Eagle Electronics 250 DF manual

Pub. 988-0151-421 www.eaglesonar.com FishEasy 250 DS & SeaFinder 250 DF Fish-Finding & Depth-Sounding Sonars Installation and Operation Instructions ® ®[...]

Copyright © 2006 LEI-Eag le All rights reserved . No part of this manual may be copied, reprod uced, republished, transmitted or distributed for any purpose, with out prior written consent of Eagle Electronics. Any unauthorized commercial distribution of this manual is strictly prohibited. Eagle ® is a registered tra demark of LEI FishEasy ® 250[...]

i Table of Contents Section 1: In troducti on.................................................................... 1 Specifications: FishEasy  250 DS & SeaFinder  250 DF ............... 1 How Sonar Works ................................................................................. 3 Preparat ions .......................................[...]

ii FishTrac k™ ........................................................................................ 46 Alarms ................................................................................................. 47 Fish Ala rm .......................................................................................... 47 Depth Ala rms .............[...]

1 Section 1: Introduction Thank you for buying an Eagle  sonar! Your unit is a high-quality so- nar designed for both professional and novice fishermen. All Eagle so- nars have an automatic mode that finds and displays the bottom, fish, underwater structure and more – right out of the box. All you have to do is press the on ( PWR ) key. To get[...]

2 Back-up memory: ........... Built-in me mory stores sonar settings when unit is turned off. Languages: ...................... 11 Intern ational languages. Sonar Frequency: ...................... 83/200 kHz fo r FishEasy 250 DS; 50/200 kHz for SeaFinder 250 DF. Transducers: ................... FishEasy 250 DS: a compact Dual-Search Skimmer  tra[...]

3 NOTICE! The storage and operation temperature range for your unit is from -4 degrees to +167 degrees Fahre nheit (-20 degrees to +75 degrees Celsius). Extended storage or oper ation in temperatures higher or lower than specified will damage the liquid crystal display in your u n i t . T h is ty p e of da m a g e i s n o t covered by the warranty.[...]

4 Dual Search & Dual Frequency The FishEasy 250 DS is packed with a Dual Search Skimmer Trans- ducer that can transmit at 83 kHz and 200 kHz. The SeaFinder 250 DF has a dual frequency transducer that transmits at 50kHz and 200kHz. A new innovation, the 83 kHz frequenc y offers superior sonar perform- ance at all depths from very shallo w up to [...]

5 This will help you m ake sure you have enough cable length for the de- sired configuration. 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 sonar unit.[...]

6 Notes[...]

7 Section 2: Installation & Accessories 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 com es packaged with a one-piece stainless steel bracket for mounting it to the[...]

8 Shoot-through hull installations Tools: these will vary depending on your hull's composition. Consult your boat dealer or manufacturer. Supplies: 100 grit sandpaper, good quality epoxy adhesive. Selecting a Transducer Location 1. The transducer must be placed in a location that has a smooth flow of water at all times. If the transd u c e r i[...]

9 Good and poor transducer locations. How low should you go? For most situations, you should in stall your Skimmer transducer so that its centerline is level with th e bottom of the boat hull. This will usually give you the best combination of smooth water flow and protec- tion from bangs and bumps. Align transducer centerline with hull bottom. If [...]

10 transducer up or down. If you freq uently lose bottom signal lock while running at high speed, the transducer may be coming out of the water as you cross waves or wakes. Move th e 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 ob ject str[...]

11 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[...]

12 If the transducer's face isn't parallel with the ground, remove the transducer and ratchets from the br acket. Place the ratchets into the holes in the bracket with the lette r "B" aligned with the dot stamped in the bracket. Reassemble the transducer and bracket and place them against the transom. Again, check to see if you [...]

13 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 sh ould 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[...]

14 Route cable over bolt and through brac ket. Side view (left) and shown from above (right). Attach the transducer to the transom. Slide the transducer up or down until it's aligned properly with the bottom of the hull as shown in the preceding and following figures. Tighten the bracket's m ount- ing screws, sealing them with the sealant[...]

15 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 knocke[...]

16 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. 3. Route the transducer cable alon gside the trolling motor shaft. Use plastic ties (not included) to at[...]

17 Transducer angles and their effects on fish arches. 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[...]

18 Shoot-Thru-Hull Preparation Hulls With Flotation 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 th rough solid fiberglass. A successful transducer installation can be made on hulls with flotation materials ([...]

19 To choose the proper location for shoot-thru-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.[...]

20 3. Now move the transducer around to find the best location with the strongest possible bottom signal. If yo u find a spot with an acceptable bottom signal, mark the locati on and move on to step 4. If you can not get an acceptable botto m signal, try turning up the sensi- tivity by three or five keystrokes and then move the transducer around on[...]

21 Shoot-thru-hull Installation 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 trans- ducer face is [...]

22 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 ha ve 20 minutes to complete the in- stallation before the epoxy becomes unworkable. Spread a thin layer of epoxy (about 1/16" or 1.5 mm thick) on the face of the transduc[...]

23 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[...]

24 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 an d black. Red is the positive lead, black is negative or ground. Make su re to atta[...]

25 In-dash mounting template for FishEasy 250DS, showing dimensions. The preceding figure is not printed to scale. A scaled template is avail- able for free download from our web site, www.eaglesonar.com. Bracket Installation Mount the unit in any convenient location, provided there is clearance when it’s tilted for the best viewing angle. You sh[...]

26 Front view (left) and side view (r ight) showing dimensions of sonar unit mounted on gimbal bracket. Drill a 5/8" (15.9 mm) hole in the da sh for the power/transducer cable. The best location for this hole is immediately under the gimbal bracket location. This way, the bracket can be installed so that it covers the hole, holds the cable in [...]

27 If you choose to fill in the cable hole, be sure to position the cable against the rear edge of the hole as you apply the fill material. Before positioning the gimbal bracket, be sure to hold the cable against the rear edge of the hole. Then, slid e the bracket over the hole and butt the rear of the bracket base firmly ag ainst the cable, thus p[...]

28 alkaline batteries or an optional sealed, rechargeabl e battery. For set- up directions, refer to the pack's instruction sheet. Install batteries in power case battery adapter. Portable Transducer Assembly Recommended tools for installation include a slotted screw driver and two adjustable wrenches. Assemble the transducer and bracket as sh[...]

29 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. Portable transducer assembly: rear view (left) an[...]

30 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. NOTE: 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 [...]

31 Section 2: Operation Keyboard Basics The unit sounds a tone when you press any key. Numbers in the figure correspond to key explanations below: Eagle FishEasy 250 DS. 1. PWR/CLEAR In this manual, the Power/Clear key is referred to as PWR . Press this key to turn the unit on and off. It also clears menus and menu selec- tions from the screen. To [...]

32 2. MENU UP & MENU DOWN These keys appear in the manual text as MENU UP or MENU DOWN . Most of the time, you can press either of the menu keys, so in those cases, the text uses the word MENU . When the instructions say MENU , you can press the MENU UP key for consistency. The MENU UP key cycles forward through the menus. The MENU DOWN key mov[...]

33 The Backlight menu with backlight turned on. Display The lights will flash for about 10 seconds when the unit is turned on. The backlight menu will appear on the screen. Use ↑ ↓ to turn the backlight on or off. Press PWR to clear the menu from the screen. The unit will show the Full Chart Page or mode. The depth range is displayed as the upp[...]

34 Full Chart page. Full Chart The unit's default page, Full Chart shows all echoes scrolling across the full screen. The bottom signal scrolls across the screen from right to left. The line at the top of the screen represents the surface. The bottom depth — determined by the digital sonar — can be displayed in the up- per left corner of t[...]

35 Full Chart page showing digital depth (above) and temp (below). The Fish I. D. feature is turned off. FasTrack  This feature automatically converts echoes to short horizontal lines on the display's far right side. The rest of the screen continues to operate normally. Full sonar chart showing surface clutter, a thermocline and some fish e[...]

36 FasTrack gives you a rapid update of conditions directly under the boat, making it useful for ice fish ing or when fishing at anchor. When the boat is not moving, fish signal s are long, drawn out lines on a nor- mal display. FasTrack converts the graph to a vertical bar graph that makes a useful addition to fish ing at a stationary location. De[...]

37 Zoom The zoom feature enlarges all images on the screen by doubling (2X) or quadrupling (4X) the size of the echoes. When you activate the zoom command, the screen will be split in half with the zoomed area dis- played on the left. The normal view will be shown on the right side of the screen. To zoom in the display, repeatedly press MENU until [...]

38 To do this, make sure Depth Rang e is set to manual mode. Next, re- pe a t ed l y press MENU until the Z OOM menu appears. Press ↓ to select 2X or 4X , then press MENU UP to display the Z OOM R ANG E menu. Use ↑ ↓ to select a desired zoom range. When you are finished, press PWR to clear the menu from the display. Zoom Range menu with the 4[...]

39 Sensitivity set to manual mode (left). Sensitivity scroll bar (right) . You can change the sensitivity level whether you are in Auto Sensitivity mode or Manual Sensitivity mode. The adjustment method works the same in both modes, but provides slightly different results. To adjust sensitivity in Auto Mode: Repeatedly press MENU until the S ENSITI[...]

40 These figures show results of different sensitivity levels on the same location. Fig. 1: Sensitivity at 85 percent, determined by Auto Sensitiv- ity. Typical of full auto mode. Fig. 2: Sensitivity set at 71 percent. Fig. 3: Sensitivity set at 47 percent. Fig. 4: Sensitivity set at 90 percent. Grayline ® Grayline  lets you distinguish between[...]

41 Grayline scroll bar. 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 and fish from structure. A small amount of Grayline indicates a soft bottom (left), probably sand or mud. More Grayline indicates a harder, rocky bottom (ri[...]

42 The default level of Grayline is usually adequate for most conditions. Experiment with the unit to find the Grayline setting best for you. To change the Grayline level, repeatedly press MENU until the G RAYLINE scroll bar appears. P r e s s ↑ to increase Grayline, ↓ to decrease it. The ef- fects of the Grayline adjustment will be shown by ec[...]

43 sonar signal cone, the image appears on the screen as a long line in- stead of a fish arch. Reducing the chart speed may result in a shorter line that more closely resemb les a regular fish return. To adjust Chart Speed, repeatedly press MENU until the C HA RT S PEED scroll bar appears. Press ↑ to increase the speed of the chart. Press ↓ to [...]

44 FishEasy 250 dual search frequency menu (left). SeaFinder 250 dual frequency menu (right). To switch the Frequency, repeatedly press MENU until the Frequency menu appears. Press ↑ or ↓ to select the desired frequency. Press PWR to clear the frequency menu from the screen. Fish I.D.  The Fish I.D.  feature displays — as fish — targe[...]

45 Your sonar unit's microcomputer is soph isticated, but it can be fooled. It can not distinguish between fish and other suspended objects such as trotlines, turtles, submerged floats, air bubbles, etc. Individual tree limbs extending outwar d from a group of limbs are the hardest objects for the Fish I.D. feature to distinguish from fish. Un[...]

46 Then, you can turn on Fish I.D. and the audible fish alarm . When that lunker swims under your boat, you will hear it! Fish I.D. can also be useful when you want to screen out some of the so- nar detail gathered by your unit. For example, it can help cut through the clutter of suspended bubbles caused by wave action or boat wakes. T o t u r n F [...]

47 Alarms Your sonar unit has four alarms: fish, shallow, deep and battery. NOTE: If one of the alarms goes off, press PWR to silence the alarm. It will remain silent until it is triggered again. Fish Alarm The Fish Alarm sounds a tone when a fish symbol appears on the screen. The Fish I.D. feature must be turned on for fish alarms to work. T o t u[...]

48 vessel enters water that is more sh allow than the alarm's setting. The deep alarm sounds a tone your vessel enters water that is deeper than the alarm's setting. Shallow Alarm To set the shallow alarm depth, repeatedly press MENU until S HALLOW A LARM appears. Shallow Alarm menu (left). Shallow Alarm Value Dialog box (right). Press ?[...]

49 To turn off the alarm, repeatedly press MENU until the S HALLOW A LARM menu appears. Press ↓ to O FF , then press PWR to clear the menu. Deep Alarm To set the deep alarm depth, repeatedly press MENU until D EEP A LARM appears. Deep Alarm menu (left). Deep Alarm dialog box (right). Press the ↓ to S ET V ALU E . The Deep Alarm Value dialog box[...]

50 Battery Alarm menu (left). Low Battery Alarm Value (right). Press the ↓ to S ET V AL U E . The Low Battery Alarm Value dialog box will appear. Input a voltage value between 7 and 18 volts. Use the ↑ ↓ keys to enter the first number in the dialog box, then press MENU DOWN to move to the next digit. Repeat those steps until the desired value[...]

51 over the face of the transducer an d even vibration from the engine. In all cases, noise can produce unwanted marks on the display. Noise Rejection menu. The ASP noise rejection feature is especially useful because, typically, it lets you operate the boat at all speeds without adjusting the sensi- tivity or other controls. The ASP feature has th[...]

52 Depth Display Depth may be displayed on the screen in a small, medium or large size or can be turned off completely. To display Depth: Repeatedly press MENU until the D EPTH menu appears. Use ↑ ↓ to select the size of the depth display. Press PWR to clear the menu. Depth menu with Depth display turned off (left). Depth display set to Medium [...]

53 Temperature menu (left). Temperature display set to small size (right). To display Temperature: Repeatedly press MENU until the T EMPERATURE menu appears. Use ↑ ↓ to select the size of the temperature display. Press PWR to clear the menu. Voltage menu with the voltage display turned off (left) and with volt- age set to a small display size ([...]

54 Voltage The Voltage menu allows you to display battery voltage on the screen in a small or medium size or can be turned off completely. To display voltage: Repeatedly press MENU until the V OLTAGE menu appears. Use ↑ ↓ to se- lect the size of the voltage display. Press PWR to clear the menu. Units The Units menu allows you to switch units of[...]

55 appears. Press ↑ to turn on the backlight or ↓ to turn it off. Press PWR to clear the backlight menu from the display. Backlight turned on (left). Contrast scroll bar (right). Contrast The contrast of the unit's display may be adjusted to suit different lighting conditions. It will help you see the screen from different angles or at var[...]

56 Press PWR to clear the menu. The simulator will be automatically turned off when you power off the unit. Simulator menu (left). Languages menu (right). Set Language This unit's menus are available in 11 languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Russian, Czech, Dutch and Finnish. To select a language: 1. Repeated[...]

57 Reset Options This command is used to reset all fe atures, options and settings to their original factory defaults. This is us eful when you have changed several settings and want to reset the uni t to basic automatic operation. First, turn off the unit. Next, press and hold ↓ and the MENU DOWN key at the same time, then press the PWR key. Rel[...]

58 Notes[...]

59 Troubleshooting If your unit is not working, or if yo u need technical help, please use the following troubleshooting section be fore contacting the factory cus- tomer 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[...]

60 Weak bottom echo, digital readings erratic, or no fish signals: 1. Make certain the transducer is pointing straight down. Clean the face of the transducer. Oil, dirt and fuel can cause a film to form on the transducer, reducing its effectiveness. If the transducer is mounted in- side the hull, be sure it is shooting through only one layer of fib[...]

61 Try using resistor spark plugs or routing the sonar unit's power and transducer cables away from othe r electrical wiring on the boat. No fish arches when the Fish I.D. feature is off: 1. Make certain 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 [...]

62 If no noise is present, turn the pu m p 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 display noted, then turned off. If you find noise interference from an electrical instrument, trolling motor, pump, or radio, try to isolate the problem. You can usuall[...]

63 Notes[...]

64 Notes[...]

65 EAGLE ELECTRONICS FULL ONE-YEAR WARRANTY "We," "our," or "u s" refers to EAGLE EL ECTRONICS, a d ivision of LEI, the manufactu rer of this product. "You" or "you r" refers to the first person who pu rchases this product as a consumer item for personal, family, or household use. We warrant this pr[...]

66 How to Obtain Service… …in the USA: We back your investment in quality pr oducts with quick, expert service and genuine Eagle replacement 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 re- turned, you must call cu[...]

Accessory Ordering Information for all countries To order Eagle accessories such as power cables or transducers, please contact: 1) Your local marine dealer or co nsumer electronics store. Mo st quality dealers that handle marine electronic equipmen t or other consumer electronics should be able to assist you with these items. To locate an Eagle de[...]

Visit our web site: www.eaglesonar.com Eagle Pub. 988-0151-421 Copyright © 2006 All Rights Reserved Printed in USA 042006 LEI-Eagle [...]