New Transducers 250 manual

Fishfinder 250/250C high-resolution sonar owner’ s manual (Fishfinder 250C shown)[...]

© Copyright 2005 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries Garmin International, Inc. 1200 East 151 st Street Olathe, Kansas 66062, U.S.A. T el. 913/397.8200 or 800/800.1020 Fax 913/397.8282 Garmin (Europe) Ltd. Unit 5, The Quadrangle Abbey Park Industrial Estate Romsey , SO51 9DL, U.K. T el. 44/0870.8501241 Fax 44/0870.8501251 Garmin Corporation No. 68, Ja[...]

I NTRODUCTION Thank you for choosing the Garmin ® Fishfinder 250/250C. This product is designed for easy operation and to provide years of reliable service. Operations for the Fishfinder 250 and Fishfinder 250C are the same unless othewise noted. T o ensure that you get the most from the Fishfinder 250/250C, take time to read this Owner ’ s [...]

T ABLE OF C ONTENTS Introduction .........................................................................iii Product Support ............................................................................. iii Product Registration ...................................................................... iii Getting Started ..............................[...]

G ETTING S T ARTED Packing List Before installing and using your Fishfinder 250/250C, check to see that your package includes the following items. The package part number can be found on the outside of the box. If any parts are missing, contact your Garmin dealer immediately . Fishfinder 250 Standard Package (010-00343-00 w/o transducer): • Fis[...]

G ETTING S T ARTED > T RANSDUCERS 2 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual T ransducers The transducer acts as the eyes and ears of your sonar , transmitting sound waves toward the bottom in a cone shape. Proper transducer selection and installation are important to the operation of your unit. Select a transducer that suits the depth of the wate[...]

Installation The Fishfinder 250/250C must be properly installed according to the following instructions to get the best possible performance. T o complete the installation, you need the appropriate fasteners and tools. V erify that all cables can reach the unit mounting location, and take time to read through these instructions prior to installati[...]

G ETTING S T ARTED > I NST ALLA TION 4 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual T o install the swivel-mount bracket: T ools (not included) —Drill, screwdriver (Phillips or standard), and either of the following: • Three #8 (4mm) pan head machine bolts with matching nuts and washers and a 5/32” (5mm) drill bit. • Three #8 pan head self-tap[...]

G ETTING S T ARTED > I NST ALLA TION Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 5 T o install the unit on the bracket 1. Align the slot on the back of the unit with the long mounting knob, and slide the unit into place. Y ou may need to adjust the long mounting knob to spread the bracket arms apart. (T urn counter-clockwise to widen the bracket arms[...]

G ETTING S T ARTED > I NST ALLA TION 6 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual Flush Mounting the Fishfinder 250/250C Unit The Fishfinder 250/250C can be flush mounted on a flat panel. When flush mounting the Fishfinder 250/250C, choose an appropriately sized location for the unit. Use the Flush Mount T emplate provided in the box to determ[...]

G ETTING S T ARTED > I NST ALLA TION Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 7 Connecting the Power/Data Cable The power/data cable connects the Fishfinder 250/250C to a 10-35 V olt DC system and provides interface capabilities for connecting external devices. The color code in the diagram (page 9) indicates the appropriate harness connections. [...]

G ETTING S T ARTED > I NST ALLA TION 8 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual The Fishfinder 250/250C can be connected to another piece of NMEA compatible electronic equipment, such as a Garmin GPS (Global Positioning System). If equipped with a capable transducer , the Fishfinder 250/250C can send depth, temperature, and speed information to [...]

(Red) + 10-35 VDC (Black) - Ground (Power/Data) (Blue) Port 1 Data OUT (Brown) Port 1 Data IN (White) Port 2 Data IN (N/C) (Green) Port 2 Data OUT (Y ellow) Alarm Low GPS/NMEA Device RXD + NMEA Device 10-35 V olts DC Power and RXD - RXD + TXD + Alarm Relay 100ma max coil current T o T ransducer T o Unit DC Positive (RX COM 1) (TX COM 1) (RX COM 2) [...]

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G ETTING S T ARTED > I NST ALLA TION Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 1 1 Shoot-Thru-Hull Installation T o avoid drilling a hole to mount a thru-hull transducer , a transducer may be secured with epoxy inside a boat (“shoot-thru-hull” installation). This type of installation can reduce noise and allow you to use a higher gain setting. [...]

G ETTING S T ARTED > I NST ALLA TION 12 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual T o permanently install the transducer: 1. Lightly sand the surface of the hull and face of the transducer with 400-grit wet or dry sandpaper . 2. Build a dam using strip caulk about 1/4” (6mm) tall. Pour about 1/8” (3mm) of two part, slow cure epoxy in the dam. 3[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE K EYP AD Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 13 B ASIC O PERA TION Using the Keypad ADJ MENU NOTE: Pr ess and r elease a key to activate its primary function. Pr essing and holding a key activates its secondary function (if available). The keypad contains the following keys: ARROW Keys —press to select (highl[...]

Numeric data Depth scale Flasher Current adjustment option Fish arches (simulated) Bottom Thermocline Frequency mode B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE S ONAR P AGE 14 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual Using the Sonar Page The Sonar page is where your Fishfinder 250/250C becomes a powerful fishfinder/flasher . If the unit does not detect a[...]

Wide beam returns Narrow beam returns Fish symbol B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE S ONAR P AGE Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 15 The display may also be set to show a split screen view of a zoomed portion of the sonar , bottom lock (display scaled from the bottom up), or a combination of these options (pages 17-18). For example, you may [...]

Adjustment window Current option Pointer Current adjustment setting Normal setting area B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE A DJUSTMENT M ENU 16 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual Using the Adjustment Menu The Adjustment Menu allows direct access to the settings and features most commonly used on the Sonar page. There are 10 main adjustment opti[...]

2x Zoom view Normal view Depth Line B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE A DJUSTMENT M ENU Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 17 Adjustment Options Adjustment Menu The following adjustments can be made from the Adjustment Menu: • Range —sets the display depth range used for viewing. The unit can be set to automatically track the bottom or set[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE A DJUSTMENT M ENU 18 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual Btm (Bottom) Split ––shows two reduced pictures, the right at the original depth scale and the left showing only sonar returns close to the bottom. The bottom is displayed as a flat line across the bottom of the screen, and returns are shown at their[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE A DJUSTMENT M ENU Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 19 250C and black on the Fishfinder 250. When set at Normal or 1-100% , this option can be used to better determine bottom hardness. See page 34 for more information on this feature. • Frequency —allows you to choose a sonar operation frequency . The fr[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE A DJUSTMENT M ENU 20 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual Pausing the Sonar Page Y ou may pause the Sonar page to stop it from scrolling. The paused screen allows you to take a better look at sonar returns. When in this mode, the word “Paused” is displayed at the bottom of the screen and a Pointer cursor app[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE M AIN M ENU Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 21 Using the Main Menu The Main Menu contains the unit settings that usually do not require frequent change. The Main Menu is divided into eight tabs: Graph, T ools, T emp, Alarms, System, Units, Sonar , and T ime. Each tab is described in more detail in this sect[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE M AIN M ENU 22 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual The following settings are available: • Fish Symbols —controls how the graph shows underwater targets and background information. If the symbols are Off , the unit displays all of the available information about the underwater environment. If the symbols ar[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE M AIN M ENU Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 23 T ools T ab The T ools tab controls the display of useful sonar tools. Main Menu—T ools tab The following settings are available: • Flasher— this option activates a graphic flasher representation, displayed on the right side of the graph. The graphic fl[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE M AIN M ENU 24 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual The following selections require the proper NMEA data (pages 8-9) in order to display information in a data field: Bearing , Compass , Course , Distance to Next , Off Course , Pointer , Position , Speed , Time of Day , T rack , T urn , and VMG . NMEA Input/Out[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE M AIN M ENU Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 25 T emp (T emperature) T ab The T emp tab displays the water temperature log (if equipped with a temperature transducer/sensor). The graph reads from right to left, so the most recent temperature measured is displayed on the far right side of the graph. The dotte[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE M AIN M ENU 26 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual Sonar alarms: • Fish —sets an alarm/icon to sound/display when the unit detects a fish of the specified symbol size. • Shallow W ater/Deep W ater— sets alarms to sound for when you enter areas of specified depth that are too shallow or too deep. • [...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE M AIN M ENU Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 27 System T ab The System tab controls various system and interface settings. Main Menu—System tab The following settings are available: • Beeper— controls audible beep. Select from Off , Alarms Only (sounds for alarms/messages), or Key and Alarm (sounds for[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE M AIN M ENU 28 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual Units T ab The Units tab defines units of measure. Main Menu—Units tab The following settings are available: • Depth— select units of measure for depth in Feet (ft) , Fathoms (fa) , or Meters (m) . • T emperatur e— select units of measure for tempera[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE M AIN M ENU Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 29 The following settings are available: • W ater T ype— allows you to select either Fr esh or Salt to ensure accurate readings on the unit. Sound waves travel at different rates through each type. • Depth Number— controls the efficiency of the digital de[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U SING THE M AIN M ENU 30 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual T o calibrate the water speed: 1. Use the ARROW keys to highlight Calibrate W ater Speed and press ENTER . 2. Bring the boat to a cruising speed. Both the top GPS ground speed and uncalibrated water speed will be shown at the bottom of the calibration window . [...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U NDERST ANDING S ONAR Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 31 Understanding Sonar If you are unfamiliar with basic sonar or need help determining what appears on the graph, this section may benefit you. This section is intended to teach the novice user how the Fishfinder 250/250C operates and how it can help improve fi[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U NDERST ANDING S ONAR 32 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual T ransducer Coverage The area covered by the transmitted sound waves is determined by the cone angle of the transducer and the water depth. Cone angles may vary among different types of transducers. For example, a 50kHz frequency may provide a wide 40° cone an[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U NDERST ANDING S ONAR Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 33 Understanding the Graph It is important to understand that the unit does not display a 3-D representation of the underwater environment. The unit can display multiple items at the same time and determine when they were received but not where they originated. Ex[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U NDERST ANDING S ONAR 34 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual Whiteline The Fishfinder 250/250C can help you to determine if the bottom is hard or soft. When the sonar soundwaves are reflected back by the bottom, a hard bottom returns a stronger signal than a soft bottom. A thin whiteline indicates a softer bottom while[...]

B ASIC O PERA TION > U NDERST ANDING S ONAR Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 35 Thermoclines One feature unique to Garmin is See-Thru ® technology . See-Thru technology allows the Fishfinder 250/250C to “see” through thermoclines and locate fish where they live—and fish love thermoclines. A rough definition of a thermocline is a[...]

A PPENDIX > P HYSICAL S PECIFICA TIONS , C LEANING AND S TORAGE 36 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual A PPENDIX Physical Specifications Size: 6.1" W x 4.9" H x 2.9" D (15.5 cm x 12.5 cm x 7.4 cm) Weight: 1.1 lbs . (0.5 kg) Display: (Fishfinder 250) 4.5" diagonal (11.4 cm), 3.2” W x 32” H (8.1 cm x 8.1 cm) high-contr[...]

Messages and Alarms The Fishfinder 250/250C uses an on-screen alert message system. Press the ENTER key to acknowledge a message. Battery Alarm— The battery’ s voltage has fallen below the value entered in the Battery Alarm setup. Battery V oltage High— The input voltage is too high; the unit will shut off. Y ou must lower the input voltage.[...]

A PPENDIX > S OFTW ARE L ICENSE A GREEMENT , L IMITED W ARRANTY 38 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual Software License Agreement BY USING THE FISHFINDER 250/250C, YOU AGREE T O BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE FOLLOWING SOFTW ARE LICENSE AGREEMENT . PLEASE READ THIS AGREEMENT CAREFULL Y . Garmin grants you a limited license to use[...]

A PPENDIX > L IMITED W ARRANTY Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 39 number . The unit should be securely packed with the tracking number clearly written on the outside of the package. The unit should then be sent, freight charges prepaid, to any Garmin warranty service station. A copy of the original sales receipt is required as the proof o[...]

I NDEX 40 Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual I NDEX A Accessories 2 Adjustment Menu 16 Advanced Data Fields 23 Alarms 25 Alarms T ab 25 ARROW Keys 13 Automatic Scroll Speed 29 B Background Color 22 Backlight 13 Basic display 23 Battery Alarm 26 Beeper 27 Bottom Lock 18 Bottom Split 18 C Calibrate W ater Speed 29, 30 Cleaning 36 Color , Backgrou[...]

I NDEX Fishfinder 250/250C Owner ’s Manual 41 Reset Odometer 27 Reset Scale 25 S Scale 22 Scroll 19, 20 Scroll Speed 29 Setting an Alarm 26 Set Up T ab 33 Shallow W ater Alarm 26 Simulator 27 Size Split 19 Software V ersion 27 Sonar , Understanding 31, 32, 34 Sonar Page 14 Span 18 Specifications 36 Speed Units 28 Split Screen 17, 19 Storage 36 [...]

© Copyright 2005 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries Garmin International, Inc. 1200 East 151 st Street, Olathe, Kansas 66062, U.S.A. Garmin (Europe) Ltd. Unit 5, The Quadrangle, Abbey Park Industrial Estate, Romsey , SO51 9DL, U.K. Garmin Corporation No. 68, Jangshu 2 nd Road, Shijr , T aipei County , T aiwan www .garmin.com Part Number 190-00328-00 [...]