Lowrance electronic X51 manual

Pub. 988-0105-951 www.lowrance.com X51 and X58DF Fish-finding & Depth Sounding Sonars Installation and Operation Instructions[...]

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

i Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................. 1 Capabilities and Specificat ions: X51 an d X58DF ........................ 1 Installation .................................................................................. 2 Transducer In stallation .................................[...]

ii System Setup ............................................................................ 44 Backlight s ................................................................................ 44 Display Co ntrast ..................................................................... 44 Depth Units of Measure.............................................[...]

1 Introduction Thank you for buying a Lowrance  sonar! Your unit is a high-quality sonar designed for both professi onal 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 (o r 50/200 kHz – X58DF only). Transducers: .................. A dual-fr equency 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 6[...]

3 both single- and dual-frequency Skimmer transducers. Please read all instructions before proceed ing 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-p[...]

4 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[...]

5 Align transducer centerline with hull bottom. However, there are times when you may need to adjust the transducer slightly higher or lower. (The slot s in the mounting brackets allow you to loosen the screws and slide the tr ansducer up or down.) If you fre- quently lose bottom signal lock while running at high speed, the trans- ducer may be comi[...]

6 The following instructions sometime s 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-piec[...]

7 Add ratchets to bracket and transducer. 2. Aligning the transducer on the transom. A. One-piece bracket: Slide the transducer between the two ratch- ets. Temporarily slide the bolt though the transducer assembly and hold it against the transom. Lookin g at the transducer from the side, check to see if it will adjust so that its face is parallel t[...]

8 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 i[...]

9 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 trans- ducer[...]

10 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[...]

11 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 trans- ducer bracket down. This puts the transducer deeper into the water, hopefully below the turbulence ca using the noise. Don't allow the transducer bracket to go below the bottom of the hull! TROLLING MO[...]

12 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 th e 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 [...]

13 transducer installation can be made on hulls with flotation materials (such as plywood, balsa wood or fo am) between layers of fiberglass if the material is removed from the chosen area. 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, finishi[...]

14 cation that shot through the hull th e best and follow the instructions on the following pages for a shoot-thru-hull mounting. 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 a[...]

15 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 wi th the hull, with a minimum amount of epoxy between the hull and tr ansducer. After the epoxy dries, route the cable to the sonar unit. Speed/Temperature Sensors The X51 and X5[...]

16 X51 or X58DF with external speed sensor. A temperature sensor is built into the transducer. X51 using a transducer without built-in temperature sensor. In this example, an external temperature sensor is used. MY-4X Cable MY-4X Cable X51 or X58DF rear view Temperature sensor built into transducer TS-1X temperature sensor Transducer with no temper[...]

17 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 acces- sory ordering information inside the back[...]

18 Stern view showing good location for mounting sensor on transom. Speed sensor mounting configuration: side view (left) and rear view (right.) If the base of the transom has a ra dius, fill the gap between the tran- som and the sensor with the caulki ng compound. This will help ensure a smooth water flow. Route the sensor's cable through or [...]

19 Power connections for the X51 and X58DF sonar unit. If possible, keep the power cable away from other boat wiring, espe- cially the engine's wires. This will provide the best isolation from elec- trical noise. If the cable is not lo ng enough, splice #18 gauge wire onto it. The power cable has two wires, red and black. Red is the positive l[...]

20 In-dash mounting template for X51 and X58DF sonars, showing dimen- sions. NOTE: The figure above is not printed to scale. A scaled template is available for free download from our web site, www.lowrance.com. Bracket Installation Mount the unit in any convenient loca tion, provided there is clearance when it’s tilted for the best viewin g angle[...]

21 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 ma- rine caulking compound. (Some mari ne dealers stock cable hole covers to conceal the opening.) No matter what type of installation you prefer, be sure to le[...]

22 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 opti onal sealed, rechargeable battery. For set-up directi[...]

23 NOTE: For optimum operation, the portable transducer should be adjusted so that it is parallel to the gro und. 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 pho[...]

24 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 , respec- tively.) Most of the time, the inst ructions require you to press either menu key, so the text simply uses the word MENU . Usually, when we say MENU , you can simply p[...]

25 All you have to do to leave on e menu and enter another is press MENU re- peatedly. 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 – Openin[...]

26 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 mo des, or "Pages:" Full Chart page, Split Chart page, Large Digital page and Flasher page. The X58DF also has a Dual Frequency page. The P[...]

27 the depth of fish, structure, and othe r 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 yo ur s p ee d se n so r is co n- nected, digital displays for speed and temperature will also be shown. Full Chart page, showing digital depth at top[...]

28 DUAL-FREQUENCY SPLIT CHART (X58DF only) This page shows sonar data from th e 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. Yo[...]

29 Lrg DIGITAL (Large Digital) The Large Digital page shows all information in big numbers. The digi- tal depth display is at the top of this screen, followed by the tempera- ture, 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[...]

30 RANGE When turned on for the first time , the unit automatically adjusts the depth range according to water cond itions. 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 R ANGE menu appears. Use the arrow keys to se[...]

31 To set upper and lower limits, press MENU until the R ANGE menu ap- pears. Press DOWN ARROW to select U SE UL/LL , then press MENU UP to open the Upper Limit menu. Use the arrow keys to select the u pper 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[...]

32 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 th e 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 sc[...]

33 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 clutte r appears on the screen. Decreasing the sensitivity can reduce the clu tter and show the strongest fish ech- oes, if fish are present. As you cha[...]

34 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 ma ke minor adjustments to the sensi- tivity level, with a bias toward the setting you selected. Adjusting sensitivity in Manual Sensit ivity Mode is similar to driving a ca[...]

35 NOTE: If you want to change the sensitiv ity in Manual Mode, first turn off Auto Sensitivity: press MENU until the S ENSITIVITY A UTOMATIC /M ANUAL menu appears. P re s s DOWN ARROW to select M ANUAL , then press PWR to clear the menu. To adjust the sensitiv ity, follow the same steps used for adjusting sensitivity in auto mode above. GRAYLINE ?[...]

36 Press UP ARROW to increase the level or press DOWN ARROW to de- crease 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 Fi[...]

37 You may see Fish I.D. symbols on the s creen 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 inter- preting sonar returns in a specific wa y to help take some of the work out of reading the screen. Remember: Fi sh I[...]

38 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 ech- oes as black and the strongest in light gray. Since all weak echoes are black[...]

39 At left, standard FishReveal mode. Right, Inverted Fish Reveal mode. CHART SCROLL SPEED and HYPERSCROLL  The rate that echoes scroll across th e 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 consi[...]

40 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 al so need to manually decrease the sensitivity for best performance. Depending on water conditions, Hy- perScroll may c[...]

41 The ASP noise rejection feature is es pecially useful because it typically lets you operate the boat at all sp eeds without adjusting the sensitivity or other controls. Noise Reject menu. The ASP feature has four setting s — Off, Low, Medium and High. When first turned on, noise rejectio n is set on low. If you have high noise levels, try usin[...]

42 To turn off the fish alarm without turning off fish symbols, press MENU DOWN until F ISH A LARM appears. Press DOWN ARROW to select O FF , then press PWR to clear the menu. Repeat the above steps to turn the alarm back on, but press UP ARROW to select O N before clearing the menu. Fish Alarm menu. Depth Alarms The depth alarms are triggered only[...]

43 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 alar m’s setting, an alarm tone sound[...]

44 SYSTEM SETUP To customize the display, press MENU DOWN until the S YSTEM S ETUP 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[...]

45 To adjust the contrast, press MENU DOWN until the S YSTEM menu ap- pears, press UP ARROW , and the C ONTRAST menu appears. To decrease screen contrast, press the DOWN ARROW key. Press the UP ARROW key to increase screen contrast. The ba r graph in the Contrast menu box shows a graph of the contrast. The s creen will also show the effects of the [...]

46 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 S YSTEM menu appears. Press UP ARROW , then press MENU until the T EMPERATURE menu appears. Use the arrow keys to select the measurement unit, then press [...]

47 RESET DISTANCE LOG You can reset the distance log to zero with this command. Press MENU DOWN until S YSTEM appears, then press UP ARROW . Press MENU until the R ESET L OG 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 fe atur[...]

48 SYSTEM INFO To show the operating software system information, press MENU DOWN until the S YSTEM menu appears, then press UP ARROW . Press MENU DOWN until the S YSTEM I NFO screen appears. Press PWR to clear the screen. System Info screen. SIMULATOR This unit has a built-in simulator th at shows a simulated bottom signal with fish signals. This [...]

49 NOTE: If you turn on your unit before a ttaching a transducer, it may enter a demo mode. The words "demo mo de" 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 auto- matically stop as soon as you turn on the unit with a transducer[...]

50 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[...]

51 The default frequency is 200 kHz, whic h is best for use in shallow water (about 300 feet or less). This freque ncy 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 fre- quency is the best choice. The 200 kHz transducer wi[...]

52 Menus for changing digital number size. SCALES The depth scale between the upper an d 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 [...]

53 Troubleshooting If your unit is not working, or if yo u need technical help, please use the following troubleshooting section befo re contacting the factory customer service department. It may save you the trouble of returning your unit for repair. For contact information, refe r to the last page, just inside the back cover of this manual. Unit [...]

54 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 si gnal while it's in the automatic mode, the digital sonar display will flash continuously. It may[...]

55 NOISE A major cause of sonar problems is electrical noise. This usually ap- pears on the sonar's display as random patterns of dots or lines. In se- vere 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 d[...]

56 Notes[...]

57 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[...]

58 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 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 electr onic equipment or other consumer electronics should be able to assist you with these items. To locate a Low[...]

Visit our web site: Lowrance Pub. 988-0105-951 © Copyright 2002 All Rights Reserved Printed in USA 092402 Lowrance Electronics, Inc.[...]