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Pub. 988-0156-041
www.eaglesonar.com
FishElite 500C and
SeaCharter 500CDF
Fish-finding Sonars & Mapping GPS
Installation and Operation
Instructions
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Copyright © 2004 LEI-Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed for any purpose, without prior written consent of Eagle Electronics. Any unauthorized commercial distribution of this manual is strictly prohibited. ® Eagle , FishElite 500C and SeaCharter 500CDF are registered trademarks of LEI. MapCreate, FreedomMaps, IMS and NauticPaths are trademarks of LEI. Fishing Hot Spots is a registered trademark of Fishin
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Table of Contents Section 1: Read Me First!......................................................... 1 Capabilities and Specifications: FishElite 500C and SeaCharter 500CDF ................................. 3 How Eagle Sonar Works............................................................... 5 How Eagle GPS Works ................................................................. 6 Introduction to GPS and WAAS................................................... 8 How to use this manual: typ
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Fish Alarm............................................................................... 56 Calibrate Speed........................................................................... 57 Chart Speed................................................................................. 58 ColorLine.................................................................................. 59 Customize Page Displays ........................................................... 60 Depth Cursor......................
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Background map vs. MapCreate map content ................ 100 Resize Window command ..................................................... 102 Basic GPS Quick Reference ................................................104 Find Your Current Position...................................................... 105 Moving Around the Map: Zoom & Cursor Arrow Keys........... 105 Selecting Any Map Item With the Cursor ............................... 106 Searching..............................................
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Edit a Trail Pattern .............................................................. 135 Utilities...................................................................................... 136 Alarm Clock........................................................................... 136 Sun/Moon Rise & Set Calculator.......................................... 136 Trip Calculator...................................................................... 136 Trip Down Timer.......................................
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Require WAAS .......................................................................... 159 Screen Contrast and Brightness .............................................. 159 Set Language ............................................................................ 160 Set Local Time .......................................................................... 161 Show WAAS Alarm................................................................... 161 Software Version Information.......................
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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 waypoin
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Section 1: Read Me First! How this manual can get you out on the road, fast! Welcome to the exciting world of digital sonar and GPS! We know you're anxious to begin navigating and 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 compact, color display, combination fish finder and mapping GPS receiver. First, we want to thank you for buying a Eagle so
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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, just flip- ping through Section 3 or scanning through the sonar options in Section 4. If you're having difficulty with your sonar, you can find an answer to the most common problems i
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of the GPS datums used, warranties and customer service information. Now, if you're into the fine details, glance over the next segment 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 the sonar works, on page 5. (Background on GPS begins on page 6.) Capabilities and Specifications:
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figuration and installation, bottom composi- tion and water conditions. 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. Zoom bottom track: ...... Yes. Split-screen zoom:......... Yes. Surface water temp: ..... Yes. Speed/distance log:...... Optional (requires optional speed se
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Audible alarms: ............. Arrival/off-course/anchor. Graphic symbols for waypoints or event marker icons: ................. 42. Routes:............................. 100, up to 100 waypoints per route. Plot Trails:...................... 10 savable; up to 10,000 points per trail. Zoom range:.................... 40 ranges; 0.02 to 4,000 miles. NOTE: The above memory capacities refer only to the unit’s on-board mem- ory. The amount of GPS data you can record and save for recall later is limited
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object. The whole process repeats itself several times each second. Your unit can record a log of the sonar signals that scroll across the screen and save them to the MMC memory card. (These recordings are also called sonar charts or sonar graphs.) You can replay this sonar log in the unit using the Sonar Simulator function, or play it back on a per- sonal computer using our free Sonar Viewer or product emulator. The viewer and emulator are available for download from the Eagle web site, www.eag
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making software, MapCreate 6. Some unit features — such as searching for businesses and addresses — won't work without a custom MapCreate map. There is so much detail in our background map (and even more in MapCreate) that we'll describe their contents and differ- ences in Section 3, Basic GPS Operations, on page 100. Another portion of the SeaCharter 500CDF’s onboard memory is devoted to recording GPS navigation information, which includes waypoints, event marker icons, trails and routes. This
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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 & Accessories, on page 15, 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 11. But, if you want to understand the current state of satellite naviga- tion, look over this segment describing how G
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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. 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
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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 h
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can help you learn both basic and advanced operations without burning boat fuel! Eagle is the first sonar manufacturer to provide this type of training tool for customers. This PC application simulates the actual sonar/GPS unit on your com- puter. You can run it from your computer keyboard or use your mouse to press the virtual keys. Easy download and installation instructions are available on our web site. Free training emulator is available for your unit on our web site. The emulator works exa
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lowing paragraphs explain how to interpret the text formatting for those commands and other instructions: 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 t
