Explorer 435/438 Fishfinder Installation and Operation Manual www.northstarnav.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Please read carefully before installation and use. DANGER This is the safety alert symbol. It is used to alert you to potential personal injury hazards, Obey all safety messages that follow this symbol to avoidpossible injury or death.
Contents 1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................6 1-1 Benefits of the Explorer 435 and Explorer 438 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1-2 How the Explorer 435 and Explorer 438 work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2 Basic Operation..................................................................................
Appendix A - Specifications ..................................................................................................................... 27 Appendix B - Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................. 28 Important It is your sole responsibility to install and use Northstar’s instrument & transducers in a manner that will not cause accidents, personal injury or property damage. Always observe safe boating practices.
1 Introduction Congratulations on choosing a Northstar fishfinder. For maximum benefit, please read this manual carefully before installation and use. This manual describes how to install and set up the Explorer 435 or Explorer 438. Refer to seperate Transducer Installation Instructions supplied with the transducer. This manual also explains how to operate the Explorer 435 and Explorer 438 effectively and gives troubleshooting and performance tips.
1-2 How the Explorer 435 and Explorer 438 work The Explorer 435 and Explorer 438 have two parts: - the transducer attached to the hull - the display unit. The transducer generates an ultrasonic pulse (sound that is above the hearing range of the human ear), which travels down towards the bottom at a speed of about 4800 ft/sec (1500 m/sec), spreading out into a cone shape. When the pulse meets an object, such as a fish or the bottom, it is partly reflected back up towards the boat as an echo.
2 Basic Operation Key Names Returns to the previous menu / zooms in. , Cursor keys move the selection highlight and change settings / scrolls up or down. Confirms changes / zooms out. MENU Press to show the Display menu Press again to show the Setup menu. + _ Increases the Range. Hold for Auto Range Decreases the Range. Press and hold to power On and Off; pressing once shows the Gain controls. Press twice to show Backlight control. Key Operation The fishfinder is operated through menus.
Power Off Gain Adjustment To turn the fishfinder off, hold . A countdown box appears. Continue to hold for 3 seconds until the fishfinder turns off. Note: If the unit is wired for Auto Power (section 6-4 Wiring options) the fishfinder can be turned off only when the boat’s ignition is turned off. Gain (sensitivity) controls the amount of detail displayed on the screen. Refer to section 4-3 for more information. Simulate Mode 1. Press briefly to show the gain controls.
3 Setting up the Explorer 435 and Explorer 438 Press MENU twice to show the Setup menu, then select a particular option using the keys. (Section 2 Basic Operation, describes how to use the keys in more detail.) or cursor The Setup menu and options are summarized below. The factory default settings are shown where applicable. Each Setup menu option is explained in the following sections.
3-1 Setup > System Press MENU twice to display the Setup menu, then select System: Auto power off Select On to have the fishfinder power off automatically every time the boat’s ignition is switched off. This applies only if the display unit is wired for Auto Power. See section 6-4 Wiring Options. Snooze Mode Language Select the language for the displays. The options are: English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Portuguese, Finnish and Greek.
Palette • As a fish symbol (On). Use this to select a color palette. Each color within the palette represents a different echo strength, as shown on the sonar displays. There is a choice of five color palettes: Black, Blue, White, Vivid and 8 color. The first four display more detail, whilst the 8 color palette shows a greater distinction of signal strength between each adjacent color. For the 16 color palette, each color covers 1.5 dB signal range.
It is recommended that the fuel tank capacity is measured by draining the fuel tank, then filling it to capacity. After filling, note the reading from the fuel dispenser’s gauge. Note: Beware of air pockets, especially in underfloor tanks. Clear Used Select Clear used to set Used (the amount of fuel used) to zero. Do this to start measuring the amount of fuel used over a certain time or distance. When asked Are you sure? select Yes.
3-5 Setup > Logs Press MENU twice to display the Setup menu, then select Logs: The values can be changed independently of each other. These log values are saved when the unit is turned off. Reset trip dist (Explorer 438 only) This resets the trip distance to zero. Reset total dist (Explorer 438 only) This option resets the total distance to zero. Reset engine hours Use this option to reset the engine hours to zero.
3-7 Setup > Units Press MENU twice to display the Setup menu, then select Units: The default units are shown in this example.
Temperature The factory settings should be sufficiently accurate for normal usage. To calibrate the temperature readout, first measure the water temperature with a thermometer known to be accurate. Use the cursor keys to display the temperature readout box, then increase or decrease the value to match the measured temperature. The temperature can be set from 32° to 99.9°F (0° to 37.7°C) with a resolution of 0.1° unit.
more slowly because the echoes take longer to travel between the bottom and the boat. For example, when the scroll speed is set to Fast, at depths over 600 ft (180 m) it takes about 2 minutes for each vertical line of pixels to move across the display, whereas at 20 ft (6 m) it takes only about 25 seconds. The scroll speed can be set by the user to display either a longer history with less fish information or a shorter history with more fish details. See section 3-2 Setup > Sonar.
Shadows Shadows are created around areas where the ultrasonic beam cannot ‘see’. These areas include hollows on the bottom or beside rocks and ledges, where the strong echoes returned off the rocks obscure the weak echoes of the fish and may also create a double bottom trace. See following for an example of the sonar display in such an environment. A double bottom trace is shown on the display.
Stationary boat 1 minute ago Now Time When a boat is stationary, all bottom echoes will come from the same small area of bottom. This will produce a flat bottom trace on the screen. The appearance of the Sonar and Zoom screens can be changed to suit individual preferences. Note: Times indicated are for illustration only. 4-2 Fish detection and display Where to find fish Underwater features like reefs, wrecks and rocky outcrops attract fish.
Transducers Installation Guide). Fish arches In good conditions and with Fish symbols Off, a fish passing through the cone-shaped ultrasonic pulse is displayed as a fish arch. A fish arch occurs when a fish enters the weak edge of the sonar cone, generating a weak echo that is displayed as the first pixel of the fish arch.
4-4 Range Range is the vertical depth displayed on the Explorer 435 and Explorer 438. The Northstar fishfinder has two range modes, Auto Range and Manual Range: • In Auto Range, the fishfinder adjusts the depth range automatically so the bottom is always shown in the lower part of the display. The use of Auto Range is recommended for normal conditions. • In Manual Range, the fishfinder shows only a selected depth range.
5-1 Sonar display To show the Sonar display highlight Sonar and press : This display scrolls from right (most recent echoes) to left (oldest echoes). (see section 3-2 Setup > Sonar).
5-4 Sonar A-Scope display To show the A-Scope display, select Sonar A-Scope and press . Use this to analyse the sonar data in detail and optimize the Gain settings. Divider line between sonar history and A-Scope Gain setting (strongest echo for display) Gain threshold (weakest echo for display) The user can define the level of the weakest and strongest echoes to be shown on the sonar displays, by using the Gain setting. See section 4-3 Gain, for more information.
5-6 Data display To show the Data display, select Data and press . The data display shows a graph of the water temperature and depth over time and other selected data items. The graph is useful for locating warm and cold spots in the water. Refer to section 3-4 Setup > Data to change the displayed data items and temperature graph time base. To change units, refer to section 3-7 Setup > Units.
• Bracket mounting requires a panel for mounting the bracket. Ensure that the panel is not likely to deform and is not subject to excessive vibration. The bracket can be tilted and rotated so the Explorer 435 and Explorer 438 can be removed after each use. Select a position where the display unit will be: • At least 4" (100 mm) away from the compass. • At least 12" (300 mm) away from any radio transmitter. • At least 4 ft (1.2 m) away from any antenna.
Auto power option Basic wiring Fuse Black wire: Connect this to the negative battery terminal. Red Yellow Main switch Red wire: Connect this to the positive battery terminal after the main switch. Fit a 1 Amp fuse as shown. Black 12 V DC NMEA wiring Option (Explorer 438 only) White Wire: Use this, if desired, to connect the fishfinder to other NMEA instruments such as Northstar’s Explorer R310. (See section 6-5 Systems of several instruments.
Explorer R310: Repeater for depth, speed, water temperature and battery voltage. Accepts NavBus or NMEA data inputs from other instruments. Explorer D210: Depth Repeater Explorer 550: Color GPS Chartplotter with worldwide coverage 6-6 Cleaning and maintenance Clean the screen only with a damp cloth and mild detergent when dirty or covered in sea salt. Avoid abrasive cleaners, petrol or other solvents. Cover or remove a transom-mounted transducer when repainting the hull.
1.1" (27.9 mm) 5.0" (126.0 mm) Exp lor er Exp 43 lor 5: 8 er 9m 43 8: 9 m (3.5 7m ") m (3.8 ") 5.0" (126.0 mm) 5.7" (143.5 mm) 1.2" (30.5 mm) 3.5" (88.5 mm) Explorer 435 and 438 Appendix B - Troubleshooting This troubleshooting guide is written with the assumption that the user has read and understood the relevant sections in this manual. It is possible in many cases to solve difficulties without having to send the display unit back to the manufacturer for repair.
3. The fishfinder operates erratically: a) Check that the transducer does not have debris (e.g. weed, plastic bag) caught around it. b) The transducer may have been damaged during launching, running aground or while underway with debris etc. If the transducer has been impacted, it may have been kicked up on the bracket. If it is not physically damaged, reset the transducer back to its original position. (See the Transom Transducer Installation Guide.) c) When the transducer is less that 2 ft (0.
9. Fuel used or remaining seem inaccurate: a) If the engine is run while the fishfinder is powered off, the fishfinder does not record the amount of fuel used during that engine run. Consequently, the Fuel remaining value will be higher than the actual amount of fuel remaining in the tank. To avoid this problem, use the Auto Power Wiring option described in section 6-4 Wiring options. This ensures that the fishfinder powers on automatically whenever the boat’s ignition is switched on.
AMERICAS 30 Sudbury Road, Acton, MA 01720, USA EUROPE Unit 2, Ocean Quay, Belvidere Rd, Southampton, Ph: +1 978.897.6600 SO14 5QY, ENGLAND Ph: +1 800.628.4487 Ph: +44 2380 339922 Fax: +1 978.897.7241 Fax: +44 2380 330345 sales@bntmarine.com northstaruk@northstarnav.
