Humminbird warranty Thank You, Using the RF15, RSS Power, Powering on and OFF Light, Zoom

RF15 Operations Manual

531393-1-A

Thank You!

Thank you for choosing Humminbird®, America's #1 name in fishfinders. Humminbird® has built its reputation by designing and manufacturing top-quality, thoroughly reliable marine equipment. Your Humminbird® is designed for trouble-free use in even the harshest marine environment. In the unlikely event that your Humminbird® does require repairs, we offer an exclusive Service Policy-free of charge during the first year after purchase, and available at a reasonable rate after the one-year period. For complete details, see the separate warranty card included with your unit. We encourage you to read this operations manual carefully in order to get full benefit from all the features and applications of your Humminbird® product.

With this purchase you should have:

•RF15 Control Head

•One Advanced Remote Sonar Sensor - RSS

•Portable Carry Case

•This RF15 Operations Manual

If any of these components are missing or are not included, please contact our Customer Resource Center at 1-334-687-0503 or visit our website at www.humminbird.com.

WARNING! This device should not be used as a navigational aid to prevent collision, grounding, boat damage, or personal injury. When the boat is moving, water depth may change too quickly to allow time for you to react. Always operate the boat at very slow speeds if you suspect shallow water or submerged objects.

WARNING! Disassembly and repair of this electronic unit should only be performed by authorized service personnel. Any modification of the serial number or attempt to repair the original equipment or accessories by unauthorized individuals will void the warranty. Handling and/or opening this unit may result in exposure to lead, in the form of solder.

WARNING! This product contains lead, a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm.

Using the RF15

Simply attach the RSS to the end of your fishing line and cast it into the water as you would a normal float or lure, then power on the RF15 and you are ready to fish. Your RF15 uses sonar technology to send sound waves from the RSS into the water.

To scan an area, cast and then reel in at a steady rate with your rod tip up. Jerks may break water contact, causing gapped signal input. A low rod tip or heavy line may cause signal loss if the RSS submerges.

Handle the RSS by the antenna tower when it has been in water.

Use a heavy test line, standard knots, and tackle such as a swivel.

The second leader hole is for using the RSS as a float. Connect a lighter weight hook line to this hole. Do not over-weight the hook line as this will submerge the RSS, causing signal loss.

CAUTION: You will increase the possibility of breaking your line if you use light test pound line on your reel. The RSS is positively buoyant (is buoyant under its own weight plus 0.2 ounces of bait and lead weight.) The maximum amount of weight for any attachment to the RSS is approximately 0.2 ounces (5.67 grams), and includes the combined weight of any hook, line, weight, swivel/snap swivel and bait that is attached to the RSS. The RSS itself weighs 1 ounce, and therefore light test line might break.

Store the RSS in a dry, non-metallic container, such as a tackle box, in a separate compartment, and isolated from any metallic devices.

WARNING! The bottom of the RSS should not be handled during sonar operation, as this may cause physical discomfort and may result in personal injury in the form of tissue damage. Handle the RSS only by the antenna tower when it has been in the water.

WARNING! The RSS (Remote Sonar Sensor) is not intended for use by children younger than 6 years old without adult supervision as the RSS may represent a choking hazard to small children.

WARNING! Handling and/or opening this unit may result in exposure to lead, in the form of solder.

RSS Power

The Advanced Remote Sonar Sensor (RSS) has a non-replaceable Lithium battery with a shelf life of three years that will last for approximately 500 hours of in-water use (when the nighttime LED is turned off).

Discard the used RSS in compliance with local laws as you would any electronic component or battery.

The RSS has contacts that perceive when the device is immersed in the water. These contacts turn on the Sonar Transmitter/Receiver and begin transmitting the sonar information via RF to the display. The RSS automatically stops using power a few seconds after being pulled out of the water.

WARNING! Do not place the RSS in a wet area when not in use as this will turn on the RSS and shorten its usable life. Store the RSS in a dry area when not in use to conserve power. Never place the RSS in a wet area of a boat or on a metal surface that could accidentally power it on.

NOTE: If the RSS was used in salt water, rinse it with fresh water before storing it.

Powering ON and OFF

NOTE: Each time the POWER-MENU key is pressed, the backlight momentarily illuminates for easy viewing at night. Adjust the LIGHT menu setting to keep the backlight on.

NOTE: If Simulator Mode is selected from the Start-Up Menu and a transducer is plugged in, some menu setting changes will be saved in memory even after the unit is powered down. Menu setting changes will not be saved from Simulator mode when a transducer is not connected.

NOTE: Turning on the SetUp menu choice from the Main Menu System allows you to access additional set-up menu choices. See SetUp Menu for more information.

Light

(Setting Not Saved in Memory)

Press the POWER-MENU key until LIGHT appears. Use the backlight for night fishing. Select either 0 (Off), or 1 through 5 to activate the backlight at the desired level. (0 to 5, Default = 0)

NOTE: Continuous backlight operation will significantly decrease the battery life for RF15 Portables.

Sensitivity

(Setting Saved in Memory)

Press the POWER-MENU key until SENSITIVITY appears. Sensitivity controls how much detail is shown on the display. Increasing the sensitivity shows more sonar returns from small baitfish and suspended debris in the water; however, the display may become too cluttered. When operating in

very clear water or greater depths, increased sensitivity shows weaker returns that may be of interest. Decreasing the sensitivity eliminates the clutter from the display that is sometimes present in murky or muddy water. If Sensitivity is adjusted too low, the display may not show many sonar returns that could be fish. (0 – 10, Default = 5)

Depth Range

(Setting Not Saved in Memory)

Press the POWER-MENU key until DEPTH RANGE appears. Automatic is the default setting. When in automatic, the lower range will be adjusted by the unit to follow the bottom. (Auto, 10 to 120 Feet, Default = Auto)

NOTE: In manual operation, if the depth is greater than the depth range setting, the bottom will not be visible on the display. Select AUTO to return to automatic operation.

Zoom

(Setting Not Saved in Memory)

Press the POWER-MENU key until ZOOM appears. Select Auto to magnify the area around the bottom in order to reveal fish and structure close to the bottom that may not be visible during normal operation. When ZOOM is set to Auto, the upper and lower Depth Ranges are automatically adjusted to keep the area above and below the bottom on the display. Select Off to return to normal operation. (Off, Auto, Manual Ranges, Default = Off)

SetUp Menu

Press the POWER-MENU key until SetUp appears. Select either Off or On. (Off, On, Default = Off)

When you choose SetUp, additional menu choices will become available that are not a part of the Main Menu system. After selecting SetUp, press the POWER-MENU key to display the SetUp menu choices, one at a time. SetUp Menu choices include:

•Contrast

•Fish ID+

•Bottom View

•Battery Alarm

•Languages (International Units Only)

•Units

•Channel Select.

Scroll through all SetUp menu choices to exit the SetUp menu.

Contrast (SetUp Menu)

(Setting Saved in Memory)

Make sure that the SetUp menu is selected, then press the POWER-MENU key until CONTRAST appears. Select a setting from 1 through 5. (1 to 5, Default = 3)

Scroll through all SetUp menu choices to exit the SetUp menu.

Fish ID+ (SetUp Menu)

(Setting Saved in Memory)

Make sure that the SetUp menu is selected, then press the POWER-MENU key until FISH ID+ appears. Select either Off to view “raw” sonar returns, or On to view Fish symbols. Fish ID+ uses advanced signal processing to interpret sonar returns, and will display a Fish Symbol when very selective requirements are met. A select number of possible fish returns will be displayed with their associated depth. (On, Off, Default = On)

Scroll through all SetUp menu choices to exit the SetUp menu.

Fish ID+

Raw Sonar

Bottom View (SetUp Menu)

(Setting Saved in Memory)

Make sure that the SetUp menu is selected, then press the POWER-MENU key until BOTTOM VIEW appears. Bottom View selects the method used to represent the bottom and structure on the display.

The returned “echoes” are transmitted with wireless technology to the display unit and plotted on the LCD. New information appears on the right. As this information moves to the left a very accurate picture of the underwater world is created, including the depth of underwater objects such as the bottom, fish, and structures.

Press and release the POWER-MENU key to power the RF15 on. Press and hold the POWER-MENU key until the unit shuts down to power off.

Display

LEFT Arrow Key

POWER/MENU Key

Magnified Bottom with More Detail

Upper Zoom

Range

Structure

Lower Zoom

Range

(Structure ID, Black, WhiteLine, Inverse, Default = Inverse)

Structure ID® represents weak returns as light pixels and strong returns as dark pixels. This has the benefit of ensuring that strong returns will be clearly visible on the display.

Black (Bottom Black) displays all pixels below the bottom contour as black, regardless of signal strength. This has the benefit of providing a high contrast between the bottom and other sonar returns on the display.

WARNING! The electronic parts in the Remote Sonar Sensor (RSS) are made to withstand use when casting into water. Because shock from abrupt contact with rocks can damage your RSS, we recommend using your RSS in water deeper than 1 foot only.

RIGHT Arrow Key

There is also a series of manual ranges which can be selected. The manual depth ranges are determined by the present depth conditions.

Surface Clutter

Water Surface Line Upper Range

Depth – Measured at

the Transducer

Temperature

Fish ID+ Symbols

Bottom Contour

Structure Lower Range

The Advanced RSS can be used in two distinct ways:

Sonar Graph: The RSS can be used to create a sonar graph of the bottom. Cast the RSS into the water beyond an area of interest. Retrieving the RSS slowly and steadily will produce a screen detailing structure, fish and bottom detail. Rhythmic wave action and rocking may cause the display of a rippled bottom.

When the RF15 powers on, the Start-Up menu temporarily appears. From this menu, use the arrow keys to select either Start-Up, Simulator, or SetUp. If you do nothing, the unit will default to normal on the water use.

• Use Start-Up for on the water use

• Use Simulator for learning how to use the system with simulated

sonar data; access Simulator by pressing the Right Arrow Key once

• Use SetUp to display additional set-up menu choices; access

SetUp by pressing the RIGHT Arrow Key twice (See SetUp Menu for

more information).

Fish Alarm

(Setting Saved in Memory)

Press the POWER-MENU key until FISH ALARM appears.

Select Off for no fish alarm, or one of the following symbols to set the alarm. An alarm will sound when the RF15 detects fish that correspond to the alarm setting. Fish Alarm will only sound if Fish ID+ is also set to On. (Off, Large, Large/Medium, All, Default = Off)

Large fish only

Large/Medium fish only.

WhiteLine® highlights the strongest sonar returns in white resulting in a distinctive outline. This has the benefit of clearly defining the bottom on the display.

Inverse is a method where weak returns are shown with dark pixels and strong returns with lighter pixels. This has the benefit of ensuring that weak signals will be clearly visible on the display.

Stationary Float: The RSS can be used as a float in a stationary location to monitor the area below, giving you a live update as fish approach your bait.

Attaching the RSS

The line coming from your reel can be tied off to the front hole in the RSS. If you wish to also use the RSS as a conventional float, use the second hole to attach your hook using a lighter weight line. A snag will break the lighter line if you have to break free. Slip line techniques are not recommended because of the higher risk of losing the RSS. If you do use the slip line method, use a lighter weight line after the lower stop, enabling retrieval of the RSS if the lower line with hook breaks away.

The Menu System

A simple menu system allows you to access your RF15’s adjustable settings. To activate the menu system, press the POWER-MENU key. Press the POWER-MENU key repeatedly to display the RF15 menu settings, one at a time. When a menu setting is on the display, use the RIGHT and LEFT Arrow keys to adjust the menu setting. Menu settings are removed from the screen automatically after several seconds. In Normal operating mode, most menu settings saved to memory will not return to their default values when the unit is turned off. See individual menu choices for more information.

All fish.

Filter

(Setting Saved in Memory)

Press the POWER-MENU key until FILTER appears. Select either Off or On. Filter adjusts the sonar filter to limit interference on the display from sources such as your boat engine, turbulence, or other sonar devices. (On, Off, Default = Off)

Scroll through all SetUp menu choices to exit the SetUp menu.

Battery Alarm (SetUp Menu)

(Setting Saved in Memory)

Make sure that the SetUp menu is selected, then press the POWER-MENU key until BATTERY ALARM appears. Select Off or 8.5 to 13.5 Volts. Battery Alarm sounds when the input battery voltage is equal to or less than the menu setting. (Off, 8.5 to 13.5 Volts, Default = Off)

Scroll through all SetUp menu choices to exit the SetUp menu.