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Lowrance electronic M56 User's Manual

1. Find Waypoint menu left Find By Nearest command center Find by Name command right 3 If you re looking for nearest the unit says it is calculating then a list of waypoints appears The closest is highlighted at the top of the list and the farthest at the bottom of the list Find By Hearest Find By Hearest Calculating neare l 001 Dst 6 16 Br Calculating message left and list of the nearest waypoints right 4 To see location information on the closest highlighted waypoint press ENT and the Waypoint Information screen appears If you wanted to you could select another waypoint form the list with the T or l keys 140 A To navigate to the waypoint press ENT The Go To Waypoint command is already highlighted The unit will show navigation in formation to the waypoint B To find the waypoint press to FIND ON Map ENT The Map Page appears with the cursor highlighting the found waypoint Distance 38 49 mi Distance 38 49 mi Bearing 202 mag Bearing 202 mag K Find On Map r Waypoint Information screens with the Go To Waypoint command se lected left and the Find on Map command selected right To clear these menus and return to the previous page press EXIT re peatedly 5 If you re looking by name There are two options A You can spell out the name in the top selection box Press T or J to change the first letter then press gt to m
2. a ee 20 Normal display in auto depth range mode left At right display zoomed with Upper and Lower Limits focusing on the portion of the water column from 10 feet to 20 feet deep To turn off upper and lower limits 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU J to Auto DEPTH RANGE ENT EXIT 50 FasTrack This feature automatically converts all echoes to short horizontal lines on the display s far right side The graph on the rest of the screen con tinues to operate normally FasTrack gives you a rapid update of condi tions directly under the boat This makes it useful for ice fishing or when you re fishing at anchor When the boat is not moving fish sig nals are long drawn out lines on a normal chart display FasTrack con verts the graph to a vertical bar graph that with practice makes a use ful addition to fishing at a stationary location Surface clutter Fish arches Structure In FasTrack fish arches show as horizontal bars Bottom signal _ E i j Grayline 0 FasTrack Sonar Page showing FasTrack bar graph Fish I D Fish Symbols amp Depths The Fish I D feature identifies targets that meet certain conditions as fish The microcomputer analyzes all echoes and eliminates surface clutter thermoclines and other signals that are undesirable In most instances remaining targets are fish The Fish I D feature displays fish symbols on the screen in place of the actual fish echoes
3. cccccccccccceesessseceeeeeeeesessstneees 98 Delete an leon srein ee ses senes teecdnetcescicercevetessdenties 99 Navigate to an ICOn cccccccccccccsssssssseceececeeseesseeeecceesseessnseeeeeeeees 99 ROUGES AEE E E aietaterteatis A 100 Create and Save a Route c ccccccsccccesssseceeseeeceeseneeeessneeeeennneees 100 Delete a nN i e E a tadte deat eteenet 102 Edit a Route cvicccdevecediccescerisavecesescescevesauededecebedeveceda i Ei 103 Navigate a Route ci ccsssesesccsacseseesesvensiessevesesusnantcaeaeeessevdeatadeeisees 103 Navigate a Route in Reverse ccccccccccccsessssssseceeceeesesessteeeeeeess 105 Tras eee a E S AE AAEE AAN N 105 Delete a Trail naaa wid tein dein enw 105 Edit a Trail Name cccccccccccccssssssscccecccesssesssceeeeeseessesesssaeeeeeeess 105 Utilities aaea an a e tas qatskobs tes a aa 106 Alarm CLOCK eer esa ieSe re a E E r EEE RE TER 106 Sun Moon Rise amp Set Calculator sssneseeeeeseeeessserersseessssersssee 106 THp Calculator iee hoea ea aaa ae aein 106 Trip Down Time cccccccccccceesessseeeecceeseessseeeeeseeessnsssseeeeeeess 106 Trip Up Timer ar orecinirn enini inini ii ia ii 106 Wayp lh tS nore iE E RENE E Ei N E TA 107 Delete a Waypoint iensen a E a e E ai 107 Edit a Waypoint Name Symbol and Position eeee 107 Set a Waypoint by Average Position eesesseesesseerersserrssseresseee 108 Set a Waypoint by Projecting a Position seeseeeesesee
4. Find Street By Name menu Spell out name in the top box or select from the list in the lower box 3 The Find Streets menu reappears with the street you re searching for in the First Street box In this example it s I 35 To search for that street press J to FIND First STREET ENT A message appears asking you to wait while the unit finds the street When the Streets Found list appears press T or J to select the street you are searching for and press ENT First Street Streets Found 35 Interstate Second Street jaa Interstate City Any Find First Street Find Intersection At left the Find Streets menu with the Find First Street command highlighted At right Streets Found list 4 The Map Page appears with the cursor pointing to the found street 137 20mi J he H 35 32 470 535 6mi U 97 27 577 353 mag Map Page showing results of a street search The cursor points to the located street If you want to navigate to the found street at the cursor location just press MENU ENT EXIT Find an Intersection You must enter one street in the First Street dialog box and enter the next street in the Second Street dialog box 1 From the Map Page press MENU J to Finp StrEETS ENT and the Find Streets Menu appears 2 You must fill in a street name in the First Street dialog box Press ENT to display the Find By Name menu There are two options A You can spell out the st
5. 116 Map Auto Zoom This receiver has an auto zoom feature that eliminates much of the but ton pushing that other brands of GPS receivers force you to make It works in conjunction with the navigation features First start navigation to a waypoint See the waypoint section for more information on navigating to a waypoint Then with the auto zoom mode on the unit zooms out until the entire course shows from the present position to the destination waypoint As you travel toward the destination the unit automatically begins zooming in one zoom range at a time always keeping the destination on the screen To turn this feature on from the Map Pace press MENU J to Auto Zoom ENT EXIT Repeat these steps to turn it off Map Data This menu lets you turn the map off if desired which turns the map screen into a GPS plotter turn off or on the pop up map info boxes or fill land areas with gray You can also turn on or off Map Overlays which display latitude and longitude grid lines or range rings on the map To get to Map Data From the Map Page press MENU J to Map Data ENT GoTo Gunso Find Distance Earth Map Detail Medium Ms 50 D CUSO Find Distance Find Streets Map Orientation r Auto Zoom Overlay Data Map Categories Delete My Icons Customize Sars Ped 7 Omi i Map Menu left Map Data Menu right E Popup Map Information E Draw Map Boundaries M Fill Land With
6. 67 Notes 68 Section 5 Sonar Troubleshooting If your unit is not working or if you need technical help please use the following troubleshooting section before contacting the factory customer service department It may save you the trouble of returning your unit for repair For contact information refer to the last page just inside the back cover of this manual Unit won t turn on 1 Check the power cable s connection at the unit Also check the wiring 2 Make sure the power cable is wired properly The red wire connects to the positive battery terminal black to negative or ground 3 Check the fuse 4 Measure the battery voltage at the unit s power connector It should be at least 10 volts If it isn t the wiring to the unit is defective the battery terminals or wiring on the terminals are corroded or the bat tery needs charging Unit freezes locks up or operates erratically 1 Electrical noise from the boat s motor trolling motor or an accessory may be interfering with the sonar unit Rerouting the power and trans ducer cables away from other electrical wiring on the boat may help Route the sonar unit s power cable directly to the battery instead of through a fuse block or ignition switch 2 Inspect the transducer cable for breaks cuts or pinched wires 3 Check the transducer and power connector Make sure it s securely plugged in to the unit Weak bottom echo digital readings erratic or no fis
7. PLEASE ALLOW 4 6 WEEKS TO PROCESS YOUR REFUND 1 This License Agreement applies to the one or more databases that your product may contain We refer to these singly as a Database and together as the Databases Your product may thus include the WBS Database which contains worldwide background surface mapping data the SmartMap Database which contains inland mapping data or other Databases The Databases that your product may contain are licensed not sold We grant to you the nonexclusive nonassignable right to use these Databases for supplemental navigation reference purposes but only as long as you comply with the terms and conditions of this License Agreement We reserve the right to terminate this license if you violate any aspect of this License Agreement You are responsible for using official government charts and prudent navigation for safe travel The Databases housed in your product are protected by the copy right notices appearing on the product or its screen s You may NOT modify adapt translate reverse engineer decompile disas semble rent lease or resell any Database and you may NOT create derivative works based upon any Database or its contents Any un authorized reproduction use or transfer of a Database may be a crime and may subject you to damages and attorney fees This License Agreement will terminate immediately without prior notice from us if you fail to comply with or violate any
8. To turn off FishTrack repeat these instructions Turning off FishTrack in this manner will not turn off Fish I D symbols 41 3 Q Surface Clarity ft F Off 7 50 2 10 Noise Rejection j Low 7 20 Sonar Chart Mode i Grayscale x 30 Fish ID K Symbols Symbol ith Depths ymbols wit o FishTrack h M Chart Manual Mode a 50 r Zoom Bar i E y Zone Alarm Bar 6010 Sonar Features menu with Fish I D Depths selected When the check box to the left is checked the feature is on At right Sonar Page show ing Fish I D symbols and FishTrack depths turned on Grayline Grayline lets you distinguish between strong and weak echoes It paints gray on targets that are stronger than a preset value This al lows you to tell the difference between a hard and soft bottom For ex ample a soft muddy or weedy bottom returns a weaker signal which is shown with a narrow or no gray line a hard bottom returns a strong signal which causes a wide gray line If you have two signals of equal size one with gray and the other with out then the target with gray is the stronger signal This helps distin guish weeds from trees on the bottom or fish from structure Grayline is adjustable Experiment with your unit to find the Grayline setting that s best for you 54 Sensitivity tp 0 R Auto Sensitivity Sz eee Depth Range Auto Depth Range Upper And Lower Limits I Stop Chart Chart Speed Depth
9. Trail 4 5 8 33 75 78 79 80 82 87 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 105 106 116 119 124 128 129 130 131 Delete 105 Delete All 129 Edit Name 105 Navigate 93 New Trail 92 131 Update Criteria 129 Update Rate 130 Trip Calculator 33 75 106 Trip Down Timer 106 Trip Up Timer 106 U Units of Measure 131 Utilities 33 73 75 106 Ww WAAS 4 5 6 7 126 Waypoints 2 4 5 7 32 33 74 75 78 79 80 82 84 85 86 87 88 90 94 95 98 100 101 102 103 104 105 107 108 109 112 113 115 116 117 119 121 124 126 129 133 134 135 136 140 141 142 Delete 107 Edit 107 Search 140 Select 108 Z Zooming 3 4 32 35 37 62 63 66 67 70 74 79 80 82 83 93 101 117 Auto Zoom 117 Notes 151 Notes 152 LOWRANCE DATABASES LICENSE AGREEMENT THIS IS A LEGAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE END USER WHO FIRST PURCHASES THIS PRODUCT AS A CONSUMER ITEM FOR PERSONAL FAMILY OR HOUSEHOLD USE YOU AND LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS INC THE MANUFACTURER OF THIS PRODUCT WE OUR OR US USING THE PRODUCT ACCOMPANIED BY THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS PROMPTLY RE TURN THE PRODUCT WITHIN 30 DAYS OF PURCHASE PLEASE RE TURN USING THE ENCLOSED UPS SHIPPING LABEL AND INCLUDE PROOF OF PURCHASE NAME ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER YOUR PURCHASE PRICE AND ANY APPLICABLE TAXES WILL BE REFUNDED
10. Delete My Icons Customize eae ee Se ae aa 220 K 22 06mi again to access the main U 95 42 440 16 mag Menu 0 op Press the MENU key Navigate to cursor In this example the cursor has selected the town of Oologah Oklahoma 3 Press MENU ENT and the M56 will begin navigating to the cursor location The Map Page will display a dotted line from your current position to the cursor position The Navigation Page displays a compass rose showing navigation information to your destination See the following examples Z Sm ved Gx BRE N 36 27 220 22 06mi U 95 42 440 16 mag zomi The 30 mile zoom figure at left clearly shows the dotted course line con necting your current position to your destination The 30 mile zoom cen ter shows both current position and direction to destination on screen The Navigation Page right will also show navigation information To stop navigating to the cursor use the Cancel Navigation command press MENU MENU J to CANCEL NAVIGATION ENT to Yes ENT The M56 stops showing navigation information 89 Navigate to a Map Place For map places that are in view on the map you can easily use the Navigate to Cursor command above just use the cursor to select the map place The other method involves searching for map places with the Find Waypoint command launched with the WPT key Turn to Sec 9 Searching for detaile
11. ETE ALT ETA 0 01 38 0 3 04 Navigation Page navigating toward waypoint 001 and leaving a trail Set Man Overboard MOB Waypoint One of boating s most terrifying events is having a friend or family member fall overboard This situation can be deadly on any body of wa ter fresh or salt It s particularly dangerous at night or if you re out of sight of land Of course the first thing to do is remain calm and then use all standard safety procedures to rescue the person This unit has a man overboard feature that shows navigation data to the location where the feature was activated To activate it press the ZOUT and ZIN keys at the same time Your position at the time these keys are pressed is used as the man overboard position Caution Saving a new Man Overboard waypoint will overwrite and erase the previous Man Overboard waypoint Navigate Back to MOB Waypoint Find your way back to the accident position with the Navigation Page or Map Page When MOB is activated the Navigation Page automati cally shows the compass rose with its bearing arrow pointing toward the man overboard position and the destination name says Going To Man Overboard The Map Page displays a Man Overboard waypoint represented by a human figure and the steering arrow points where to steer to reach that position 87 Track Bearing 356 176 Cooks Ingleside On the Ba Obs ay ve O Overboard Activat
12. Find any Item Selected by Map Cursot cccccccccssssssseeeeeeeeees 133 Find Map Place cccccsssssccccccseseessncceeeecessesssnseeeseeesseessseeeseeeess 134 Find Streets or Intersections cccccccccccceeseesssceceeeeeesseesssseeeeeeeess 136 Find Waypoint Sreet e e vac e iae eaa eseria 140 Sec 10 Supplemental Material essssssssosssssssssscocesessssssoceese 143 IEEE KES A E E S AEE EE EEE 149 WARNING A CAREFUL NAVIGATOR NEVER RELIES ON ONLY ONE METHOD TO OBTAIN POSITION INFORMATION CAUTION When showing navigation data to a position waypoint a GPS unit will show the shortest most direct path to the waypoint It provides navigation data to the waypoint regardless of obstructions Therefore the prudent navigator will not only take advantage of all available navigation tools when traveling to a way point but will also visually check to make sure a clear safe path to the waypoint is always available WARNING When a GPS unit is used in a vehicle the vehicle operator is solely re sponsible for operating the vehicle in a safe manner Vehicle operators must maintain full surveillance of all pertinent driving boating or fly ing conditions at all times An accident or collision resulting in damage to property personal injury or death could occur if the operator of a GPS equipped vehicle fails to pay full attention to travel conditions and vehicle operation while the vehicle is in motion iv Sectio
13. For optimum operation the portable transducer should be adjusted so that it is parallel to the ground For more information on this see the earlier segment on Transducer Orientation and Fish Arches Now that you have your unit installed move on to Sec 3 Basic Sonar Operations There we ll present a series of step by step tutorials to teach you the basics of your sonar operation NOTE When you first turn the unit on the Map Page appears If you d rather start learning about GPS operation first turn over to Sec 6 Basic GPS Operations Remember you don t need to read this manual from cover to cover to get going We designed it so you can skip around to the section you want to read 30 Section 3 Basic Sonar 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 photo correspond to key ex planations below E LOWRANCE Lowrance M56 Sonar front view showing screen and keyboard A close up of the keyboard can be found at the beginning of Sec 6 1 PWR Power amp Light The PWR key turns the unit on and off and activates the backlight 2 PAGES Pressing this and the arrow keys 4 switches the unit be tween the different page display screens There are four GPS Pages and four Sonar Page display options Each set of pages represents one of the unit s major operation modes 3 MENU Press this key to show the menus an
14. North American 1927 Mean for Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Gua temala Honduras Nica ragua North American 1927 Mean for Canada North American 1927 Mean for CONUS Continental United States North American 1927 Mean for CONUS East of Mississippi River in cluding Louisiana Mis souri Minnesota North American 1927 Mean for CONUS West of Mississippi River North American 1927 Alaska North American 1927 Bahamas Except San Salvador Island North American 1927 Bahamas San Salvador Island North American 1927 Canada Alberta British Columbia North American 1927 Canada Manitoba On tario North American 1927 Canada New Brunswick Newfoundland Nova Scotia Quebec North American 1927 Canada Northwest Ter ritories Saskatchewan North American 1927 Canada Yukon North American 1927 Canal Zone North American 1927 Cuba North American 1927 Greenland Hayes Penin sula North American 1927 Mexico North American 1983 Alaska Canada CONUS North American 1983 Central America Mexico Observaorio Metereo 1939 Azores Corvo amp Flores Islands Old Egyptian 1907 Egypt Old Hawaiian Mean for Hawaii Kauai Maui Oahu Old Hawaiian Hawaii Old Hawaiian Kauai Old Hawaiian Maui Old Hawaiian Oahu Oman Oman Ordinance Survey Great Britain 1936 Mean for England Isle of Man Scotland Shetland Is lands Wales 145 Ordinance Survey Great Brit
15. or J to select the de sired Trail Name ENT 3 Press J to ViseLe ENT To return to the previous page press EXIT EXIT EXIT To turn on trail display 1 Press MENU MENU J to My Traits ENT 2 Press J to enter the Saved Trail list then use T or J to select the de sired Trail Name ENT 3 Press J to VisiBLE ENT To return to the previous page press EXIT EXIT EXIT Navigating Trails There are three methods for following a trail visual trailing navigating a trail forward and backtracking a trail backward Try each method to see which you prefer Visual trailing is the simplest method It uses only the Map Page and requires no menu commands at all The technique works the same if you are running a trail forward from start to end or backward from end to start However visual trailing provides no navigation informa tion during the trip such as the time to your destination 92 The other two methods provide a full range of navigation data and work with both the Map Page and Navigation Page The only difference be tween them is navigating a trail follows a trail forward from start to end while backtracking follows a trail in reverse from end to start When hiking at walking speed with a hand held GPS we often just use visual back trailing because it is a bit better at following each little turn on a foot path At faster speeds such as the highway or on the wa ter the Navigate Trail and Backt
16. the map place by pressing ENT or find it on the map by pressing gt ENT H 42 42 967 H 42 42 967 u 88 18 121 u 88 18 121 Distance 1146 mi Distance 1146 mi Bearing 18 mag Bearing 18 mag Water Water Lake River Names Lake River Names Find On Map d Go To Waypoint option left Find on Map option right Find Streets or Intersections Find a Street 1 From the Map Page press MENU J to Finp STREETS ENT and the Find Streets Menu appears Go To QUrnsni Find Distance Sa a Find Streets Map Orientation Second Street r Auto Zoom None Overlay Data Map Data City Map Categories Any Delete My Icons Customize Find First Street Find Intersection Find Streets command left Find Streets menu right 2 You must fill in a street name in the First Street dialog box Press ENT to display the Find By Name menu There are two options A You can spell out the street in the top selection box Press T or J to change the first letter then press gt to move the cursor to the next letter and repeat until the name is correct then press ENT ENT B Or you can jump down to the lower box and pick a street from the selection list Press ENT then press T or J to select a street from the list and press ENT 136 Find By Name Es Interstate Find In List 35 W State Highway j 350 Highway 352 State Highway 353 State Highway wi
17. Arrow Keys The arrow keys control the movement of dotted cross hair lines on your mapping screen called the cursor The arrow keys also control a hori zontal line depth cursor on the sonar screen The arrow keys help you move around the menus so you can execute different commands They are represented by symbols like these which denote the down arrow key the up arrow the left arrow and the right arrow 4 T lt gt Keyboard The other keys perform a variety of functions When the text refers to a key to press the key is shown in bold sans serif type For example the Enter Icons key is shown as ENT and the Menu key is shown as MENU Menu Commands A menu command or a menu option will appear in small capital letters in a bold sans serif type like this RouTE PLANNING These indicate that you are to select this command or option from a menu or take an action of some kind with the menu item Text that you may need to enter or file names you need to select are show in italic type such as trail name Instructions Menu Sequences Most functions you perform with this unit are described as a sequence of key strokes and selecting menu commands We ve written them in a condensed manner for quick and easy reading For example instructions for navigating a trail would look like this 1 From the Plotter Page press MENU MENU J to My Traits ENT 2 Press J to Trail 1 ENT 4 to Navicate ENT 3 You are asked to wait while it
18. CoorDINATE System ENT 3 Press 4 to Setup Map Fix ENT The following screen appears and Map Scale is highlighted Press ENT and enter the map s scale one numeral after another The scale is gen erally at the bottom of the paper map It s shown as a ratio for example 1 24000 When the scale is entered press EXIT and the unit returns to the Configure Map Fix screen Configure Map Fix Map Scale 1 24000 Select Origin Origin N 36 14 323 W 95 41 902 Configure a map fix so the M56 can find your position on a printed chart or topographical map Press J to SELECT OriciIN ENT ENT ENT to bring up the waypoint list Select the waypoint that you saved the reference point under and press ENT The unit displays a waypoint information screen with the com mand SeT As ORIGIN selected press ENT and the unit returns to the Con figure Map Fix menu Finally press EXIT to erase this menu Now press T to Coorp SysTEM ENT select Map Fix from the list and press ENT EXIT All position information now shows as a distance from the reference point you chose Customize Page Displays The Full Map Navigation and Position pages can all be customized to display many different types of navigation information in data boxes 113 j mS 2miz 2m latitude IN 36 23 590 Longitude JW 96 13 347 Pages can be customized by turning data boxes on or off These data boxes sometimes referred to as tex
19. Cursor Overlay Data Sonar Features Ping Speed MUL D 9 t 5 S n soo Ca a600 At left Sonar Page menu with Grayline command selected At right the Grayline control bar To adjust the Grayline level 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU J to GRAYLINE ENT 2 The Grayline Control Bar appears Press 4 to decrease Grayline press to increase Grayline 3 When it s set at the desired level press EXIT HyperScroll See the entry on Ping Speed which controls the HyperScroll feature Noise Rejection See the entry on Advanced Signal Processing in this section Overlay Data To change the digital data shown on top of the sonar page 1 Press MENU J to Overtay Data ENT 2 Press J or T to select Data Type ENT Depth Range F Auto Depth Range Upper And Lower Limits I Stop Chart Chart Speed Depth Cursor Sonar Features Ping Speed i 60 0 Overlay Data command on the Sonar Menu at left Overlay Data Shown selection menu right In this example we scrolled down the data list to highlight Ground Speed Sensitivity Auto Sensitivity v Depth Grayline v Water Temperature Track Bearing Course Distance Total Distance Ground Speed Altitude Closing Speed Off Course Data Size 4 Small 55 When selected a check mark appears beside the data type If you wish you may now use J or T to
20. Gray M Range Rings F Lat Lon Grid Lines Earth Map Detail From the Map Page press MENU to Map Dara ENT Press ENT to ad just the level of mapping details shown Select OrF to change the unit to a simple plotter After the option is set press EXIT EXIT to return to the page display 117 Pop up Map Info From the Map Page press MENU J to Map Darta ENT Press J to Popup Map INFORMATION With the option highlighted press ENT to check it turn on and uncheck it turn off After the option is set press EXIT EXIT to return to the page display Fill Land With Gray From the Map Page press MENU J to Map Darta ENT Press J to FILL Lano WitH Gray With the option highlighted press ENT to check it turn on and uncheck it turn off After the option is set press EXIT EXIT to return to the page display Map Overlays Range Rings Lat Long Grid The map screen can be customized with four range rings and or grids that divide the screen into equal segments of latitude and longitude Range rings are handy for visually estimating distances on the map The ring diameters are based on the current zoom range For example at the 100 mile zoom the screen will show two rings with your current position in the center The large ring touching the left and right sides of the screen is 100 miles in diameter same as the zoom range The sec ond smaller ring is 50 miles in diameter always 1 2 the zoom range The distanc
21. Like most GPS receivers this unit doesn t have a compass or any other navigation aid built inside It relies solely on the signals from the sat ellites to calculate a position Speed direction of travel and distance are all calculated from position information Therefore in order for the unit to determine direction of travel you must be moving and the faster the better This is not to say that it won t work at walking or trolling speeds it will There will simply be more wandering of the data shown on the display GPS alone is plenty accurate for route navigation but the U S Federal Aviation Administration has special aircraft navigation needs that go beyond basic GPS So the FAA has developed a program to boost GPS performance with its Wide Area Augmentation System or WAAS The FAA commissioned the system on July 11 2003 WAAS is designed to increase GPS accuracy to within 7 6 meters vertically and horizontally but it consistently delivers accuracies within 1 2 meters horizontal and 2 3 meters vertical according to the FAA It does this by broadcasting correction signals on GPS frequencies Your unit automati cally receives both GPS and WAAS signals However there are some fringe areas of the U S including parts of Alaska that do not yet receive robust WAAS coverage Continued WAAS development is planned to extend WAAS coverage in the years to come WAAS boosts the accuracy of land GPS navigation but the system is
22. MENU MENU J to My Traits ENT 2 Press to DELETE ALL ENT lt to Yes ENT Edit a Trail Name To edit a trail name press MENU MENU J to My Tras ENT to trail name ENT ENT Press T or J to change the first character then press gt 105 to the next character and repeat until the name is correct Press ENT then EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT to return to the previous page display Tip You can quickly call up the Edit Trail menu by selecting a trail on the map with the cursor Simply move the cursor over a trail and a pop up box appears Press WPT and the Edit Trail menu opens a a 1 Maximum Points 2000 F Active R Visible Delete Trail Navigate H 27 50 194 3 49mi U 97 15 159 111 mag At left trail selected with map cursor The box at the bottom of the screen shows distance and bearing from current position to the se lected point on the trail At right the Edit Trail menu Utilities Utilities are useful tools for traveling or for outdoor activities Alarm Clock To get to the alarm clock menu press MENU MENU to Timers ENT J to ALARM CLock ENT Sun Moon Rise amp Set Calculator To get to the Sun Moon menu press MENU MENU J to SuN Moon CALCULATIONS ENT Trip Calculator To get to the Calculator menu press MENU MENU J to Trip CALCULA TOR ENT Trip Down Timer To get to the Down Timer menu press MENU MENU J to Timers ENT J to DOWN TIMER ENT Trip
23. Matheson Blvd E Mississauga Ontario L4W2R 7 or fax 905 629 3118 Shipping Information If it becomes necessary to send a product for repair or replacement you must first receive a return authorization number from Customer Service Products shipped without a return authorization will not be accepted When shipping we recommend you do the following 1 Please do not ship the knobs or mounting bracket with your unit 2 If you are sending a check for repair please place your check in an envelope and tape it to the unit 3 For proper testing include a brief note with the product describing the problem Be sure to include your name return shipping address and a daytime telephone number An e mail address is optional but useful 4 Pack the unit in a suitable size box with packing material to prevent any damage during shipping 5 Write the Return Authorization RA number on the outside of the box underneath your return address 6 For your security you may want to insure the package through your shipping courier Lowrance does not assume responsibility for goods lost or damaged in transit E LOWRANCE We Lead We Find You Win Lowrance Pub 988 0152 021 Copyright 2003 All Rights Reserved Printed in USA 102203 Lowrance Electronics Inc
24. Ping Speed amp HyperScroll i ceccccsccccccccesseesssceeeeeeesessssseeeeeeeess 57 ReSet Optio Ssss reinnoire snerist ppn ati aai gi 58 Sensitivity amp Auto Sensitivity sssssessessessseresseerssssressseresssseessseres 59 Set Keel Offset eeens eir raeed nra e aeai aai r nai 61 Sonar Color Mode areena a a E R a Ea 62 Sonar Page amp Sonar Chart Display Options ccccccccceceeeeeeeeee 62 Full Sonar Chari nora R O E E Ra s 62 Split Zoom Sonar Chart ccccccecccccccccesssssssceeeeeeessesssseeeeseeeeneees 63 Digital Data Chart cccccccccccccssssssscceeeeessssssnceeeecesesesesssaeeeseeens 63 Washer oosa e a e a a ese E 64 So ar Simulatie anana e a a a n E a a 64 StoP Chak teessa nie a a n a a e a a kts aloe to ue 65 Surface Clarity mernin ne Foes hac e a ia a 65 LOOU RAT EE AAE EEE E CIR ews ena ee ew eee 67 Sec 5 Sonar Troubleshooting ccccccsssssssssecccssssssssssseeeeeees 69 Sec 6 Basic GPS Operations cccccssssssssssscccsssssssnssseceeeess 73 TECEN TOE E t o EREE EEE E E ths Peete cee ees 73 Power Lights Turn Unit On and Off eee eeeeseeeeeeteeeeeeeneeees 74 Main Menu srein rnr ine eis EEE E E E E 74 PA SOS onaco cede e e EE EEE EE O A PLGA E RRT S 76 Sonar PASE ei sss n nena EN TTE T se eee 76 Satellite Status Page cecccssscccccccssssssssneeeeceseseessseeeeseeesseeeees 76 Navigation Pagesos a ables de teisee daa E ES 78 Full Map Pagesa e a on i a ae a a 80 GPS Q
25. Planning RE My Trails v CLERET Cancel Navigation C R Alarm Sounds Sonar Setup gt S Volume GPS Setup gt G DoODDTTT System Setup gt S Alarm Style Sun Moon Calculations Trip Calculator 127 Once in the Sounds menu To set Key Press Sounds With the option highlighted press ENT to check it turn on and uncheck it turn off After the option is set press EXIT EXIT to return to the page display To set Alarm Sounds Press J to ALARM Sounps With the option high lighted press ENT to check it turn on and uncheck it turn off After the option is set press EXIT EXIT to return to the page display To set Alarm Volume Press J to Volume Press gt or to move the bar The left end of the scale is low volume the right end is high volume After the option is set press EXIT EXIT to return to the page display To set Alarm Style Press J to ALARM STYLE ENT Press or J to change the style then press ENT After the option is set press EXIT EXIT to return to the page display Track Smoothing This is a factory setting on the GPS Setup menu that should always be left on When stopped or traveling at slow speeds such as walking or trolling Track Smoothing prevents wandering of trails the steering arrow compass rose and a map in track up mode Screen Sounds Alarms gt Route Planning My Trails Initialize GPS Coordinate System Datum Selection GPS Auto Se
26. The options are automatic time or distance When it s in the default automatic mode the unit doesn t update the plot trail while you re traveling in a straight line Once you deviate from a straight line the unit drops a plot point trail waypoint onto the trail This conserves plot trail points If a plot trail uses all of the available points allotted to it the beginning points are taken away and placed at the end of the trail From the Trails Menu press to TRAIL Options ENT to UPDATE CRI TERIA ENT Press or J to select criteria type ENT If you selected Time the Update Rate data entry box appears on the menu If you selected Distance the Update Distance data entry box appears on the menu 129 Trail Update Rate Time Distance You can update a trail by time with a range from 1 second to 9999 sec onds the default is 3 seconds You can update by distance with a range from 0 01 mile nm km to 9 99 mile nm km the default is 0 10 miles With one of the Update Criteria selected use the cursor arrows to highlight either the UPDATE Rate or UPDATE Distance data entry boxes and press ENT Press T or J to change the first character then press gt to the next character and repeat until the entry is correct Press EXIT to return to the Trail Options Menu F Update Trail F Update Trail E Flash Trails E Flash Trails Update Criteria Update Criteria Time hc Distance X Trail Options menu Update Tim
27. Up Timer To get to the Up Timer menu press MENU MENU J to Timers ENT ENT 106 Waypoints Delete a Waypoint To delete a waypoint from the waypoint list press WPT ENT ENT ENT J to waypoint name ENT to DELETE Way PoINT ENT lt to Yes ENT To return to the previous page press EXIT EXIT To delete a waypoint from the map 1 Use the arrow keys to select the waypoint with the cursor 2 Press WPT to DELETE Waypoint ENT lt to Yes ENT To return to the previous page and clear the cursor press EXIT To delete all waypoints at one time press MENU MENU J to System Setup ENT to DELETE ALL My Waypoints ENT amp to Yes ENT To return to the previous page press EXIT EXIT Edit a Waypoint Waypoint Name To edit waypoint name 1 Press WPT ENT ENT ENT J to waypoint name ENT to Enit Waypoint ENT ENT 2 Press T or to change the first character then press gt to the next character and repeat until the name is correct Press ENT then EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT to return to the previous page display Waypoint Symbol To edit waypoint symbol 1 Press WPT ENT ENT ENT to waypoint name ENT to Enit Waypoint ENT J then gt to Choose SymeoL ENT 2 Use arrow keys to select desired symbol and press ENT To return to the previous page press EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT Waypoint Position To edit waypoint position 1 Press WPT ENT ENT ENT J to waypoint name ENT to E
28. are finished return to the last page dis played by repeatedly pressing EXIT Auto Satellite Search To lock onto the satellites the GPS receiver needs to know its current position UTC time and date Elevation altitude is also used in the equation but it s rarely required to determine a position It needs this data so that it can calculate which satellites should be in view It then searches for only those satellites When your GPS receiver is turned on for the first time it doesn t know what your position or elevation altitude is It does know the current UTC time and date since these were programmed into it at the factory and an internal clock keeps the time while the unit is turned off If the time and or date are incorrect you can set it using the Set Local Time menu The unit begins searching for the satellites using the above data that it acquired the last time it was turned on This probably was at the fac tory Since you almost certainly aren t at our factory it s probably looking for the wrong satellites If it doesn t find the satellites it s looking for after approximately one minute the unit switches to Auto Search The receiver looks for any satellite in the sky Due to advanced technology the auto search time has shrunk significantly from the early days of GPS Once the unit locks onto the satellites it should take less than a minute to find your position the next time it s turned on provided you haven t mo
29. controls the rate at which the transmitter and transducer broadcast sonar sound waves pings into the water The unit has a default ping speed of 50 percent At normal boating speeds this auto matically provides enough return echoes to refresh the screen and scroll the chart at maximum chart speed However when you are running at high speeds or just want the fastest possible screen update you may want to use the HyperScroll feature When you change the Ping Speed to any setting greater than 50 per cent the unit automatically enters HyperScroll mode These faster ping rates allow you to maintain a high detail picture on the screen and the screen refresh rate and chart scroll speed can keep pace with the boat as it moves quickly over the bottom terrain When using HyperScroll you may also need to manually decrease the sensitivity for optimum performance Depending on water depth and other conditions HyperScroll may cause a second bottom echo to return to the transducer during the next ping cycle or sounding This can result in a large amount of clutter appearing on the screen If this occurs just decrease the sensitivity to a level that eliminates the clutter When you turn HyperScroll off you can return to your original sensitivity level 57 Sensitivity 3274 OF R Auto Sensitivity SY aia y Grayline 49 60 T Depth Range O O mph K Auto Depth Range Upper And Lower Limits F Stop Char
30. display in your unit This type of damage is not covered by the warranty For more information contact the factory s Customer Service Department phone numbers are listed on the last page How Your Sonar Works Sonar has been around since the 1940s so if you already know how it works skip down to read about the relatively new technology of GPS But if you ve never owned a sonar fish finder this segment will tell you the underwater basics Sonar is an abbreviation for SOund NAvigation and Ranging a technol ogy developed during World War II for tracking enemy submarines Lowrance developed the world s first transistorized sportfishing sonar in 1957 A sonar consists of a transmitter transducer receiver and dis play In simple terms here s how it finds the bottom or the fish The transmitter emits an electrical impulse which the transducer con verts into a sound wave and sends into the water The sound frequency can t be heard by humans or fish The sound wave strikes an object fish structure bottom and bounces back to the transducer which converts the sound back into an electrical signal 4 The receiver amplifies this return signal or echo and sends it to the display where an image of the object appears on the scrolling sonar chart The sonar s microprocessor calculates the time lapse between the transmitted signal and echo return to determine the distance to the object The whole process repeats itself several times
31. do not get good fish arches on your display it could be because the transducer is not parallel with the ground when the boat is at rest in the water or at slow trolling speeds Partial fish arch rae artial fish arc Transducer aimed Transducer aimed too far back too far forward Full fish arch l Proper transducer angle Transducer angles and their effects on fish arches 17 If the arch slopes up but not back down then the front of the trans ducer is too high and needs to be lowered If only the back half of the arch is printed then the nose of the transducer is angled too far down and needs to be raised NOTE Periodically wash the transducer s face with soap and water to re move any oil film Oil and dirt on the face will reduce the sensitivity or may even prevent operation SHOOT THRU HULL PREPARATION Hulls With Floatation Materials The transducer installation inside a fiberglass hull must be in an area that does not have air bubbles in the resin or separated fiberglass lay ers The sonar signal must pass through solid fiberglass A successful transducer installation can be made on hulls with flotation materials such as plywood balsa wood or foam between layers of fiberglass if the material is removed from the chosen area See the figure below WARNING Do not remove any material from your inner hull unless you know the hull s composition Careless grinding or cutting on your hull can result in da
32. for showing additional map detail is 8 miles You can continue to zoom in closer but the map will simply be enlarged without revealing more map content except for a few major city streets The background map includes low detail maps of the whole world con taining cities and political boundaries and medium detail maps of the United States The medium detail U S maps contain all incorporated cities shaded metropolitan areas county boundaries some major city streets Inter state U S and state highways lakes and streams and more than 60 000 navigation aids and 10 000 wrecks and obstructions in U S coastal and Great Lakes waters The Map Page has its own menu which is used for several functions and for setting various options To access the Map Page Menu from the Map Page press MENU The Pages Menu also offers several map display options under the Map Page category To access them press PAGES or gt to Mar to Option name EXIT The following page contains a 12 step quick reference for the most basic GPS operations If you don t want to carry the manual with you as you practice with the M56 you might consider photocopying this quick ref erence page and tucking it into your pocket 81 GPS Quick Reference Start outdoors with a clear view of the open sky As you practice try navigating to a location at least a few blocks away While you re learning navigation in too small an area will constantly trigger
33. has been moved for clarity Create Icon at Current Position 1 While you are traveling press ENT and the screen shows a Select Icon Symbol menu 2 Press amp or T or gt or J to select your icon symbol then press ENT The icon appears on the map 98 Delete an Icon You can delete all the icons at one time you can delete all icons repre sented by a particular symbol or you can use the cursor to delete a se lected icon from the map 1 Press MENU J to DELETE My Icons ENT 2 Press to DELETE ALL Icons DELETE BY SYMBOL or DELETE FRom Map and press ENT isn 10 tonsa Find Distance Find Streets Map Orientation r Auto Zoom Overlay Data Map Data Map Categories Customize Delete My Icons So Do Munson Find Distance Find Streets ian Mriantation Delete Icons Delete All Icons Delete By Symbol Delete From Map af 40mi iy Delete icons menu The Delete All Icons command will ask if you are sure Press lt to Yes ENT All icons will be deleted from the map The Delete by Symbol command will launch the Select Symbol menu Press lt or or gt or 4 to select the icon symbol to delete then press ENT A message appears saying all icons with the selected symbol have been deleted The Delete From Map command will prompt you to move the cursor over an icon to select it After selecting the icon press ENT and it d
34. hull prior to bonding After sanding clean the hull and transducer with rubbing alcohol to remove any sanding debris 20 Spread epoxy here Sand this surface Epoxy transducer to hull WARNING Use only the epoxy available from LEI It has been for mulated to work with these installation procedures Other epoxy types may be too thin or may not cure to the right consistency for optimum transducer performance 2 The epoxy consists of the epoxy itself and a hardener Remove the two compounds from the package and place them on the paper plate Thoroughly stir the two compounds together until the mixture has a uniform color and consistency Do not mix too fast or bubbles will form in the epoxy After mixing you have 20 minutes to complete the installation before the epoxy becomes unworkable Spread a thin layer of epoxy about 1 16 or 1 5 mm thick on the face of the transducer as shown in the previous figure Make sure there are no air pockets in the epoxy layer Then apply the remaining ep oxy to the sanded area on the hull 3 Press the transducer into the epoxy twisting and turning it to force any air bubbles out from under the transducer face Stop pressing when you bottom out on the hull When you re finished the face of the transducer should be parallel with the hull with a minimum amount of epoxy between the hull and transducer 4 Apply a weight such as a brick to hold the transducer in p
35. it rather than continually using the unit with the high ASP setting There are times when you may want to turn the ASP feature off This allows you to view all incoming echoes before they are processed by the ASP feature Sensitivity F Auto Sensitivity Surface Clarity Grayline Off Depth Range Noise Rejection F Auto Depth Range Low hd Upper And Lower Limits Sonar Chart Mode F Stop Chart Grayscale z Chart Speed Fish ID Depth Cursor Symbols Overlay Data M Depths M Chart Manual Mode z r Zoom Bar ki 6 om Zone Alarm Bar At left Sonar Menu with Sonar Features selected In the Sonar Features menu Noise Rejection is selected with ASP in the default low setting To change the ASP level 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU J to Sonar Features ENT 2 Press 4 to Noise REJECTION ENT 43 3 Press J or T to select a setting then press ENT 4 To return to the previous page press EXIT EXIT Alarms This unit has three different types of sonar alarms The first is a Fish Alarm It sounds when the Fish I D feature determines that an echo is a fish Another alarm is the Zone Alarm which consists of a bar on the side of the screen Any echo on the chart that appears inside this bar triggers the alarm The last alarm setting is the Depth Alarm which has both a Shallow and a Deep setting Only the bottom signal will trigger this alarm This is useful as an anchor watch a shal
36. its associated structure The 2X zoom doubles the size of all echoes on the screen The 4X zoom quadruples the size of the echoes You can also turn on a zoom bar on the far right side of the screen this shows which echoes will be dis played on the screen when the Zoom commands are used For example turning on the 2X zoom will show all echoes that are be tween the top and bottom of the 2X zoom bar The 4X zoom will show only the echoes between the top and bottom of the 4X zoom bar To switch the zoom 1 Press ZIN to increase the zoom display to 2X Press ZIN again for a 4X zoom 2 Press ZOUT to reduce the zoom and show more of the chart To turn on the Zoom Bar 1 Press MENU J to Sonar Features ENT 2 The Sonar Features menu appears Press to Zoom Bar ENT EXIT EXIT 3 To turn off the Zoom Bar repeat steps 1 and 2 66 Be a A Right same view zoomed to 4X Zoom Pan Your unit has the handy ability to quickly zoom in on any portion of the water column with just the touch of an arrow key The Zoom Pan feature lets you rapidly move the zoomed area up and down to different depths By pointing your zoom at different portions of the chart as it scrolls you can get a good close up look at structure or cover below you To use Zoom Pan switch to a manual depth Range setting see page 49 and turn on 2X or 4X Zoom Then simply press or 4 to pan up and down the water column
37. on the status of the M56 s satellite lock on and position acquisition To get to the Satellite Status Page Press PAGES lt to Mar or J to SATELLITES EXIT No matter what Page display you are on a flashing current position indicator question mark symbol and flashing GPS data displays indi cate that satellite lock has been lost and there is no position confirmed The Satellite Status Page shows you the quality and accuracy of the current satellite lock on and position calculation WARNING Do not begin navigating with this unit until the numbers have stopped flashing 76 Satellites EMER ELCs t No Fix EPE ft Satellite Page Left view indicates unit has not locked on to any satel lites and does not have a fix on its position Center view shows satel lites being scanned Right view shows satellite lock on with a 3D posi tion acquired latitude longitude and altitude This screen shows a graphical view of the satellites that are in view Each satellite is shown on the circular chart relative to your position The point in the center of the chart is directly overhead The small inner ring represents 45 above the horizon and the large ring represents the horizon North is at the top of the screen You can use this to see which satellites are obstructed by obstacles in your immediate area if the unit is facing north The GPS receiver is tracking satellites those satellites whose numbers ap pear in g
38. poe ne a o gt Fun p niet aS Aransas I Port Aransas i Port Aransas 5d Imi i i 2miliday H 27 50 465 Oft H 27 50 601 0 38mi H 27 50 102 0 95mi U 97 03 772 355 mag U 97 03 431 60 mag U 97 02 687 122 mag Route creation sequence from left Fig 1 Set route waypoint 1 at the cove entrance Fig 2 Move cursor northeast to set point 2 at channel entrance Fig 3 With point 2 set move cursor southeast to mark channel exit with waypoint 3 In figures 2 and 3 notice the rubber band line extending from the previously set waypoint to the cursor This line will become the course for the route 101 4 5 6 Planning Route Planning Route Navigate Route Route 2 3 enous oe oo Bob Hall Pier PLFM Q W Press ENT Route end 2mirliday 1 1 N 27 50 102 Oft N 27 33 650 Ott oes Bra U 97 02 687 355 mag U 97 11 386 355 mag wes g Route creation sequence continued Fig 4 Point 3 set at channel mouth Fig 5 Fourth waypoint set further south along the beach at a recogniz able landmark Bob Hall Pier Waypoint PLFM Q W ends the route at an oil platform some distance from the shore Fig 6 Press EXIT to save the route and you return to this screen 5 Move the cursor to the next point in the route a spot where you need to turn or change direction and press ENT to set the next waypoint 6 Repeat step five until the ro
39. repeat until the longitude is correct Press ENT then EXIT EXIT to return to the previous page display The waypoint is saved and automatically given a name with a sequential number such as waypoint 001 The waypoint symbol and number appear on the map and in the waypoint list Navigate To a Waypoint You can select any waypoint visible on the Map Page with the cursor then use the Navigate to Cursor command we ll describe how later in this section However you can avoid scrolling the map to pick your waypoint if you use the Find Waypoint commands 1 Press WPT ENT To look up the nearest waypoint press ENT or to look by name and scroll through the entire waypoint list press J to Fino By Name ENT For this example look by name 2 If your waypoint list is a long one you can spell out the waypoint name in the FIND BY Name box to search for it Press or J to change the first character then press to move the cursor to the next character and repeat until the name is correct then press ENT to jump to the list below 3 If the list is short you can jump directly to the Finp IN List box by pressing ENT Use T or J to select the waypoint name press ENT and the waypoint information screen appears with the Go To command se lected 4 To begin navigating to the waypoint press ENT 86 Course line dotted Trail line Off course flashing range seta LOMIG DST Destination 93 R 0 27 10 0 name
40. select other Data Types for display Overlay Data Shown v Depth v Water Temperature v Ground Speed Track Bearing Course Distance Total Distance Altitude Closing Speed Off Course gt Data Size Sman gt Data list showing Ground Speed turned on to display on Sonar Page 3 To return to the previous page press EXIT EXIT To turn off displayed data 1 Press MENU J to Overtay Data ENT 2 Press J or to select Data Type then press ENT until the check mark to the left of the selected data type disappears If you wish you may now use J or T to select other Data Types to turn off 3 To return to the previous page press EXIT EXIT To change displayed data font size 1 Press MENU J to OverLay Data ENT 2 Press T or J to select Data Type The Data Size displayed in the bot tom of the Overlay Data Shown window can be changed using amp or gt When the size is right press EXIT The selected data type will be displayed in the new size To change the font size for another Data Type press ENT and repeat these steps be ginning with step two above 3 To return to the previous page press EXIT 56 48 9mat 50 a eerenet ar 0 0 mph A A f ia gt o o k duo id D 6010 Sonar chart with Overlay Data turned on This example shows Depth Water Temperature and the Ground Speed of the boat Ping Speed amp HyperScroll Ping Speed
41. select the desired mode then press ENT Press EXIT EXIT to return to the page display Go To Cursor Find Distance Find Streets Gp To Cusan Find Distance Find Streets Map Categories Delete My Icons r Auto Zoom r Auto Zoom Overlay Data Ov Map Data Ma egNorth Up Ma Track Up De Course Up Customize Customize Map Menu left Map Orientation menu with the North Up map orientation option selected right Overlay Data The Sonar Page and the Map Page can be customized to show many different types of navigation information as text that floats on top of the screen This is called overlay data and is controlled by the Overlay Data command Depth __ A Tz Ow 7 Water_ Big 9 temp HHS ieee A Distance to destination rene ao o F 3010 Sonar Page with Overlay Data turned on This example shows Depth Water Temp and the Distance to the next waypoint in the current route 121 Overlay data uses many of the same types of information available in data boxes see Customize Page Displays earlier in this section but the overlaid text is shown without boxes It s another feature that lets you fully customize the screens to fit your viewing preferences To change the digital data shown on top of the Sonar Page or the Map Page First press PAGES use or lt to select a Page Name then press EXIT To select data for d
42. sets a waypoint at a point located a specific distance and bearing from a reference position The reference position can be se lected from your waypoint list or from the map features 1 Press WPT gt to New ENT 2 Press to PROJECTED Position ENT to CREATE ENT 3 Press to CHoose REFERENCE ENT Use and J to select a waypoint or map feature When the point has been selected press ENT and the point s position appears as the reference position 4 Press J to Distance ENT Press or J to change the first character then press gt to the next character and repeat until the distance is cor rect Press ENT 5 Press to BEARING ENT Press T or J to change the first character then press gt to the next character and repeat until the bearing is cor rect Press ENT 6 Press T to PRovect ENT The Edit Waypoint menu appears You can simply save the new projected waypoint by pressing EXIT EXIT or you can edit the waypoint Press EXIT ENT if you want to immediately be gin navigating to the new waypoint 108 Section 8 System amp GPS Setup Options Alarms This unit has several GPS alarms The factory default setting has all the alarms turned on You can turn the alarms off and on and change their distance settings You can set an arrival alarm to flash a warning message and sound a tone when you cross a preset distance from a waypoint For example if you have the arrival alarm set to 0 1 mile
43. socket on the battery compartment cover Route the cable s unit connec tor and about 6 inches of cable through the opening under the sonar mount Close the cover plug the connector into the sonar unit and mount the unit on the built in bracket PPP 12 Portable Power Pack with a sonar unit stowed for transport Turn the unit on If it doesn t work make sure the battery terminals are making good contact against the battery contacts Also check the wiring connections on the battery adapter The red wire on the power cable should be attached to the red wire on the battery adapter and the power cable s black wire should be connected to the black wire on the battery adapter If it still doesn t work check the battery voltage Most of the complaints we receive about portable units result from stale batteries Make sure the ones you buy are fresh In cold weather the efficiency of dry cell batteries drops with the tem perature We find it a good idea to have the sonar unit good and warm along with the batteries before we leave home 28 If the batteries do lose a charge you can sometimes restore them by placing them in a warm room or car interior A better way is to replace them with batteries that have been kept warm WARNING Never heat the batteries over an open flame or direct hot air onto them A fire or explosion could result Portable Transducer Assembly Recommended tools for installation include a slotted screw driver and t
44. the Map Pace press MENU MENU J to Route PLANNING ENT Screen Routes Sounds gt Alarms Rou Legs Route Planning My Trails Cancel Navigation Sonar Setup GPS Setup System Setup Sun Moon Calculations Trip Calculator Timers arts 8 16 mi 24 Legs Route Planning command on Main Menu left will open the Route List screen right 2 To add to an existing route press 4 or 4 to route name ENT to create a new route just press ENT Then press J to ROUTE END ENT 4 to App From Map ENT The Map Page appears with the cursor showing 100 INaviqate Route 2 Press ENT Route end Edit Route Waypoints inert To Uilavnnt Add From Map Add Waypoint Edit Route menu left Edit Route Waypoints menu right with Add From Map command selected 3 Use the Zoom keys and arrow keys to move the map and cursor until the cursor is centered on the spot where you want your route to begin If you are starting at your current position or the current cursor posi tion you are already at the starting spot 4 Set the first route waypoint press ENT In this example we moved to the entrance of the cove where our boat was docked to start our route to a promising fishing spot next to an oil platform Creating this example route is illustrated in the following figures 1 2 3 Planning Route Planning Route Turtle Cove ea
45. them press EXIT to clear any menus then press PAGES and use the ar row keys to select the desired mode Full Sonar Chart This is the default mode used when the Sonar is turned on for the first time or when it s reset to the factory defaults The bottom signal scrolls across the screen from right to left Depth scales on the right side of the screen aid in determining the depth of targets The line at the top of the screen represents the surface The bottom depth and surface temperature if the unit is equipped with a temperature sensor or a transducer with a temp sensor built in show at the top left corner of the screen The FasTrack display shows just to the right of the scale This changes all echoes into short horizontal bars replicating a flasher so nar The zoom bar on the far right shows the area that s zoomed when the zoom is in use See the Zoom section for more information 62 Full Sonar Chart The Overlay Data depth and water temperature are each set to a different text size Split Zoom Sonar Chart A split chart shows the underwater world from the surface to the bot tom on the right side of the screen The left side shows an enlarged ver sion of the right side The zoom range shows at the bottom left corner of the screen 0 to 2X The right image shows the left window zoomed to 4X The depth overlay data is set to the default large text size the water temperature is set to the me
46. then the alarm will flash a message when you come within 0 1 mile of the recalled waypoint The off course alarm warns you when your track drifts too far to the right or left of the course line to the waypoint For example if the alarm is set to 0 1 mile then the alarm flashes a message if you drift 0 1 of a mile or more to the right or left of the line to the waypoint The anchor alarm is triggered when you drift outside of a preset radius Again using the 0 1 mile as an example if you re anchored and your boat moves more than 0 1 mile the alarm will flash a message and sound a tone Screen K Sounds Arrival T Sonar Alarms 0 10 Hi y Trails K Off Course Alrm Off Course jo 20 mi Cancel Navigation Sonar Setup GPS Setup System Setup Sun Moon Calculations Trip Calculator Timers F Anchor Alarm Anchor jo 20 mi lomi as e Alarms command left Alarm menu right To change alarm settings 1 Press MENU MENU J to ALarms ENT ENT 2 Scroll J or to select the desired category then press ENT to check or clear the Enabled box This turns the alarm on checked or off un checked 3 To change distance settings scroll or to select the desired cate gory then press ENT to activate the distance dialog box Press T or 4 to change the first character then press to the next character and repeat until the distance is correct 109 4 When your adjustments
47. to provide this type of training tool for customers This PC application simulates the actual sonar unit on your computer You can run it from your computer keyboard or use your mouse to press the virtual keys Easy download and installation instructions are avail able on our web site msm lt EEDA 10 29am Free training emulator is available for your unit on our web site To run it click the buttons with your mouse pointer 41 Notes 42 Section 4 Sonar Options amp Other Features Material in this section is arranged in alphabetical order ASP Advanced Signal Processing The ASP feature is a noise rejection system built into the sonar unit that constantly evaluates the effects of boat speed water conditions and interference This automatic feature gives you the best display pos sible under most conditions The ASP feature is an effective tool in combating noise In sonar terms noise is any undesired signal It is caused by electrical and mechanical sources such as bilge pumps engine ignition systems and wiring air bubbles passing over the face of the transducer even vibration from the engine In all cases noise can produce unwanted marks on the display The ASP feature has four settings Off Low Medium and High If you have high noise levels try using the High ASP setting However if you are having trouble with noise we suggest that you take steps to find the interference source and fix
48. transducer cable The best location for this hole is immediately under the mounting bracket location This way the bracket can be installed so that it covers the hole holds the cable in position and results in a neat installation Some customers however prefer to mount the bracket to the side of the cable hole it s a matter of personal preference After drilling the hole pass the connector up through the hole from under the dash 24 107 5 82 7 423 7 3 26 6 26 12 09 10 48 76 9 Millimeter 70 3 3 03 Inch 2 77 Front view left and side view right showing dimensions of the M56 when mounted on quick release bracket If you wish you can fill in the hole around the cable with a good marine sealant compound Some marine dealers stock cable hole covers to con ceal the opening This unit uses a quick release mounting bracket When you run the ca ble through the hole make sure you allow enough slack for tilting the unit and attaching the connector The snug fit of the push on water proof connector requires some force to attach Also be sure there is enough cable slack for rotation if you decide to use the optional GBSA 3 swivel base The swivel base lets you to rotate the sonar so it can be seen from different parts of the boat Align the bracket over the cable hole with the cable slots facing away from you and fit th
49. transmitter power also drops reducing its ability to find the bottom or targets Bottom echo disappears at high speeds or erratic digital read ing or weak bottom echo while boat is moving 1 The transducer may be in turbulent water It must be mounted in a smooth flow of water in order for the sonar to work at all boat speeds Air bubbles in the water disrupt the sonar signals interfering with its ability to find the bottom or other targets The technical term for this is cavitation 2 Electrical noise from the boat s motor can interfere with the sonar This causes the sonar to automatically increase its discrimination or noise rejection feature This can cause the unit to eliminate weaker signals such as fish or even structure from the display Try using resis tor spark plugs or routing the sonar unit s power and transducer cables away from other electrical wiring on the boat No fish arches when the Fish I D feature is off 1 Make sure the transducer is pointing straight down This is the most common problem if a partial arch is displayed 2 The sensitivity may not be high enough In order for the unit to dis play a fish arch it has to be able to receive the fish s echo from the time it enters the cone until it leaves If the sensitivity is not high enough the unit shows the fish only when it is in the center of the cone 3 Use the Zoom feature It is much easier to display fish arches when zoomed in on a small range of water t
50. with the bottom of the boat hull This will usually give you the best combination of smooth water flow and protec tion from bangs and bumps 11 Transom Transducer centerline Hull bottom Align transducer centerline with hull bottom However there are times when you may need to adjust the transducer slightly higher or lower The slots in the mounting brackets allow you to loosen the screws and slide the transducer up or down If you fre quently lose bottom signal lock while running at high speed the trans ducer may be coming out of the water as you cross waves or wakes Move the transducer a little lower to help prevent this If you cruise or fish around lots of structure and cover your transducer may be frequently kicking up from object strikes If you wish you may move the transducer a little higher for more protection There are two extremes you should avoid Never let the edge of the mounting bracket extend below the bottom of the hull Never let the bottom the face of the transducer rise above the bottom of the hull Shoot thru hull vs Transom Mounting In a shoot thru hull installation the transducer is bonded to the inside of the hull with epoxy The sonar ping signal actually passes through the hull and into the water This differs from a bolt thru hull installa tion often called simply thru hull In that case a hole is cut in the hull and a specially designed transducer is mounted through the hu
51. 19 Golo Gunssh Find Distance Category Find Streets v My mapas v My Icons rape E v My Trails v Cities Overlay Data v Countries Map Data v County Parish v Highways Delete My Icons v Marine Navaids Customize v Public Lands v Roads v State Province gt m D SwitchBox m Er E N E Map Menu left Map Categories Drawn Menu right Map Orientation By default this receiver shows the map with north always at the top of the screen This is the way most maps and charts are printed on paper In Track Up mode map shows N and arrow to indicate north Map orientation at left is shown in north up and at right track up This is fine if you re always traveling due north What you see to your left corresponds to the left side of the map to your right is shown on the right side of the map and so on However if you travel any other direction the map doesn t line up with your view of the world To correct this problem a track up mode rotates the map as you turn Thus what you see on the left side of the screen should always be to your left and so on 120 Another option is course up mode which keeps the map at the same orientation as the initial bearing to the waypoint When either the track up or course up mode is on an N shows on the map screen to help you see which direction is north To change map orientation from the Map Page press MENU J to Map ORIENTATION ENT Use or J to
52. 6 U 97 04 795 123 mag Cursor line The selected wreck the Empress to the southeast is 12 55 miles away Selecting Any Map Item With the Cursor 1 Use the zoom keys and the arrow keys to move around the map and find the item you wish to select 2 Use the arrow keys and center the cursor cross hair on the desired ob ject On most items a pop up box will give the name of the selected item Set a Waypoint A waypoint is simply an electronic address based on the latitude and longitude of a position on the earth A waypoint represents a location spot or destination that can be stored in memory then be recalled and used later on for navigation purposes You can create a waypoint at the cursor position on the map or at your current position while you are navigating You can create a waypoint at any location by manually entering the position s latitude and longitude To create and save a Waypoint These first two techniques use the Quick Save method the fastest and easiest way to create a waypoint Create Waypoint at Current Position While you are traveling press WPT WPT The waypoint is saved and automatically given a name with a sequential number such as way point 003 The waypoint symbol and number appear on the map 84 Step 1 Step 2 Find Waypoint Category Gregory s i Portland 77 Soe Subcategory The current position has been saved Corpus Christi Ra Seq
53. AND MOUNTING The best way to install the transducer is to loosely assemble all of the parts first place the transducer s bracket against the transom and see if you can move the transducer so that it s parallel with the ground 1 Assembling the bracket Press the two small plastic ratchets into the sides of the metal bracket as shown in the following illustration Notice there are letters molded into each ratchet Place each ratchet into the bracket with the letter A aligned with the dot stamped into the metal bracket This position sets the transducer s coarse angle adjustment for a 14 transom Most outboard and stern drive transoms have a 14 angle Dot Align plastic ratchets in bracket N Aligning the transducer on the transom Slide the transducer between the two ratchets Temporarily slide the bolt though the transducer assembly and hold it against the transom Looking at the transducer from the side check to see if it will adjust so that its face is parallel to the ground If it does then the A position is correct for your hull If the transducer s face isn t parallel with the ground remove the transducer and ratchets from the bracket Place the ratchets into the holes in the bracket with the letter B aligned with the dot stamped in the bracket 13 Reassemble the transducer and bracket and place them against the transom Again check to see if you can move the transducer so it s parallel with the
54. D British Irish Finnish German New Zealand Swedish Swiss Taiwan Greek and Military grids UTM s are marked on USGS topographic charts This system divides the Earth into 60 zones each 6 degrees wide in longitude British Irish Finnish German New Zealand Swedish Swiss Taiwan and Greek grid systems are each the national coordinate system used only in their respective countries In order to use these grid systems you must be in the respective country This unit will pick the matching datum for you when you select the grid See the entry on Map Datum Selection for more information The military grid reference system MGRS uses two grid lettering schemes which are referred to as standard and standard 10 MGRS on this unit Your position and datum in use determines which one to use If you use standard and your position is off significantly then try the alternate 111 NOTE When the position format is changed it affects the way all posi tions are shown on all screens This includes waypoints To change the coordinate system press ENT while COORDINATE SYSTEM is highlighted Press the T or J arrow keys to highlight the desired for mat Press ENT to select it Press EXIT to erase the menus To setup Loran TD NOTE If the Loran TD conversion is chosen you must enter the local Lo ran chain identification for the master and slaves Do this by se lecting Setup Loran TD at the bottom of the Coordinate System menu a
55. ENT 1 to Route Waypoints List Use J and T to select a waypoint then press ENT Direct To Waypnt Add Waypoint Remove Waypoint View Waypoint Edit Route Waypoints menu 3 Use J and to select a command from the Edit Route Waypoints menu and press ENT Add From Map lets you insert a waypoint in the route by clicking on a map location with the cursor Add Waypoint calls up the Waypoint List so you can insert a waypoint from the list Re move Waypoint will delete the selected waypoint from the route View Waypoint will show you where the selected waypoint is on the map Navigate a Route 1 From the NAviGATION PAGE press MENU ENT or from the Map PAGE press MENU MENU J to ROUTE PLANNING ENT 103 Screen Sounds Alarms Route Planning My Trails Sonar Setup GPS Setup System Setup Sun Moon Calculations Trip Calculator Timers 0 4mi Routes a Delete All gt 24 07 mi 5 Legs Route 2 g Navigate Route Route 2 2 3 Bob Hall Pier PLFM Q W Press ENT Route end Dist Brg Route Planning command on Main Menu left Routes menu center Edit Route menu right Navigate Route command is selected 2 Press J to select route name ENT ENT 3 Upon arrival at your destination cancel navigation press MENU MENU J to Cancer NAVIGATION ENT lt to Yes ENT The following figures show what the Navigat
56. ENU MENU J to CANCEL NAVIGATION ENT lt to Yes ENT 96 Section 7 Advanced GPS Operations Find Distance From Current Position To Another Location 1 While on the Map Page press MENU J to Finp Distance ENT 2 Center your cursor over the position you want to find the distance to A rubber band line appears connecting your current position to the cursor s location The distance along that line will appear in the box at the bottom of the screen The box also shows the bearing to the point you re measuring to 3 Press EXIT to return to regular operation Finding Distance Finding Distance it z Mernphi Dallas New Orleans LA f waT Aoust e AA tonio 1 1 7 Cois Chiki 1 7 oh ii on imix ae 600mi H 27 50 799 5 78mi H 29 57 961 316 9mi U 97 10 999 38 mag U 90 26 588 82 mag At left the distance from the boat s current position to the cove is 5 78 miles At right the distance from Houston to New Orleans is 316 9 miles Find Distance From Point to Point You can also measure distance between two other points on the map 1 While on the Map Page press MENU J to Finp Distance ENT 2 Center your cursor over the first position A rubber band line ap pears connecting your current position to the cursor s location Press ENT to set the first point and the rubber band line disappears 3 Move the cursor to the second position The r
57. ETA ALT 0 00 44 0 3 47 0 02 44 0 3 50_ Navigate trail navigation page compass rose views at left driver is heading northeast straight toward trail point 3 bearing arrow shows the trail point is 61 degrees straight ahead At right driver has reached trail point 3 and must turn southeast to follow the trail Arri val alarm goes off and bearing arrow swings around to say turn right south toward the next waypoint trail point 4 The M56 now shows navigation information to point 4 which is 0 55 miles away Navigate a Back Trail backtrack or reverse 1 Press MENU MENU J to My TRAILS ENT 2 Press J to enter the Saved Trail list then use or J to select the de sired Trail Name ENT 3 Press 4 to NAVIGATE ENT 95 4 Press to REVERSE RouTe ENT lt to NAviGATE Rourte ENT The unit begins showing navigation information along the trail in reverse NOTE If you are already located at or near the end of your trail the arri val alarm will go off as soon as you hit Enter Just press EXIT to clear the alarm and proceed 5 Now begin moving and follow your M56 6 When you reach your destination be sure to cancel your navigation press MENU MENU to CanceL Navication ENT The M56 asks if you re sure press lt ENT Cancel Navigation You can turn off any of the navigation commands after you reach your destination or at any other time by using the Cancel Navigation com mand Press M
58. Hide GPS Features Set Language Software Info Main Menu left Units of Measure Menu right To set Units of Measure Press J to the desired units then press ENT After all the options are set as desired press EXIT EXIT EXIT to return to the page display 131 Notes 132 Section 9 Searching NOTE The background map loaded in your unit lets you search for high ways and arterial streets in the U S as well as land features in cluding cities and lakes For a complete description of what detail is found in the background map see page 81 The unit s search functions all begin with either the Find Waypoint menu or the Map Page menu Press WPT and the Find Waypoint menu appears for waypoints and land features From the Map Page press MENU and the Map Page menu appears for streets and intersections Find Waypoint Go Tio Cunsol Category Find Distance Find Streets Map Orientation r Auto Zoom Overlay Data Map Data Subcategory Map Categories Saved Delete My Icons New Customize Find Waypoint menu left and Map Page menu right NOTE You can search for items even if the unit hasn t acquired a position yet or start from a position other than your own When you do a search distance and bearing to the selected item will be calculated from the unit s current position If the unit hasn t acquired a posi tion it will use the last known position If the cursor is
59. IES OF MER CHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE If there is a defect in any Database your exclusive remedy shall be at our op tion either a refund of the price you paid for the product containing the defec tive Database or a replacement of such product WE WILL NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR ANY SPECIAL CONSE QUENTIAL INCIDENTAL OR OTHER INDIRECT DAMAGE OF ANY KIND Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequen tial damages so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you This warranty does NOT apply in the following circumstances 1 when the product has been serviced or repaired by anyone other than us 2 when the product has been connected installed combined altered adjusted or handled in a manner other than according to the instructions furnished with the prod uct 3 when any serial number has been effaced altered or removed or 4 when any defect problem loss or damage has resulted from any accident mis use negligence or carelessness or from any failure to provide reasonable and necessary maintenance in accordance with the instructions of the owner s man ual for the product We reserve the right to make changes or improvements in our products from time to time without incurring the obligation to install such improvements or changes on equipment or items previously manufactured This warranty gives you specific legal rights and
60. L LOWRANCE Pub 988 0152 021 www lowrance com al M56 S Map Fish finding Sonar amp Mapping GPS Installation and Operation Instructions Copyright 2003 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 offers at any time We reserve the right to do so without notice All features and specifications subject to change without notice All screens in this manual are simulated For free owner s manuals and other information visit our web site www lowrance com Lowrance Electronics Inc 12000 E Skelly Dr Tulsa OK USA 74128 2486 Printed in USA Table of Contents See I Read Me Birst sicvsicisievsdsccdssescs sees ctsaseensiccssoatecederecderseeeteeten 1 Capabilities and Specifications M56 ccccccccssssssceeeeeeessessseeees 3 How your Sonar Works cccccccccccsssssccecceeesessseeeeecceessssneeeesesesseeeses 4 How your GPS Works seei ina e aa RE ias 5 Introduction to GPS and WAAS ccccccccccccsesssssssceeeeeeseeesssseeeseeeess 5 How to Use this Manual Typographical Conventions 00 7 Sec 2 Installation amp Accessories cccsscsssssssecssssceecssesesesees 9 Preparati Ons enorer poin anaE ar EEEE i E T A ies 9 Transducer Installation seesese
61. LarM 2 With the option highlighted press ENT to uncheck it turn off and check it turn on After the option is set press EXIT EXIT to return to the page display 126 Software Version Information From time to time Lowrance updates the operating system software in some of its products These software upgrades are usually offered to customers as free downloads from our web site www lowrance com These upgrades make the unit perform better or introduce a new fea ture or function You can find out what software version is running in your M56 by using the Software Information command Screen Sounds Alarms gt Route Planning My Trails Units of Measure Set Local Time Reset Options M56 Version 0 1 1 Build PC Win32 Points of Interest Data by infoUSA Copyright 2001 Delete All Waypts eXitSource F Popup Help Database Hide GPS Features Copyright 2001 Set Language Interstate America At left Main Menu with Software Information command selected At right the Software Information screen 1 Press MENU MENU J to System Setup ENT to SOFTWARE INFO ENT 2 Read the information displayed on the screen 3 To return to the last page displayed press EXIT EXIT EXIT Sounds and Alarm Sound Styles Sounds triggered by key strokes and alarms can be adjusted You first press MENU MENU J to Sounps ENT Screen Screen Alarms gt Alarms gt Route
62. RAR 3 faa os There are several fish symbol sizes These are used to designate the relative size between targets In other words Fish I D displays a small fish symbol when it thinks a target is a small fish a medium fish sym bol on a larger target and so on The sonar s microcomputer is sophisticated but it can be fooled It can t distinguish between fish and other suspended objects such as trotlines turtles submerged floats air bubbles etc Individual tree limbs ex tending outwards from a group of limbs is the hardest object for the Fish I D feature to distinguish from fish You may see fish symbols on the screen when actually there are no fish The reverse is also true 51 Does that mean Fish I D is broken No the feature is simply inter preting sonar returns in a specific way to help take some of the work out of reading the screen Remember Fish I D is one of the many tools we provide so you can analyze your sonar returns for maximum fish finding information This and other features can help you successfully see beneath the boat under varied water and fishing conditions So practice with the unit in both the Fish I D mode and without to become more familiar with the feature The default for Fish I D is off Surface Clarity Off bd Noise Rejection Low bd Sonar Chart Mode Grayscale 7 Fish ID STS M Depths M Chart Manual Mode M Zoom Bar r Zone Alarm Bar Sonar Features menu wi
63. To set Local Time Press ENT Press or 4 to change the first charac ter then press to move the cursor to the next character Repeat until the time is correct then press ENT To set the Month Press J to MontH ENT Press T or J to select the month then press ENT To set the Day Press to Day ENT Press or J to select the day then press ENT To set the Year Press gt to YEAR ENT Press 7 or J to select the year then press ENT The last field in this menu is Conric DST This feature allows your unit to automatically adjust with the time change caused by Daylight Sav ing Time you should only have to set it once You may select which set of rules matches DST in your region or simply accept the default Once you have each field set the way you want press EXIT repeatedly until you return to the previous page Show WAAS Alarm When the signal is available your unit will automatically use WAAS to boost the accuracy of the position fix When the WAAS signal is lost or acquired an alarm message appears Since the U S government is still developing the WAAS system it s not unusual for a GPS WAAS re ceiver to frequently lose and reacquire its lock on a WAAS satellite That can result in the alarm repeatedly going on and off If you want you have the option of turning off the WAAS Acquired Lost alarm with out affecting how the unit uses WAAS Here s how 1 Press MENU MENU J to GPS Setup ENT J to SHow WAAS A
64. a route My Trails command shows creates and deletes plot trails Also used to navigate or backtrack a trail Cancel Navigation command turns off the various navigation com mands Used to stop navigating after you have reached your destina tion waypoint or map cursor location or after you reach the end of a route or trail Sonar Setup command sets various sonar options GPS Setup command sets various GPS receiver options System Setup command sets general configuration options Sun Moon Calculations command finds the rising and setting time of the sun and the moon Trip Calculator command shows trip status and statistics Timers command controls the up timer down timer and alarm clock settings Sonar Menu The Sonar Menu contains commands for the major sonar features and options You access the Sonar Menu by pressing the MENU key one 33 time You run a command by using T or J to highlight the command and then pressing ENT To clear the menu screen and return to the Page display press EXIT Sensitivity FK Auto Sensitivity Grayline Depth Range K Auto Depth Range Upper And Lower Limits F Stop Chart Chart Speed Depth Cursor Overlay Data Sonar Features Ping Speed Day 3 errai 48 E Pas es Ee bese mula oA Sonar Page Menu Most of these functions are discussed in Sec 4 Advanced Sonar Operation Sonar Menu Commands The Sonar Menu contains commands for the major sonar fe
65. active the unit will always begin the search at the cursor You can look up items by name or search for the item nearest to you Find Any Item Selected by Map Cursor On the Map Page with a map feature selected by the cursor press WPT To return to the previous page press EXIT 133 Wes Cut A West Range g On Light Cut A West Range Light a vole Fer penne ae Pf one ii tx i H 27 48 518 a u 97 15 016 Distance 1 57 mi A Bearing 349 mag Smi Corpus N 27 48 551 1 57mi U 97014 3983 350 mag A Map Place selected by the cursor left Waypoint Information screen right NOTE Since the Go To command is highlighted you can navigate to the selected map place by pressing ENT EXIT while in the Waypoint In formation screen Find Map Places 1 Press WPT press or J to select a map place category then press ENT You will be given two options Search By Name or By Nearest Find Waypoint Find Waypoint Category Category My Waypoints Cities Countries My Waypoints Cities Countries nT ater hea Subcategory Subcategory Lake River Names Lake River Names Ocean Sea Names Ocean Sea Names Other Names Other Names Find Waypoint menu with Water category selected left and with the Lake River subcategory selected right 2 Search by nearest Press ENT The Find By Nearest menu will show a calculating screen then a list of the nearest map places wil
66. ain 1936 England Ordinance Survey Great Britain 1936 England Isle of Man Wales Ordinance Survey Great Britain 1936 Scotland Shetland Is lands Ordinance Survey Great Britain 1936 Wales Pico de las Nieves Canary Islands Pitcairn Astro 1967 Pitcairn Island Point 58 Sweden Santo DOS 1965 Espirito Santo Is land Sao Braz Azores Sao Miguel Santa Maria Islands Sapper Hill 1943 East Falkland Island Schwarzeck Nambia Selvagem Grande Salvage Islands SGS 85 Soviet Geodetic System 1985 South American 1969 Mean for Argentina Bo livia Brazil Chile Co lombia Ecuador Guy ana Paraguay Peru Trinidad amp Tobago and Venezuela South American 1969 Argentina South American 1969 Bolivia South American 1969 Brazil South American 1969 Chile South American 1969 Colombia South American 1969 Ecuador South American 1969 Ecuador Baltra Galapa gos South American 1969 Guyana South American 1969 Paraguay South American 1969 Peru South American 1969 Trinidad amp Tobago South American 1969 Venezuela South Asia Singapore Tananarive Observatory 1925 Madagascar Timbalai 1948 Brunei East Malaysia Sabah Sarawak Tokyo Mean for Japan Korea Okinawa Tokyo Japan 146 Tokyo Korea Tokyo Okinawa Tristan Astro 1968 Tristan da Cunha Viti Levu 1916 Fiji Viti Levu Island Wake Eniwetok 1960 Marshall Islands Wake Island Astr
67. ally adjusted to keep a solid bottom signal displayed plus a little more power This gives it the capability to show fish and other detail However situations occur when it becomes necessary to increase or de crease the sensitivity This typically happens when you wish to see more detail so an increase in sensitivity is indicated Or wave action 59 and boat wakes can create enough tiny air bubbles to clutter much of the water column In that case a decrease in sensitivity is indicated to reduce some of the clutter The control bar used to adjust sensitivity up or down is the same whether the unit is in the automatic or manual mode In automatic you can adjust sensitivity up to 100 percent but the unit will limit your minimum setting In auto the unit will continue to make small ad justments allowing for the setting you selected In manual mode you have complete control over sensitivity with the ability to set it anywhere from zero to 100 percent Once you select a level in manual the unit will continue to use that exact sensitivity set ting until you change it or revert to auto mode To adjust sensitivity in auto mode 1 Press MENU ENT 2 The Sensitivity Control Bar appears Press 4 to decrease sensitivity press to increase sensitivity When it s set at the desired level press EXIT When you reach the maximum or minimum limit a tone sounds Sensitivity K Auto Sensitivity Grayline Depth Range F A
68. and sets the rate at which sonar pings are made Pages The M56 has four major Sonar display options They are the Full Sonar Chart Split Zoom Sonar Chart Digital Data and Flasher You access the various display modes by pressing the PAGES key then pressing to Sonar 7 or J to desired page ENT The Full Sonar Chart is the main Sonar display option This is a cross section view of the water column beneath the boat The chart moves across the screen displaying sonar signal echoes that represent fish structure and the bottom Surface signal Surface clutter Digital data overlay depth amp temperature Depth scale In FasTrack fish arches show as horizontal bars Fish arches around school of bait fish l Zoom bar Structure i FasTrack Bottom signal bar graph Sonar Page showing full sonar chart mode 35 60 Sonar chart display options from left full sonar chart and split zoom 112 81 mi Sonar chart display options from left digital data and flasher You can customize how the Sonar Page pictures and other data are dis played in many ways We ll discuss all of those features and options in the Advanced Sonar Operation section but to show you how easy the sonar unit is to operate the following page contains a simplified 10 step quick reference that will cover most fish finding situations The quick reference describes how your
69. appears on the screen Decreasing the sensitivity can reduce the clutter and show the strongest fish ech oes if fish are present As you change the sensitivity setting you can see the difference on the chart as it scrolls Fig 1 Fig 2 Bait Sie Droma fos Bie set yas ra school eee 50 0 Fish we BSc ees O aks a Thermocline with fish gl o Pi DHH b o ot y HHE H i 3 e 3 eA E N These 60 0 These figures show results of different sensitivity levels on the same location Fig 1 Sensitivity at 87 percent determined by Auto Sensitiv ity Typical of full auto mode Fig 2 Sensitivity set at 50 percent Fig 3 Sensitivity set at 20 percent Fig 4 Sensitivity set at 100 percent 38 You can change the sensitivity level whether you are in Auto Sensitiv ity mode or Manual Sensitivity mode The adjustment method works the same in both modes but it gives you slightly different results Adjusting sensitivity in Auto Sensitivity Mode is similar to manually ad justing a car s speed with the accelerator pedal while cruise control is on You can tell the car to run faster but when you let off the gas the cruise control automatically keeps you from running slower than the minimum speed setting In the sonar unit auto mode will let you increase sensitiv ity to 100 percent but the unit will limit your minimum setting This pre vents you from turning sensiti
70. arch r Require WAAS r Show WAAS Alarm GPS Simulator Track Smoothing option turned on Trail Options There are several options you can use with trails Some affect all trails other options can be applied to a particular trail You can change the way trails are updated you can display or hide trails create a new trail delete a trail etc 128 General Trail Options To access the Trails Menu Press MENU MENU J to My Traits ENT Screen Sounds Trail Options trail 1 Alarms gt Route Planning Trail 2 D Pts Maximum Points My Trails v Trail 3 2Pts 2000 Set Keel Offset m RAN F Sonar Simulator F Visible GPS Setup gt Delete Trail System Setup gt Sun Moon Calculations Navigate Trip Calculator Timers gt Main Menu left Trails Menu center Trail Options right Delete All Trails To remove all of the trails from memory from the Trails Menu press gt to DELETE ALL ENT lt to Yes ENT Update Active Trail Option This menu lets you change the way the trail updates occur WARNING If you uncheck the Update Trail option automatic trail creation and recording will be turned off You must turn it back on to record trails The default setting is on From the Trails Menu press to Trait Options ENT With UPDATE TRAIL highlighted press ENT to check it turn on and uncheck it turn off Update Trail Criteria Auto Time Distance
71. arrival alarms 1 Install the unit See complete installation details beginning on page 9 2 To turn on the M56 press and release PWR key 3 Opening screen displays the moving map at the 4 000 mile zoom range Rotate through the four main GPS Page screens Full Map Posi tion Navigation and Satellite Status by pressing PAGES J or T to se lect Page Name EXIT Switch Pages to display Satellite Status Page 4 Wait while unit locates satellites and calculates current position Process is visible on Satellite Page This takes an average of 1 minute or less under clear sky conditions unobstructed by terrain or structures When the unit acquires position a tone sounds and a position acquired message appears 5 With position acquired press PAGES key to display Full Map display which shows your position in the center You can move around the map by Zoom in closer to see greater detail press ZIN zoom in key Zoom out to see more area less detail press ZOUT zoom out key Scroll display north south east or west using arrow keys 4 gt amp To stop scrolling clear cursor and return to current position press EXIT 6 Set a waypoint Wpt 001 at your current position so you can navi gate back here press WPT WPT Waypoint symbol and 001 appears 7 If you ve already made some waypoints or event marker icons zoom scroll to find one of them to go to Otherwise travel a bit and set some practice waypoints When yo
72. ate through the menus make menu selections move the map cursor and sonar chart cursor and enter data 5 ENT Enter This key allows you to save data accept values or execute menu commands It is also used to create event marker icons 6 EXIT The Exit key lets you return to the previous screen clear data or erase a menu 7 WPT Waypoint The Waypoint key is used to save and recall way points search for waypoints and access the waypoint list It s also in volved in some navigation functions 8 ZOUT Zoom Out This key lets you zoom the screen out On the Sonar Page this key returns you to a full sonar chart display showing the entire water column from surface to bottom On the Full Map dis play this lets you see a larger geographic area on the display Less de tail is seen as you zoom out 9 ZIN Zoom In This key lets you zoom the screen in On the Sonar Page this key enlarges fish signals and bottom detail On the Full Map display zooming in lets you see greater detail in a smaller geographic area on the display Power lights on and off To turn on the unit press PWR As the unit powers up the Full Map GPS Page is displayed first To switch to another page press PAGES amp or gt to Page Name T or J to Display Mode EXIT To turn on the backlight press PWR again The unit has three backlight levels to select from Repeatedly pressing PWR will cycle through the backlight settings a
73. ating a trail and the trail update rate can both be adjusted or even turned off See Sec 8 for Trail Options To preserve a trail from point A to point B you must turn off the trail by making it inactive before heading to point C or even back to point A When the current trail is set inactive the M56 automatically creates and begins recording a new trail To Save a Trail 1 Press MENU MENU J to My Trails ENT 90 Screen Sounds Trail Options i Trail 1 Alarms gt J 5 Route Planning Trail 2 gt Pts Maximum Points My Trails lt Trail3 OPts 2000 E a F Active Smas gt visible oe GPS Setup gt symbol Active F Visible System Setup gt symbol Delete Trail Sun Moon Calculations Trip Calculator Navigate Timers gt Sequence for saving a trail and beginning a new one At left My Trails command Center the Trails Menu The arrow to the right of Trail 3 indicates the trail is active and the check to the left indicates the trail is visible on the map display The right figure shows the Edit Trail menu with the Name command selected 2 Press J to the Active Trail Name ENT 3 Press J to Active ENT This unchecks the Active option 4 To return to the previous page press EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT As you left the Edit Trail menu you will notice that a new trail was started with a new sequential number In the example figure below the new trail
74. ation and or angle of the transducer The face of the transducer must be placed in a location that has a smooth flow of water at all boat speeds Read your trans ducer owner s manual or the Installation instructions Sec 2 in this manual for the best mounting position 71 Notes 72 Section 6 Basic GPS Operations This section addresses the unit s most basic GPS operations The tuto rials presented in Sec 6 follow a chronological order Sec 7 Advanced GPS Operations will discuss other more advanced functions and utili ties Material in Sec 7 is arranged in alphabetical order Before you turn on the M56 and find where you are it s a good idea to learn about the different keys the four GPS Page screens and how they all work together BUT if you just can t wait to get outside turn to the one page Quick Reference on page 82 Keyboard Lowrance M56 close up of unit s keyboard 1 PWR Power The PWR key turns the unit on and off and activates the backlight 2 PAGES Pressing this and the arrow keys 4 switches the unit be tween the different GPS Page screens Satellites Navigation Digital Data and Full Map Each page represents one of the unit s major op eration modes 3 MENU Press this key to show the menus and submenus which allow you to select a command or adjust a feature This also accesses search functions for streets and intersections 73 4 ARROW KEYS These keys are used to navig
75. ation com mands Used to stop navigating after you have reached your destina tion waypoint or map cursor location or after you reach the end of a route or trail Sonar Setup command sets various sonar options GPS Setup command sets various GPS receiver options System Setup command sets general configuration options Sun Moon Calculations command finds the rising and setting time of the sun and the moon Trip Calculator command shows trip status and statistics Timers command controls the up timer down timer and alarm clock settings 75 Pages The unit has two Pages that represent the two major operating modes They are the Map Page and the Sonar Page Each Page has several sub set display options They are accessed by pressing the PAGES key then using or lt to select a Page then T or J to select a display option Clear the Pages Menu by pressing EXIT Position Navigation 4 Satellites Corpusa Pages Menu showing some Map display options Sonar Page The Sonar Page displays the sonar chart a view of the water column from the surface to the bottom The chart scrolls across the screen from right to left displaying signal echoes that represent fish structure and the bottom The Sonar Page is discussed in detail in Sec 3 To get to the Sonar Page Press PAGES gt to Sonar EXIT Satellite Status Page The Satellite Status GPS Page shown in the following images provides detailed information
76. atures and options Most of them are only described in detail in Sec 4 but Sensitiv ity and Auto Sensitivity are important basic functions that are discussed both here and in the Advanced Sonar section The other Sonar Menu commands include e Grayline command separates fish and structure near the bottom from the actual bottom and defines bottom composition hardness e Depth Range command manually sets the depth range shown on the sonar chart e Auto Depth Range command automatically sets the depth range shown on the sonar chart to always keep the bottom in view e Upper and Lower Limits command sets the upper and lower depth limits of the sonar chart Lets you zoom in on a specific portion of the water column e Stop Chart command stops the sonar chart from scrolling Used when you want to freeze the image for closer study e Chart Speed command sets the scrolling speed of the sonar chart e Depth Cursor command displays a cursor line on the sonar chart which allows you to accurately measure the depth of a sonar target e Overlay Data command chooses what types of information such as water temperature to show overlaid on the sonar chart screen 34 e Sonar Features command launches the Sonar Features menu which controls many functions and options including screen color mode auto depth and sensitivity surface clarity noise rejection Fish I D sym bols the zoom bar and zone bar e Ping Speed comm
77. bottom of the bar to the desired depth 5 Press EXIT lt to ZONE ALARM ENABLED ENT EXIT EXIT EXIT Now any echo fish bottom structure within the zone alarm s depth range will trigger the zone alarm 6 To turn off the alarm press MENU MENU J to ALarms ENT J to Sonar ALarms ENT J to Zone ALARM ENABLED ENT EXIT EXIT EXIT To switch to a different depth setting open the Sonar Alarms menu and repeat the instructions in steps 3 and 4 above Fish Alarm Use the fish alarm for a distinctive audible alarm when fish or other suspended objects are detected by the Fish I D feature Fish I D must be turned on for the Fish Alarm to work A different tone sounds for each fish symbol size shown on the display Shallow Alarm Depth l Enabled fj ft Deep Alarm Zone Alarm Enabled Adjust Zone Fish Alarm Sonar Alarms menu with Fish Alarm selected The check box to the left is checked indicating the alarm is turned on To turn the fish alarm on 1 Press MENU MENU J to ALARMs ENT to Sonar ALARMS ENT 2 Press 4 to FisH ALARM ENT EXIT 3 To turn off the alarm press MENU MENU J to ALarms ENT J to Sonar Alarms ENT to FisH ALARM ENT EXIT 46 Chart Speed The rate that echoes scroll across the screen is called the chart speed The default is maximum we recommend that you leave the speed set there for virtually all fishing conditions However you might con
78. clude two adjustable wrenches drill 29 0 186 drill bit flat head screwdriver Supplies high quality marine grade above or below waterline sealant adhesive compound Trolling motor installations Tools two adjustable wrenches flat head screwdriver Supplies plastic cable ties Shoot through hull installations Tools these will vary depending on your hull s composition Consult your boat dealer or manufacturer Other tools are a wooden craft stick or similar tool for stirring and applying epoxy and a paper plate or piece of cardboard to mix the epoxy on Supplies rubbing alcohol 100 grit sandpaper specially formulated epoxy adhesive available from LEI see ordering information on the inside back cover A sandwich hull also requires polyester resin Selecting a Transducer Location 1 The location must be in the water at all times at all operating speeds 2 The transducer must be placed in a location that has a smooth flow of 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 large amounts of turbulence at high speed These boats typically have large outboard motors capable of propelling the boat at speeds faster than 35 mph Typically a good transom location on aluminum b
79. converts the trail into a route 4 The wait message disappears and the unit begins showing navi gation information along the trail Now begin moving and follow your unit s directions Translated into complete English step 1 above would mean Start on the Plotter Page Press the Menu key twice Next repeatedly press or press and hold the down arrow key to scroll down the menu and select highlight the My Trails menu command Finally press the Enter key Step 2 would mean Press the down arrow key repeatedly to scroll to the trail named Trail 1 and press Enter Next press the right arrow key and then the down arrow key to highlight the Navigate command then press Enter Section 2 Installation amp Accessories Preparations You can install the sonar and GPS systems in some other order if you prefer but we recommend this installation sequence CAUTION You should read over this entire installation section before drill ing any holes in your vehicle or vessel 1 Determine the approximate location for the sonar GPS unit so you can plan how and where to route the power transducer cable This will help you make sure you have enough cable length for the desired con figuration 2 Determine the approximate location for the transducer and its cable route 3 Determine the location of your battery or other power connection along with the power cable route 4 Install the transducer and route the transducer cable to the
80. d instructions on map place searches After you have looked up an item with the Find Waypoint command use the to make sure the Go To command is highlighted at the bot tom of the screen then press ENT The M56 begins showing navigation information to the item To cancel navigation press MENU MENU J to Cancer NAVIGATION ENT to Yes ENT The M56 stops showing navigation information Creating and Saving a Trail A trail or plot trail is a string of position points plotted by the M56 as you travel It s a travel history a record of the path you have taken Trails are useful for repeating a journey along the same track They are particularly handy when you are trying to retrace your trip and go back the way you came On the screen trails are represented by a flashing line extending from the back of the current position arrow The M56 is set at the factory to automatically create and record a trail while the unit is turned on The unit will continue recording the trail until the length reaches the maximum trail point setting default is 2 000 but the unit can record trails 9 999 points long When the point limit is reached the M56 begins recording the trail over itself By default the trail flashes once a second making it easier to see against the background map With the default auto setting the M56 creates a trail by placing a dot trail point on the screen every time you change directions The methods used for cre
81. d submenus which allow you to select a command or adjust a feature This also accesses search functions for streets and intersections 31 4 ARROW KEYS These keys are used to navigate through the menus make menu selections move the plotter cursor and sonar chart cursor and enter data 5 ENT Enter This key allows you to save data accept values or execute menu commands It is also used to create event marker icons 6 EXIT The Exit key lets you return to the previous screen clear data or erase a menu 7 WPT Waypoint The Waypoint key is used to save and recall way points search for waypoints and access the waypoint list It s also in volved in some navigation functions 8 ZOUT Zoom Out This key lets you zoom the screen out On the Sonar Page this key returns you to a full sonar chart display showing the entire water column from surface to bottom On the Plotter Page this lets you see a larger geographic area on the display Less detail is seen as you zoom out 9 ZIN Zoom In This key lets you zoom the screen in On the Sonar Page this key enlarges fish signals and bottom detail On the Plotter Page zooming in lets you see greater detail in a smaller geographic area on the display Memory This unit has permanent memory that saves all user settings even when power is removed It does not require nor does it use an internal backup battery so you never have to worry about replacem
82. designed for aircraft The satellites are in a fixed orbit around the Equator so they appear very low in the sky to someone on the ground in North America Aircraft and vessels on open water can get consis tently good WAAS reception but terrain foliage or even large man made structures can sometimes block the WAAS signal from ground receivers You ll find that using your GPS receiver is both easy and amazingly accurate It s easily the most accurate method of electronic navigation available to the general public today Remember however that this receiver is only a tool Always have another method of navigation avail able such as a map or chart and a compass Also remember that this unit will always show navigation information in the shortest line from your present position to a waypoint regardless of terrain It only calculates position it can t know what s between you and your destination for example It s up to you to safely navigate around obstacles no matter how you re using this product How to use this manual typographical conventions Many instructions are listed as numbered steps The keypad and arrow keystrokes appear as boldface type So if you re in a real hurry or just need a reminder you can skim the instructions and pick out what 7 menu command to use by finding the boldface command text The fol lowing paragraphs explain how to interpret the text formatting for those commands and other instructions
83. different depth setting open the Sonar Alarms menu and repeat the instructions in step 3 above To adjust and turn on the deep alarm 1 Press MENU MENU to ALarms ENT to Sonar ALARMs ENT 2 Press to DEEP ALARM DEPTH ENT 3 Press T or J until the depth is correct then press ENT 4 Press lt to DEEP ALARM ENABLED ENT EXIT 5 To turn off the alarm press MENU MENU J to ALarms ENT J to Sonar ALaRms ENT to DEEP ALARM ENABLED ENT EXIT To switch to a different depth setting open the Sonar Alarms menu and repeat the instructions in step 3 above Zone Alarm The zone alarm is triggered when any echo passes inside the zone alarm bar shown on the right side of the screen To adjust and turn on the zone alarm 1 Press MENU MENU J to ALarms ENT J to Sonar ALARMs ENT 2 Press 4 to Zone ALARM ENABLED gt to ADuusT ZONE ENT Shallow Alarm Depth l Enabled ji ft Deep Alarm 2 H Depth C Enabledfigo ft lt U Lower Zone Alarm C Enabled BRITE Rani l Fish Alarm At left Sonar Alarms menu with Adjust Zone command selected At right Adjust Zone Alarm selection box with Upper Limit selected 45 3 To set the upper boundary for the Zone Alarm use lt or gt to select Upper then press T or J to move the top of the bar to the desired depth 4 To set the lower boundary for the Zone Alarm use lt or gt to select Lower then press or J to move the
84. dium text size Digital Data Chart This mode shows nine digital boxes or windows containing by default Water Depth Water Temp Speed Distance to Destination Bearing Travel Time Track Off Course and the unit s Voltage 63 Digital Data Chart Flasher The Flasher page represents a flasher style sonar A circular dial shows all returning echoes at a high screen refresh rate It uses the Grayline feature to show weaker targets as lighter colors The bottom depth is also shown as a black bar across the outer circle 50 0 Surface clutter Fish signal approximately 13 feet Bottom signal Flasher page Sonar Simulator This unit has a built in simulator that lets you run it as if you were on the water All sonar features and functions are useable When in simulator mode you will see Simulator Mode in the Sonar Page title bar To use the simulator 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU MENU J to Sonar Setup ENT J to SONAR SIMULATOR ENT 2 Turn off Sonar Simulator by pressing MENU MENU J to Sonar Setup ENT to Sonar SIMULATOR ENT 64 Stop Chart If you are running multiple units on a boat there are times when you may want to turn off the sonar This command turns off the sonar and stops the chart from scrolling Sonar restarts automatically each time you turn on your unit Press MENU J to Stop CharT ENT EXIT To turn on sonar and start the chart scrolling again re
85. e 4 frain Navigate Route Maximum Points 2000 2 BRAND 3 F Visible 4 Delete Trail e 5 e 6 7 e fR i Dist Brg Navigate a trail menu sequence Fig 1 My Trails command Fig 2 Trails Menu Fig 3 Edit Trail Menu Fig 4 Edit Route Menu with Navigate Route command highlighted for Trail 1 A trail is always con verted to a route when you navigate the trail On the Map Page the trail you are navigating is represented by a flashing solid line if the visible trail option is on The course you are following the trail converted to a route is represented by a dotted line The Navigation Page and the Position Page will also show the course in the same way The bearing arrow on the compass rose points to the next waypoint on the trail As you travel the arrival alarm will go off when you near a trail way point and the bearing arrow on the compass rose will swing around and point to the next trail waypoint Press EXIT to clear the alarm 94 Present position arrow Flashi trail line Tr Navigate trail map views at left driver is heading southeast straight toward trail point 3 At right driver has reached point 3 and has turned southwest to follow the trail Track or compass heading indicator Bearing arrow Track Trail waypoint f error range line made off course from trail i indicator DST GS ETE ALT
86. e Rate setting left and Update Dis tance setting right Specific Trail Options Delete Trail To delete a specific trail From the Trails Menu press J to Trail Name ENT The Edit Trail menu appears as seen in the following fig ure Press J to DELETE TRAIL ENT lt to Yes ENT Trail 6 Maximum Points 2000 F Active R Visible Delete Trail Edit Trail menu 130 New Trail To manually start a new trail in the Trails Menu use the gt to make sure New TRAIL is highlighted and press ENT EXIT Trail Visible Invisible and Other Trail Options The name maximum number of points in the trail activity and visi bility are all changed on the Edit Trail menu screen The Active setting determines whether or not the unit is recording new points for a par ticular trail On the Edit Trail menu press J or to highlight the section you wish to change then press ENT Make your changes then press EXIT to erase this menu Units of Measure This menu sets the speed and distance statute or nautical miles me ters depth feet fathoms or meters temperature degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius and heading true or magnetic units To change the units Press MENU MENU J to System Setup ENT ENT Screen Sounds Alarms gt Route Planning Statute Metric Set Local Time Temperature Reset Options Fahrenheit gt Delete All Waypts Depth F Popup Help Fet
87. e cable through one of the slots Fasten the bracket to the dash using the three screw holes 25 Ratchet Sx Rear away from viewer Screw hole Power transducer cable Cable slot M56 quick release mounting bracket Slots in the base allow routing the cable from beneath the mount Attach the unit to the bracket by first connecting the power transducer cable Then hold the sonar unit vertically and slide it onto the bracket from above The back of the unit should be touching the front of the bracket as you lower it into position As you push down the unit will lock into place with a distinct click To adjust the viewing angle pinch the ratchets with one hand then tilt the unit with your other hand Release the ratchets and the unit locks into the new position To dismount the unit for storage press the ratch ets and lift the unit off the bracket Bracket front Mount the sonar slide the unit onto the bracket from above 26 Depress ratchets to release Swivel base 7 Adjust viewing angle use one hand to press and release the spring loaded ratchets while you move the unit with the other hand An op tional GBSA 3 swivel base is shown with the quick release bracket Portable Sonar Installation Like many Lowrance products the M56 sonar is capable of portable operation It uses the optional PPP 12 portable power pack The power pack and portable transducers expand the uses for your so nar Yo
88. e enough to the first waypoint the arrival alarm will usually go off as soon as naviga tion begins Press EXIT to clear the alarm When navigation starts press T to increase speed to the desired setting 4 Press EXIT to turn off the steering and speed boxes The unit will now automatically steer along the trail or route When you arrive at your destination cancel navigation as you normally do Tip You can pick any spot on the map to begin your simulation session by using the Initialize GPS command This makes your unit think it s lo cated at the position you select See the following entry for details Initialize GPS This command is handy when you are practicing in simulator mode See the previous entry for GPS Simulator In simulator mode this command makes the unit operate as if it is sitting someplace other than its actual location So you and your unit could be located in Kansas City but eas ily practice navigating in the ocean off Islamorada Florida 1 Press MENU MENU J to GPS Setup ENT ENT 2 A message appears telling you to move the cursor near the desired location and press ENT When the message automatically clears follow the message instructions 3 In a moment your present position marker arrow appears on the map in the location you selected with the cursor The unit will consider that spot as its last known position until changed by either a live satel lite lock on or a new simulator location
89. e from your current position to the smaller ring the ring s radius is 25 miles always 1 4 the zoom range With the arrow keys and map cursor you can scroll the map to see the third and fourth rings In this example the distance to the third ring is 75 miles and distance to the fourth ring is 100 miles from your current position To set range rings From the Map Page press MENU J to Map Data ENT Press J to Rance Rines With the option highlighted press ENT to check it turn on and uncheck it turn off After the option is set press EXIT EXIT to return to the page display To set Lat Long Grid From the Map Page press MENU J to Map Data ENT Press J to Lat Lon Grip Lines With the option highlighted press ENT to check it turn on and uncheck it turn off After the op tion is set press EXIT EXIT to return to the page display Map Datum Selection Maps and charts are based on a survey of the area that s covered by the map or chart These surveys are called Datums Maps that are cre ated using different datums will show the same latitude longitude in slightly different locations 118 All datums are named The GPS system is based on the WGS 84 da tum which covers the entire world Other datums may also cover the entire world or just a small portion of it By default your position shows using the WGS 84 datum However it can show your position using one of 191 different datums Different datums can be selected to chang
90. e the datum 1 Press MENU MENU to GPS Setup ENT to Datum SELECTION ENT 2 Scroll J or T to select the desired datum then press ENT 3 To return to the last page displayed press EXIT EXIT A list of the datums used by this unit is in the back of this manual Screen Datum Sounds e g or merican ee Planning North American 1983 3 z Adindan Mean for Etk My Trails Adindan Burkina Fasa Initialize GPS Adindan Cameroon Adindan Ethiopia Adindan Mali Adindan Senegal Adindan Sudan Afgooye Somalia Ain el Abd 1970 Bahr Ain el Abd 1970 Saud Anna 1 Astro 1965 Co Antima leland Actro 1 Coordinate System Datum Selection GPS Auto Search E Track Smoothing rM Require WAAS r Show WAAS Alarm GPS Simulator GPS Setup Menu left Map Datum Menu right Map Detail Category Selection This menu determines which of the mapping features are shown on the screen This includes waypoints trails icons cities highways etc You can selectively turn on or off any of these items customizing the map to your needs To get to Map Categories 1 From the Map Page press MENU J to Map CaTecories ENT 2 Press T or J to select a category then press to cycle through any available subcategories Press ENT to turn the selected category or subcategory off no check or on checked 3 To return to the last page displayed press EXIT EXIT 1
91. each second How Your GPS Works You ll navigate faster and easier if you understand how this unit scans the sky to tell you where you are on the earth and where you re go ing But if you already have a working understanding of GPS receivers and the GPS navigation system skip on ahead to Section 2 Installation amp Accessories on page 9 If you re new to GPS read on and you can later impress your friends with your new found knowledge First think of your unit as a small but powerful computer But don t worry we made this unit easy to use so you don t need to be a computer expert to find your way The unit includes a keypad and a screen with menus so you can tell it what to do The screen also lets the unit show your location on a moving map as well as point the way to your destination This unit uses an internal antenna receiver module which makes the whole system work something like your car radio But instead of your favorite dance tunes this receiver tunes in to a couple of dozen GPS satellites circling the earth It will also listen in to the WAAS satellites in orbit but more about that in the upcoming segment introducing you to GPS and WAAS Your unit listens to signals from as many satellites as it can see above the horizon eliminates the weakest signals then computes its location in relation to those satellites Once it figures its latitude and longitude the unit plots that position on the GPS screen The w
92. ed o To Man Overboard Man Overboard Corpus Christi Bay 4mi Navigating to Man Overboard Man Overboard activated message shown at left The Navigation Page is shown in the center and Map Page is shown at right The victim is astern of the vessel the GPS shows which direction to steer to for the rescue The man overboard position is also stored in the waypoint list for future reference It can be edited the same as any other waypoint To cancel navigation to MOB press MENU MENU J to CaNceL NAVIGA TION ENT lt to Yes ENT The unit stops showing navigation information Navigate to Cursor Position on Map The Go To Cursor command navigates to the current cursor position on the map It s a quick and handy way to navigate to anything you can see on the map display 1 Use the cursor controlled by the arrow keys with the zoom in and zoom out keys to maneuver around the map until you find a location you want to go to 2 Center the cursor over the location to select it See the example in the following figure Many map items such as waypoints marine NavAids towns etc can be selected and appear highlighted with a pop up box Other features such as a river or a street intersection will not appear highlighted but the cursor will take you to those locations just the same 88 Go To Cursor Find Distance Find Streets Map Orientation r Auto Zoom Overlay Data Map Data Map Categories
93. eed that you re making toward the waypoint For instructions see the Customize Page Displays entry in Sec 8 Current track or Waypoint symbol heading shown Track Compass in degrees p Hig bearing to destination Cross track i error range Bearing off course arrow indicator Trail line Course line Left cross track error line Cross track BRG TRK DST error range Navigation 12 12 0 22 off course a e oe Time indicator isplays 50 0 _ 10 26 A Navigation Page backtracking a trail while creating a new trail Track is the heading or the current direction you are actually travel ing Bearing is the direction of a line of sight from your present position to the destination No matter what direction you are steering the Bearing window shows the compass direction straight to the destina tion from your location at the moment Distance shows how far it is to the waypoint you re navigating toward The Off Course window shows the current cross track error This shows the distance you are off course to the side of the desired course line The course line is an imaginary line drawn from your position when you started navigating to the destination waypoint The course line is shown on the Navigation Page screen and the Map Page screen as a dotted line The cross track error range is shown on the compass rose as a wide white corridor enclosing the course line The outer edges of this white corridor
94. eeeseeeeeseee 108 Sec 8 System amp GPS Setup Options sssssssssesssssocceesssssssoceesse 109 PT AVIS 33 5 sds nds a bs cde La Sa Reeds Cade hes Gh cat Cae iu ea ae ecole 109 Auto Satellite Search ccsccccessssccesesseeceeeeeeeeeeneeeeesseeeeeeeneeeeeees 110 Coordinate System Selection ccccccccccssssssceeeeceessessssceeeeeeeeseeeee 111 Map FA sce ca esevese hc tina rana E AEEA vase eabe dens i a a dene site 112 Customize Page Displays cccccccccccccessesssecceeeeeeeseesssteeeseeeeseeeees 113 GPS Simulator i e ccccsesaceisersceeietacesueceecavesededevecadeseneedeceus Gabedeutaeves 115 Simulating Trail or Route Navigation ccceesceesesteeeeeeees 116 Initialize GPS ss oie eatin es ee ee ees 116 Map Auto ZOOM 25 26 coetbesasieieiessdesssensieacieeeies ETA 117 Map Dataiscscescccestssssstesteescessaaessas lt desssneageneiees toueecsa dass Gees S 117 Earth Map Detall cccccccssssscccececeessesssceeeeeeeeseessseeeeeeeess 117 Pop Up Map Info wrics ccccssececcesctecssessshesia eta i as 118 Fill Land with Gray ccccccccccccccccssssscceccccessessseeeeeecesesssssseeeeeeeees 118 Map Overlays Range Rings Lat Long Grid eee 118 Map Datum Selection cccccccccccsssssssceeeecceessesssseeeeecessessseeeeseeeens 118 Map Detail Category Selection ccccccccccessssssscceeeeesssessseeeeeeeeess 119 Map Orientation cccccccccssscccecccesssssssceeecceesseessseeeeeceesee
95. eesesseeesssseessseressseessssresssseressseressrere 9 Recommended Tools and Supplies ccccssssscccceessesssseeeeeeeees 10 Selecting a Transducer Location ccccccccessceeeeesneeeeeeneeeesenseeees 10 How Low Should You Go ccccccccccccccessessseeeeeeeeeseesssseeseeeeseneees 11 Shoot Thru Hull vs Transom Mounting cccceesscseceeeeeeeeee 12 Transom Transducer Assembly and Mounting c cceeeseees 13 Trolling Motor Bracket Installation 0 ceesccceeesceceeeeteeeeeeneeeees 16 Transducer Orientation and Fish Arches ccccccccssssssseeeeeeeeees 17 Shoot Thru Hull Preparation and Installation 0 cceeeeeees 18 Power and Cable Connections c ccccecesscceeseeeeeeeneeeeeseneeeeeeneeees 22 Mounting the Sonar Unit In Dash or Bracket 23 Portable Sonar Installation ccecccceeesscceeseeeeeeenneeeessneeeeesneeees 27 Portable Transducer Assembly cccccccccccccesssscceeeeeeseesssteeeeeeeess 29 Sec 3 Basic Sonar Operation ccccssscsseccccssssssnssececesssseees 31 Keyboard Basics sicinsccusetetet ote one ieetpeatiee eases a a Mec ae a 31 Memory enne see sila Sov ie Suet bone NV A deus hen ada ba ess dean hen Rea REA 32 Menus aese eres e R O stead E A G EEN 32 Main Men maten a a a E sts 32 fetoha tsk gAn Kena tt EERE EE T E 33 lA GOS E E EAEE T A AA 35 Basic Sonar Quick Reference ccccccssssssssssscccsssssssssceeeeess 37 Sonar Operatio
96. ent batteries Menus Your sonar unit will work fine right out of the box with the factory default settings You only need to learn a few basic functions to enhance your viewing We ll discuss them briefly here then talk about them and all the other commands in more detail in Sec 4 Advanced Sonar Operation Sonar Mode has two primary menus that control its operation They are the Main Menu and the Sonar Menu Main Menu The Main Menu contains some basic function commands and some setup option commands You access the Main Menu by pressing MENU MENU You run a command by using 7 or J to highlight the command and then pressing ENT To clear the Main Menu screen and return to the Page dis play press EXIT Remember our text style for MENU MENU means press the Menu key twice See a full explanation of our instruction text formatting on page 8 Instructions Menu Sequences 32 Screen Sounds Alarms gt Route Planning My Trails Cancel Navigation Sonar Setup gt GPS Setup gt System Setup gt Sun Moon Calculations Trip Calculator The Main Menu commands and their functions are Screen command changes the contrast or brightness of the display screen Sounds command enables or disables the sounds for key strokes and alarms and sets the alarm style Alarms command turns GPS alarms on or off and changes alarm thresholds Route Planning command used to plan view or navigate
97. esseeeeeeeess 120 Overlay 1 Atal ces2cc3 o an a ied Haseeno ehh 121 Pop Up Help isecisccsscnsvcsstucvsssstsnkddeedievesssncctceeses e sdeese e 123 Reset Options anas este teed ceveaes eat eh av A es 124 Screen Contrast and Brightness ccccccccssssssceeeeeeesessssseeeeeeeess 124 eb Han SUA Ge ieor a ee e a a Mevetet sete aa eet a a i 125 Set Local Time cccccesssccccccceesssssncceeeeceessesssseeeeeeesseessseeeseeeess 126 Show WAAS Alarm cccececccccccceesssssseceeeeceesensssseeesesesseessseeeseeeess 126 Software Version Information cccccccccccesessssceceeeeeessessssteeeeeeess 127 Sounds and Alarm Sound Styles cccccccccsssssseceeceeessessssseeeeeeeess 127 Track Smoothing cccccesssccccccessessseceececesseessseeeeseeseesssseeeeeeeess Trail Options eissecsececiss csv seveand tases csvsseussdetaveveoudeaidaes Er ra ES ESTS Delete All Trails ceccccseecnccecciescesesseessastevevssuvecescteviveveiscatadies sores Update Active Trail Option Update Trail Criteria Auto Time Distance 0000000000 129 Trail Update Rate Time Distance cccccccseesseeeeeeeees 130 Delete Trail ainean a eE an AE NEE 130 NeW ha e Ti EE SO OSE P EE 131 Trail Visible Invisible and Other Trail Options 0 00 131 Units of Measure cccccccsscccccccceesesssseeeeeceessssssaeeeseseesseessaeeeseeess 131 SEG 92 Searching yecccisisssscicccesesssesnocsveccessonssiateceoccsssanvenseseosseseosens 133
98. face to find some fish Section 2 will help you install your unit as well as the transducer the most important part of any sonar installation We ll also tell you about some of the available accessories Section 3 covers Basic Sonar Operation It will show you how easy it is to run your sonar right out of the box This section features a one page Sonar Quick Reference If you ve already jumped ahead and fig ured out how to install the unit yourself and you just can t wait any longer turn to the Quick Reference on page 37 and head for the water with your unit After you ve gained some experience with your sonar you ll want to check out Section 4 which discusses more advanced Sonar Options and Other Features When you come to a sonar menu command on the unit s screen you can look it up in the manual by skimming over the table of contents or the in dex or just flipping through Section 3 or scanning through the sonar op tions in Section 4 If you re having difficulty with your sonar you can find an answer to the most common problems in Section 5 Sonar Troubleshooting The manual switches from sonar to navigation in Section 6 which in troduces you to Basic GPS Operations This section features a one page GPS Quick Reference on page 82 Section 6 contains short easy to scan GPS lessons that follow one an other in chronological order They re all you ll need to know to find your way on the water quickly After you ve lea
99. failure to provide reasonable and necessary maintenance in accordance with the instructions of the owner s manual for the product We reserve the right to make changes or improvements in our products from time to time without incurring the obligation to install such improvements or changes on equipment or items previously manufactured This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which may vary from state to state REMINDER You must retain the sales slip or sales receipt proving the date of your original purchase in case warranty service is ever required LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS 12000 E SKELLY DRIVE TULSA OK 74128 800 324 1356 155 How to Obtain Service in the USA We back your investment in quality products with quick expert service and genuine Lowrance parts If you re in the United States and you have technical return or repair questions please contact the Factory Customer Service Department Before any product can be returned you must call customer service to determine if a return is necessary Many times customer service can resolve your problem over the phone with out sending your product to the factory To call us use the following toll free number 800 324 1356 8 a m to 5 p m Central Standard Time M F Lowrance Electronics may find it necessary to change or end our ship ping policies regulations and special offers at any time We reserve the right to do so without n
100. ground If you can then go to step 3 If it doesn t repeat step 2 but use a different alignment letter until you can place the transducer on the transom correctly Ratchets Insert bolt and check transducer position on transom 3 Assembling the transducer Once you determine the correct posi tion for the ratchets assemble the transducer as shown in the fol lowing figure Don t tighten the lock nut at this time Metal Rubber washers Metal washer Assemble transducer and bracket 4 Drilling mounting holes Hold the transducer and bracket assembly against the transom The transducer should be roughly parallel to the ground The transducer s centerline should be in line with the bottom of the hull Don t let the bracket extend below the hull Mark the center of each slot for the mounting screw pilot holes You will drill one hole in the center of each slot Drill the holes using the 29 bit for the 10 screws 14 Transom Transom Position transducer mount on transom and mark mounting holes Side view shown at left and seen from above at right 5 Attaching transducer to transom Remove the transducer from the bracket and re assemble it with the cable passing through the bracket over the bolt as shown in the following figures Route cable over bolt and through bracket Side view shown at left and seen from above at right Attach the transducer to the transom Slide the transducer up or down unti
101. h signals 1 Make sure the transducer is pointing straight down Clean the face of the transducer Oil dirt and fuel can cause a film to form on the trans ducer reducing its effectiveness If the transducer is mounted inside the hull be sure it is shooting through only one layer of fiberglass and that it is securely bonded to the hull When attaching a transducer to the inside of a hull ONLY use the epoxy available from LEI order information is inside the back cover Do NOT use RTV silicone rubber adhesive or any other type of epoxy The LEI epoxy is specially formulated so that it will cure properly for shoot through applications 2 Electrical noise from the boat s motor can interfere with the sonar This causes the sonar to automatically increase its discrimination or noise rejection feature This can cause the unit to eliminate weaker signals such as fish or even structure from the display 69 3 The water 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 sonar display will flash continuously It may change the range to limits far greater than the water you are in If this hap pens place the unit in the manual mode then change the range to a realistic one for example 0 100 feet and increase the sensitivity As you move into shallower water a bottom signal should appear 4 Check the battery voltage If the voltage drops the unit s
102. han a large one For example you will have much better luck seeing fish arches with a 30 to 60 foot range than a 0 to 60 foot range This enlarges the targets allowing the dis play to show much more detail 4 The boat must be moving at a slow trolling speed to see fish arches If the boat is motionless fish stay in the cone showing on the screen as straight horizontal lines 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 70 To eliminate or minimize the effects of electrical noise first try to de termine the cause With the boat at rest in the water the first thing you should do is turn all electrical equipment on the boat off Make sure the engine is also off Turn your sonar on then turn off Noise Reject also known as the ASP feature Advanced Signal Processing Sensi tivity should be set at 90 95 percent There should be a steady bottom signal on the display Now turn on each piece of electrical equipment on the boat and view the effect on the sonar s display For example turn on the bilge pump and view the sonar display for noise If no noise is present turn the pump off then turn on the VHF radio and transmit Keep doing this until all electrical equipment has been turned on their effect on the sonar disp
103. hanged several settings and want to return the unit to basic automatic operation 58 1 Press MENU MENU J to System Setup ENT J to RESET Options ENT 2 Press or J to Yes ENT 3 All the menus are cleared and all options are returned to the factory settings Screen Sounds Alarms gt Route Planning My Trails Units of Measure Set Local Time Reset Options Delete All Waypts F Popup Help Hide GPS Features Set Language Software Info System Menu with Reset Options command selected Sensitivity amp Auto Sensitivity The sensitivity controls the ability of the unit to pick up echoes Sensi tivity can be adjusted because water conditions vary greatly A low sensitivity level from zero to 50 percent excludes much of the bottom information fish signals and other target information Boosting sensitivity will show more information on your screen which may cause clutter Reducing sensitivity will filter out some information but could omit important images We recommend adjusting sensitivity until the background is lightly peppered that is scattered dots ap pear but individual objects like fish arches or bottom structure can be easily picked out of the background Automatic Sensitivity The default sensitivity mode is automatic The unit bases the sensitiv ity level on water depth and conditions When the unit is in the auto matic mode sensitivity is automatic
104. he keel NOTE If knowing the exact depth of water beneath the keel is less impor tant you can calibrate the depth indicators so that they show the ac tual water depth from surface to bottom To do this first measure the 61 distance from the face of the transducer up to the surface the water line on the boat In this example we will use 1 5 feet This will be en tered as a positive 1 5 feet which makes the depth indicators perform as if the transducer s higher in the water than it really is 1 Press MENU MENU to SET KEEL OFFSET ENT 2 The Keel Offset dialog box appears with a plus sign at the front of the box 3 Press T until the displayed number is 1 5 then press EXIT The depth indicators now accurately show the water depth from surface to bottom Sonar Color Mode The default color scheme for the sonar chart is grayscale but we offer other variations to suit your viewing preferences You can select the chart to be displayed in reverse grayscale bottom black or FishReveal mode For more information on FishReveal see the entry on that topic elsewhere in this section To change the chart mode color scheme 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU J to Sonar Features ENT 2 Press 4 to SONAR CHART Mone ENT 3 Press J or T to Mode Name ENT 4 Press EXIT EXIT to return to the Sonar Page Sonar Page amp Sonar Chart Display Options The M56 offers four Sonar chart display options To choose among
105. he sensi tivity by three or five keystrokes and then move the transducer around once more If you find a spot that works mark it and move on to step 4 If you have to turn up sensitivity by more than five keystrokes to get a good signal the transducer should be mounted on the outside of the hull This is especially true if you have to turn sensitivity all the way up to get a decent bottom signal 4 Most people can get good results by following steps 1 through 8 so this step is optional If you want to make an extra effort to be absolutely sure that your selected location will work under all conditions make a test run with the boat on plane and observe the bottom signal You ll need to figure some way to prop the transducer into position while you make your test run A brick or two might be sufficient to hold it in place 5 When you re satisfied with a location mark it and proceed with the installation Shoot thru hull Installation If you are installing the transducer on a hull with floatation material sandwiched within the hull refer to the text Hulls With Flotation Ma terials beginning on page 18 1 Make sure the area is clean dry and free of oil or grease then sand both the inside surface of the hull and the face of the transducer with 100 grit sandpaper The sanded hull area should be about 1 1 2 times the diameter of the transducer The surface of the hull must be flat so the entire transducer face is in contact with the
106. hole process takes place several times a second Another portion of the unit s onboard memory is devoted to recording GPS navigation information which includes waypoints event marker icons trails and routes This lets you look back the way you came and retrace your path Think of this data storage like the hard drive memory in a computer or a tape in a cassette tape recorder You can save several dif ferent GPS data files erase em and record new ones over and over again Introduction to GPS and WAAS Well now you know the basics of how the unit does its work You might be ready to jump ahead to Section 2 Installation amp Accessories on page 18 so you can mount your unit and plug in the power Or you might want to see how our text formatting makes the manual tutorials easy to skim If that s the case move on to How to Use This Manual on page 10 But if you want to understand the current state of satellite naviga 5 tion look over this segment describing how GPS and its new companion WAAS work together to get you where you re going The Global Positioning System GPS was launched July 17 1995 by the United States Department of Defense It was designed as a 24 hour a day 365 days a year all weather global navigation system for the armed forces of the U S and its allies Civilian use was also avail able at first but it was less accurate because the military scrambled the signal somewhat using a process called Select
107. hows the map with north always at the top of the screen This can be changed See the topic Map Orientation in Sec 8 If you re navigating to a waypoint the map also shows your starting location present position course line and destination You don t have to navigate to a waypoint however to use the map Full Map is the default screen that appears when you turn on the unit To get to the Full Map from another page Press PAGES lt to Mar ENT When the Map Page is displayed a screen similar to the following fig ures appears The arrow in the center of the screen is your present position It points in the direction you re traveling The flashing line extending from the back of the arrow is your plot trail or path you ve taken The map zoom range is the distance across the screen This number shows in the lower left corner of the screen In the first example figure below the range is 4 000 miles from the left edge of the map to the right edge of the map The Zoom In and Zoom Out keys zoom the map to enlarge or reduce its coverage area and the amount of mapping detail shown There are 39 available map zoom ranges from 0 02 miles to 4 000 miles 80 vanrey 1 a Canada a United Be sad x hiari E ya oma W T T ae C lombia Ld 4000mi a E hi Far left Map Page opening screen Center zoomed to 100 miles and right zoomed to 15 miles The maximum zoom range
108. hull mounting follow these testing procedures You may need a helper to complete these steps 1 Anchor the boat in about 30 feet of water Add a little water to the sump of the boat Plug the transducer into the sonar unit turn it on then hold the transducer over the side of the boat in the water Adjust the sensitivity and range controls until a second bottom echo is seen on the display You ll need to turn off Auto Sensitivity Auto Depth Range and ASP Try a range setting that is two to three times the water depth The harder more rocky the bottom the easier it will be to get a second bottom signal Don t touch the controls once they ve been set True bottom Second bottom Manual range setting 200kHz ill Example of a second bottom signal Unit is in 30 feet of water with range set at 80 feet and sensitivity set at 87 percent 19 2 Next take the transducer out of the water and place it in the water in the sump of the boat face down The transducer face is shown in the figure on the following page Notice how the signal strength de creases The second bottom signal will probably disappear and the bot tom signal intensity will likely decrease 3 Now move the transducer around to find the best location with the strongest possible bottom signal If you find a spot with an acceptable bottom signal mark the location and move on to step 4 If you can t get an acceptable bottom signal try turning up t
109. ion 80 120 121 Map Overlays Map Data option 117 118 N Navigating 8 82 86 87 88 89 90 93 94 95 96 99 103 104 105 A Route 103 105 A Trail 93 Cancel 33 75 82 88 89 90 93 96 104 105 To Cursor Position 88 To Icon 99 Nearest 86 133 134 135 140 O Off Course Alarm 109 P Pages 31 35 62 76 81 82 114 122 Map Page 30 76 79 80 81 86 87 88 89 92 93 94 97 99 100 102 103 104 105 114 115 116 117 118 119 121 122 133 136 137 138 139 141 142 Navigation Page 78 79 80 82 87 88 89 93 94 99 100 102 103 104 105 114 Plotter Page 8 32 Position Page 94 114 Satellite Status Page 76 77 82 Pop up Map Info Map Data option 118 Power 2 3 5 9 22 23 24 26 27 28 29 31 32 37 59 69 70 71 73 74 Product Specifications 3 R Range Rings Map Data option 118 Reset Options 40 58 59 61 85 124 Route 4 5 7 8 9 11 15 16 17 22 28 29 33 69 71 75 78 82 94 96 100 101 102 103 104 105 116 121 124 Create and Save 100 Delete 102 Navigate 103 105 S Satellite Search 110 Searching 2 83 85 86 87 90 97 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 By Cursor 133 Streets 136 137 138 Waypoints 140 Set Local Time 110 126 Simulator 64 115 116 Software Version Information 127 Sounds 127 Status Menu 110 Sun Moon Rise amp Set Calculator 106 T Track Smoothing 128
110. ion Page and Map Page look like while navigating a route Figure 1 Figure 2 Track 354 4 ALT 0 00 41 O 11 27 Navigating along a route Fig 1 shows the Navigation Page at the start of a route heading straight for the first waypoint Wpt 1 In Fig 2 the traveler has arrived at Wpt 1 the arrival alarm has been triggered and the bearing arrow on the compass rose has turned to point toward Wpt 2 off to the northeast 104 Figure 3 Figure 4 In Fig 3 the traveler has turned northeast on his new course and is heading straight for Wpt 2 which is 0 28 miles away Fig 4 shows route navigation on the Map Page In this figure the traveler has reached Wpt 2 and is starting on the leg between Wpts 2 and 3 Navigate a Route in Reverse Here s how you run a route backward from the end waypoint to the beginning waypoint 1 From the NAVIGATION PAGE press MENU ENT or from the Map PAGE press MENU MENU J to Route PLANNING ENT 2 Press J to select route name ENT to REVERSE Roure ENT to NAVIGATE Route ENT 3 Upon arrival at your destination cancel navigation press MENU MENU J to CANCEL NAVIGATION ENT amp to Yes ENT Trails Delete a Trail This is the command used to erase or delete a trail Press MENU MENU to My Trais ENT J to trail name ENT to DELETE TRAIL ENT amp to Yes ENT Tip You can also delete all trails at once 1 Press
111. is number 3 showing zero points Trail 3 also has an arrow beside it showing it is the active trail Note that Trail 1 is inactive no arrow beside it but it is still visible on the map Only one trail at a time can be active but several trails can be visible at the same time oe Options Trail 2 2 Pts v Trail 3 0 Pts New trail named Trail 3 is created when Trail 2 is made inactive Any new travel will be recorded in this trail which is active and visi ble Trails do not need to be visible in order to be active 91 You can save and recall up to 10 different plot trails Tip Another quick way to stop recording one trail and begin a new one is to use the New Trail command Press MENU MENU J to My TRAILs ENT to New Trait ENT EXIT EXIT EXIT Caution You also have the option of completely turning off trail record ing under the trail Options command However if the Update Active Trail option is left turned off it will cancel the automatic trail creation feature Displaying a Saved Trail The active trail is automatically displayed on the map the Visible option with the factory default settings You can selectively turn trail display off and on for any saved or active trail In the Saved Trails List visible trails have a check mark in front of the trail name To turn off trail display 1 Press MENU MENU J to My TRAILS ENT 2 Press J to enter the Saved Trail list then use
112. isap pears from the map Navigate to an Icon Use the Navigate to Cursor command and use the cursor to select the desired icon on the map 1 Use arrow keys to center cursor cross hair over the icon 2 To navigate to the selected icon location press MENU ENT EXIT Follow course line on the Map Page or the compass bearing arrow on the Navigation Page 99 Routes A route is a series of waypoints linked together in an ordered sequence that s used to mark a course of travel You can visualize a route as a string of beads The beads represent waypoints and the string repre sents the course of travel connecting waypoint to waypoint The course from one waypoint to the next is a leg routes are composed of one or more legs The legs of all GPS routes are based on straight lines between waypoints A route provides the automatic capability to navigate through several waypoints without having to reprogram the unit after arriving at each waypoint Once programmed into the GPS unit a route provides the option of navigating forward through the route waypoints or in reverse order you can even begin navigating in the middle of a route Create and Save a Route You can create a route by selecting existing waypoints from the way point list or you can set a series of route waypoints on the map with cursor arrows and the Enter key In this example we ll create a route from the map 1 From the NAVIGATION PAGE press MENU ENT or from
113. isplay 1 From the Map or Sonar page press MENU J to Overtay Data ENT 2 Press J or T to select Data Type ENT Sensitivity F Auto Sensitivity Grayline Depth Range F Auto Depth Range Upper And Lower Limits I Stop Chart Chart Speed Depth Cursor Overlay Data Sonar Features Ping Speed 60 0 Overlay Data Shown v Depth v Water Temperature Track Bearing Course Distance Total Distance Ground Speed Altitude Closing Speed Off Course gt Data Size Small gt Overlay Data command on the Sonar Menu at left Overlay Data Shown selection menu right In this example we scrolled down the data list to highlight Ground Speed When selected the data type shifts to the top of the data list and a check mark appears beside the data type If you wish you may now use J or to select other Data Types for display v Depth Track Bearing Course Altitude Data Size v Water Temperature v Ground Speed Distance Total Distance Overlay Data Shown Closing Speed Off Course E Smal Data list showing Ground Speed selected to display on Map Page 122 3 To return to the previous page press EXIT EXIT To turn off displayed data 1 From the Map or Sonar page press MENU J to Overtay Data ENT 2 Press J or to select Data Type ENT The selected data type disap pears from the top of
114. ive Availability SA GPS proved so useful for civilian navigation that the federal govern ment discontinued SA on May 2 2000 after the military developed other methods to deny GPS service to enemy forces Reliable accuracy for civilian users jumped from 100 meters 830 feet under SA to the present level of 10 to 20 meters about 30 to 60 feet Twenty four satellites orbit 10 900 nautical miles above the Earth passing overhead twice daily A series of ground stations with precisely surveyed locations controls the satellites and monitors their exact loca tions in the sky Each satellite broadcasts a low power signal that identi fies the satellite and its position above the earth Three of these satellites are spares unused until needed The rest virtually guarantee that at least four satellites are in view nearly anywhere on Earth at all times The system requires signal reception from three satellites in order to determine a position This is called a 2D fix It takes four satellites to determine both position and elevation your height above sea level also called altitude This is called a 3D fix A minimum of three satellites are required to determine a 2D fix Remember the unit must have a clear view of the satellites in order to receive their signals Unlike radio or television signals GPS works at very high frequencies These signals can be easily blocked by trees buildings an automobile roof even your body 6
115. l appear Press or J to the selected map place and press ENT to call up the Waypoint Information screen 134 Category My Waypoints Cities C Find by Name S Create New 0 Find By Hearest Calculating neare Find By Hearest Sunset Lake Fresh Water L Spears Lake Tule Lake Cha Nueces River Tule Lake Turr Tule Lake Swan Lake Aransas River j Dst 7 75 Brg 309 Find by Nearest option left Calculating screen center map places list right 3 Search by name Press ENT There are two options A You can spell out the map place in the top selection box Press or J to change the first letter then press to move the cursor to the next letter and repeat until the name is correct then press ENT ENT B Jump down to the lower selection list by pressing ENT then press T or J to select a map place from the list then press ENT to call up the map place s Way point Information screen Category My Waypoints Cities C Find Nearest Find by Name S Create New 0 Find By Name Taho Find In List Tahkenitch Lake Tahl Lake Tahoka Lake Tahquamenon Lakes Tahquamenon River Tahuya Lake Tahuya River Tail Lake Tailing Pond Tailings Pond Find by Name option left Find by Name menu right 4 When the map place s Waypoint Information screen is displayed you can choose to Go To
116. l it s aligned properly with the bottom of the hull as shown in the preceding and following figures Tighten the bracket s mount ing screws sealing them with the sealant adhesive compound Adjust the transducer so that it s parallel to the ground and tighten the nut until it touches the outer washer then add 1 4 turn Don t over tighten the lock nut If you do the transducer won t kick up if it strikes an object in the water Bottom ele an Flat bottom hull Deep vee hull Align transducer centerline with hull bottom and attach to transom 15 6 Route the transducer cable through or over the transom to the sonar unit Make sure to leave some slack in the cable at the transducer If possible route the transducer cable away from other wiring on the boat Electrical noise from the engine s wiring bilge pumps VHF radio wires and cables and aerators can be picked up by the sonar Use caution when routing the transducer cable around these wires WARNING Clamp the transducer cable to the transom close to the transducer This can prevent the transducer from enter ing the boat if it is knocked off at high speed If you need to drill a hole in the transom to pass the connector through the required hole size is 5 8 Caution If you drill a hole in the transom for the cable make sure it is lo cated above the waterline After installation be sure to seal the hole with the same mari
117. l purchase date will either be repaired without charge or be replaced with a new product identical or reasonably equivalent to this product at our option within a reasonable time after our receipt of the product If such defect malfunc tion or non conformity remains after a reasonable number of attempts to repair by us you may elect to obtain without charge a replacement of the product or a refund for the product THIS REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OR REFUND AS JUST DESCRIBED IS THE EXCLUSIVE REMEDY AVAILABLE TO YOU AGAINST US FOR ANY DEFECT MALFUNCTION OR NON CONFORMITY CONCERNING THE PRODUCT OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE RESULTING FROM ANY OTHER CAUSE WHATSOEVER WE WILL NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR ANY SPECIAL CONSEQUENTIAL INCIDENTAL OR OTHER INDIRECT DAMAGE OF ANY KIND Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential dam ages so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you This warranty does NOT apply in the following circumstances 1 when the product has been serviced or repaired by anyone other than us 2 when the product has been con nected installed combined altered adjusted or handled in a manner other than ac cording to the instructions furnished with the product 3 when any serial number has been effaced altered or removed or 4 when any defect problem loss or damage has resulted from any accident misuse negligence or carelessness or from any
118. lace while the epoxy cures Be careful not to bump the transducer while the ep oxy is wet Leave the weight in place for a minimum of three hours Allow the epoxy to cure for 24 hours before moving the boat 21 5 After the epoxy has cured route the cable to the sonar unit and it s ready to use POWER AND CABLE CONNECTIONS The unit works from a 12 volt battery system For the best results at tach the power cable directly to the battery You can attach the power cable to an accessory or power buss however you may have problems with electrical interference Therefore it s safer to go ahead and attach the power cable directly to the battery CAUTION When using the unit in a saltwater environment we strongly rec ommend that you shut off the power supply to the power cable when the unit is not in use When the unit is turned off but still connected to a power supply electrolysis can occur in the power cable plug This may result in corrosion of the plug body along with the electri cal contacts in the cable and the unit s power socket In saltwater environments we recommend you connect the power cable to the auxiliary power switch included in most boat designs If that results in electrical interference or if such a switch is not available we recommend connecting direct to the battery and in stalling an inline switch This will let you shut off power to the power cable when the unit is not in use When you are not using the unit y
119. lay noted then turned off If you find noise interference from an electrical instrument trolling mo tor pump or radio try to isolate the problem You can usually reroute the sonar unit s power cable and transducer cable away from the wiring that is causing the interference VHF radio antenna cables radiate noise when transmitting so be sure to keep the sonar s wires away from it You may need to route the sonar unit s power cable directly to the battery to isolate it from other wiring on the boat If no noise displays on the sonar unit from electrical equipment then make sure everything except the sonar unit is turned off then start the engine Increase the RPM with the gearshift in neutral If noise ap pears on the display the problem could be one of three things spark plugs alternator or tachometer wiring Try using resistor spark plugs alternator filters or routing the sonar unit s power cable away from engine wiring Again routing the power cable directly to the battery helps eliminate noise problems Make sure to use the in line fuse sup plied with the unit when wiring the power cable to the battery When no noise appears on the sonar unit after all of the above tests then the noise source is probably cavitation Many novices or persons with limited experience make hasty sonar installations which function perfectly in shallow water or when the boat is at rest In nearly all cases the cause of the malfunction will be the loc
120. ll with a threaded shaft and nut This puts the transducer in direct contact with the water Typically shoot thru hull installations give excellent high speed opera tion and good to excellent depth capability There is no possibility of transducer damage from floating objects as there is with a transom mounted transducer A transducer mounted inside the hull can t be knocked off when docking or loading on a trailer However the shoot thru hull installation does have its drawbacks First some loss of sensitivity does occur even on the best hulls This varies from hull to hull even from different installations on the same hull This is caused by differences in hull lay up and construction 12 Second the transducer angle cannot be adjusted for the best fish arches on your sonar display This is not an issue for flasher style sonars Lack of angle adjustment can be particularly troublesome on hulls that sit with the bow high when at rest or at slow trolling speeds Third a transducer CAN NOT shoot through wood and metal hulls Those hulls require either a transom mount or a thru hull installation Fourth if your Skimmer transducer has a built in temp sensor it will only show the temperature of the bilge not the water surface temp Follow the testing procedures listed in the shoot thru hull installation section at the end of this lesson to determine if you can satisfactorily shoot through the hull TRANSOM TRANSDUCER ASSEMBLY
121. low water alert or for navigation 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 set ting For example if you set the shallow alarm to 10 feet the alarm will sound a tone if the bottom signal is less than 10 feet It will continue to sound until the bottom goes deeper than 10 feet The deep alarm works just the opposite It sounds a warning tone if the bottom depth goes deeper than the alarm s setting Both depth alarms work only off the digital bottom depth signals No other targets will trip these alarms These alarms can be used at the same time or individually Screen Spat Shallow Alarm Depth GPS Alarms Ej ft My Trails Cancel Navigation Deep Alarm Sonar Setup gt Depth GPS Setup gt T Enabled 1 00 ft System Setup gt z Sun Moon Calculations Zone Alarm ere Te l Enabled Adjust Zone VaN eo M Fish Alarm At left Main Menu and Sonar Alarms command At right the Sonar Alarms menu To adjust and turn on the shallow alarm 1 Press MENU MENU to ALARMs ENT to Sonar ALARMS ENT 2 Press to SHALLOW ALARM DEPTH ENT 44 3 Press or J until the depth is correct then press ENT 4 Press to SHALLOW ALARM ENABLED ENT EXIT 5 To turn off the alarm press MENU MENU J to ALarms ENT J to SONAR ALARMS ENT ENT EXIT To switch to a
122. mage that could sink your boat Contact your boat dealer or manufacturer to confirm your hull specifications Fill with polyester resin Flotation material Inner hull Ree MW W W Outer hull Epoxy the transducer to a solid portion of the hull ae Se BCG wY Epoxy to hull first For example some but not all manufacturers use a layer of fiberglass then a core of balsa wood finishing with an outer layer of fiberglass Removing the inner layer of fiberglass and the balsa wood core exposes the outer layer of fiberglass The transducer can then be epoxied di rectly to the outer layer of fiberglass After the epoxy cures for 24 hours fill the remaining space with polyester resin When the job is finished the hull is watertight and structurally sound Remember the sonar signal must pass through solid fiberglass Any air bubbles in the fiberglass or the epoxy will reduce or eliminate the sonar signals 18 Testing Determines Best Location Ideally the shoot thru transducer should be installed as close to the transom as possible close to the centerline This will give you the best performance during high speed maneuvers Transducer location Transducer location high speed trolling speed H G 0 Shoot thru hull transducer locations for high speed or trolling speed operation L gt To choose the proper location for shoot thru
123. ment on specifications to see just how much sonar and GPS power your unit con tains It s important to us and our power users but if you don t care how many watts of power the unit has or how many waypoints it can store skip ahead to important information on how sonar works on page 5 Background on GPS begins on page 6 2 Capabilities and Specifications M56 General Display cee High contrast Film SuperTwist LCD Diago nal viewing area 3 5 8 9 cm Resolution 05 160 pixel x 240 pixel resolution 38 400 total pixels Backlighting LED backlit screen with multiple lighting lev els backlit keypad Input power 10 to 17 volts DC Current drain 170 ma lights off 240 ma lights on Case size 5 8 H x 4 3 W x 2 5 D 14 7 cm H x 10 8 cm W x 6 6 cm D sealed waterproof suitable for saltwater use Back up memory Built in memory stores GPS data for dec ades User settings are stored when unit is turned off Languages 005 10 menu languages selectable by user Sonar Frequency c0ccce 200 kHz Transduce l 00 A Skimmer transducer comes packed with your sonar unit Its 20 cone angle offers a wide fish detection area of up to 60 with high sensitivity settings Operates at boat speeds up to 70 mph 61 kts Transmitter 800 watts peak to peak 100 watts RMS S
124. n Switzer land European 1950 Mean for Austria Den mark France West Ger many Netherlands Swit zerland European 1950 Mean for Iraq Israel Jor dan Lebanon Kuwait Saudi Arabia Syria European 1950 Cyprus European 1950 Egypt European 1950 England Channel Is lands Ireland Scotland Shetland Islands European 1950 Finland Norway European 1950 Greece European 1950 Iran European 1950 Italy Sardinia European 1950 Sicily European 1950 Malta Ireland 1965 Ireland ISTS 061 Astro 1968 South Georgia Islands ISTS 073 Astro 1969 Diego Garcia Johnston Island 1961 Johnston Island Kandawala Sri Lanka Kerguelen Island 1949 Kerguelen Island Kertau 1948 West Malaysia amp Singa pore Kusaie Astro 1951 Caroline Islands L C 5 Astro 1961 Cayman Brac Island Leigon Ghana Liberia 1964 Liberia Luzon Philippines Excluding Mindanao Luzon Philippines Mindanao 144 Mahe 1971 Mahe Island Massawa Ethiopia Eritrea Merchich Morocco Midway Astro 1961 Midway Islands Minna Cameroon Minna Nigeria Montserrat Island Astro 1958 Montserrat Lee ward Islands M Poraloko Gabon Nahrwan Oman Masirah Island Nahrwan Saudi Arabia Nahrwan United Arab Emirates Naparima BWI Trinidad amp Tobago North American 1927 Mean for Antigua Barba dos Barbuda Caicos Islands Cuba Dominican Republic Grand Cayman Jamaica Turks Islands
125. n 1 Read Me First How this manual can get you out on the water fast Welcome to the exciting world of digital sonar and GPS We know you re anxious to begin finding fish but we have a favor to ask Before you grab the unit and begin installing it please give us a moment or two to explain how our manual can help you get the best performance from your combination fish finder and GPS receiver First we want to thank you for buying a Lowrance sonar GPS unit Whether you re a first time user or a professional fisherman you ll dis cover that your unit is easy to use yet capable of handling demanding navigation and sonar tasks Our goal for this book is to get you on the water fast with a minimum of fuss Like you we d rather spend more time boating or fishing and less time reading the manual So we designed our book so that you don t have to read the whole thing from front to back for the information you want At the start or end of each segment we ll tell you what content is coming up next If it s a concept you re already familiar with we ll show you how and where to skip ahead for the next important topic We ve also made it easy to look up any tips you may need from time to time Here s how The manual is organized into 10 sections This first section is an intro duction to the M56 sonar and GPS It tells you the basics you need to know before you can make the unit look around and tell you where you are or look below the sur
126. nar Page press MENU J to Auto Sensitivity ENT to Sensitivity ENT Press J or to pick a different sensitivity setting When it s set at the desired level press EXIT Important Tip While you are experimenting and learning it s possible to scramble the settings so that the sonar picture disappears from your screen If that happens remember that it s easy to switch back to full automatic operation by simply restoring the factory auto settings Here s how To Restore Factory Settings 1 Press MENU MENU J to System Setup ENT J to RESET OP TIONS ENT 2 The unit asks if you want to reset all the options Select Yes and press ENT All options are reset and the unit reverts back to the original settings Fish Symbols vs Full Sonar Chart You may have noticed in the quick reference that we used fish arches in full sonar chart mode for our example and not the popular Fish I D fish symbol feature Here s why Fish I D is an easier way for a sonar novice to recognize a fishy signal return when he sees it However locating fish by symbol only has some limitations Your sonar unit s microprocessor is remarkably powerful but it can be fooled Some of the echoes calculated to be fish could be tree limbs or turtles To see what s under your boat in maximum detail we recom mend you turn off Fish I D and begin learning to interpret fish arches Fish I D is most handy when you re in another part of the boat or pe
127. nar Page menu with Depth Range niall selected At right the Depth Range Control Scale 48 2 The Depth Range Control Scale appears Press or J to select a dif ferent depth range A dark bar highlights the selected range Range numbers in gray cannot be selected 3 When the new range is selected press EXIT to clear the menu Depth Range Manual You have complete control over the range when the unit is in the man ual mode There are 12 depth ranges from 5 feet to 800 feet To switch to Manual Depth Range 1 First turn off automatic depth range From the Sonar Page press MENU J to Auto DepTH RANGE ENT 2 Press T to DEPTH RANGE ENT and the Depth Range Control Scale appears 3 Press 4 or T to select a different depth range A horizontal dark bar highlights the selected range 4 When the new range is selected press EXIT to clear the menu To turn Auto Depth Range on again 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU J to AuTo DEPTH RANGE ENT EXIT NOTE The sonar s depth capability depends on the transducer installa tion water and bottom conditions and other factors Depth Range Upper and Lower Limits Virtually any segment of the water column can be displayed by using the upper and lower limit feature This lets you pick the shallow and deep depth range limits that are shown on the screen provided there is at least 5 feet between the upper and lower limit you select For exam ple a range from 12 feet t
128. nd select the ID Press EXIT to erase this menu Configure Loran TD Loran Chain GRI 9610 South Centir Secondary 1 xray 7 Secondary 2 Yankee 7 Configure Loran TD menu Map Fix Map Fix is used with charts or maps This system asks for a reference position in latitude longitude which you take from a marked location on the map It then shows the present position as distance on the map from that reference point For example if it shows a distance of UP 4 00 and LEFT 0 50 you then measure up four inches and to the left a half inch from the refer ence point on the map to find your location To configure a map fix To use this format you need to follow these steps in order First take your map of the area and determine a reference latitude longitude Please note that in order for this system to work the lati tude longitude lines must be parallel with the edge of the map USGS maps are parallel others may not be Also this works better with smaller scale maps The reference position can be anywhere on the map but the closer it is to your location the smaller the numbers will be that you ll have to deal with 112 Once you ve decided on a reference position you must save it as a way point See the waypoint section for information on saving a waypoint After you ve saved the reference position as a waypoint exit from the waypoint screens 1 Press MENU MENU J to GPS SETUP ENT 2 Press J to
129. nd turn off the backlight Turn off the unit by pressing and holding the PWR key for 3 seconds Main Menu The M56 has a Main Menu which contains some function commands and some setup option commands The tutorial lessons in this section will deal only with functions the basic commands that make the M56 do something The unit will work fine for these lessons right out of the box with the factory default settings But if you want to learn about the various options see Sec 8 System Setup and GPS Setup Options 74 You can access the Main Menu from any of the display options by pressing MENU MENU To clear the menu screen and return to the page display press EXIT Screen Sounds Alarms gt Route Planning My Trails Cancel Navigation Sonar Setup gt GPS Setup gt System Setup gt Sun Moon Calculations Trip Calculator Timers gt Corpusa Main Menu The Main Menu commands and their functions are Screen command changes the contrast or brightness of the display screen Sounds command enables or disables the sounds for key strokes and alarms and sets the alarm style Alarms command turns GPS or sonar alarms on or off and changes alarm thresholds Route Planning command used to plan view or navigate a route My Trails command shows hides creates and deletes plot trails Also used to navigate or backtrack a trail Cancel Navigation command turns off the various navig
130. nds Sounds Slams TT Route Planning Contas My Trails Cancel Navigation Sonar Setup gt Brightness GPS Setup gt TOSAN AT System Setup 2 Sun Moon Calculations Display Mode Trip Calculator Normal 4 Corpusa Screen Command left and Screen Menu with Contrast bar selected right To adjust the display s brightness Press J to BRIGHTNESS Press or lt to move the bar The left end of the scale is minimum contrast the right end is maximum contrast To adjust the screen s display mode Press J to DispLaY Mone ENT press or J to select mode EXIT Sounds Contrast Corpusa Display Mode menu Set Language This unit s menus are available in 10 languages English French Ger man Spanish Italian Danish Swedish Russian Dutch and Finnish To select a different language 1 Press MENU MENU J to System Setup ENT 2 Press J to SET LANGUAGE ENT 3 Use J or to select a different language and press ENT All menus now appear in the language you selected 125 Set Local Time Using the correct local time setting is handy when estimating local ar rival time while navigating Also the time and date are saved when a waypoint is created To access the Set Local Time menu you must first acquire your posi tion Once that is done press MENU MENU J to System Setup ENT J to SET LOCAL Time ENT Once in the Time Settings menu
131. ne below when you re not navi gating to a waypoint or following a route or trail Your position is shown by an arrow in the center of the screen Your trail history or path you ve just taken is depicted by the line extending from the arrow The arrow pointing down at the top of the compass rose indicates the cur rent track direction of travel you are taking Track or compass heading indicator showing direction of travel Compass rose Present position arrow Trail line TRK L 335 GS Depth Time 50 0 Navigation Page recording a trail traveling northwest Page looks like this when the unit is not navigating to a waypoint following a route or backtracking a trail Navigation information displays When navigating to a waypoint the Navigation screen looks like the one in the following figure Your ground speed track distance and bearing to waypoint and course are all shown digitally on this screen NOTE Remember when the Speed Track and Position information dis plays are flashing satellite lock has not been achieved and no posi tion fix has been determined A question mark will also flash on the present position arrow in the center of the compass rose Speed ground speed is the velocity you are making over the ground If you wish you can customize the Speed window to display Closing 78 Speed instead Closing Speed is also known as velocity made good It s the sp
132. ne grade above or below waterline seal ant adhesive used for the mounting screws 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 causing the noise Don t allow the transducer bracket to go below the bottom of the hull TROLLING MOTOR BRACKET INSTALLATION 1 Attach the optional TMB S bracket to the transducer as shown in the following figure using the hardware supplied with the transducer Note The internal tooth washer is supplied with the TMB S Bolt Internal tooth washer TMB S bracket Laie Attach motor mounting bracket to transducer 2 Slide the adjustable strap supplied with the TMB S through the slot in the transducer bracket and wrap it around the trolling motor Po sition the transducer to aim straight down when the motor is in the water Tighten the strap securely 16 3 Route the transducer cable alongside the trolling motor shaft Use plastic ties not included to attach the transducer cable to the troll ing motor shaft Make sure there is enough slack in the cable for the motor to turn freely Route the cable to the sonar unit and the trans ducer is ready for use Racal oy Transducer mounted on trolling motor side view TRANSDUCER ORIENTATION AND FISH ARCHES If you
133. ns merereisi innsta EN iE iT Taa 38 Fish Symbols vs Full Sonar Chart ccccccccccccccssssseeeeeeeesesenee 40 Other Free Training Aids c ccccccccessesssteceeeeeeseesssseeeeeeeseesees 41 Sec 4 Sonar Options amp Other Features sssssssesssssssoecessssse 43 ASP Advanced Signal Processing cccccccsssssssseceseeeesessssteeees 43 Fa Eo 01 serein PO eo Oo par 44 Depth Alaris vce ces aia a Gishest sles E onsen devs EA 44 Lovie AL Ari PONE E anes sabesd sa qebageds Got E 45 Fisk Al arin eaer e e eeo o Bde ete ccna KE EEr ARTEA KE STEE REENE 46 Chart Speed aiena a e ease abs ahaa a K ka SE AES 47 De pthiCursor EEEE cence Sauda dedvoe TA A AEE 47 Depth Range Automatic cccccccssscccccccessesssseeeeeeceesessseeeeseeeess 48 Depth Range Manual ccccccccccccsssssseeceeeeeeeeessseeeseeeeseeessssaeeeeeess 49 Depth Range Upper and Lower Limits 00000 eecececeeetteeeeeteeees 49 Fras Track oq icc ccceciteccdecctecedasea cavvecetadedetekedevedatalevedetedesisverssevsvicesadenanes 51 Fish I D Fish Symbols amp Depths ccccccccccceseessteeeeeeeeeeeees 51 BishiReyeal svi avicrcdetsashecessivitne s 8ehstcetecesdea teas Secaieeitasedeettastnvesess 52 High Trach sc ses infeces stag cavsadecdea laedeeveercesguseregeeees seed eves Tap yedestuacedsstugdede 54 Gira Vine ao a ates a ene a ade eee eden ee 54 Overlay Dataren erener sche tags tenesde sabi sags a ENN ETERA RAE 55
134. nty Second Street I 35 l 44 35 jaa Interstate Oklahoma County City I 35 l 44 44 Any Oklahoma County Find First Street Find Intersection command highlighted left Intersections Found list right 6 To search for the intersection of the two streets press J to FIND INTERSECTION ENT A message appears asking you to wait while the unit finds the intersection When the Intersections Found list appears press T or J to select the intersection you are searching for and press ENT In the previous example we selected the intersection of I 35 and I 44 7 The Map Page appears with the cursor pointing to the found inter section The intersection in our example is shown below Finding Waypoint r a E hea a geena paS I ne T ee N 35 35 663 539 3mi U 97 25 890 354 mag Map Page showing results of an intersection search The cursor points to the located intersection If you want to navigate to the found intersection just press MENU ENT EXIT 139 Find Waypoints 1 Press WPT ENT 2 If searching for the Nearest waypoint press ENT If searching for the waypoint By Name press to Nearest ENT To search by name jump to step 5 below Find Waypoint Category Category F Category i jpo Cities Countries Water Cities C k Find Nearest Find by Name Find by Name S S Create New N Create New Subcategory Saved New
135. o 1952 Wake Atoll WGS 1972 Global Definition Yacare Uruguay Zanderij Suriname FCC Compliance This device complies with Part 15 of the U S Federal Communi cations Commission FCC Rules Operation is subject to the fol lowing two conditions 1 this device may not cause harmful in terference and 2 this device must accept any interference re ceived including interference that may cause undesired opera tion Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manu facturer could void the user s authority to operate the equip ment Note This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable pro tection against harmful interference in a residential installation This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the in structions may cause harmful interference to radio communica tions However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures eReorient or relocate the receiving antenna eIncrease the separation between the equipment and recei
136. o 34 feet could be used Changing the upper and lower limits gives you far greater control over the depth range This feature lets you zoom in the display in almost unlimited combinations Nearly any segment of the water column from the surface to the bottom can be shown This enlarges the sonar targets to best suit your fishing needs and water conditions 49 Sensitivity Sensitivity Auto Sensitivity F Auto Sensitivity Grayline Grayline Depth Range Nonth Danna Fz Ario Death Range Upper And Lower Limits o ft F Stop Chart Chart Speed Depth Cursor Overlay Data Sonar Features Ping Speed Lower Limit onar Features Ping Speed 60 0 3 At left Sonar Page Menu with Upper and Lower Limits command se lected At right Sonar Chart Limits menu with Upper Limit selected To change the upper and lower limits 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU to UPPER AND Lower Limits ENT The Sonar Chart Limits menu appears with Upper Limit selected 2 To set the upper limit press ENT Press or J until the first digit is correct then to move to the second digit Repeat until the depth is correct then press EXIT 3 To set the lower limit press J to Lower Limit ENT Press or J until the first digit is correct then to move to the second digit Repeat un til the depth is correct then press EXIT EXIT EXIT go xN ot rs
137. oats is between the ribs closest to the engine 3 The transducer should be installed with its face pointing straight down if possible For shoot thru applications Many popular fishing 10 boat hulls have a flat keel pad that offers a good mounting surface On vee hulls try to place the transducer where the deadrise is 10 or less Deadrise less than 10 AN Strakes Pad Left vee pad hull right vee hull A pod style transducer is shown here but the principle is the same for Skimmers inside a hull 4 If the transducer is mounted on the transom make sure it doesn t interfere with the trailer or hauling of the boat Also don t mount it closer than approximately one foot from the engine s lower unit This will prevent cavitation bubble interference with propeller operation 5 If possible route the transducer cable away from other wiring on the boat Electrical noise from engine wiring bilge pumps and aerators can be displayed on the sonar s screen Use caution when routing the transducer cable around these wires CAUTION Clamp the trans ducer cable to transom near the transducer This will help prevent the transducer from entering the boat if it is knocked off at high speed Good location Poor location Good location Poor angle Good location Good and poor transducer locations How low should you go For most situations you should install your Skimmer transducer so that its centerline is level
138. of the provi sions of this Agreement Upon termination you will promptly return all products containing one or more Databases to us Prices and programs are subject to change without notice This License Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Oklahoma and comprises the complete and exclusive understanding between you and us concerning the above subject matter 153 DATABASES LIMITED WARRANTY We our or us refers to Lowrance Electronics Inc the manufacturer of this product You or your refers to the first person who purchases the prod uct as a consumer item for personal family or household use The Databases Limited Warranty applies to the one or more databases that your product may contain We refer to each of these as a Database or together as the Data bases Your product may thus include the WBS Database which contains worldwide background surface mapping data the SmartMap Database which contains inland mapping data or other Databases We warrant to you that we have accurately compiled processed and repro duced the portions of the source material on which the Databases are based However we are under no obligation to provide updates to the Databases and the data contained in the Databases may be incomplete when compared to the source material WE MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF ANY KIND ABOUT THE ACCURACY OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL ITSELF INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANT
139. onar sounding depth capability 600 feet 180 meters Actual capability de pends on transducer configuration and in stallation bottom composition and water con ditions All sonar units typically read deeper in fresh water than in salt water Depth display Continuous display Audible alarms Deep shallow fish zone Automatic ranging Yes with instant screen updates Auto bottom track Yes Surface water temp Yes built into transducer 3 GPS Receiver antenna Internal 12 parallel channel GPS WAAS Position updates Every second Position points 1 000 waypoints 1 000 event marker icons Man Overboard MOB feature precisely marks man overboard location with special icon then automatically displays navigation data to that position Audible alarms Arrival off course destination passed anchor Graphic symbols for waypoints or event marker icons 42 Routes 100 up to 100 waypoints per route Plot Trails 0 0 10 savable up to 9 999 points per trail Zoom LranGe 0008 39 ranges 0 02 to 4 000 miles NOTICE The storage and operation temperature range for your unit is from 4 degrees to 167 degrees Fahrenheit 20 degrees to 75 degrees Celsius Extended storage or operation in temperatures higher or lower than specified will damage the liquid crystal
140. ot swana Lesotho Malawi Swaziland Zaire Zambia and Zimbabwe Arc 1950 Botswana Arc 1950 Burundi Arc 1950 Lesotho Arc 1950 Malawi Arc 1950 Swaziland Arc 1950 Zaire Arc 1950 Zambia Arc 1950 Zimbabwe Arc 1960 Mean for Kenya Tanzania Ascension Island 1958 Ascension Island Astro Beacon E 1945 Iwo Jima Astro DOS 71 4 St He lena Island Astro Tern Island FRIG 1961 Tern Island Astronomical Station 1952 Marcus Island Australian Geodetic 1966 Australia amp Tasmania Australian Geodetic 1984 Australia amp Tasmania Ayabelle Lighthouse Djibouti Bellevue IGN Efate amp Erromango Islands 143 Bermuda 1957 Bermuda Bissau Guinea Bissau Bogota Observatory Colombia Bukit Rimpah Indonesia Bangka amp Belitung Is lands Camp Area Astro Ant arctica McMurdo Camp Area Campo Inchauspe Ar gentina Canton Astro 1966 Phoenix Islands Cape South Africa Cape Canaveral Baha mas Florida Carthage Tunisia Switzerland Chatham Island Astro 1971 New Zealand Chatham Island Chua Astro Paraguay Corrego Alegre Brazil Dabola Guinea Djakarta Batavia Indonesia Sumatra DOS 1968 New Georgia Islands Gizo Island Easter Island 1967 Easter Island European 1950 Mean for Austria Bel gium Denmark Finland France West Germany Gibraltar Greece Italy Luxembourg Nether lands Norway Portugal Spain Swede
141. otice iIn Canada If you re in Canada and you have technical return or repair questions please contact the Factory Customer Service Department Before any product can be returned you must call customer service to determine if a return is necessary Many times customer service can resolve your problem over the phone without sending your product to the factory To call us use the following toll free number 800 661 3983 905 629 1614 not toll free 8 a m to 5 p m Eastern Standard Time M F outside Canada and the USA If you have technical return or repair questions contact the dealer in the country where you purchased your unit To locate a dealer near you visit our web site www lowrance com and look for the Dealer Lo cator 156 Accessory Ordering Information for all countries To order Lowrance accessories such as power cables or transducers please contact 1 Your local marine dealer or consumer electronics store Most quality dealers that handle marine electronic equipment or other consumer electronics should be able to assist you with these items To locate a Lowrance dealer near you visit our web site www lowrance com and look for the Dealer Locator Or you can consult your telephone directory for listings 2 U S customers LEI Extras Inc PO Box 129 Catoosa OK 74015 0129 Call 1 800 324 0045 or visit our web site www lei extras com 3 Canadian customers can write Lowrance Eagle Canada 919
142. ou should always shut off power to the power cable es pecially when the power cable is disconnected from the unit Optional power off switch for saltwater installations ak 12 volt Red wire with 3 amp fuse To unit battery Power and transducer connections for the M56 sonar units direct battery connection shown 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 long enough splice 18 gauge wire onto it The power cable has two wires red and black Red is the positive 22 lead black is negative or ground Make sure to attach the in line fuse holder to the red lead as close to the power source as possible For example if you have to extend the power cable to the battery or power buss attach one end of the fuse holder directly to the battery or power buss This will protect both the unit and the power cable in the event of a short It uses a 3 amp fuse WARNING This product must be independently fused with the en closed 3 amp fuse or equivalent even if you connect to a fused accessory or power buss If a malfunction happens inside the unit extensive dam age can occur if the enclosed fuse is not used As with all electrical devices this unit could be damaged to a point that it is unrepairable and could even cause harm to the user when not properly fused CAUTION Fail
143. ove the cursor to the next letter and repeat until the name is correct then press ENT ENT B Or you can jump down to the lower selection list by pressing ENT then press or 4 to select a waypoint from the list then press ENT The Waypoint Informa tion screen appears 141 Find By Name Home Find In List Home H 35 41 003 D 545 3 mi 354 mag Distance Bearing Find On Map Finding Waypoint a 300mi 2 4 H 35 41 003 U 97 15 962 545 3mi 355 mag Find By Name menu left Waypoint Information screen center At right the found waypoint is highlighted by the cursor on the Map Page A To navigate to the waypoint press ENT The Go To Waypoint command is already highlighted The unit will show navigation in formation to the waypoint B To find the waypoint press to FIND ON Mar ENT The Map Page appears with the cursor highlighting the found waypoint To clear these menus and return to the previous page press EXIT re peatedly 142 Section 10 Supplemental Material Datums Used by This Unit WGS 1984 Default Adindan Mean for Ethiopia Sudan Adindan Burkina Faso Adindan Cameroon Adindan Ethiopia Adindan Mali Adindan Senegal Adindan Sudan Afgooye Somalia Ain el Abd 1970 Bahrain Ain el Abd 1970 Saudi Arabia Anna 1 Astro 1965 Cocos Islands Antigua Island Astro 1943 Antigua Leeward Islands Arc 1950 Mean for B
144. ow keys to select the box you want to 114 change With the display box highlighted and flashing press ENT to open a list of options Scroll T and J to select a different data option then press ENT You can repeat these steps to change the display in another box When all the changes are finished press EXIT to return to the page display GPS Simulator The GPS simulator lets you use the unit as if you were outdoors navi gating somewhere It s a great way to practice using your unit You can set the starting location by entering latitude longitude Starting Posi tion or from a stored waypoint or map place location CHOOSE START com mand You can steer and change speed on the map by using the arrow keys STEER WITH ARROWS command or by setting the track and speed in the dialog boxes provided on the simulator menu screen To get to the GPS Simulator 1 Press MENU MENU J to GPS Setup ENT 2 Press 4 to GPS SimuLaTor ENT The GPS Simulator Menu appears Screen Track Speed Sounds WSimulator On 22 gt hs i sol i Steer w Arrows Route Planning My Trails Track Initialize GPS 356 mag Coordinate System Speed Datum Selection GPS Auto Search E Track Smoothing r Require WAAS r Show WAAS Alarm GPS Simulator GPS Setup Menu left GPS Simulator menu center Map Page showing Track and Speed steering arrow indicators right In this example you are traveling ac
145. peat the above step Sensitivity E Auto Sensitivity Grayline Depth Range K Auto Depth Range Upper And Lower Limits Chart Speed Depth Cursor Overlay Data Sonar Features Ping Speed 60 0 Sonar Menu with Stop Chart command selected The box is unchecked indicating that the chart is scrolling across the screen Surface Clarity The markings extending downward from the zero line on the chart are called surface clutter These markings are caused by wave action boat wakes temperature inversion and more The surface clarity control reduces or eliminates surface clutter signals from the display It does this by changing the sensitivity of the receiver decreasing it near the surface and gradually increasing it as the depth increases There are three levels of surface clarity available low medium or high It can also be turned off The default level is off To adjust the Surface Clarity level 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU to Sonar Features ENT ENT 65 juray koea p Fish ID r Symbols M Depths M Chart Manual Mode r Zoom Bar r Zone Alarm Bar Sonar Features menu with Surface Clarity selected 2 Press T or J to select clarity level EXIT EXIT EXIT Upper and Lower Limits See the entry in this section for Depth Range Upper and Lower Limits Zoom amp Zoom Bar Zooming the display is used to enlarge small detail fish signals and the bottom with
146. pit Waypoint ENT 2 Latitude press 4 to Latitupbe ENT Press T or J to change the first character then press gt to the next character and repeat until the lati tude is correct Press EXIT 3 Longitude press J to LoneitupE ENT Press or J to change the first character then press to the next character and repeat until the lon gitude is correct Press EXIT 4 When latitude and longitude are correct return to the previous page press EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT 107 Selecting a Waypoint To select a waypoint on the map for navigating to for editing etc use the arrow keys and center the cursor over the waypoint A highlighted halo will appear around the waypoint Set a Waypoint by Average Position This feature sets a waypoint at the current position after taking several position readings and averaging them This boosts waypoint position accuracy by helping to eliminate errors caused by atmospheric condi tions and other factors 1 Press WPT to New ENT 2 Press J or to AVERAGE Position ENT to CREATE ENT 3 Wait while the unit takes points to average for the position The greater the number of points the greater the accuracy When the desired number of points accumulates press ENT to create and save the waypoint 4 The Edit Waypoint menu appears You can simply save the waypoint by pressing EXIT EXIT or you can edit the waypoint Set a Waypoint by Projecting a Position This feature
147. play 123 Screen Sensitivity Sounds Set the threshold of Alarms gt sonar echos that are Route Planning shown on the chart My Trails k Auto Depth Range Upper And Lower Limits Units of Measure I Stop Chart Set Local Time Reset Options Chart Speed Delete All Waypts Depth Cursor hati Dat Hide GPS Features Sonar Features Set Language Ping eo Software Info i System Setup Menu left with Pop up Help Command highlighted At right this example shows the Pop up Help message for the Sensitivity command located on the Sonar Menu Reset Options To reset all features to their factory defaults Press MENU MENU to System Setup ENT to RESET Options ENT lt to Yes ENT NOTE Reset Options does not erase any waypoints routes icons plot trails or sonar logs Screen Sounds Alarms Route Planning My Trails Units of Measure Set Local Time Delete All Waypts F Popup Help Hide GPS Features Set Language Software Info System Menu with Reset Options command selected Screen Contrast and Brightness To access the Screen menu press MENU MENU ENT Once in the Screen menu To adjust the display s contrast The Contrast slider bar is already selected Press or to move the bar The left end of the scale is minimum contrast the right end is maximum contrast 124 Sou
148. r forming some task that prevents you from watching the sonar screen Then you can turn on Fish I D and the audible fish alarm When that lunker swims under your boat you ll hear it Fish I D can also be useful when you want to screen out some of the sonar detail gathered by your unit For example in one case fishermen in San Francisco Bay saw clouds of clutter in the water but no fish arches When a down rigger was pulled up it brought up several small jellyfish The fishermen switched their Lowrance sonar to Fish I D which screened out the schools of jellyfish and clearly showed the game fish there as fish symbols 40 Other Free Training Aids The following section discusses Fish I D fish alarms and other fea tures in greater detail If you or a friend has Internet access you can also learn more about interpreting what you see on your sonar screen Visit our web site WWW LOWRANCE COM Be sure to check out the free Sonar Tutorial which includes animated illustrations and more pic tures of actual sonar returns all described in detail There s even a printer friendly version of the tutorial available on our web site it makes a great supplement to this operation manual For the ultimate training aid be sure to download the free emulator software for your unit Aside from being just plain fun this program can help you learn both basic and advanced operations without burning boat fuel Lowrance is the first sonar manufacturer
149. rack Trail commands are handy Visual Trailing 1 On the Map Page zoom ZIN or ZOUT so your flashing trail is visible 2 Begin moving and watch the Map Page Simply steer so that your current position arrow traces along the trail you have just made Tip Generally when using this method the smaller the zoom range the more accurately you will be able to steer along the trail Navigate a Trail forward The following figures illustrate the menu sequence for navigating a trail 1 Press MENU MENU J to My Trans ENT 2 Press J to enter the Saved Trail list then use T or J to select the de sired Trail Name ENT 3 Press J to NAVIGATE ENT 4 Press ENT The unit begins showing navigation information along the trail NOTE If you are already located at or near the beginning of your trail the arrival alarm will go off as soon as you hit Enter Just press EXIT to clear the alarm and proceed 5 Now begin moving and follow your M56 6 When you reach your destination be sure to cancel your navigation press MENU MENU to CaNnceL Navication ENT The M56 asks if you re sure press lt ENT 93 Figure 1 Figure 2 Screen Sounds Trail Options gt Alarms gt Route Planning Cancel Nawinatil Sonar Setup gt GPS Setup gt System Setup gt Sun Moon Calculations Trip Calculator Timers gt Trail 2 2 Pts v Trail 3 0 Pts Omi i Figure 3 Figur
150. ray on the circular chart The receiver hasn t locked onto a satel lite if the number is black therefore it isn t being used to solve the position Beneath the circular graph are the bar graphs one for each satellite in view Since the unit has twelve channels it can dedicate one channel per visible satellite The taller the bar on the graph the better the unit is receiving the signals from the satellite The Estimated Position Error horizontal position error shown in the upper right corner of the screen is the expected error from a benchmark location In other words if the EPE shows 50 feet then the position shown by the unit is estimated to be within 50 feet of the actual loca tion This also gives you an indicator of the fix quality the unit cur rently has The smaller the position error number the better and more accurate the fix is If the position error flashes dashes then the unit hasn t locked onto the satellites and the number shown isn t valid The Satellite Status Page has its own menu which is used for setting various options Options and setup are discussed in Sec 8 To access the Satellite Status Page Menu from the Status Page press MENU 77 Navigation Page This screen has a compass rose that not only shows your direction of travel but also the direction to a selected waypoint To get to the Navi gation Page Press PAGES lt to Map or J to NAVIGATION EXIT The navigation screen looks like the o
151. reet in the top selection box Press T or J to change the first letter then press gt to move the cursor to the next letter and repeat until the name is correct then press ENT ENT B Or you can jump down to the lower box and pick a street from the selection list Press ENT then press or J to select a street from the list and press ENT 3 The Find Streets menu reappears with the street you re searching for in the First Street box In this example it s I 35 4 Now fill in the second street Press J to SECOND STREET ENT and the Find By Name menu appears again Just like before there are two op tions A You can spell out the second street in the top selection box Press or J to change the first letter then press to move the cursor to the next letter and repeat until the name is correct then press ENT ENT B Or you can jump down to the lower box and pick a second street from the selection list Press ENT then press T or J to select a street from the list and press ENT 5 The Find Streets menu reappears with the first and second street dialog boxes filled in In this example we selected I 44 as our second 138 street You could now use similar techniques to select a city or Zip code but your search will probably be faster if you leave those boxes blank You can specify a city and or Zip code later on to narrow the search if the resulting list is too long First Street Intersections 5 interstate Oklahoma Cou
152. represent lines that show the current cross track error range The default for the cross track error range is 0 20 miles For example if the present position symbol touches the right cross track error line then you are 0 20 miles to the right of the desired course You need to steer left to return to the desired course You can use the ZIN or ZOUT keys to change the cross track error range 79 A circular symbol depicting your destination waypoint appears on the screen as you approach the waypoint as shown on the screen in the previous figure Travel Time is the time that it will take to reach your destination at your present closing speed You can also customize the time window to show Arrival Time instead Arrival Time is the local time it will be when you arrive at the destination based upon your present closing speed and track In the previous example figure the driver is headed north a 12 track toward a waypoint 12 bearing away The cross track error range white corridor is 0 20 miles either side of the course The driver is headed toward a waypoint which is 0 22 miles away The Navigation Page has its own menu which is used for some ad vanced functions and for setting various options Options and setup are discussed in Sec 8 To access the Navigation Page Menu from the Navigation Page press MENU Full Map Page The Full Map screen shows your course and track from a bird s eye view By default this unit s
153. rned the basics or if you already have some GPS expe rience you may want to try out some of the unit s many advanced navigation features That brings us to Section 7 Advanced GPS Opera tions This section contains the rest of the unit s GPS command func tions organized in alphabetical order When you come to a GPS menu command on the screen you can look it up in the manual by skimming over the table of contents or index just flipping through Section 6 or scanning through the command portion of Section 7 This unit is ready to use right out of the box but you can fine tune and customize its operation with dozens of options Since sonar is the unit s key feature we put the main sonar options in Section 4 Some options such as screen brightness settings affect both sonar and GPS opera tions We describe how to use those common options along with GPS options in Section 8 System Setup and GPS Setup Options Section 8 is organized in alphabetical order In Section 9 we go into more detail on one of the unit s most remarkable GPS capabilities Searching We ll introduce a search example in the Basic GPS Operation section but there are so many map items you can search for we had to give this function its own section in the manual Finally in Section 10 we offer Supplemental Material including a list of the GPS datums used warranties and customer service information Now if you re into the fine details glance over the next seg
154. ross Skiatook Lake on a track of 22 at a speed of 15 miles per hour 100 mph Select Start Make the desired settings for Track Speed and Start location then turn the simulator on by highlighting the SimuLaTor ON box and pressing ENT Press EXIT EXIT EXIT to erase this menu If you want you can turn on the simulator and the steering arrows at the same time with one keystroke Instead of the SimuLator ON box highlight STEER w Arrows and press ENT A message and tone appear periodically warn ing you that the simulator is on To turn the simulator off repeat the above steps or turn the unit off 115 While in simulator mode you can press EXIT to clear the steering and speed boxes from the screen while continuing the simulation This will allow you to use the map cursor during a simulation To turn steering and speed boxes back on again return to the GPS Simulator menu se lect the STEER wiTH ARROWS command press ENT Simulating Trail or Route Navigation In Simulator mode your unit can automatically follow a trail or route without manual steering if you use these steps 1 From the Map Page go to the simulator menu Use the SELECT START command to pick a starting position at or near the beginning of your trail route 2 Set SPEED to zero Select STEER WITH ARROWS command and press ENT which turns on the simulator and returns you to the Map Page 3 Begin navigating along the trail route If you are clos
155. s of a horizontal line with a digital depth box on the right side The numbers inside the box show the depth of the cursor 47 Sensitivity F Auto Sensitivity Grayline Depth Range K Auto Depth Range Upper And Lower Limits F Stop Chart Chart Speed Overlay Data Sonar Features Ping Speed At left Sonar Page menu with Depth Cursor command elece At right sonar chart with the depth cursor active The line indicates the large fish is 40 53 feet deep The cursor can be moved to any location on the screen letting you pin point the depth of a target 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU to DEPTH Cursor ENT 2 The depth cursor appears Press J to lower the cursor line press to raise the cursor line 3 To clear the depth cursor press EXIT Depth Range Automatic When turned on for the first time the bottom signal is automatically placed in the lower half of the screen This is called Auto Ranging and is part of the automatic function However depending upon the bottom depth and the current range you can change the range to a different depth To do this 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU 4 to DEPTH RANGE ENT Sensitivity F Auto Sensitivity Grayline Depth Range E Auto Depth Range Upper And Lower Limits I Stop Chart Chart Speed Depth Cursor Overlay Data Sonar Features Ping Speed At left So
156. sh arches When you see arches you ve found fish Stop the boat and get your lure or bait into the water at the depth indicated on the sonar chart 8 Gauge the fish depth by visually comparing the fish arches with the depth scale on the right side of the screen or get a more accurate measure with the Depth Cursor Press MENU J to DepTH Cursor ENT Press 4 or to align the cursor line with the fish arch The exact depth appears in a box at the right end of the cursor line To clear the cursor press EXIT 9 If you are drifting at a very low speed or anchored you are not mov ing fast enough for a fish to return the tell tale fish arch signal As you drift over a fish or as a fish swims through the transducer s signal cone the fish echo will appear as a straight line suspended between the surface and the bottom 10 To turn off the unit press and hold PWR key for three seconds 37 Sonar Operations As you can see from the quick reference on the previous page basic operation is pretty easy right out of the box If you are a sonar novice try operating the unit with the factory defaults until you get a feel for how it s working As you re learning the basics there is one setting you might want to tinker with from time to time 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 clutter
157. sider experimenting with chart speed when you are stationary or drifting very slowly You may sometimes achieve bet ter images as you slow down the chart speed to match how fast you are moving across the bottom If you are at anchor ice fishing or fishing from a dock experiment with a chart speed around 50 percent If you are drifting slowly try a chart speed around 75 percent When you are stationary and a fish swims through the sonar signal cone the image appears on the screen as a long line instead of a fish arch Reducing the chart speed may result in a shorter line that more closely resembles a regular fish return Sensitivity Q F Auto Sensitivity E Grayline eo eles Depth Range K Auto Depth Range Upper And Lower Limits F Stop Chart Depth Cursor Overlay Data Sonar Features Ping Speed o n o Q Q w k so Q in Se oio a 3080 At left Sonar Page menu with Chart Speed command selected At right Chart Speed Control Bar If you do experiment with chart speed remember to reset it to maxi mum when you resume trolling or moving across the water at higher speed To change chart speed 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU J to CharT SPEED ENT 2 The Chart Speed Control Bar appears Press 4 to decrease chart speed press to increase chart speed 3 When it s set at the desired level press EXIT Depth Cursor The depth cursor consist
158. so nar GPS unit 5 Route the power cable from the unit s location to an appropriate power source and connect it there 6 Connect the transducer power cable to the unit and mount the so nar GPS unit to the bracket Transducer Installation These instructions will help you install your Skimmer transducer on a transom on a trolling motor or inside a hull Please read all instruc tions before proceeding with any installation Your Skimmer transducer typically comes packaged with a one piece stainless steel bracket for mounting it to the transom of your boat The optional trolling motor mount uses a one piece plastic bracket with an adjustable strap These are kick up mounting brackets They help pre vent damage if the transducer strikes an object while the boat is moving If the transducer does kick up the bracket can easily be pushed back into place without tools Read these instructions carefully before attempting the installation Determine which of the installation methods is right for your boat Remember the transducer location and installation is the most critical part of a sonar installation Recommended Tools and supplies If you prefer the option of routing the cable through the transom you will need a 5 8 drill bit NOTE The following installation types also call for these recommended tools and required supplies that you must provide supplies listed here are not included Transom installation Tools in
159. t Chart Speed Depth Cursor Overlay Data Sonar Features Ping Speed 6010 0 0 At left Sonar Menu with Ping Speed command selected Ping Speed Control Bar right at default setting ALLL ra ERa HH To change Ping Speed 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU J to PING SPEED ENT 2 The Ping Speed Control Bar appears Press to increase ping speed press 4 to decrease ping speed When it s set at the desired level press EXIT To adjust Sensitivity 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU ENT 2 The Sensitivity Control Bar appears Press 4 to decrease sensitivity press to increase sensitivity When it s set at the desired level press EXIT When you reach the maximum or minimum limit a tone sounds To turn off HyperScroll 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU J to PING SPEED ENT 2 The Ping Speed Control Bar appears Press J to decrease ping speed to 50 percent When it s set at the desired level press EXIT When you boost ping speed and switch into HyperScroll the width of the FasTrack bar graph display doubles in width at the right side of the screen This allows you to better see the virtually instantaneous sonar returns just as you would on a flasher sonar unit For more informa tion on FasTrack see it s entry in this section Reset Options This command is used to reset all features options and settings to their original factory defaults This is useful when you have c
160. t boxes data windows or information displays are controlled with the Customize command The boxes usually appear at the edge of the display screen Information type is abbreviated on the Map and Navigation pages but spelled out on the Position page The Position Page boxes cannot be turned off you can only change what information type is displayed in each window In the previous Map Page figure the Distance 1 48 mi DST shown in the top left corner does not appear in a box Unboxed text that floats on top of the screen is controlled by the Overlay Data command discussed later in this section Customize Map or Navigation Page While on the Map or Navigation pages press MENU J to Custom ize ENT Press J or to select a data box you would like to see on the page With the data option highlighted press ENT The selected data op tion is checked and moves to the top of the list After all options are set press EXIT to return to the page display Boxes at the bottom of the screen now provide the customized data NOTE The Map Page can display as many as six data boxes plus the steering arrow box The Navigation Page can display six data boxes To turn off a data box use the same instructions described above to uncheck a data option Customize Position Page This page has four boxes you can customize While on the GPS Position Page press MENU 4 to Customize ENT The data box in the top left cor ner begins flashing Use the arr
161. ted To turn FishReveal on 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU J to Sonar Features ENT 2 Press J to SONAR CoLor Mone ENT J to FISHREVEAL ENT 3 Press EXIT to Auto Sensitivity ENT T to Sensitivity ENT 4 Press T until the Sensitivity Control Bar reads 100 or close to it then press EXIT If you reach the maximum limit a tone sounds Fish not visible Fish e Visible e 60 omiaa 6O fish Sonar chart in regular grayscale mode left and in FishReveal mode right Notice how several fish formerly hidden in the heavy clutter be come visible in FishReveal mode NOTE Water conditions vary greatly and that affects sonar performance Under certain conditions FishReveal will show you more fish than normal grayscale mode but the reverse will be true in other circum stances We suggest you become familiar with both modes so you can best match your sonar s performance to the current water conditions 53 FishTrack The FishTrack feature shows the depth of a fish symbol when it ap pears on the display This lets you accurately gauge the depth of tar gets This feature is available only when the Fish I D feature is on The default setting for FishTrack is off To turn on FishTrack Note These instructions will turn on FishTrack and Fish I D at the same time 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU to Sonar Features ENT 2 Press 4 to FisHID Depths ENT EXIT EXIT
162. ted inside the top of the unit has as clear a view of the sky as possi ble then turn the unit off and back on again Moving Around the Map Zoom amp Cursor Arrow Keys The map is presented from a bird s eye view perspective The current zoom range shows in the lower left corner of the screen 1 Press the ZIN key zoom in to move in closer and see greater detail in a smaller geographic area 2 Press the ZOUT key zoom out to move farther away and see less map detail but a larger geographic area When you are traveling the map will automatically move as you move This keeps your current location roughly centered on the screen You can manually pan or scroll the map northward southward east ward or westward by using the arrow keys which launch the cross hair map cursor This allows you to look at map places other than your cur rent position To clear the cursor press EXIT which jumps the map back to the current position or the last known position Tip Use the cursor to determine the distance from your current position or last known position when working indoors to any map object Simply use the arrow keys to position the cursor over the object or landmark The distance measured in a straight line appears in the box at the bottom of the screen Press EXIT to clear the cursor 83 rea a Re hy Distance Fi measured b Be by cursor Pop up name box Selected wreck Cursor line N 27 40 09
163. th Fish I D Symbols selected When the check box to the left is checked the feature is on To turn the Fish I D feature on 1 From the Sonar Page press MENU J to Sonar Features ENT 2 Press 4 to FisHID SymBots ENT EXIT EXIT To turn off Fish I D repeat these instructions FishReveal When displaying actual sonar returns the FishReveal feature uses 16 levels of gray tones to show fish targets hidden by surface clutter thermoclines weed beds and other cover The normal mode of operation with FishReveal turned off shows the weakest echoes as black and the strongest echoes in light gray Since all weak echoes are black fish arches show boldly against the white background The drawback is that all weak echoes such as thermo clines are also emphasized This can make it hard to distinguish fish signals inside thermoclines or other cover In FishReveal mode the weakest echoes are white and the strongest echoes are black Echoes in between vary in gray in proportion to their signal strength The Grayline control determines the range for black to 52 white Also note that when using FishReveal we recommend that you turn off Auto Sensitivity and turn up Sensitivity to near maximum Surface Clarity Off x Noise Rejection Low gt maarr J Grayscale Reverse Grayscale Bottom Black FishReveal T Chart Manual Mode r Zoom Bar Zone Alarm Bar Sonar Color Mode command with FishReveal selec
164. the list and reverts to its previous unchecked po sition If you wish you may now use 4 or T to select other Data Types to turn off 3 To return to the previous page press EXIT EXIT To change displayed data font size 1 From the Map or Sonar page press MENU J to Overtay Data ENT 2 Press 4 or to select Data Type press gt or to Data Size EXIT EXIT The selected data type will be displayed in the new size To change the font size for more than one Data Type at the same time just follow the above steps but make all the needed changes be fore you press Exit to clear the menu Tip If you wish you can change the font size when you select a data type for the first time 1 From the Map or Sonar page press MENU J to OVERLAY Data ENT 2 Press J or to select Data Type press gt or lt to select Data Size ENT The data will be shown in the new font size To return to the previ ous page press EXIT EXIT Pop up Help Help is available for virtually all of the menu labels on this unit By highlighting a menu item and leaving it highlighted for a few seconds a pop up message appears that describes the function of the menu item This feature is on by default To set up Popup Help Press MENU MENU to System Setup ENT J to Popup HELP With the option highlighted press ENT to check it turn on and uncheck it turn off After the option is set press EXIT EXIT to return to the page dis
165. transducer is installed below the water surface the distance dis played by the digital depth chart depth scale chart cursor or fish sym bols is not the exact water depth If the transducer is 1 foot below the surface and the screen shows the water depth as 30 feet then the ac tual depth is 31 feet On sailboats or other large vessels with deep drafts the distance be tween the transducer installation and the keel or lower engine unit can be several feet In those cases an inexact depth reading could result in grounding or striking underwater structure The Keel Offset feature eliminates the need for the navigator to mentally calculate how much water is under his keel Keel Offset lets you calibrate the digital depth indicators chart depth scale chart cursor depth and fish symbol depth displayed on the screen To calibrate the depth indicators first measure the distance from the face of the transducer to the lowest part of the boat In this example we will use 3 5 feet We enter this as a negative 3 5 feet which makes the depth indica tors perform as if the transducer s lower in the water than it really is 1 Press MENU MENU J to Sonar SETuP to SET KEEL OFFSET ENT 2 The Keel Offset dialog box appears Press 4 to so that the displayed number shows a minus sign instead of the plus sign 3 Press J until the number shows 3 5 then press EXIT The depth indicators now accurately show the depth of water beneath t
166. u can use your M56 sonar unit 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 An alternative to the PPP 12 is the PPP 15 portable power pack which was designed especially for ice fishing It includes a rechargeable gel cell battery and a transducer designed for stationary use The entire rig is contained in a carry bag that fits inside a five gallon plastic bucket The PPP 12 package includes the power pack battery adapter and a port able transducer The transducer can be stored inside the power pack The PPP 12 requires eight AA alkaline batteries Batteries are not included To use a portable power pack you simply install the batteries and then attach the sonar unit to the power pack s bracket Plug in the power transducer cable and you re ready to fish The PPP 12 has a quick release mounting bracket built into the case Installing the Batteries Release the latch on the front of the power pack case Open the com partment and install eight AA batteries into the adapter For the long est life we recommend you use alkaline batteries 27 NOTE When the unit is not in use we recommend you unplug the power connector to reduce the possibility of corrosion or battery drain When you store the unit always remove the batteries because dead batteries can leak and corrode the contacts After installing the batteries plug the cable s power connector into the
167. u have one or two use the arrow keys to center cursor cross hair over one of the waypoints 8 Navigate to selected destination press MENU ENT EXIT Follow dotted course line on Full Map or compass bearing arrow on Navigation Page 9 At destination Arrival Alarm goes off to clear it press EXIT Cancel navigation press MENU MENU J to CANCEL NavicaTION ENT to Yes ENT 10 Return to Wpt 1 by Backtrack Trail Press MENU MENU J to My Tras ENT Press J to Trail 1 ENT J then gt to NavicaTe Route ENT gt to REVERSE Route ENT lt to Navicate Roure ENT If arrival alarm sounds press EXIT Follow navigation displays 11 Back home Arrival Alarm goes off press EXIT Cancel navigation press MENU MENU J to CANCEL NAVIGATION ENT lt to Yes ENT 12 To turn off the unit press and hold PWR key for three seconds 82 Find Your Current Position Finding your current position is as simple as turning the unit on Un der clear sky conditions the unit automatically searches for satellites and calculates its position in approximately one minute or less NOTE Clear sky means open sky unobstructed by terrain dense foliage or structures Clouds do not restrict GPS signal reception If for some reason satellite acquisition takes longer you may be inside a structure or vehicle or in terrain that is blocking signal reception To correct this be sure you are positioned so that the unit s antenna lo ca
168. ubber band line reap pears connecting the first point you set to the cursor The distance along that line will appear in the box at the bottom of the screen 4 Press EXIT to clear the command and return to the page screen 97 Icons Icons are graphic symbols used to mark some location personal point of interest or event They can be placed on the map screen saved and re called later for navigation purposes These are sometimes referred to as event marker icons The M56 has 42 different symbols you can pick from when creating an icon Icons are similar to waypoints but they do not store as much informa tion like names as waypoints do You can t use a menu to navigate to icons as you can with waypoints But you can use the map cursor and navigate to any icon on the map You can create an icon at the cursor position on the map or at your current position while you are navigating Create Icon on Map 1 Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the place where you want to make an icon 2 Press ENT and the screen shows a Select Icon Symbol menu 3 Press lt or T or gt or 4 to select your icon symbol then press ENT The icon appears on the map Select Symbol e e x x x 40mi N 27 18 029 i 38 43mi jf Jus H 27 22 620 39 15m U 97 33 361 204 mag u 97 41 495 219 mag Cursor selects icon location left Select Icon Symbol menu center Boat Ramp icon on map right Cursor
169. uence for setting a waypoint Step 1 while traveling quickly press WPT twice to call up Find Waypoint screen seen in Step 2 and seta point Step 3 a message says the waypoint has been saved Step 4 ve hicle continues on its way number waypoint symbol is visible on map NOTE The Quick Save method uses the default waypoint symbol until you edit an existing waypoint and change its symbol Edit Waypoint Symbol is described in Sec 7 After you have changed a waypoint symbol the unit will remember the one you chose and use it the next time you quick save a waypoint To revert back to the default symbol edit a waypoint and choose it or use the Reset Options command described in Sec 8 Create Waypoint on Map 1 Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the place where you want to make a waypoint 85 2 Press WPT WPT The waypoint is saved and automatically given a name with a sequential number such as waypoint 001 The waypoint symbol and number appear on the map Create Waypoint by Entering a Position 1 Press WPT to NEw ENT 2 Press to ENTERED Position ENT to CREATE ENT 3 Press J to Lat tupe ENT Enter the latitude by pressing T or J to change the first character then press gt to the next character and re peat until the latitude is correct Press ENT 4 Press to Loneitupbe ENT Enter the longitude by pressing or J to change the first character then press to the next character and
170. uick Reference sssscscssessssccccceessssoccceeesssssooeeesesssssoeeessssss 82 Find your Current Position esssseesesssssesseeesseressseersseressseresssrers 83 Moving around the Map Zoom amp Cursor Arrow Keys n 83 Selecting any Map Item with the Cursor sssesessessesssererssrrrssseees 84 Set a WaypOlnt ccccsssccccccccssssssscceeeceeeseesseeeeseeeesseessseeeeseeesseenas 84 Navigate to a Waypoint ccccccccccccssssssseceeeeecesessnsseeeseeeesessssaeeeeeeess 86 Set Man Overboard MOB Waypoint cccccccsssessssteeeeeeeesseseee 87 Navigate Back to MOB Waypoint ccccccccccesssssececeeeesessssseeeeeeeess 87 Navigate to Cursor Position on Map cccesssceceeesteceeeeneeeesenneeees 88 Navigate to a Map Place ccccccccccccccsssssccececeeeseessneeeececesssssseeeeeeeeens 90 Creating and Saving a Trall cceecccceessceceeeeneeeeeeeneeeeessneeeessnneeees 90 Displaying a Saved Trail cccccccccsssscccccceeessssssneeeseeeeseessseeeseeeess 92 Navigating Prails sc ciscccssssacsec TE 92 Cancel Navigation ccccccccccccssssssccceeeccesseesseeeececessesseeeeeseeeseessaaeess 96 Sec 7 Advanced GPS Operations ccsssscsesccsssssssssccceceeees 97 Find Distance from Current Position to Another Location 97 ii FOD Sannina ec e8 tate RA A I ESE a a A eR se 98 Create Icon Or Mapes ccecisipcssccde estied tees hee een ied eeidesetiades 98 Create Icon at Current Position
171. unit will operate with all the sonar features in their automatic modes which are set at the factory 36 Basic Sonar Quick Reference 1 Mount the transducer and unit Connect the unit to electric power and the transducer 2 Launch your boat 3 To turn on the unit press and release PWR key 4 Head for your fishing grounds Your unit automatically displays digi tal depth and surface water temperature in the corner of the screen The auto settings will track the bottom displaying it in the lower por tion of the screen The full sonar chart will scroll from right to left showing you what s under the boat as you cruise across the water 5 As you re watching the sonar returns you can change the display by Zoom in to enlarge the chart for more detail press ZIN Zoom out to return to full chart mode press ZOUT 6 If necessary adjust sensitivity to improve chart readability Press MENU ENT and the Sensitivity Menu will appear on the left of your screen Use T and J to change the setting Boosting sensitivity will show more information on your screen which may cause clutter Reducing sensitivity will filter out some information but could omit important images We recommend adjusting sensitivity until the background is lightly peppered that is scattered dots ap pear but individual objects like fish arches or bottom structure can be easily picked out of the background 7 Watch the display for the appearance of fi
172. ure to use the enclosed 3 amp fuse will void your warranty For a replacement use a type 83AG 8 amp fuse This unit has reverse polarity protection No damage will occur if the power wires are reversed However the unit will not work until the wires are attached correctly MOUNTING THE SONAR UNIT In Dash or Bracket You can install the sonar unit on the top of a dash with the supplied bracket It can also be installed in the dash with an optional FM 6 dash mounting kit In Dash Installation The following figure shows the approximate shape for in dash mounting an M56 The in dash adapter kit includes a template for cutting the mounting hole and complete installation instructions on instruction sheet 988 0147 631 23 Top ALWAYS VERIFY DIMENSIONS Cut along this line am In dash mounting template for M56 NOTE This figure is not printed to scale Bracket Installation Mount the unit in any convenient location provided there is clearance when it s tilted for the best viewing angle You should also make sure there is enough room behind the unit to attach the power transducer cable See the following drawings which show the dimensions of a mounted M56 sonar unit Holes in the bracket s base allow wood screw or through bolt mounting You may need to place a piece of plywood on the back side of thin pan els to reinforce the panel and secure the mounting hardware Drill a 5 8 15 9 mm hole in the dash for the power
173. ute reaches your destination 7 To save your route press EXIT The M56 reverts to the Edit Route screen with the route automatically named Route 1 and stored in the M56 s internal memory You can edit the route and run other commands but if you are finished with the route for now return to the last page displayed by pressing EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT Delete a Route 1 From the NAVIGATION PAGE press MENU ENT or from the Map PAGE press MENU MENU J to Route PLANNING ENT 2 Press J to route name ENT 3 Press gt to DELETE Route ENT lt to Yes ENT Tip You can also delete all routes at once 1 From the NAVIGATION PAGE press MENU ENT or from the Map PAGE press MENU MENU J to Route PLANNING ENT 2 Press to DELETE ALL ENT lt to Yes ENT 102 Edit a Route You can edit the route name if you wish 1 From the NAaviGATION PAGE press MENU ENT or from the Map PAGE press MENU MENU J to ROUTE PLANNING ENT 2 Press 4 to route name ENT gt to Enit Route Name ENT 3 Press T or J to change the first character then press to move the cursor to the next character and repeat until the name is correct then press ENT Return to the previous page by pressing EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT You can edit the route by adding and removing waypoints 1 From the NAVIGATION PAGE press MENU ENT or from the Map PAGE press MENU MENU J to ROUTE PLANNING ENT 2 Press J to route name
174. uto Depth Range Upper And Lower Limits F Stop Chart Chart Speed Depth Cursor Overlay Data Sonar Features Ping Speed Ber A O AS ATER d 0 0 mph A is L A o t o pes ef ase a J eescoto L 60 o At left Sonar Menu with Sensitivity command selected At right the Sensitivity Control Bar To adjust sensitivity in manual mode 1 First turn off Auto Sensitivity from the Sonar Page press MENU J to AuTo SENsITIVvITY ENT 2 Press T to Sensitivity ENT and the Sensitivity Control Bar appears Press J or to pick a different sensitivity setting When it s set at the desired level press EXIT To turn Auto Sensitivity back on From the Sonar Page press MENU to Auto Sensitivity ENT EXIT 60 NOTE To return to the original factory setting for Auto Sensitivity see the entry in this section on Reset Options If sensitivity is in manual mode the Reset Options command will switch back to Auto and re set the factory setting at the same time Tip For quicker sensitivity adjustments try leaving the Sensitivity Control Bar on the screen as the chart scrolls You can see the changes on the screen as you press the up or down arrows This is handy when there s a lot of clutter in the water and you are matching the sensitivity to rapidly changing water conditions Set Keel Offset This unit measures water depth from the face of the transducer Since the
175. ved more than approximately 100 miles from the last location it was used Satellites 10 50 PM Initialize GPS Auto Search Pareto _waas Rasaan Perform GPS Auto Search on the Satellite Status Menu You can force the unit to immediately kick into auto search mode Here s how 110 1 Press PAGES amp to Mar to SATELLITES 2 Press MENU J to GPS Auto SEARCH ENT lt to Yes ENT Coordinate System Selection The Coordinate System Menu lets you select the coordinate system to use when displaying and entering position coordinates Screen Coord System Sounds Alarms gt Route Planning beg shee MGRS Standard Initialize GPS MGRS Std 10 Map Fix Coordinate System Datum Selection GPS Auto Search N 36 08 971 F Track Smoothing uU 95 50 579 F Require WAAS Setup Map Fix F Show WAAS Alarm Setup Loran TD Menus for changing coordinate system used to display positions GPS Simulator To get to Coordinate System Selection 1 Press MENU MENU J to GPS Setup ENT 2 Press J to CoorDINATE System ENT This unit can show a position in degrees 86 14952 degrees minutes and thousandths of a minute 36 28 700 or degrees minutes seconds and tenths of a second 36 28 40 9 It can also show position in UTM Universal Transverse Mercator projection MGRS Standard MGRS Standard 10 Map Fix Loran T
176. ver eConnect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected eConsult the factory customer service department for help 147 Notes 148 Index A Accessories 1 5 23 24 Sec 2 Installation amp Accessories 9 Alarm Clock 106 Alarms 33 44 45 46 75 82 93 94 96 104 109 116 Anchor Alarm 109 Antenna 4 5 71 83 147 Arrival Alarm 82 93 94 96 104 109 116 B Backlights Lighting 3 31 Batteries 9 22 23 27 28 29 32 69 70 71 Brightness 2 33 75 124 125 Cc Cancel Navigation 33 75 82 88 89 90 93 96 104 105 Compass 7 78 79 82 87 89 94 95 99 104 128 Contrast 33 75 124 125 Coordinate System 111 Cursor 34 37 47 48 83 84 86 88 90 98 99 Customize Map Data Shown 117 118 G GPS Data File 5 l Icons 4 5 8 32 74 82 98 99 119 124 Creating 98 Deleting 99 Navigate 99 Installation 5 9 20 23 24 27 71 82 Sec 2 Installation amp Accessories 9 Introduction GPS and WAAS 5 Specifications 3 149 Typographical Conventions 7 K Keypad Description 7 L Languages 3 125 Lat Lon Grid Map Data option 118 M Main Menu 32 33 44 74 75 100 104 127 129 131 Man Overboard 4 87 88 Map Data 117 118 Map Datum 111 118 119 Selection 111 118 Map Detail 117 119 Map Fix Coordinate System 111 112 113 Map Menu 117 120 121 Map Orientat
177. vity down too low to allow automatic bot tom tracking When you change the setting with auto turned on the unit will continue to track the bottom and make minor adjustments to the sen sitivity level with a bias toward the setting you selected Adjusting sensitivity in Manual Sensitivity Mode is similar to driving a car without cruise control you have complete manual control of the car s speed In the sonar unit manual mode allows you to set sensitiv ity at 100 percent maximum or zero percent minimum Depending on water conditions the bottom signal may completely disappear from the screen when you reduce sensitivity to about 50 percent or less Try adjusting sensitivity in both auto and manual modes to see how they work To adjust sensitivity 1 Press MENU ENT 2 The Sensitivity Control Bar appears Press 4 to decrease sensitivity press to increase sensitivity When it s set at the desired level press EXIT When you reach the maximum or minimum limit a tone sounds Sensitivity E Auto Sensitivity Grayline Depth Range k Auto Depth Range Upper And Lower Limits F Stop Chart Chart Speed Depth Cursor Overlay Data Sonar Features Ping Speed i meacoto i A At left Sonar Menu with Sensitivity command selected At right the Sensitivity Control Bar 39 NOTE If you want to change the sensitivity in Manual Mode first turn off Auto Sensitivity from the So
178. wo adjustable wrenches Assemble the transducer and bracket as shown in the following figure Attach the transducer to the bracket with the supplied hardware Make sure there is one washer on each side of the transducer inside the bracket Slide the other washer over the end of the bolt and thread the nut onto it Screw the suction cup onto the bracket using the supplied screw and flat washer Tie the nylon cord through the hole in the top of the bracket When using this transducer tie the other end of the nylon cord to the boat This will help prevent the loss of the transducer if it comes off the boat Tie nylon cord here Suction i cup Screw a Nut O Washer a Transducer Portable transducer assembly rear view left and side view right Bolt Washer Clean the chosen area of the hull before attaching the suction cup Lo cate the transducer on the hull as shown in the following figure Don t allow the bracket to extend below the hull because water pressure against it can cause the suction cup to come off at speed Moisten the cup then press it onto the hull as firmly as possible Tie the nylon cord to the boat and route the transducer cable to the sonar unit Your portable sonar is now ready for use 29 Suction cup Bracket Transducer Hull Portable transducer installed on boat transom NOTE
179. you may also have other rights which may vary from state to state Your remedies under this warranty will be available so long as you can show in a reasonable manner that the defect occurred within one 1 year from the date of your original purchase and we must receive your warranty claim no later than 30 days after such 1 year period expires Your claim must be substanti ated by a dated sales receipt or sales slip 154 LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS FULL ONE YEAR WARRANTY We our or us refers to LOWRANCE 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 against defects or malfunctions in materials and workmanship and against failure to conform to this product s written specifications all for one 1 year from the date of original purchase by you WE MAKE NO OTHER EXPRESS WAR RANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER CONCERNING THIS PRODUCT Your remedies under this warranty will be available so long as you can show in a reasonable manner that any defect or malfunction in materials or workmanship or any non conformity with the product s written specifications occurred within one year from the date of your original purchase which must be substantiated by a dated sales receipt or sales slip Any such defect malfunction or non conformity which occurs within one year from your origina

Lowrance electronic M56 User's Manual

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