Lowrance electronic LRA-1500 manual

Pub. 988-0161-011 www.lowrance.com Radar Operation Instruction Manual[...]

Copyright © 2006 Lowrance Elect ronics, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be copi ed, reproduced, republishe d, trans- mitted or distributed for any purpos e, without prior written consent of Lowrance Electronics. Any unauthorized comm ercial dis tribution of this manual is strictly p rohibited. Lowrance  is a registered trad[...]

i Table of Contents Warnings and Cautions .......................................................... iii Section 1: In troduction............................................................. 1 Models Covered ............................................................................. 1 Update Display Un it Software ................................[...]

ii Browse data files: ................................................................ 24 Copy data files: .................................................................... 25 Delete a data file: ................................................................. 26 Stop or play a data fi le: .......................................................[...]

iii Warnings and Cautions Caution: Use this radar at your own risk . This radar was designed for use as a navigation aid. It should not be used for purposes that require precise measurements of direction, distance, topography or location. Always compare the navigation information received from your radar with data from other navigation aids and sou[...]

iv WARNING: Microwave Radiation Hazard The microwave energy radiated by a radar antenna is harmful to humans, especially to the eyes. NEVER look directly into an open waveguide or into the path of ra- diation from an enclosed antenna. Radar and other ra- dio frequency radiation can upset cardiac pacemakers. If someone with a cardiac pacemake r susp[...]

1 Section 1: Introduction Thank you for buying a Lowrance Radar with the RIM 100 radar in ter- face module. Your radar consists of three main compo nents: the radar scanner unit (antenna) , your display unit (sold separately) a nd the RIM 100 radar interface module which connects the scanner and display units. WARNING: Radar radiation can be harmfu[...]

2 This manual covers the followin g radar units: LRA-1000, LRA-1500, LRA-2000 radomes; and LRA-4000, LRA-5000 op en array radars. Update Display Unit Software Your display unit must have softwar e version 1.3.0 or later to work with radar. Depending on when you bought your display, it may require a software update. To avoid d elays in setting up yo[...]

3 When the echo returns, it is processed by a comput er to determine rela- tive distance, posit ion and bear ing of the object that reflected the sig- nal. This information is display ed on the display unit's screen. Other boats or ships, navigational marker s, landmasses and the like are re- ferred to as targets. By knowing how long it takes [...]

4 Basic Radar Display Components Your unit has three electronic bearing lines and three variable range markers. An enlarged example of EBLs and VRMs is on the next page. PPI Position status Display mode Range Range Ring Interval Echo Trail status A nti-Rain Clutter A nti-S ea Clutter Radar Echo Expansion status Interference Rejection status Ga in l[...]

5 Basic Radar Display Components VRMs and EBLs allow you to track the distance and bearing of multiple radar targets. NOTE: This manual is printed in black and w hite, but a free color version (in Acrobat  PDF format) is availab le for display or download from the Lowrance web site. The color ma nual is particularly useful for understanding Sec.[...]

6 Notes[...]

7 Section 2: Radar Setup This section will teach you how to pr epare your radar for operation. Be- fore you begin radar setup, the radar scan ning unit, RIM 100 module and display unit must all be installe d and th eir cables connected. The display unit must be running so ftware version 1.3.0 or later. WARNING: Do NOT attempt to execute Radar Setup[...]

8 Radar only highlighted on Radar Pages m enu (left). Radar menu with Radar Power selected (right). 6. Press MENU , then use ↑ ↓ to sel ec t R ADAR P OWER from the radar menu and press ENT . A confirmation message will appe ar. Press ← to select Y ES and press ENT . A warm-up countdown will c ommence that will vary depending on th e model of [...]

9 Radar Setup The Radar Setup menu allows you to set up and adjust radar settings, like Transmit Off Zon e and Antenna Park. Most of the settings in the Radar Set up menu will o nly have to be set once, but we recommend you check the settings perio dical ly for general maintenance. NOTE: Before starting radar setup, take your vessel out on open wat[...]

10 Anti-Rain Clutter 1. To set Anti-Rain Clutter to zero, press MENU , select A NTI -R AI N C LUTTE R (FTC) and press ENT . 2. That will launch the Anti-Rai n Clutter vertical scrollbar. Press ↓ un- til the Anti-Rain Clutter is set to zero percent. Press EXIT . (Notic e the corresponding value in the upper ri ght -hand corner of th e screen.) Mai[...]

11 The 2 kW models, the LRA-1000 and LRA-1500, w ill have only one ring on the display. The 4 kW radars — LRA-200 0, LRA-4000 and LRA-5000 — will have two rings on the display. See the f ollowing figures. Before adjusting the Trigger Delay for 4 kW radars, two r ings will be shown on the screen (left). As Tri gger Delay is increased, the larger[...]

12 If you over apply the Trigger D elay, the black circle w ill disappear. De- crease the Trigger Delay leve l and it will reappea r. 3. Press EXIT to return to the main page displa y. Adjust Main Bang Suppression Main Bang Suppression is only for 4kW units — LRA 2000, LRA 4000 and LRA 5000. This feature filters out elec tronic noise cl ose to yo[...]

13 Main Bang Suppression begins with the same red ring we resized dur- ing Trigger Delay setup (left). Slowly increase Main Ban g Suppression to make the ring as thin as possible (enlarged view, r ight). 5. Press EXIT to clear the scrollbar from the screen. Now reset Gain, Anti-Se a Clutte r and Anti -Rain Cl utter ba ck to a de sired le vel. Adjus[...]

14 3. Use ← → to adjust the p osition of the green heading lin e, so its line to the reference point's radar ima ge matches your bow' s actual line to the reference point. 4. Press EXIT to remove the heading line arrows from the display. Adjust Transmit Off Zone The Transmit Off Zone is a feature that allows you to select an area in t[...]

15 1. From the Radar Setup menu, press → | ↓ to se lect A DJUST T RANSMIT O FF Z ONE and press ENT . That will launch the Adjust Transmit Off Z one dialogs in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. 2, Use ↑ ↓ , ← → to set up the Transm it Off Zone in the desired area. The zone will be colored red on the radar display. 3. Press EXIT [...]

16 Notes[...]

17 Section 3: Basic Operation Pages The Radar Page has four display options: Radar Only, Radar with Map, Radar with Sonar a nd Radar with Gauges. GPS only units do not sup- port the Radar with Sonar pa ge, so they have thr ee display options: Radar Only, Radar with Map and Rad ar with Gauges. Radar Page Menu with Radar Only selected. To access Rada[...]

18 Radar Only option (left) with Radar with Map display (right). Radar with Sonar The Radar with Sonar option allows you to monitor radar information, while viewing sonar retu rns. Not available on GPS only units. Radar with Gauges The Radar with Gaug es display will split th e screen between the radar page and the gauge pa ge. The gauge p age can [...]

19 Radar Menu When a radar page is the active page, you can access the radar menu by pressing MENU . To access the main menu, press MENU | MENU . Radar Menu. Gain This is used to adjust the sensitivit y of the receiver. Settin g Gain to a low level will clear up some of the clutter on the screen, but also could eliminate s ome desired echo es. A hi[...]

20 Gain vertical scrollbar (left) with Anti-Sea Clutter scrollbar (right). Anti-Sea Clutter (STC): This lowers receiver sensiti vity at shorter ranges to reduce or elimina te echoes that reflect back a t the antenna du e to wave action close to the vessel. Caution Increasing STC may reduce or eliminate weak echoes, like small vessels. Use only the [...]

21 Anti-Rain Clutter vertical scrollbar (left) with Interference Rejection scrollbar (right). Interference Rejection This feature filt ers out signals from other radars c lose to your locati on. To adjust Interference Reje ction: 1. Select I NTERFERENCE R EJECTION from the radar menu an d press ENT . That will launch the Interfer ence Rejection ver[...]

22 Radar Range selected (left). Li st of radar ranges (right). To turn on or turn off Rada r Echo Expansion: Highlight R AD AR E CHO E XPANSION on the radar m enu, then press ENT to turn it on (check) or turn it off (uncheck). Press EXIT to clear the radar menu. Radar Echo Expansion is good for seeing weak echo r eturns — like birds — at a dist[...]

23 Adjust Radar PPI Offset Adjusts vertical and hor izontal offset of the PPI, allowing you to see more of what is in front, behind or on either sid e of you. To Adjust Radar PPI Offs et: 1. Select A DJUST R ADAR PPI O FFSET from the radar menu and press ENT . 2. Four arrows will surround the PPI. Use ↑ ↓ , ← → to move th e Plan Position In[...]

24 Log Radar Data If your unit has a hard drive (LCX-26cHD, LCX-111cHD, GlobalMap 6600cHD & GlobalMap 7600c HD) the Log Radar Data feature allows you to save radar logs. Saving a rada r lo g allows you to reus e the log in the unit's simula tor, which can a id you in being more proficie nt at ra- dar interpretation. To record a radar log: [...]

25 Browse Files selected from the Radar Chart Logging menu (left). Browse Files menu (right). When you sel ect a file from th e file browse m enu, you can copy, delete, play or stop playing a data file. To copy data file s: 1. Select the desired file from the Brows e Files menu and press ENT . 2. The File Information window wi ll appear with three [...]

26 4. Next use ↑ ↓ to h ighlight the C OPY F ROM dialog box. Sele ct your unit 's hard drive as the Copy-From location and press ENT . 5. Highlight the C OPY button and p ress ENT . To delete a data file : 1. Highlight D ELETE from the Fil e Information wind ow and press ENT . 2. A confirmation messa ge will appea r. Press ← to Y ES and [...]

27 Transmit Off Zone and Tune, all of which ar e addressed in the section on Radar Setup. You can also modi fy Radar Orientation, Radar Co lor Scheme and Antenna Park from the Radar Setup menu. Radar Orientation Displays the orientat ion of your radar, which by d efault is set to Heading Up. Radar Color Scheme Your radar has eight color options: Fu[...]

28 Selecting Adjust Antenna Park will place a di alog box in the upper right-hand corner of the screen . Use Arrow keys to adjust it. To adjust A ntenna Park: 1. Make sure th e vessel is not moving, then, from the Ra dar Setup menu, press → | ↓ to A DJU ST A NTENNA P AR K an d press ENT . That will dis- play the Adjust Anten na Park dialog box [...]

29 Radar Information screen (left). Radar Power confirmation m essage (right). Radar Power Turns the radar on and off. To turn radar on or off: 1. To turn the radar on or off, highlight R A DAR P OWER on the radar menu and press ENT . 2. A confirmation messa ge will appear. Pre ss ← to Y ES to continue. Press EXIT to get back to the main page dis[...]

30 Simulators highlighted on the Syst em Setup menu (left). Radar Simu- lator On selected on Radar Simulato r menu (right). Notice the simula- tor has not been turned on, si nce the checkbox is unchecked. 5. Press ↓ to R AD AR S IMULATOR O N and press ENT to turn on (check) the simulator checkbox. R epeat these steps to turn o ff the simulator. P[...]

31 Section 4: Advanced Operation Radar Only page display. Reading the Display The radar page displays digital info rmat ion on the screen wh ich covers, Range Rings, Gain, Anti -Sea Clutter (STC), Anti-Rain Clutter (FTC) and when active, Electr onic Bearing Lines (EBL) and Variable Ran ge Markers (VRM). Gain The percentag e listed next to Gain , di[...]

32 Anti-Sea Clutter (STC) The STC percentage displa ys the current Anti-Sea Clutter setting on your radar screen. Anti-Rain Clutter (FTC) The FTC percentag e displays the current Anti-Rain Clutt er setting on your radar screen. Electronic Bearing Line ( EBL) A radial line that can be rotat ed 360 ° , the electronic beari ng line is used to monitor[...]

33 To find the distance to a radar ta rget, increase the size of the VRM un- til it is lined up wit h the target. Check the displa y in the bottom right- hand corner to see your distanc e from the target in naut ical miles. 4. Use ← → to mov e the Electronic Be aring Line around the dis play. Line up the EBL w ith a radar target to determine th[...]

34 3. Press ↓ to call up the EBL-VRM menu. Select the last EBL-VRM op- tion and press ENT . Press ↑ | → to mak e the VRM and EBL visi ble on the screen, then press ENT . This is a zoomed in view from the previous im age, clearly showing the radar target, Variable Range Marker and Electronic Bearin g Line. To reposition EBL and VRM: 1. Press ?[...]

35 Radar screen with all three EBL-VR M options visible on the display. Notice the EBL and VRM readings in the bottom left and right-hand corners of the screen. To remove EBL-VRM from the display : 1. Press ↓ to call up the EBL-VRM menu. Sele ct the EBL-VRM you want to remove and press ENT . 2. Press EXIT and the desired EBL-VRM will be rem oved [...]

36 VRMs and EBLs allow you to track the distance and bear ing of multiple radar targets. VRM1 VRM2 VRM3 EBL1 EBL3 EBL2[...]

37 Section 5: Radar Interpretation Interpreting images on your radar screen involves as much art as it does science. If you want to be confident w ith your radar at night, you n e e d t o p r a c t i c e i n d a y l i g h t . T o b e r e a d y f o r f o g o r a b l i n d i n g r a i n squall, you must practice in fair weather. Making you an expe rt[...]

38 Anti-Rain Clutter (FTC) fig. 2. FTC set to 12% Anti-Rain Clutter (FTC) fig. 3. FTC set to 25 %.[...]

39 Anti-Rain Clutter (FTC) fig. 4. FTC set to 50%. Anti-Rain Clutter (FTC) fig. 5. FTC set to 62%. The rain has virtually disa ppeared from the screen.[...]

40 Echo Trails This four-figure s equence shows how Echo Tra ils tracks target move- ment over time. The boat is statio nary. Several boats will be trailed. Color mode is default. Echo Trail upd ate interval set to 30 seconds. Echo Trails fig. 1. Elapsed time = zero. Echo Trails fi g. 2. Elapsed time = 5 seconds. Arrows sho w travel directio n. Tar[...]

41 In fig. 3, note the target off the bow approaching at high speed from the north. The "dotted" trail indicates higher speed than targets with mor e solid trails. Be alert; this boat is a collision risk. Echo Trails fig. 3. Elapsed time = 8 seconds. Echo Trails fig. 4. El apsed time = 12 seconds. Target 5 veered by your starboa rd side a[...]

42 Typical Small Boat Targets Small boat targets fig. 1. Bow is headed into the wind . Here, boats ap- pear as larger red targets. Birds are smaller green targets. Small boat targets fig. 2. Boat ha s turned, with the wind (and wave clutter) off port quarter. Boat Wave action Boats Birds Wave action Boats Boats[...]

43 Small boat targets fig. 3. Landma sses return a strong echo and thus appear red in default color mode. Small boat targets fig. 4. Three targets, with one boat just offshore. Wave action Boats Boat Boat Wave action Boats Bird[...]

44 Shoreline Images This sequence il lustrates a boat ent ering a channel. The gree n line is the track the vessel will t ake. The magenta l ine from the stern is a GPS trail. Study these radar returns wi th their corr esponding maps and you'll get a feel for how radar displa ys a shoreline. This channel is sur- rounded by steeply slop ing, ro[...]

45 Shoreline fig. 3. Shoreline fig. 4. 1 7 9 10 11 2 5 4 6 1 7 6 9 10 8 2 3 5 1 7 6 9 11 10 2 5 4 4 1 7 8 9 10 2 3 4 5 6 11 11 12 12 13 13 3 3 8 8 12 12[...]

46 Recommended Reading For additional instruction check out these two books an d a U.S. gov- ernment manual: The Radar Book: Effective Naviga tion and Collis ion Avoidance , by Kevin Monahan. ISBN 1-932 310-05-3, 235 pages, paperback. Published in 2003 by Fin eEdge.com LLC, 14004 Biz Point Lane, Anac ortes, WA 98221 USA. Radar for Mariners , by Dav[...]

47 Appendix I: Glossary Anti-Rain Clutter (FTC) : used to reduce or eliminate massive num- ber of small echoes that clutter the dis play during rain or snow storms. Anti-Sea Clutter (STC) : lowers receiver sensitivity at short er ranges to reduce or eliminat e sea clutter echo es, which are most prevalent around the vessel. ARPA : automatic radar p[...]

48 Heading Line Adjustment: the Hea ding Line is used to make sure the green heading l ine (zero point) on your radar display is lin ed up the bow of your vessel. Heading Up : when your heading is displayed at the top of the screen, you are in Heading Up m ode. Interference Rejection : filters out sign als from other radars close to your location. [...]

49 Transmit Off Zone : an area set up in the radar transmiss ion path where the radar will no t transmit a microwave pu lse. Tuning : intermediate frequenc y adjustment that enhances the per- formance of the radar. VRM (Variable Range M arker) : a range ring used to measure the precise distance to a tar get, the variable ran ge marker may be adjust[...]

50 FCC Compliance This device complies with Part 15 and Part 80 of the U.S. Fed- eral Communications Commission (FCC) Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause un- desired operation.[...]

51 LOWRANCE ELEC TRONICS FULL ONE-YEAR WA RRANTY "We," "our," or "us" refers to LOWR ANCE ELECTRONICS, INC., the manufacturer of this product. "You" or "your" refers to the first person wh o purchases this p roduct as a consumer item for personal, family or household u se. We warrant this product ag[...]

52 How to Obtain Service… …in the USA: We back your investm ent in quality products w ith quick, expert service and genuine Lowrance p arts. If you're in the United States and you have technical, retur n or repair questions, pl ease contact the Factory Customer Servic e Department. Be fore any product can be return ed, you must call custom[...]

Accessory Ordering Information for all countries To order Lowrance accessories for your unit, please contact: 1) Your local marine de aler or consumer electron ics store. Most quality dealers that han dle marine electronic equipment or other consumer electronics should be a ble to assist you with thes e items. To locate a Lowrance dea ler near you,[...]

Visit our web site: Lowrance Pub. 988-0161-011 © Copyright 2006 All Rights Reserved Printed in USA 033106 Lowrance Electronics, Inc.[...]