Lowrance X65... help setting it up

[Homerr]

Does anyone know where I can find a guide, or perhaps personal experience at setting up my Lowrance X65?<br /><br />It just doesn't seem to track fish like other fish finders do (friends).<br />Maybe I don't have it set right or?<br /><br />What is the typical setup for lake fishing?<br /><br />I had a problem last year with the transducer in the wrong place, as well as being wired incorrectly (thanks to the boat dealer) .<br />I have resolved those problems, yet it seems like it just doesn't work right.<br /><br />For example, when I'm underway with the main engine, it will track lots of fish say at 9 to 20ft. deep in various areas where I troll.<br />Now when I kill the engine and use the trolling motor, the fish are gone.... <br />I can't imagine it is interference from the engine, as it's tracking fish and objects several feet underneath the boat. <br />I moved the transponder as far away from the drive as I could, and wired it directly to my auxiliary battery so it is completely isolated from any of the main circuits.<br /><br />I remember something about the transponder requiring water to move past it to take a reading, but was that for speed or?<br /><br />Do I have a faulty transponder? Speaking of which... Which transponder works best for your typical lake fishing?<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />H.

 

[Andrew Leigh]

Re: Lowrance X65... help setting it up

Hi Homer,<br /><br />Download one from the following site Lowrance Manuals. Just scrolldown until you find your X-65.<br /><br />Yup the boat needs to be moving but would have thought you would have picked up readings when using your trolling motor. I have the same issues as you, just can seem to get it in the sweet spot. Be curious to see what replies you get. I have the X-51.<br /><br />Cheers<br />Andrew

 

[Homerr]

Re: Lowrance X65... help setting it up

** Sorry for a similar post to the other one that is running about fish finders.. I started this post and didn't see the other one! **<br /><br />Thanks Andy...<br /><br />I do get fish readings when using the trolling motor, but not as many. With the main engine fired up, I get lots of fish, even at various speeds. With the trolling motor, I get maybe 1/4 as much. Most of the time it shows a hole in the water... absolutely nothing on the screen except bottom and structure.<br /><br />I was told that the X65 was a fairly sweet unit when I bought it with the boat (package deal thing)...<br /><br />Maybe it's just because I'm a noob to sonar, or maybe not?<br />I'm hoping some of the sonar gurus on this site can help the rookie?<br /><br />The depth, speed, temp, etc... seems to work well, but when it comes to locating fish, I'm not sure if it's doing it's thing, or I'm not doing something right.<br /><br />Something has to be working, cause you can even see the depth of mud (or whatever it is) on the bottom of the lake that I fished yesterday. <br />You have your bottom, and then there is a lighter gray, and then a solid line at the bottom of the screen.<br />I'm assuming that is showing mud depth, or some kind of false bottom.<br />The X65 works great when it comes to temperature, and depth readings as well as finding structure.<br /><br />I'll take a look at the manual, but I would really like to hear from folks that actually own and have been successful with the X65.<br /><br />H.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Lowrance X65... help setting it up

Homerr<br />To start with go thru the Lowrance Tutorial. A lot of basic information in there and a good place to start.<br />You say you see lots of fish with the main motor on in the 9 to 20 foot range. This make me think you have fish id turned on where it shows pictures of fish symbols. If you do have it on turn it off and forget how to turn it on. Useing it is like having a picture of a pretty girl in a bright blue Bikini and turning on a symbol to replace that picture with a stick figure, do not use it.<br /><br />Your transducer needs to be 12 to 18 inches from the motor and better on the starboard side. A good starting point is usually either side of the speedometer pitot tube. It needs to be pointed straight down and deep enough to be below hull turbulance. Do not line it up with any thing on the boat that will make turbulance or air bubbles.<br /><br />Now go to the menu and set it to default settings. If that turn on fish id then turn fish ID back off. This is a good starting place. At this point you should see a bottom signal and gray line should be turned on. The width of the bottom singal tell you how hard the bottom is. Now if you are fishing the bottom leave the unit in auto mode but turn the sensitive up until you see lots of false signals near the bottom. You now have it set where you can see fish near the bottom. Set this way the top of the screen will be mostly black from surface clutter but that is ok. If you have a surface cluter control then you can adjust that if you so desire.<br /><br />If you are running down riggers and fishing 30 feet deep in 100 feet of water then adjust the sensitivity to have some false echos in the 30 foot range. Make sure the zoom is turned off.<br /><br />You will only see fish at slow speeds. With your 20 degree transducer at 30 feet you will see a 10 foot circle on the bottom. At higher speeds you will not get enough returns to draw a picture of the fish before you move 10 feet. Half way down at 15 feet the circle you see will only be 5 feet. To see fish in shallow water you need to go slow 3 mhp or trolling speed. If you are stopped dead in the water and there is a fish under you that is not moving then the fish will appear as a line accrossed the screen. At higher trolling speeds turn your chart speed up.<br /><br />This is only a basic start. Remember what you see on all the demo put out is only a dream. If there were that many fish down there there would be no need for a fish finder.<br /><br /> http://www.lowrance.com/Tutorials/Sonar/sonar_tutorial_01.asp

 

[imported_JD__]

Re: Lowrance X65... help setting it up

Homerr,<br />Interference not only comes from water turbulence like air bubbles from the prop but also from electronics. If you see fish with your big engine running and not with it off, I'd say you have electrical interference. A cell phone plugged into an auxiliary jack makes mine go nuts. I can see the little charger adapter cycling/pulsing/charging on my sonar screen. Turn off Fish ID like boatist said then turn your sensitivity up to where if if you're on the fifty foot scale (screen is graduated every 10 feet) increase your sensitivity to where the surface clutter extends downward half-way between 5 & 10 feet or a little more. If on the 100 foot scale adjust until surface clutter is halfway between 10 & 20 feet or a little more. I don't mean to offend anyone but in my opinion fish symbols are a joke. In the ID mode the unit is trying to interpret what its seeing and screws up a lot in doing so. The best way to know what's under the boat is to run the unit in sonar mode (get rid of the fishies).