Garmin 250C manual

Fishfi nder 250/250C high-resolution sonar owner’ s manual (Fishfi nder 250C shown) 250C Cover.indd 1 1/27/2004, 2:37:44 PM[...]

© Copyright 2004 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries Garmin International, Inc. 1200 East 151 st Street, Olathe, KS 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. 44/1794.519944 Fax 44/1794.519222 Garmin Corporation No. 68, Jangshu[...]

i Introduction Preface and Registration Preface Thank you for choosing the Garmin Fishfi nder 250/250C. This product is designed for easy operation and to provide years of r eliable service. Operations for the Fishfi nder 250 and Fishfi nder 250C are the same unless othewise noted. T o ensure that you get the most from the Fishfi nder 250/250C,[...]

ii Introduction W arranty and Serial Number The Fishfi nder 250/250C is fastened shut with scr ews. Any attempt to open the case to change or modify the unit in any way will void your warranty and may r esult in per manent damage to the equipment. LIMITED WARRANTY This Garmin product is warranted to be fr ee from defects in materials or workmanshi[...]

iii Introduction , Software License Agreement Software License Agreement BY USING THE FISHFINDER 250/250C, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDI- TIONS OF THE FOLLOWING SOFTW ARE LICENSE AGREEMENT . PLEASE READ THIS AGREEMENT CAREFULL Y . Garmin grants you a limited license to use the software embedded in this device (the “Software”) in [...]

For the most recent list of available accessories for your unit, current user manuals and software updates, visit our web site at www .gar min.com. iv P acking List Introduction Before installing and getting started with your unit, please check to see that your package includes the following items. The package part number can be found on the outsid[...]

v Selecting a T ransducer Introduction 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 ar e important to the operation of your unit. It is best to select a transducer that suits the depth of the water that you are on. A wid[...]

vi Introduction T able of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-vi Preface and Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i W arranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii Software License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii Packing List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

1 Installation Installing the Fishfi nder 250/250C The Fishfi nder 250/250C must be properly installed accor ding to the following instructions to get the best possible performance. T o complete the installation, you’ll need the appropriate fasteners and tools. V erify that all cables can reach the unit mounting location and also take time to r[...]

2 T o swivel mount the Fishfi nder 250/250C display: T ools (not included) — Drill, Screwdriver (Phillips or Standard), three #8 (4mm) pan head machine bolts with matching nuts and washers and a 5/32” (5mm) drill bit, OR three #8 pan head self-tapping screws and an appropriately-sized drill bit for drilling starter holes . 1. Using the swivel [...]

3 Installation Unit Installation Installing the Unit on the Mounting Bracket 1. Align the slot on the back of the unit with the long mounting knob and slide in place . It may be neces- sary to adjust the long mounting knob to spread the brack et arms apart. (T urn counter -clockwise to widen the brack et arms, clockwise to tighten.) 2. Adjust the u[...]

4 Installation Flush Mounting the Fishfi nder 250/250C Unit The Fishfi nder 250/250C can be fl ush mounted on a fl at panel. When fl ush mounting the Fishfi nder 250/250C, be sure to choose an appr opriately sized location for the unit. Check that all cables reach the unit mounting location before beginning installation. Use the Flush Mount T[...]

5 T o 10-35 V olt Boat Supply 2A - + Boat Ground Black Wire Red Wire Install 2-Amp Fuse T o Fishfi nder 250/250C Installation Connecting the Power/Data Cable The power/data cable connects the Fishfi nder 250/250C to a 10-35 volt DC system and provides interface capabilities for connecting external devices. The color code in the diagram (pg. 6) in[...]

6 Interfacing The Fishfi nder 250/250C allows for NMEA 0183, V ersion 2.3 input/output with a compatible GPS or navigation device. NMEA Input/Output must be set to ‘On’ to send/receive data (see pg. 20). For additional information on using your Fishfi nder 250/250C with NMEA devices, see pages 5, 15, and 20. The following are the sentences fo[...]

7 Do not mount transducer directly in the path of the prop. The tr ansducer can cause cavitation that ma y degrade the boat's performance and damage the prop. Make sure that the transducer is below water le vel when the boat is on plane at high speed Apply marine sealant to all screw threads to pre vent w ater from seeping into the transom. Mo[...]

8 Installation T esting the Location Strip Caulk or R TV Sealer Hull Surface PVC Pipe or a Can W eight transducer to hold it in place Fill Pipe or Can with water or a light mineral oil Mounting the T ransducer 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 boa[...]

9 T esting the Installation While it is possible to perform some checks with the boat trailered, the boat should be in the water to properly test the sonar portion of the installation. Press the POWER/BACKLIGHT key (see pg. 10) and the Fishfi nder 250/250C should power on. If the unit fails to power on, verify that the wiring adapter is seated pro[...]

10 Using the Keypad The keypad contains the following keys: ARROW Keys— used to select (highlight) menu options and enter data. Also control movement of the cursor when paused in Pointer mode. Allow direct contr ol of Sonar Page Adjustments. ENTER Key— selects a highlighted menu option. When entering data, allows you to initiate entry and then [...]

11 Unit Operation Understanding the Display Sonar Page The Sonar Page is where your Fishfi nder 250/250C becomes a powerful fi shfi nder/fl asher . If the unit does not detect a transducer , a “Sonar T urned Off” message is displayed on the Sonar Page. If in Simulator mode, a “Running Simulator” message is displayed. The currently selec[...]

12 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 options available: Range, Zoom, V iew , Gain, T arget Level, Whiteline, Frequency , Depth Line, Noise Reject, and Scroll. All adjustments may be made by using the ARROW keys and ENTER [...]

13 The Zoom function has seven settings: No Zoom –– Displays the sonar picture with no zoom. 2x Split –– Shows two reduced-size sonar pictures at the same time. The right half of the display screen shows the complete sonar picture at its original scale. The left half shows a portion of the original picture at 1/2 depth scale. 2x Zoom ––[...]

14 • Whiteline — controls how the unit displays information about the bottom type (har d or soft). With the Whiteline ‘Off ’, all high-intensity bottom returns are displayed as red on the Fishfi nder 250C and black on the Fishfi nder 250. With Whiteline set at ‘Normal’ or 1-100%, this option can be used to better deter - mine bottom h[...]

15 Pausing the Sonar P age Y ou may pause the Sonar Page to stop it fr om 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 scr een and a Pointer cursor is activated. Y ou may move the Pointer ar ound on the paused sonar graph in order to refere[...]

16 Main Menu The Main Menu contains the unit settings that usually do not require fr equent change. The Main Menu is divided into eight tabs: Graph, T ools, T emp, Alarms, System, Units, Sonar and Time. Each tab is described in more detail in this section. T o enter the Main Menu, press and hold the ADJ/MENU key . The first time you enter the Main [...]

17 • Background Color (Fishfi nder 250C only) — allows you to change the background color of the sonar display . Choices are Black, Blue or White. • Number Size — allows you to choose between a Normal or Large sized Basic depth/temp/speed display . This does not change the Advanced data fi eld number sizes. • T emperature and W ater Spe[...]

18 T o toggle the data fi eld display: 1. Use the ARROW k eys to highlight the ‘ Advanced Data Fields’ fi eld and press ENTER . 2. Select ‘On’ or ‘Off’ and press ENTER . T o access the Advanced data setup: 1. Use the ARROW k eys to highlight ‘Confi gure Advanced Data Fields’ and press ENTER . Y ou may either directly edit an exis[...]

19 Alarms T ab Contains settings for the unit’ s alarms. (For a list of alarms and unit messages, see page 28.) The Alarms T ab is divided into two submenu tabs: Sonar alarms and System alarms. Sonar alarms: • Fish — sets alarm/icon to sound/display when unit detects a fi sh of the specifi ed symbol size. • Shallow W ater/ Deep W ater —[...]

20 System T ab Controls various system and interface settings. The following settings ar e available: • Beeper — controls audible beep. Select from ‘Of f ’, ‘Alarms Only’ (sounds for alarms/messages), or ‘Key and Alarm’ (sounds for key presses and alarms/messages). • Display Mode — select ‘Fishfi nder’ to display the scroll[...]

21 • Heading — select the reference used in calculating heading information for the the following Advanced data fi elds: Bearing, Compass, Course, and T rack (see pg. 17-18). ‘T rue’ will display data with reference to T rue North. ‘Magnetic’ will display data with reference to Magnetic North using the magnetic variation value received[...]

22 accurate) or a stopwatch to determine your speed over a certain distance (distance / time = speed). It is recommended that the calibration take place in water having little or no current. T o calibrate the water speed: 1. Use the ARROW k eys to highlight ‘ Calibrate W ater Speed’ and press ENTER . 2. Bring the boat to a cruising speed. Both [...]

23 Understanding Sonar If you are unfamiliar with basic sonar , or need help determining what is displayed on the graph, this section may be for you. This section is intended to help the novice user gain some understanding of how the Fishfi nder 250/250C operates and how it can help improve their fi shing productivity . T o understand what the un[...]

24 On the W ater T ransducer Cover age 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 between different types of transducers. For example, a 50kHz frequency may pr ovide a “wide” 40° cone angle, with a coverage width that is approximately 2/3 of the wa[...]

25 Understanding the Gr aph 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, but cannot determine wher e each return originated – only when it was received. Examples 1 and 2 provide a look at the underwater world fr om a top view [...]

26 Whiteline The Fishfi nder 250/250C can help you to determine if the bottom is hard or soft. When the sonar soundwaves are refl ected back by the bottom, a hard bottom returns a stronger signal than a soft bottom. A thin whiteline indicates a softer bottom while a thick whiteline indicates a harder bottom. Normally , the Fishfi nder 250 uses a[...]

27 Physical Specifi cations Size: 6.1" W x 4.9" H x 2.9" D (15.5 cm x 12.5 cm x 7.4 cm) W eight: 1.1 lbs. (0.5 kg) Display: (Fishfi nder 250) 4.5" diagonal (11.4 cm), 3.2” W x 32” H (8.1 cm x 8.1 cm) high-contrast 10-level grayscale FSTN display with adjustable brightness (320 x 320 pixels) (Fishfi nder 250C) 4.5" di[...]

28 Appendix B Messages and Alarms Battery Alarm — Batter y voltage has fallen below the value entered in the Battery Alarm setup. Battery V oltage High— Input voltage too high, unit will shut off. Y ou must lower input voltage. Boat is not Moving Fast Enough to Calibrate — Boat is not moving fast enough for the speed wheel to provide a valid [...]

29 Appendix C Index A Accessories iv-v ADJ/MENU Key 10 Adjustment Menu 12 Adjustment Menu Options 12 Advanced Data Fields 17 Advanced Display 17 Alarms 19, 28 Alarms T ab 19 ARROW Keys 10 Automatic Scroll Speed 21 B Background Color 17 Backlight 10 Basic display 17 Battery Alarm 19 Beeper 20 Bottom Lock 13 Bottom Split 13 C Calibrate W ater Speed 2[...]

30 Appendix C Index P Packing List iv Pointer 10, 12, 15 Position Format 20 POWER/BACKLIGHT key 9-10 Power Up 9 Preface i R Range 12 Registration i Reset Odometer 20 Reset Scale 18 S Scale 16 Scroll 14-15 Scroll Speed 21 Serial Number ii Setting an Alarm 19 Shallow W ater Alarm 19 Simulator 20 Size Split 14 Software License Agreement iii Software V[...]

250C Cover.indd 3 1/27/2004, 2:38:34 PM[...]

© Copyright 2004 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 [...]