up” mounting bracket helps prevent damage if the transducer strikes an object while the boat is moving. If the transducer does “kickup”, the bracket can easily be pushed back in place without tools. Read this manual carefully before attempting the installation. Determine which of the mounting positions is right for your boat.
Shoot-thru-hull v.s. Transom Mounting (X-28 and X-38 Only) Typically, shoot-thru-hull installations give excellent high speed operation and good to excellent depth capability. There is no possibility of damage from floating objects. It can't be knocked off when docking or loading on the trailer. However, the shoot-thru-hull installation does have its drawbacks. One, some loss of sensitivity does occur, even on the best hulls. This varies from hull to hull, even from different installations on the same hull.
2. Slide the transducer between the two ratchets. Temporally 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. If the transducer’s face isn’t parallel with the ground, remove the transducer and ratchets from the bracket.
CAUTION! CLAMP THE TRANSDUCER CABLE TO TRANSOM NEAR THE TRANSDUCER. THIS WILL HELP PREVENT THE TRANSDUCER FROM ENTERING THE BOAT IF IT IS KNOCKED OFF AT HIGH SPEED. GOOD LOCATION POOR LOCATION POOR ANGLE GOOD LOCATION 4. Hold the transducer and bracket assembly against the transom. The transducer should be roughly parallel to the ground. The bottom of the transducer bracket should be in line with the bottom of the hull.
5. Remove the transducer from the bracket and re-assemble it with the cable passing through the bracket over the bolt as shown above. Attach the transducer to the transom. Slide the transducer up or down until it’s aligned properly on the transom as shown above. Tighten the bracket’s mounting screws. Adjust the transducer so that it’s parallel to the ground and tighten the lock nut until it touches the flat washer, then add 1/4 turn.
TROLLING MOTOR BRACKET INSTALLATION (X-48 Only) 1. Attach the TMB-S bracket to the transducer as shown below using the hardware supplied with the transducer. (Note: The internal tooth washer is supplied with the TMB-S.) TMB-S BRACKET INTERNAL TOOTH WASHER BOLT NUT FLAT WASHER 2. Slide the adjustable strap supplied with the TMB-S through the slot in the transducer bracket and wrap it around the trolling motor. Position the transducer to aim straight down when the motor is in the water.
SHOOT-THRU-HULL (X-28 and X-38 Only) The transducer installation inside a fiberglass hull must be in an area that does not have air bubbles in the resin or separated fiberglass layers. The sonar signal must pass through solid fiberglass. A successful 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.
TRANSDUCER LOCATION (HIGH SPEED) TRANSDUCER LOCATION (TROLLING SPEED) Shoot-thru-hull Installation (X-28 and X-38 Only) 1. Make certain 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. The surface of the hull must be flat so the entire transducer face is in contact with the hull prior to bonding. SPREAD EPOXY HERE SAND THIS SURFACE 2. Follow the instructions on the epoxy package and mix it thoroughly.
hull. 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. Fish Arches If you do not get good fish arches on your display, it could be the transducer is not parallel with the ground when the boat is at rest in the water, or at slow trolling speeds.
POWER CONNECTIONS - All units This unit works from a 12 volt DC system only. For the best results, run the power cable directly to the boat’s battery. Keep the power cable away from other boat wiring, especially the engine’s wires. This will give the best isolation from electrical noise. If the supplied cable is not long enough to reach the battery, splice #18 gauge insulated wire to it.
Bracket Installation You can install the sonar unit on the top of a dash or from an overhead with the supplied bracket. It can also be installed in the dash with an optional IDA-3 mounting kit. If you use the supplied bracket, you may be interested in the optional GBSA-1 swivel bracket kit. This converts the unit's gimbal bracket to a swivel mount which can be used on the dash or overhead mounting positions.
SPEED/TEMPERATURE SENSORS The X-38 and X-48 can use up to three optional temperature sensors which can monitor surface water, live well, air, and virtually any other temperature. You do need to be careful when purchasing the temperature sensors, however. Each temperature sensor has its own "address". The sensors are labeled "Water", "T-2" (or Temp-2), and "T-3" (or Temp-3). If you want two (or more) temperature readings, you'll need to use the proper sensors. For example, you can't use two T-3 sensors.
Sensor Chart (Note: Do not use these sensors in any other combination.
TS-12 BK Sensor Chart (Note: Do not use these sensors in any other combination.
KEYBOARD BASICS The unit sounds a tone when you press any key. This tells you the unit has accepted a command. PWR/CLEAR Use this key to turn the unit on. It also clears menu selections and the menus from the screen. This key also turns the unit off. NOTE: You must hold the OFF key down for a few seconds in order to turn the unit OFF. MENU FWD / MENU REV These sonar units have many features that are accessed with the menu keys.
OPERATION MENUS This unit uses menus to guide you through the unit’s functions and features. The menu key accesses these features, allowing you to customize the unit to your particular needs and water conditions. All you have to do to leave one menu and enter another is press the menu key 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.
After you select the desired range, press the PWR key to clear the display. If you wait a few seconds, it will automatically clear. This unit has the following ranges: 10, 20, 40, 60, 120, 240, 480, and 900 feet. and 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 100, 200, and 300 meters. ZOOM The zoom feature enlarges all echoes on the screen. If the unit is in the automatic mode, it tracks the bottom signal, always keeping it near the bottom of the screen.
This means the unit is tracking the bottom in a zoom window, always keeping it on the display. Press the up arrow key to decrease the zoom size, press the down arrow key to increase the zoom size. When the unit is switched into the zoom mode, the letters “ZM” appear at the top of the screen. The zoom window size displays in the top right corner of the screen. On the screen shown above, the zoom size has been changed to 20 feet.
RANGE - Upper and Lower Limits You can change the upper and lower range limits when the unit is in the manual mode. This lets you "zoom" in on segments of the water as small as 10 feet. In other words, you can set the upper limit to 25 feet and the lower limit to 35 feet, regardless of the bottom depth. This in essence, gives you a 10 foot zoom. You can choose any segment of the water, as long as the distance between the upper limit and lower limit is 10 feet (10 meters) or more.
SENSITIVITY The sensitivity menu lets you control the unit’s ability to pick up echoes. A low sensitivity level excludes much of the bottom information, fish signals, and other detail. High sensitivity settings lets you see features, but it can also clutter the screen with noise and other unwanted signals. Typically, the best sensitivity level shows a good, solid bottom signal with grayline. This sonar unit adjusts the sensitivity level to keep a solid bottom signal on the screen.
Grayline ® is adjustable. Since it shows the difference between strong and weak echoes, changing the level may require a different sensitivity setting. To change the Grayline level, first press the MENU key until the Grayline menu appears. Now press the up arrow key to increase the level, the down arrow to decrease it. The percentage of Grayline now in use shows in this menu. Echoes scrolling onto the screen will also show the effects of the Grayline change.
The Fish ID feature can’t be used when the unit is in the manual mode. If you turn the automatic feature off, the Fish ID feature will automatically be turned off, also. FISH TRACK™ This unit automatically displays the depth of a target when the Fish ID feature places a fish symbol on the screen as shown below. This feature is automatically enabled when the sonar unit is turned on. To turn it off or on again, press the MENU key repeatedly until the Fish Track menu appears as shown below.
digital depth display are read from the center element only. To turn the TargetTrack feature off, simply press the MENU key until its menu appears as shown at right, then press the down arrow key. CHART SPEED The rate echoes scroll across the screen is called the chart speed. It’s adjustable by pressing the menu key until the chart speed menu appears. Chart speed is set to maximum when the unit is first turned on. To decrease it, press the down arrow key. Press the up arrow key to increase the speed again.
DISPLAY MODE The X-28 has three different screen modes. The X-38 and X-48 both have eight modes. To change modes, press the MENU key until the “DISP MODE” (Display Mode) menu appears. Then press the up or down arrow keys until the desired mode number appears. The modes are as follows: X-28 ONLY CHT 1 (Chart #1) This is the default mode used when the unit is first turned on. It has the following features: 1. Automatic On 2. Fish ID Feature On 3.
X-38 and X-48 ONLY CHT 1 (Chart #1) This is the default mode used when the unit is first turned on. It has the following features: 1. Automatic On 2. Fish ID Feature On 3. Digital Depth Display On CHT 2 (Chart #2) Same as Chart-1, but with water temperature added. CHT 3 (Chart #3) Same as Chart-1, but with speed added.
X-38 and X-48 ONLY (cont.) CHT 4 (Chart #4) Same as Chart-1, but with water temperature and speed added. CHT 5 (Chart #5) This is the High Speed Scroll mode. It shifts the chart speed into high gear, scrolling echoes at a high rate. It has the following features: 1. Automatic Off 2. Fish ID Feature Off 3. Digital Depth Display Off DIG 1 (Digital #1) This is the digital only screen. It shows the digital depth display at the top of the screen in very large numbers.
X-38 and X-48 ONLY (cont.) DIG 2 (Digital #2) Digital depth, water temperature, speed, and distance log (odometer) show on this page. To reset the log, turn the unit off and back on again. DIG 3 (Digital #3) Digital depth, water temperature, T-2 temperature, and T-3 temperature all show on this screen. Temperature Probe Select You can select the temperature probe's output that shows on Chart 2 and 4, when more than one temperature probe is connected to an X-38 or X-48.
ALARMS FISH ALARM The Fish Alarm sounds a tone when a fish symbol appears on the screen. To use the fish alarm, press the menu key until the “FISH ALARM” menu appears on the screen. Now press the up arrow key to turn the alarm on. Repeat the above steps to turn the fish alarm off. 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 deep alarm.
Deep Alarm The deep alarm adjusts the same as the shallow alarm. Use the “DEEP ALARM” menu to adjust the deep alarm. When the bottom signal goes deeper than the setting, an alarm tone sounds. LIGHTS The display is backlighted for night use. To turn the backlights on or off, press the menu key repeatedly until the BACK LIGHT menu appears. Now press the up arrow to turn the lights on or the down arrow to turn them off. FEET/METER This unit can show the depth in feet or meters.
reach the maximum or minimum level, a tone sounds alerting you to the limits. The menu will clear automatically after a few seconds or you can press the PWR key to clear the screen. ASP (Advanced Signal Processing) ASP is a program embedded in the computer that is specifically designed to eliminate noise. It continually monitors the signals from the receiver, determines which echoes are noise and rejects them. This allows true target echoes to display on the screen with a minimum of clutter.
TROUBLESHOOTING - IMPORTANT INFORMATION! 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. 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. The red wire connects to the positive battery terminal, black to negative or ground. 3. Check the fuse. 4.
the digital will flash continuously. It may change the range to limits far greater than the water you are in. If this happens, place the unit in the manual mode, then change the range to a realistic one, (for example, 0100 feet) and increase the sensitivity. As you move into shallower water, a bottom signal should appear. 4. Check the battery voltage. If the voltage drops, the unit’s transmitter power also drops, reducing its ability to find the bottom or targets.
ELECTRICAL 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 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.
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 year (1) from the date of original purchase by you.
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How to Obtain Service (Canadian Customers Only) We back your investment in quality products with quick, expert service and genuine Eagle replacement parts. If you need service or repairs, contact the Lowrance Factory Customer Service Department at the toll-free number listed below. A technician may be able to solve the problem and save you the inconvenience of returning your unit. You will be asked for your unit's serial number. 800-324-1356 Canada Only. Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M.
How to Obtain Service (U.S.A. Only) 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 questions, please contact the Factory Customer Service Department using our toll-free number listed below. You must send the unit to the factory for warranty service or repair. Please call the factory before sending the unit. You will be asked for your unit's serial number.
