Lowrance electronic LCX-15MT manual

75 INST ALLA TION AND OPERA TION INSTRUCTIONS LCX-15 MT TM WWW .LO WRANCE.COM[...]

Cop yright © 2001 Lowrance Electronics, Inc. All rights reser v ed. LCX-15MT is a trademark of Lowrance Electronics, Inc. Lowrance ® is a registered trademark of Lowrance Electronics , Inc. W ARNING! USE THIS UNIT ONL Y AS AN AID T O NA VIGA TION. A CAREFUL NA VI- GA T OR NEVER RELIES ON ONL Y ONE METHOD T O OBT AIN POSI- TION INFORMA TION. Never[...]

This de vice complies with P ar t 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the f ollowing two conditions: (1) this device ma y not cause har mful interf erence, and (2) this device must accept any interf erence received, including interference that ma y cause undesired operation. Note: This equipment has been tested and f ound to comply with th[...]

GPS OPERA TION ............................................ 28 Introduction to GPS ...................................... 28 Finding Y our Position ..................................... 30 Auto Search ............................................ 30 Manual Initialization ................................. 30 P osition Acquisition ....................[...]

1 INTRODUCTION Thank you f or purchasing a Lo wrance product. No other combination so- nar/GPS receiver has the f eatures of the LCX-15MT . Countless hours went into the design of this product. We hope that y ou enjoy using it as much as we ha ve. The LCX-15MT is sold with many diff erent accessor ies. Some are pack ed with a GPS receiver , MMC, an[...]

2 T ransducers (cont.) Model P ar t # 200 kHz “Pod” T ransducer .......... PD-WDX ....................... 106-27 w/o temp f or shoot-thr u hull 50/200 kHz Dual F req. ............... HS-50/200-DX .............. 106-23 “Skimmer” High Speed T ransom mount with temp sensor 50/200 kHz Dual F req. ............... THST -50/200-DX .......... 106-2[...]

3 P ower Connections This unit operates from a 12-v olt batter y system. F or the best results, connect the pow er cable to the in-line fuse holder and attach it directly to the batter y . The power cable can be attached to an accessory or power buss , howe ver there could be problems with electrical interf erence using this method. Therefore, it?[...]

4 T o pre vent electr ical interference , route the power , transducer , and GPS cables a wa y from other wir ing, especially the engine’ s wiring har ness. VHF radio antenna cab les radiate noise when transmitting, so be cer tain to keep the unit’ s wires awa y from it, also. NMEA/DGPS NMEA is a standard communications f or mat for marine elec[...]

5 COM-1 LCX-15MT FROM GPS RECEIVER ORANGE (RECEIVE) SHIELD (GROUND) NMEA TRANSMIT GROUND The LCX-15MT can accept position inf or mation from any GPS receiver that transmits NMEA 0183 data. Use the wir ing diagram shown abo ve f or NMEA input to the LCX-15MT . See page 25 and 26 f or NMEA and DGPS com por t setup instr uctions. Accessory Connections[...]

6 X-15 MT Sonar Connector “Y” Adapter Cab le (P acked with Speed/T emp Sensor) T emper ature Sensor Speed/T emp Sensor X-15 MT Sonar Connector T emperature and Speed/T emperature Installation Examples To T ransducer To T ransducer To Additional T emp. o r Speed Sensors (if needed) To Additional Te m p . Sensors (if needed)[...]

7 MMC This unit can use up to two MMC (MultiMediaCard) car tridges. They store the maps, w aypoint and route inf or mation, sonar data, and more. T o install a MMC car tr idge, twist the dra wer retainer counter-clockwise and pull. The drawer will come out of the unit. Place the MMC car tr idge F A CE DOWN. (see above) Slide the dr awer bac k into [...]

8 KEYBO ARD The ke yboard has keys arranged in two v er tical columns beneath the arrow k eys. The menu key near the bottom left corner of the keyboard activ ates the first menu page. The other k eys are used to zoom the dis- pla y , change modes, and other functions. ZOUT/ZIN - These ke ys “zoom” the map or the sonar screen in and out. P A GES[...]

9 SONAR OPERA TION P A GES T ur n the unit on by pressing the PWR/LIGHT ke y . If the sonar screen is not showing, press the P A GES key . A menu similar to the one at right appears. Press the left or right arrow ke y to highlight the Sonar label. This giv es you f our selections: Full Sonar Char t, Split Zoom Sonar Char t, Split (Dual) F requency [...]

10 Split Zoom Sonar Chart A split char t shows the underwa- ter world from the surf ace to the bottom on the right side of the screen. The left side sho ws an enlarged v ersion of the r ight side. The zoom range shows at the bottom left corner of the screen. In this e xample, the zoom range is 2X, or two times the right side’ s view . Split Frequ[...]

11 Customizing the Digital/Chart Screen The Digital/Char t screen can be customized to show diff erent digi- tal data than the def aults shown on the screen at the bottom of page 8. T o customize this screen, press the MENU k ey while the Digital/Char t screen is showing. Scroll down to the bottom of this menu to the Customize label and select it. [...]

12 SONAR OPTIONS Sensitivity The sensitivity controls the ability of the unit to pic k up echoes. A low sensitivity le vel e xcludes much of the bottom info r mation, fish signals, and other target inf or mation. High sensitivity levels let y ou see this detail, but it can also clutter the screen with man y undesired signals. T ypically , the best [...]

13 select “Auto Sensitivity” and press the ENT ke y . T o tur n it off, repeat the abov e steps. Press the EXIT key to erase the menu. GRA YLINE ® GRA YLINE lets y ou distinguish between strong and weak echoes. It “paints” gr ay on targets that are stronger than a preset v alue. This allows you to tell the diff erence between a hard and so[...]

14 range that’ s highlighted. The r ange numbers that are gra y cannot be se- lected. When y ou’re finished, press the EXIT k ey to erase the menu. RANGE - Manual Y ou ha ve complete control ov er the range when the unit is in the manual mode. T o change the range, first turn the automatic depth range off by pressing the MENU ke y , then select[...]

15 tom can be shown, which enlarges targets to best suit y our fishing needs and water conditions . ZOOM “Zooming” the display is a com- mon method used to enlarge small detail, fish signals, and the bottom with its asscociated struc- ture. This unit lets y ou z oom the display quic kly and easily by pressing the ZIN ke y . Pressing it once dou[...]

16 The cursor can be mov ed to any location on the screen, letting you pinpoint the depth of a target. T o show the depth cursor , press the MENU ke y , then select “Depth Cursor”. Press the ENT key . The cursor appears at the top of the screen. Use the arrow ke ys to mo ve the cursor to the desired depth. Erase the depth cursor b y pressing th[...]

17 T ransducer Frequency This unit operates from both 200 kHz and 50 kHz. The default frequency is 200 kHz. It’ s best for use in shallow w ater . The 50 kHz frequency is best f or deep water , especially saltwater . Use the arrow k eys to highlight the desired frequency , then press the ENT ke y to select it. Surface Clarity The markings extendi[...]

18 SONAR FEA TURES (cont.) Fish Symbols The Fish Symbols f eature identi- fies targets that meet cer tain con- ditions as fish. The microcom- puter analyses all echoes and eliminates surf ace clutter , ther- moclines, and other signals that are undesirab l e. In most in- stances, remaining targets are fish. The Fish Symbols feature displa ys symbol[...]

19 LOG SONAR CHART D A T A If you ha ve a MMC installed in the unit, the sonar data shown on the screen can be sav ed to the MMC. This can be pla yed back at any time. T o sav e the char t data, press the MENU ke y , then select “Log So- nar Char t Data”. The screen at right appears. T o sav e data using the defaults on this screen, highlight ?[...]

20 A UDIO The v ar ious sounds that the unit makes can be customiz ed to your own taste . Press the MENU ke y twice , then select “Sounds” from the main menu. The screen at right appears. The volume control on the right side of the menu adjusts the au- dio lev el for all sounds. T o change it, select “V olume”, press the ENT k ey , then adj[...]

21 DEPTH ALARMS The depth alarms sound a tone when the bottom signal goes shallower than the shallow alarm’ s setting or deeper than the deep alarm’ s setting. F or e xample, if y ou set the shallow alar m to ten feet, the alarm will sound a tone if the bottom signal is less than ten f eet. It will contin ue to sound until the bottom goes deepe[...]

22 highlight the “Enabled” bo x in the Zone Alar m bo x, then press the ENT ke y . T o adjust the zone alarm, highlight the “Adjust Zone” label, then press the ENT ke y . A screen similar to the one at right appears. The zone alarm bar shows on the screen to the right of the zoom bar . Any echo - fish, bottom, structure, etc will trigger th[...]

23 Keel Offset Nor mally , this unit measures water depth from the face of the transducer . Since the transducer is below the surf ace of the water , this distance is not the e xact water depth. If the transducer is one f oot below the surface , and the screen shows the water depth as 30 f eet, then the depth is actually 31 f eet. Y ou can calibrat[...]

24 speed sensor input - not the GPS. This distance (called W ater Distance) can be reset to zero using the “Reset W ater Distance” label on the “Sonar Setup” menu. Simply highlight “Reset W ater Distance” and press the ENT k ey . The menus automatically erase and the water distance displa y is reset to 0.00. Sonar Simulator This unit ha[...]

25 T o change the units, select “Units of Measure” from the “System Setup” menu. Highlight the de- sired label with the arrow k eys, then press the ENT ke y to change it. Press the EXIT key when you’ re finished. Set Local Time The GPS requires the local time and date f or its initialization and the time and date are sav ed when a wa ypoi[...]

26 If you ha ve any other Magna vo x or Star link compatible DGPS receiv er connected to this unit, (including a Lowrance DGPS receiv er) you ma y need to change the settings. T o do this, select “Configure DGPS” Configure DGPS This unit will recognize Starlink® and Magna vo x® automatic DGPS receivers . If you ha ve ei- ther one of these rec[...]

27 Note: Reset Options does not erase any w aypoints, routes , or plot trails. P opup Help Help is av ailable f or vir tually all of the menu labels on this unit. By high- lighting a menu item and leaving it highlighted f or a few seconds , a “popup” message appears that describes the function of the the menu item. This f eature is on by def au[...]

28 f erent location, select “Choose P osition” and enter the ne w position. The unit recalculates the sun and moon data f or the location that you entered. Press the EXIT ke y to erase this screen. GPS OPERA TION NO TE: A LGC-12S GPS module or an exter nal GPS receiv er with NMEA output must be attached to this unit in order to use the position[...]

29 The system requires three satellites in order to deter mine a position. This is called a 2D fix. It takes f our satellites to deter mine both position and ele vation (your height abo ve sea le vel - also called altitude .) This is called a 3D fix. Remember , the unit must hav e a clear view of the satellites in order to receiv e their signals. U[...]

30 FINDING Y OUR POSITION A uto Search T o lock onto the satellites, the GPS receiv er needs to know it’ s current position, UTC time, and date. (Ele vation (altitude) is also used in the equa- tion, but it’ s rarely required to deter mine a position.) It needs this data so that it can calculate which satellites should be in view . It then sear[...]

31 right appears. Now press the MENU ke y . Select “INITIALIZE GPS”. A screen similar to the one below right appears. Use the ar- row k eys to mo ve the crosshairs to your appro ximate location on the map . Y ou can use the ZIN and ZOUT ke ys to enlarge the map which makes it easier and f aster to find your location. The box at the bottom of th[...]

32 tude is flashing, simply ignore the altitude displa y until it quits flashing.) REMEMBER, DO NO T NA VIGA TE WITH THIS UNIT UNTIL THE NUM- BERS ST OP FLASHING! Require DGPS Nor mally , the unit will flash the position and navigation data when it loses the satellite fix, but it does not flash the data when it loses the DGPS fix. If y ou want the [...]

33 The GPS receiv er is tr acking satellites that are in bold type. The receive r hasn’t lock ed onto a satellite if the number is gra yed out, theref ore it isn’t being used to solve the position. Beneath the circular graph are the bar gr aphs, one f or each satellite in view . Since the unit has tw elve channels, it can dedicate one channel p[...]

34 When navigating to a wa ypoint, the Navigation screen looks lik e the one at right. Y our ground speed, trac k, distance and bear- ing to wa ypoint, and course are all shown digitally on this screen. Closing speed is also known as v elocity made good. It’ s the speed that you’ re making tow ards the wa ypoint. The current cross track error i[...]

35 (Note: Maps must be downloaded from a MapCreate™ CD-R OM onto a MMC . The MMC must be installed into the unit bef ore maps will show on the screen. If your unit came with a MMC, MMC Interf ace , and CD-R OM, then follo w the instr uctions in the separate booklet. If these items were not included with your unit, then y ou will need to purchase [...]

36 “T wo P osition Formats” is similar to “Digital Data”, except it adds two present position bo xes , one showing latitude/longitude and the other shows the present po- sition in UTM. “T wo Maps” shows two maps side-by-side . Y ou can customize d each map with diff erent settings. F or example, the map on the left can ha ve a zoom rang[...]

37 T o tur n the cursor on, simply press the arrow k ey in the direc- tion you w ant the cursor to move . This lets you vie w areas on the plotter that are aw ay from your present position. The zoom-in and zoom-out k eys work from the cursor’ s position when it’ s active - not the present position. Y ou can zoom in on any detail, an ywhere. The[...]

38 as the initial bearing to the waypoint. A “N” sho ws to help you see which direction is nor th when either the track-up or course-up mode is on. In the nor th-up view shown at right, we’ re trav elling southeast. In this view , the present position indicator appears to mov e to- wards the lo wer r ight side of the screen. In the tra ck-up [...]

39 A uto Zoom This receiv er has an autozoom feature that eliminates much of the b utton pushing that competitive units f orce you to mak e. It works in conjunction with the navigation f eatures. First, recall a waypoint. (See the wa ypoint section f or more information on navigating to a wa ypoint.) Then, with the autozoom mode on, the unit z ooms[...]

40 Map Categories Drawn This menu determines which of the mapping f eatures are shown on the screen. This includes, wa ypoints, trails, icons, cities, highwa ys, etc. Y ou can selectively tur n on or off any of these items , customizing the map to your needs. T o change the map detail shown, press the MENU ke y , then select “Map Catagories Drawn[...]

41 appears with the icon placed at the cursor crosshairs. Press the EXIT key to erase the cursor . Icons can be erased from the plotter individually , all of a spe- cific type, or all at once . T o make changes to the icons, press the MENU ke y , then select “Delete My Icons”. The screen shown at right appears. The “Delete All Icons” select[...]

42 The list of sav ed trails shows on this screen. The check mark next to the trail’ s name means that this trail is displa yed on the map . An arrow on the right side of the screen points to the trail that’ s currently in use, ne xt to the num- ber of points in the trail. There can be up to 10 plot trails sav ed with up to 10,000 points per tr[...]

43 Y ou can change this to the distance and bear ing from one point to the ne xt (leg), trav el time to each point, or arr ival time f or each point. T o change this data, select “Displa y Data”, then press the ENT ke y . Select the de- sired data from the list and press the EXIT ke y . If you select the “Navigate” button, the unit will ret[...]

44 T rail Options This menu lets you change the wa y the trail updates occur . The options are automatic, time, or distance. When it’ s in the auto- matic mode, the unit doesn’t up- date the plot trail while y ou’re tr av- elling in a straight line . Once you de viate from a straight line, the unit “drops” a plot point onto the trail. Thi[...]

45 W A YPOINTS This GPS receiver giv es you the ability to create y our own database of locations, called “waypoints”. Y ou can sav e your present position, cursor position, or enter a coordinate and sa ve it as a wa ypoint. For e xample, y ou may wish to store the location of your boat doc k as a wa ypoint before star ting on a tr ip. When y o[...]

46 Saving a New P osition T o sav e a position other than the cursor’ s or the present position as a wa ypoint, first press the WPT ke y . The “Find W a ypoint” menu appears. “My W aypoints” is high- lighted. Press the right arrow ke y to mov e to the Subcategor y sec- tion. Now highlight “Ne w” and press the ENT ke y . The screen at [...]

47 A verage P osition This f eature averages y our posi- tion. This helps to eliminate errors in the position due to atmospheric eff ects and other conditions. When the “Av erage P osition” menu item is selected, a screen similar to the one at right appears. The small plotter screen shows y our present position. The n um- ber of positions used [...]

48 “Edit W a ypoint” returns the unit to the “Edit W a ypoint” menu descr ibed on page 46. “Delete W aypoint” removes the w a ypoint from the list. W A YPOINT NA VIGA TION This unit makes it easy to na vigate to an y w aypoint. All you ha v e to do is press the WPT key , select the wa ypoint, then select “Go T o W aypoint” on the W [...]

49 The bo x with the “S” in it was your starting location when the waypoint was recalled. The dotted line is called a course line and is the shor test path from the star ting location to the destination. The “D” is the cursor destination, when the cursor position is used as a destination. If you f ol- low the course line , you’ll reach th[...]

50 The Man Overboard symbol is also placed on the map screen in the appropriate location. Y ou can use the map screen to na vi- gate to the Man Overboard loca- tion, if you so desire . T o stop the unit from showing navigation to the man o verboard position, see the Cancel Naviga- tion section below . Remember , sa ving the victim is the pr imar y [...]

51 Create a Route T o create a route, first press the MENU ke y twice , highlight the “Route Planning” label, and press the ENT ke y . The screen shown at right appears. This unit can store up to 100 routes. T o create a route , highlight “New Route” and press the ENT k ey . The screen at r ight appears. The route’ s name appears at the u[...]

52 so “Saved” was chosen. A new menu appears, letting y ou choose from the list of names or from the nearest wa ypoint to your present position. In this example, “Name” was chosen. The screen at right appears. Select the first wa ypoint for the route from the list and press the ENT k ey . The screen at r ight ap- pears. Data f or the select[...]

53 Follow a Route T o navigate a route, press the MENU ke y twice, then select “Route Planning”. Using the ar- row ke ys, highlight “Saved Routes” and press the ENT key . Select the desired route from the list. The “Edit Route” screen ap- pears ne xt. Now highlight “Navigate” and press the ENT ke y . The unit imediately begins showi[...]

54 and speed in the bo x es provided on simulator screen. The altitude is also adjustable . T o use the GPS simulator , press the MENU ke y twice, than select “GPS Setup”, then “GPS Simulator”. The screen at the bottom of the previous page appears. Make the desired settings, then turn the simulator on by highlighting the “Simulator On” [...]

55 tems, y ou must be in the respectiv e country . This unit will pick the match- ing datum f or you when you select the grid. See the Datums section fo r more inf or mation. The militar y grid reference system (MGRS) uses tw o gr id lettering schemes, which are ref erred to as standard and alter nate MGRS on this unit. Y our position and datum in [...]

56 measure up four inches and to the left a half-inch from the ref erence point on the map to find your location. T o use this fo r mat, you need to f ollow these steps in order . First, take y our map of the area and determine a reference latitude/longitude. (Note: in order for this system to w o rk, the latitude/longitude lines must be parallel w[...]

57 wo r ld, or just a small por tion. By default, y our position shows using the WGS-84 datum. How ev er , it can show y our position using one of 191 diff erent datums. T o change the datum, first press the MENU ke y , then highlight the “GPS Setup” label and press the ENT ke y . Now highlight the “Map Datum” label. Finally , press the ENT[...]

58 ALARMS This unit has sev eral GPS alarms. (Sonar alarms are covered in the sonar section of this manual.) Y ou can set an arrival alarm to flash a war n- ing message and sound a tone when y ou cross a preset distance from a wa ypoint. For e xample, if you hav e the arrival alar m set to .1 mile , then the alarm will flash a message when you come[...]

59 SONAR TROUBLESHOOTING If y our unit is not wor king, or if you need technical help , please use the f ollowing troubleshooting section before contacting the f actor y customer ser vice depar tment. It may sav e you the troub le of retur ning your unit. Unit w on’t turn on: 1. Check the power cab le’ s connection at the unit. Also chec k the [...]

60 3. The w ater may be deeper than the sonar’ s ability to find the bottom. If the sonar can’t find the bottom signal while it’ s in the automatic mode, the digital will flash continuously . It ma y change the range to limits far greater than the w ater you are in. If this happens, place the unit in the manual mode , then change the range to[...]

61 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 sev ere cases, it can completely cov er the screen with black dots , or cause the unit oper- ate erratically , or not at all. T o eliminate or minimize the effects of electrical noise, first try to det[...]

62 LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS, INC FULL ONE-YEAR W ARRANTY “W e”, “our”, or “us” ref ers to LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS, INC , the manufacturer of this product. “Y ou” or “your” ref ers to the first person who purchases this product as a con- sumer item f or personal, family , or household use. W e warrant this product against defects or mal[...]

63 D A TUMS WGS 1984 Def ault Adindan Mean for Ethiopia, Sudan Adindan Burkina Faso Adindan Cameroon Adindan Ethiopia Adindan Mali Adindan Senegal Adindan Sudan Afgoo ye Somalia Ain el Abd 1970 Bahrain Ain el Abd 1970 Saudi Arabia Anna 1 Astro 1965 Cocos Islands Antigua Island Astro 1943 Antigua (Leew ard Islands) Arc 1950 Mean for Bots wana, Lesot[...]

64 Luzon Philipines (Excluding Mindanao) Luzon Philipines (Mindanao) Mahe 1971 Mahe Island Massawa Ethiopia (Eritrea) Merchich Morocco Midwa y Astro 1961 Midway Islands Minna Cameroon Minna Nigeria Montserrat Island Astro 1958 Montserrat (Leeward Islands) M’P oraloko Gabon Nahrwan Oman (Masirah Island) Nahrwan Saudi Arabia Nahrwan United Arab Emi[...]

65 D A TUMS South American 1969 Ecuador (Baltra, Galapagos) South American 1969 Guyana South American 1969 P a raguay South American 1969 Pe r u South American 1969 T r inidad & T obago South American 1969 V enezuela South Asia Singapore T ananarive Obser vatory 1925 Madagascar Timbalai 1948 Brunei, East Malaysia (Sabah, Sara wak) T okyo Mean f[...]

66 LO WRANCE D A T ABASES LICENSE A GREEMENT THIS IS A LEGAL A GREEMENT BETWEEN THE END-USER WHO FIRST PURCHASES THIS PRODUCT AS A CONSUMER ITEM FOR PERSONAL, F AMIL Y , OR HOUSEHOLD USE (“Y OU”) AND LOW - RANCE ELECTRONICS , INC., THE MANUF ACTURER OF THIS PR ODUCT . (“WE”, “OUR”, OR “US”). USING THE PRODUCT ACCOM- P ANIED BY THIS [...]

67 D A T ABASES LIMITED W ARRANTY “W e”, “our”, or “us” ref ers to Lowrance Electronics, Inc., the manuf acturer of this product. “Y ou” or “your” ref ers to the first person who purchases the product as a consumer item for personal, f amily , or household use. The Databases Limited W arranty applies to the one or more databases[...]

68 Saving and Repla ying a Sonar Record T o save a sonar char t: 1. Press the MENU key . 2. Select “Sonar Char t Logging”. The screen at right appears. 3. T o sav e the char t as “Char t 1”, select “Star t Logging” and press the ENT k ey . If you want to use a diff erent file name, select “File Name” and name a new file. The Sonar C[...]

69 T ransferring GPS Data to/from a MMC T o transfer w aypoints, routes , icons, and plot trails from this unit to a MMC , press the MENU key twice, then select “System Setup”. Ne xt, select “T ransf er My Data”. The screen at r ight ap- pears. All data with check marks next to their labels will be transf erred to the MMC . If you don’t w[...]

70[...]

71 Ho w to Obtain Ser vice (Canadian Customers Onl y) W e back your inv estment in quality products with quick, exper t service and gen uine Lowrance replacement parts. If you need ser vice or repairs, contact the Lowrance F actor y Customer Ser vice Depar tment at the toll-free number listed below . A techni- cian may be ab le to solve the problem[...]

72 How to Obtain Service (U.S.A. Only) W e back your in vestment in quality products with quick, e xper t ser vice and genuine Lowrance ® replacement par ts. If you’ re in the United States and you hav e questions, please contact the F actor y Customer Service Depar tment using our toll-free number listed below . Y ou must send the unit to the f[...]