Lowrance electronic X37TX manual

Pub. 988-0151-121 www.lowrance.com X37TX and X47TX Fish-finding & Depth Sounding Sonars Installation and Operation Instructions[...]

Copyright © 2003 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 o ffers at any time. We reserve the right to do so without [...]

i Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................... 1 Capabilities and Specifications: X37TX and X47TX ......... 1 Installation Instructions ................................................ 2 Installation Preparations.................................................... 2 Transducer Installation ..[...]

ii Display Adjustments ......................................................... 35 Backlights ...................................................................... 35 Display Contrast ............................................................ 36 Battery Voltage .............................................................. 36 Depth Units of Mea[...]

1 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 [...]

2 Sonar Frequency: ...................... 200 kHz. Transducers: .................. A Skimmer  transducer comes packed with your sonar unit. Its 20 ° cone angle offers a wide fish detection area of up to 60º with high sensitivity settings. Operates at boat speeds up to 70 mph (61 kts). Transmitter: ................... 800 watts peak-to-peak; 10[...]

3 1. Determine the approximate location for the sonar unit, so you can plan how and where to route the cables for the transducer and power. This will help you make sure you have enough cable length for the desired configuration. 2. Determine the approximate location for the transducer and its cable route. 3. Determine the location of your battery o[...]

4 Trolling motor installations Tools: two adjustable wrenches, flat-head screwdriver. Supplies: plastic cable ties. Shoot-through hull installations Tools: these will vary depending on yo ur hull's composition. Consult your bo a t de a l er o r ma n u fa c t ur e r . Other tools are a wooden craft stick or similar tool for stirring and applyin[...]

5 5. If possible, route the transducer cable away from other wiring on the boat. Electrical noise from engine wiring, bilge pumps and aerators can be displayed on the sonar's screen. Use caution when routing the transducer cable around these wires. Good and poor transducer locations. How low should you go? For most situations, you should insta[...]

6 If you cruise or fish around lots of structure and cover, your transducer may be frequently kicking up from object strikes. If you wish, you may move the transducer a little higher for more protection. There are two extremes you should avoid. Never let the edge of the mounting bracket extend below the bottom of the hull. Never let the bottom – [...]

7 1. Assembling the bracket. Press the two small plastic ratchets into the sides of the metal bracket as shown in the following illustration. Notice there are letters molded into each ratchet. Place each ratchet into the bracket with the letter "A" aligned with the dot stamped into the metal bracket. This position sets the transd ucer&apo[...]

8 3. Assembling the transducer. Once you determine the correct position for the ratchets, assemble the transducer as shown in the following figure. Don't tighten the lock nut at this time. Assemble transducer and bracket. 4. Drilling mounting holes. Hold the transducer and bracket assembly against the transom. The transducer sh ould be roughly[...]

9 Route cable over bolt and through bracket. Side view shown at left and seen from above at right. 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 seala[...]

10 Caution: If you drill a hole in the transom for the cable, make sure it is located above the waterline. After installation, be sure to seal the hole with the same marine grade above- or below-waterline sealant/adhesive used for the mounting screws. 7. Make a test run to determine the results. If the bottom is lost at high speed, or if noise appe[...]

11 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. Transducer angles and their effects on fish arches. If the arch slopes up – but not back down – then the front of the t[...]

12 WARNING: Do not remove any material from your inner hull unless you know the hull's composition. Careless grinding or cutting on your hull can result in damage that could sink your boat. Contact your boat dealer or manufacturer to confirm your hull specifications. Epoxy the transducer to a solid portion of the hull. For example, some (but n[...]

13 To choose the proper location for shoot-thru-hull mounting, follow these testing procedures: (You may need a helper to complete these steps.) 1. Anchor the boat in about 30 feet of water. Add a little water to the sump of the boat. Plug the transducer into the sonar unit, turn it on, then hold the transducer over the side of the boat in the wate[...]

14 4. Most people can get good results by following steps 1 through 3, so this step is optional . If you want to make an extra effort to be absolutely sure that your selected location will wo rk under all conditions, make a test run with the boat on plane and obse rve the bottom signal. You'll need to figure some way to prop the transd ucer in[...]

15 2. The epoxy consists of the epoxy itself and a hardener. Remove the two compounds from the package and place them on the paper plate. Thoroughly stir the two compounds together until the mixture has a uniform color and consistency. Do not mix too fast or bubbles will form in the epoxy. After mixing, you have 20 minutes to complete the installat[...]

16 power cable when the unit is not in use. When you are not using the unit, you should always shut off power to the power cable, especially when the power cable is disconnected from the unit. Power and transducer connections for the X37TX and X47TX sonar units (direct battery connection shown). If possible, keep the power cable away from other boa[...]

17 Front view (left) and side view (right) showing dimensions of the X3 7 T X a n d X 4 7 T X when mounted on quick release bracket. The swivel base (not shown) adds 0.4" (10 mm) to the height. The swivel base width is 4.25" (10.7 cm) and the depth is 3.12" (79.47 mm). Holes in the bracket’s base allow wood screw or through-bolt mo[...]

18 Align the bracket over the cable hole with the cable slots facing away from you and fit the cable through the slots. Fasten the bracket to the dash using the two screw holes. X37TX and X47TX quick release moun ting bracket. Slots in the base allow routing the cable fr om beneath the mount. Shown on swivel base. Attach the unit to the bracket by [...]

19 Mount the sonar: slide the unit onto the bracket from above. Adjust viewing angle: use one hand to press and release the spring- loaded ratchets while you move the unit with the other hand. Portable Sonar Installation Like many Lowrance products, these sonar units are capable of portable operation. The X3 7 T X a n d X 4 7T X use the optional PP[...]

20 storage compartment for the portable transducer. The PPP-12 can be used with eight AA alkaline batteries. To use a portable power pack, you simply install the batteries and then attach the sonar unit to the power pack's bracket. Plug in the power/transducer cable and you're ready to fish. The PPP-12 has a quick-release mounting bracket[...]

21 against the battery contacts. Also make sure the batteries are oriented correctly in the battery adapter. If it still doesn't work, check the battery voltage. Most of the complaints we hear about portable units result from stale batteries. Make sure you buy fresh ones. In cold weather the efficiency of dry cell batteries drops with the temp[...]

22 Portable transducer assembly: rear view (left) and side view (right.) Clean the chosen area of the hull before attaching the suction cup. Locate the transducer on the hull as shown in the following figure. Don't allow the bracket to extend below the hull, because water pressure against it can cause the suction cup to come off at speed. Mois[...]

23 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 following photo correspond to the following key explanations: X47TX sonar, front view, showing screen and keyboard. 1. PWR/CLEAR (power and clear) This key appears in the manual text simply as PWR . Press this k[...]

24 MEMORY This unit has permanent memory that saves the following user settings when power is turned off: Units of Measure, Fish Alarm, Temp Size, Depth Size, Fish I.D. mode, Nois e Reject mode, Display Contrast, Shallow and Deep alarms. It does not re quire, nor does it use an internal backup battery, so you never have to worry about replacement b[...]

25 depth scale on the left side of the screen. In the following figure, the screen shows a depth range from 0 to 80 feet and the bottom depth is 37.9 feet, shown by the digital sonar. The water temperature is 34.5 ° F. Full Chart page, showing digital depth (above) and temp (below). The factory default setting has the Fish I.D. (fish symbols) turn[...]

26 Sonar chart with scrolling stopped. FULL CHART This shows all echoes scrolling across the full screen. This is the default page. The bottom signal scrolls across the screen from right to left. 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. Opening sc[...]

27 R ANGE S IZE menu. Use the arrow keys to select a desired depth range. When you're finished, press PWR to clear the menu from the display. This unit has the following depth ranges: 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320 and 640 feet. Range Size menu with manual depth range set to 40 feet. This in effect "zooms" or enlarges the display to show t[...]

28 When you Zoom while the unit is in manual depth Range Zoom mode, you can select one of 13 pre-set Zoom Sizes. This lets you enlarge some other particular segment of the water column. To do this, first make sure the de pth Range Zoom is in manual mode. (See previous instructions for De pth Range Zoom.) Next, press the MENU key until the Z OOM men[...]

29 In your unit, auto mode will let you in crease sensitivity to 100 percent, but the unit will limit your minimum setting. This prevents 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 sensiti[...]

30 To adjust sensitivity: Press MENU until the S ENSITIVITY A DJUSTMENT menu appears. Press UP ARROW to increase the sensitivity, DOWN ARROW to decrease it. When it's set at the desired level, press PWR to clear the menu. The sensitivity percentage in use shows in this menu. As you change the setting, echoes scrolling onto the screen will show[...]

31 At left, little Grayline indicates a soft bottom, probably sand or mud. At right, the wider Grayline indicates a harder, rocky bottom. 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. I[...]

32 Fish I.D. is an easier way for a sonar novice to recognize a fishy signal return when he sees it. However, locating fish by symbol only has some limitations. Your sonar unit's microcomputer is soph isticated, but it can be fooled. It can't distinguish between fish an d other suspended objects such as trotlines, turtles, submerged float[...]

33 Fish ID menu and symbol with FishTrack on. The fish is 44 feet deep. CHART SCROLL SPEED The rate that echoes scroll across the screen is called the chart scroll speed. The default for this unit is "max" (100 percent); we recommend that you leave the scroll speed set there for virtually all fishing conditions. However, you might conside[...]

34 ASP is an effective tool in combating noise. In sonar terms, noise is any undesired signal. It is caused by electrical and mechanical sources such as bilge pumps, engine ignition syst ems and wiring, air bubbles passing over the face of the transducer, even vibration from the engine. In all cases, noise can produce unwanted marks on the display.[...]

35 a t one whe n the bot tom goe s de epe r th an it s se tti ng. Both alarms adjust the same way, although through different menus. Shallow Alarm To set the shallow alarm depth, press MENU DOWN repeatedly until S HALLOW A LARM appears. Press UP ARROW to increase the shallow alarm's depth setting or press DOWN ARROW to decrease it. The number [...]

36 DISPLAY CONTRAST The unit’s display contrast is adjustable to suit different lighting conditions. This will help you see the screen from different angles or at various times of the day. The default setting is min (minimum) percent. To adjust the contrast, press MENU DOWN until the D ISPLAY C ONTRAST menu appears. To decrease screen contrast, p[...]

37 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. A message appears occasionally to remind you that the simulator is on. To use the simulator, press MENU DOWN repeatedly until the[...]

38 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[...]

39 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 so nar'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 continu ously. It ma[...]

40 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 determin[...]

41 LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS FULL ONE-YEAR WARRANTY "We," "our," or "us" refers to LOWRAN CE 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 agains[...]

42 How to Obtain Service… …in the USA: We back your investment in quality pr oducts with quick, expert service and genuine Lowrance parts. If you' re in the United States and you have technical, return or repair qu estions, please contact the Factory Customer Service Department. Before any product can be returned, you must call customer se[...]

Accessory Ordering Information for all countries To order Lowrance accessories such as power cables or transducers, 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 [...]

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