Lowrance electronic X50 DS How Sonar Works, Sonar sounding, Automatic ranging, Zoom bottom track

Transmitter:	1,500 watts peak-to-peak power (typical);
	188 watts RMS power (typical).
Sonar sounding
depth capability:	1,000 feet (305 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 digital readout.
Audible alarms:	Deep/shallow/fish.
Automatic ranging:	Yes, with instant screen updates.
Auto bottom track:	Yes.
Zoom bottom track:	Yes.
Split-screen zoom:	No.
Surface water temp:	Yes, built into transducer. Optional external
	temperature sensor or combo speed/temp
	sensor available.
NOTICE!

The storage temperature for your unit is from -4 degrees to +167 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees to +75 degrees Celsius). Extended storage in temperatures higher or lower than specified will damage the liquid crystal display in your unit. This type of damage is not covered by the warranty. For more information, contact the fac- tory's Customer Service Department; phone numbers are inside the manual's back cover.

How Sonar Works

Sonar has been around since the 1940s, so if you already know how it works, skip ahead to the next segment on the typographical conventions used in this manual. 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. A sonar consists of a transmitter, transducer, receiver and display. 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.

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