CLC-200 Operation Manual CONTENTS General Description Specifications Gimbal Unit Assembly and Installation Portable Unit Assembly and Installation Operation Menu Functions Using the Zoom modes Understanding the Colors Typical Indications Frequently Asked Questions Maintenance Troubleshooting Other Vexilar Products Optional Transducers Service and Support 2 3 4 10 14 16 19 20 21 24 25 26 27 30 32 Founded in 1960, Vexilar, Inc.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION The five-color CLC-200 is a compact and light-weight liquid crystal depth sounder. It indicates depth, shows changes in bottom content, and conditions. It can also discriminate between large underwater targets, such as fish, and smaller targets such as bait fish and plankton. The unit transmits bursts of high frequency pulses which are converted from electrical to mechanical energy by the transducer.
SPECIFICATIONS 8 - 17 VDC (12 Volts Nominal) • Operating Voltage: 83 mA • Current Draw: 400 Watts (Peak to Peak) • Power Output: 200 kHz • Frequency: 12˚(Gimbal) / 22˚ (Boundary Waters) • Beam Angle: • Resolution: 192 x 160 Pixels • Sounding Rate: 410/min.
UNIT ASSEMBLY (Gimbal Version) You will need to find a place to mount the CLC-200 that will make it easy to view and reach. You must provide the unit with power and mount the transducer in an effective location. MOUNTING THE UNIT Attach the CLC-200 to the ProMount™ bracket system. First, remove the platform by lifting the tab and pulling it forward, as in figure 4. Use the supplied hardware with locking washers to securely attach your unit to the removable platform section.
your base directly over the hole using the hole cover spacer gasket. Be sure to run cables out the back side of the spacer gasket which has the pre-cut groove. (See figure 5 ) Now mark the center of each of the four holes with a fine point Figure 5 marker or center punch. Pre-drill the mounting holes using a 1/8" drill bit and use the supplied mounting screws. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE SCREWS.
wire to positive and the black wire to negative. If the cord provided is not long enough, more can be added. Use 18 gauge wire minimum. Install the included 1 amp in-line fuse, placed in the positive line, as close to the power source as possible, to protect against shorts in the wiring. ASSEMBLING THE TRANSOM STYLE TRANSDUCER Locate the transducer, and bracket hardware.
With the mounting bracket attached to the transducer, hold it up to the boat where you are planning to mount it. Mark the holes on the transom, or mounting plate, so that when the bottom of the transducer is flush with the bottom of the boat the holes are located at the bottom of the bracket slots. This gives you room to "fine tune" the position of the transducer and optimize your reading after you've put the boat in the water. Ideally, the transducer should be just under the bottom of the boat.
PUCK TRANSDUCER MOUNTING To attach a Puck style transducer to a trolling Figure 8 motor use the large cable tie provided. Notice the slots in the transducer for this purpose. Locate the transducer on the bottom of the lower unit (figure 8). Run the cable up the shaft using smaller cable ties to hold it in position. Make sure that the motions of the trolling motor will not damage the cable. Plug the transducer connector into the back of the unit and screw the retaining ring down tight.
the same size as the transducer, on the inside of the hull. Place the transducer in the glue and press it down firmly, gently twisting it back and forth, making sure that there are no air bubbles in the glue between the transducer and the hull. It is important that you let the glue dry completely before turning the unit on. * If your hull is aluminum, use silicone. This material will flex with the hull at high speeds and in rough water.
UNIT ASSEMBLY (Portable Version) Remove the gimbal knobs from the unit and then remove the rubber washers from the knobs. Set the battery pack down on a table top and place the unit, face down, inside with the top of the unit opposite the battery pack handle. Place one gimbal knob on each side of the unit. Place the metal ends of the carry strap over each knob with the bend pointing outward, away from the threads. Put a flat rubber washer onto each of the threaded shafts to hold the strap ends in place.
ASSEMBLING THE TRANSDUCER Locate the transducer and bracket assembly. This includes: 1 - Transducer 1 - Metal Bracket 1 - Suction Cup 1 - Short Panhead Screw 2 - Short Machine Screws 2 - Nuts 2 - Washers 1 - Safety rope The suction cup installs using the single short screw. Attach it to the hole in the flat bracket as shown in figure 12. Now locate the transducer and the remaining hardware. Install the transducer onto the bracket as shown.
TRANSDUCER MOUNTING The suction cup bracket assembly is designed to be mounted on the side of a canoe or kayak. However, it can also be attached to the transom (back) of a normal fishing boat. Wet the suction cup and press the assembly onto the surface of the hull in the area where you are going the attach it. Slide the assembly up or down until the transducer is completely in the water. You may want to bend the bracket so that the transducer is not pointing off at an angle.
hull materials, including aluminum. However, the transducer is not easily removed after installation. Finding the best location for the transducer before installation is critical. Choose a flat smooth spot near the center of the hull and near the back of the boat. It is a good idea to make a "test run" before you permanently install the transducer to make sure that you can indeed get a reading through your hull at all speeds.
OPERATION The CLC-200’s control panel contains the basic controls you need to operate the unit. For example, Range controls how deep the unit will read and Gain controls how much signal will be displayed on the screen. This section describes in detail the controls of the CLC-200. ON/POWER/OFF This turns the CLC-200 ON and OFF. If you choose to modify any of the control features, your settings will be saved in memory when the unit is turned off or disconnected from power.
MODE During Normal Operation - The Mode button cycles through the three different types of views; Normal, Auto Zoom, and Bottom Lock. Zoom modes will be described in a coming section. While in the Menu - The Mode button is used to toggle between menu choices. The Menu choices will be described in the next section. MENU Pressing the MENU button opens the menu page. Pressing it again will go back to the normal view. Each item in the menu will be explained in the next section.
MENU FUNCTIONS Press the MENU button to enter the CLC-200’s menu page. To select a feature item, press the (1) or the (2) button to move the curser and highlight the desired item. CONTRAST Contrast controls the overall lightness or darkness of the display. Press the (4) button or the (3) to increase or decrease the display contrast to your preference. Contrast adjustments should only be required after large changes in ambient light or if you switch COLOR modes (see COLOR).
select whether this feature is ON or OFF, highlight the item and press the MODE button on the control panel. In general, you will want to use the Automatic Range Control feature. However, there may be times when you want to lock a range setting or switch to a deeper range; for instance, if you want to see the second echo of the bottom. AUTO_G AUTO_G controls the CLC-200’s Automatic Gain Control feature.
B_ALARM B_ALARM controls the Bottom Alarm feature. To select whether this feature is ON or OFF, highlight the item and press the MODE button on the control panel. When this item is ON and highlighted, you can press the (4) button or the (3) to increase or decrease the minimum depth at which the alarm will sound. The bottom alarm makes a series of long beeps. TEMP_ADJ TEMP_ADJ is used to calibrate the optional temperature sensor.
USING THE ZOOM MODES The CLC-200 offers three different types of depth views, Standard, Auto Zoom, and Bottom Lock. Pressing the Mode button on the front panel cycles through the different settings. Standard - This view is the normal depth view. It shows the entire water column from the surface to the bottom. This view shows the maximum amount of history, as it uses the entire width of the graphical view screen. Auto Zoom - This view splits the graphical screen into two parts.
UNDERSTANDING THE COLORS The CLC-200’s color LCD display gives you much more information that a normal single color unit. The 5 different display colors of the CLC-200 represent five different levels of sonar signal strength. This is very useful for helping you determine bottom content, target size and target position. In addition, the CLC-200 offers two different color modes. MODE 1 shows a light background and MODE 2 show a black background.
TYPICAL INDICATIONS If the AUTO_R AND AUTO_G modes are set to on, the CLC-200 will find bottom and adjust the gain for the best view automatically. This can take just a short moment or a few minutes, depending on the depth and conditions. As soon as the bottom begins to sweep across the screen in the graphical view, the digital readout of the depth will appear in the information view. You can determine the general hardness of the bottom by looking at the color content and width of the bottom signal.
SEEING FISH Fish will appear as distinctive targets above or very close to the bottom signal. The colors will help you identify fish from floating debris. If the target appears large in size and contains stronger echo colors, you can assume it's something significant, like a fish. If the target appears smaller or broken up and contains weaker echo colors, you can assume it is bait fish or floating debris.
bottom at a certain boat speed. This is due to all of the air bubbles in the turbulent water. Readjustment of the transducer mounting should solve this problem. SHALLOW WATER OPERATION When the CLC-200 is in the AUTO mode, it automatically senses the bottoms depth and tries to keep the best view at all times. Although the display may not show it, the CLC-200 is monitoring basic sonar signals such as the bottoms second echo and various target's signal strengths.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q - Can the CLC-200 be used for Ice Fishing? A - Yes, but it’s performance may be very limited. LCD depth sounders in general do not work well for ice fishing. The type of display has significant speed and temperature limits as opposed to flasher depth sounders which are more popular for ice fishing. Q - Why doesn’t the CLC-200 have a backlight for night use? A - This unit incorporates a reflective type of color LCD. This technology uses ambient light to illuminate the pixels.
MAINTENANCE Maintenance for the Boundary Waters CLC-200 is very simple. There, simply, is not that much to maintain. Because of this, problems can sneak up on you if you're not careful. The unit should be removed whenever the boat is parked to guard against theft. Don't store it in a place that may fill with water. Power connections need constant checking. Corrosion can develop and cause intermittent or loss of operation.
TROUBLE SHOOTING Symptom Possible Cause Unit will not turn on. Check for proper battery polarity and that you have fully charged, working batteries. Unit is turned on, but there is no display. Battery voltage may be too low. The unit will show no display if the voltage is below 8.5 volts. Unit runs well for a short time, then the unit quits. Bad battery. Check voltage indicator on display to insure you have power remaining. Unit runs and shows display light, but does not read depth.
OTHER VEXILAR PRODUCTS The Edge The Edge, model LC-507, is the ultimate LCD depth sounder. It’s unique design incorporates two transducers running at the same time. The split screen view is like having two different depth finders built into one unit. The LPS-1 Handheld The LPS-1 Handheld depth finder is perfect for finding the right spot. Whether you’re canoeing, ice-fishing, or scuba diving. A push of the button display the depth as an easy to read digital number for ten second before shutting itself off.
BATTERY STATUS INDICATOR The Vexilar Battery Status Indicator works with all 12 volt batteries and can be permanently mounted or used as a portable unit. It monitors your battery constantly as it is discharging and charging. Battery charge status is indicated with highly visible colored LED lights. 12 VOLT SEALED LEAD ACID BATTERY WITH CHARGER This Vexilar Battery was designed for sportsmen on the go, with rugged construction and design features that make it ideal for summer and winter use.
P-160 CARRYING CASE The unique Vexilar Flasher Carrying Case holds your FL-18, CLC-200, or other manufacturer's sonar or GPS. It has space for your transducer, a rechargeable battery, and the Vexilar Battery Status Indicator. The round base is just the right size to fit down inside a standard 5 gallon bucket. 104 DEPTHERM The fishing odds are on your side when you use DEPTHERM.
OPTIONAL TRANSDUCERS HIGH SPEED TRANSDUCERS TB0044 19 Degree Transom Mount High Speed Transducer. Comes with the Mounting Bracket and 25 Feet of Cable. TB0030 9 Degree Transom Mount High Speed Transducer. Comes with the Mounting Bracket and 25 Feet of Cable. TB0045 Dual Beam 9/19 Degree Transom Mount High Speed Transducer. Comes with the Mounting Bracket and 25 Feet of Cable. Built-In Switch Box must be Mounted within 3 Feet of the Depth Finder. TB0084 12 Degree Transom Mount High Speed Transducer.
PUCK STYLE TRANSDUCERS TB0023 1” 19 Degree Puck Transducer. For Mounting on a Electric Trolling Motor, In-Hull Mounting, Portable Use, or Ice Fishing. Comes with 25 Feet of Cable. BK0023 Optional Suction Cup Mount for TB0023. TB0027 2” 9 Degree Puck Transducer. For Mounting on a Electric Trolling Motor, In-Hull Mounting, Portable Use, or Ice Fishing. Comes with 25 Feet of Cable. TB0032 2”Dual Beam 9/19 Degree Puck Transducer.
SERVICE AND SUPPORT If you find that you need help or want to order accessories, feel free to contact us. Please have ready the model number and, if possible, the serial number of your product. If you’re having problems, be sure to read the Trouble Shooting sections first. Address Vexilar, Inc. 200 W. 88th St. Minneapolis, MN, 55420-2752 Telephone (952) 884-5291 (8 am to 5 pm M-F Central Time) Fax (952) 884-5292 Web Site www.vexilar.com Email service@vexilar.
