Interphase Sea Scout Operation Manual

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PERATION

ANUAL

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To Our Customer:

Thank you for choosing the Interphase Sea Scout Forward Scanning Sonar. Throughout the development of this fine product, we have been primarily concerned with creating a unit that offers the best possible value for your money. Selection of features, ease of use, superior performance and outstanding reliability were the benchmarks upon which all important design decisions were made. We feel proud of the Sea Scout Forward Scanning Sonar and your satisfaction is very important to us. To this end, we welcome any comments or suggestions that you might have in regard to this equipment.

It is very important that you complete and return the WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD within 15 days of purchase so that your unit may be protected under the warranty.

Sincerely,

INTERPHASE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Interphase Sea Scout™ is a trademark of Interphase Technologies, Inc.

Publication # = Sea Scout 4.6 Part# 25-0029-028

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Table Of Contents

Important Notice 5 Principle of Operation 6 Display Unit Installation 7 Selecting the Transducer Configuration for Your Boat_______________________________________________9 Transducer Installation 10 Basic Operation 18 Getting Started 22

Demo Program 24 Units of Measure 25 Language Selection 25 Transducer Alignment 25

Range Adjustment 26 Sensitivity Adjustment 26 Alarm Adjustment 27 Beam Width & Direction Adjustment

Range 29 Mark 30 Center 30 Reset 30

Range Adjustment 31 Sensitivity Adjustment 31 Bottom Hardness 32 Alarm Adjustment 32 Zoom & Bottom Track 33 Fish Symbol ID & Scrolling Speed 34

Range Adjustment 35 Log Reset 35 Sensitivity Adjustment 35 Alarm Adjustment 36 Beam Width & Direction Adjustment 37

Range 38 Mark 39 Center 39 Reset 39

Range Adjustment 40 Sensitivity Adjustment 40 Alarm Adjustment 41 Beam Width & Direction Adjustment 42

Set-Up View 24

Forward View (Full Scan) 26

Plot (Track Plot) View 29

Chart View 31

Data View 35

Chart/Plot View 38

Chart/Scan View 40

NMEA 0183 Interface 43 Interpreting Your Sea Scout Display 44

Distance Forward 45 Noise and Sensitivity Adjustments 45 Time Variable Gain (TVG) 45

Reference Information 47 Maintenance and Factory Reset 50 Troubleshooting Guide and Speed Calibration 51 Interference Problems 52 Specifications 53 How To Obtain Service 54 Warranty 55

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Award Winning

Technology

For its pioneering work in developing Phased Array Scanning Sonar, Interphase Technologies won the prestigious IMTEC INNOVATION AWARD.

The Sea Scout’s Forward Looking Scanning Sonar is based on this same awardwinning technology.

General Information

hank you for your selection of the Interphase Sea Scout

Scanning Sonar. The Sea Scout’s ruggedly built, compact design makes it ideal for installation on nearly any boat. It will display water depth, bottom conditions and submerged objects such as fish, or objects in your path, on its high resolution display. The Sea Scout is available with either a transom or thru-hull scanning sonar depth transducer. In addition, an optional speed/temperature transducer (either transom or thruhull) is available which will enable your Sea Scout to display boat speed, elapsed distance and surface water temperature. Refer to the accessories part numbers printed in the Transducer Installation section (Page 10) of this manual, then see your dealer or call Interphase to order.

The Sea Scout has an unprecedented number of advanced features, in addition to the forward scanning capability, to make your boating safer and your fishing more productive. Its high resolution SuperTwist Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) provides split screen views of 4X magnification zoom and bottom lock, large digital display, speed and temperature (with the speed/temperature transducer). You will appreciate the very useful features of fish and depth alarms, manual or automatic gain control, bottom hardness indicator and fish symbol identification.

The Sea Scout allows operation in your choice of nine languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, or Greek. Power-off memory saves language, depth range, gain and contrast settings, screen advance speed and location in screen menu. Due to its unique multi-tasking operation, the Sea Scout provides instant full screen updates when switching between modes (no data loss).

If you have your Sea Scout interfaced with a compatible Loran-C or GPS unit, you can take advantage of the included track plot displays. The Loran-C, DECCA, and GPS track plot displays on the Sea Scout give a whole new dimension, enabling you to not only see the depths beneath and in front of your boat, but also to see a graphic display of your boat’s position and progress over time. The track plot display makes it easy to find and return to the same fishing spot, or to troll back over the same productive areas.

To ensure that you receive the maximum benefits available from the outstanding features of the Interphase Sea Scout, please carefully follow the steps outlined in this manual. An instructive demonstration simulator has been designed into the Sea Scout and we highly recommend that you spend some

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time using the demo mode prior to actual use of the unit. We also recommend that you read this entire manual before attempting to either install or operate your Sea Scout.

Warranty Information

Interphase provides a limited warranty on the Sea Scout

Forward Scanning Sonar. We strongly urge you to read this warranty (reprinted at the back of this manual) and closely follow its terms and conditions should your Sea Scout require repair. It is highly recommended that you save all packing materials so that if you should need to send in the unit for repair, it can be fully protected. If you wrap your display unit in the original plastic bag and ship it in the box with cardboard inserts, this will protect your unit from scratches and shock during shipment. You do not need to include the mounting knobs or mounting bracket, however, try to include the transducer whenever possible. Do not send the power cable with the unit unless you need it tested for continuity or correct polarity (Pin #1 to Red Wire).

Should you experience a problem with your Sea Scout, first refer to the Troubleshooting section (Page 51) of this manual. Most common problems and their solutions are described here. If problems persist, call Interphase Technical Service at (831) 477-4944. We will be happy to try to assist you, and if required, we will give you instructions on how to quickly get your set repaired.

The enclosed warranty registration card must be completed and returned to Interphase within 15 days of purchase so that your unit may be protected under the warranty. Failure to return the warranty card may cause unnecessary delays in processing your unit for warranty repair.

WARNING

Navigation based solely on one method or one instrument should never be practiced. While the Sea Scout can be quite useful in showing underwater structure and changing bottom conditions both below and in front of your vessel, there are many situations and conditions which can cause erroneous or distorted readings.

In addition, there are many situations that can cause “blind spots” in the Sea Scout’s field of view including the presence of temperature inversion layers (thermoclines), water turbulence, and high concentrations of suspended particles in the water.

While the Sea Scout can be considered as a useful aid to navigation, it should never be the only means of navigation.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Since the Sea Scout’s technology is revolutionary, there is a strong possibility that we will develop many new and exciting features in the future. We would like to make sure we can send you information about these new features and enhancements.

Please fill out and return the Warranty Registration Card immediately. This is our only methyod to keep in contact with you and we may want to advise you of future enhancements to your Sea Scout.

During the first year of your warranty, any software upgrades will be free of charge, and after the warranty period has expired, software upgrades will be available for a nominal charge.

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Principle of Operat

The Sea Scout Forward Scanning Sonar uses a proprietary phased array acoustic technology first developed for marine use by Interphase Technologies. Known as “phased array ultrasound technology”, its capabilities have been proven in the medical industry for many years. The amazing video-like images provided by medical ultrasound equipment are familiar to most people and clearly demonstrate the technology’s ability to show highly defined images in a "real time" or "live action" mode. Interphase has taken this same technology and modified it for use in the marine market.

Present day fish finders/ depth sounders all work on a principle developed during W.W. II, called SONAR, where acoustic pulses are used to detect the presence and range or distance to an underwater object. During the 1950’s, several devices which used sonar principles were developed and marketed to fishing and boating enthusiasts to detect the distance to the bottom (depth) and to indicate the presence of any intervening submerged objects - such as fish.

The Sea Scout’s transducer does not contain just one piezoelectric ceramic element like most fishfinders. The Sea Scout’s transducer contains an array of 7 elements that look forward and one element that looks straight down, to give you the conventional past-history display like most other fishfinders/depthsounders.

An acoustic array is a group of piezoelectric ceramic elements that are precisely sized and spaced. Each element will send and receive acoustic pulses, as when used in more conventional single element depth sounders. However, when all elements in the array are sending or receiving acoustic energy at the same time, the entire array behaves like a single larger element with one important difference: the ability of the array to concentrate its acoustic energy in different directions, depending on the different “phasing” of the signals applied or received by each element. Depending on the signal phasing of the array, acoustic beams can be directed in an almost unlimited number of directions. For example, using an 8 element phased array transducer, the Sea Scout is capable of steering the acoustic beam in any of 90 different directions. Conventional fixed-beam technology would require the use of 90 different elements to duplicate this capability.

ion

The resulting transducer would be much too large and costly to be of any practical use.

Since the acoustic beam in the phased array is steered electronically, requiring no moving parts, it can be quickly and reliably scanned and re-scanned over a large area. When displayed, the changing information between subsequent scans takes on an almost animated quality - for example, showing movement of underwater targets such as fish or rapidly changing bottom conditions.

In addition to its ability to electronically steer an acoustic beam, the phased array has other advantages over fixed-beam technologies, such as: allowing the user to adjust the transducer scan width, to search large areas limited only by the physics of the speed of sound in water (5,000 feet/second), and the ability to provide nearly real time or live action underwater views.

When operating, the Sea Scout converts a small amount of electrical current from your battery into ultrasonic sound pulses, which are then fed to the phased array transducer. These acoustic pulses travel out from the transducer in a cone shaped pattern, called the cone angle. When the sound pulse strikes an underwater object, it is reflected back (echo return), received by the transducer and converted back into small electrical impulses. These impulses are amplified, then displayed as an image on the LCD screen after processing by the unit’s microprocessor.

The strength of the echo, the depth of the object, and the angle of the transducer’s beam all affect how the image appears on the display. Other factors which affect the image include boat speed relative to the movement, position of the underwater target and the number of objects reflecting pulses back to the Sea Scout.

The Sea Scout’s forward looking display is new and learning to properly interpret scanning sonar takes both patience and experience; but once mastered, the Sea Scout can offer tremendous operational advantages over conventional fixed-beam depth sounders.

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Overhead

Shelf/Table

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Panel Flush Mount Installation

Optional In-Dash mount bracket available.

Interphase part # 17-0054-008 required.

Installation

Display Unit

The compact size of the Sea Scout display unit allows for easy installation in almost any vessel. To get maximum performance and life from your unit, the following guidelines should be considered when selecting a mounting location:

1) Select a location where the unit is protected from excessive temperatures. Heat is one of the worst enemies of electronic components, and will accelerate component aging, thereby reducing the trouble-free life of your Sea

Scout.

2) Mount the display in a location where it will be

convenient to route the power cord and transducer cable.

Power connection

Connect the two-pin plug on the end of the power supply cable to the power supply jack located at the rear of the main display unit. Connect the red wire to the positive terminal and the black wire to the negative terminal of your boat’s 12 VDC battery.

To minimize electrical interference, carefully route the power cable so that it does not run parallel or close to the transducer cable, engine, refrigeration, bilge pump or any other critical wiring.

IMPORTANT: The Sea Scout’s 12 VDC power leads should go directly to the boat’s battery, distribution board, or breaker panel. Instability of the display may result if the unit has to share leads with other electrical systems aboard your boat.

Wiring for Power and Transducer Connectors

The correct pin-out wiring sequences for the power and transducer connectors are shown at right. DO NOT SHORTEN THE TRANSDUCER CABLE. If a transducer cable longer than the 30’ length supplied with your unit is needed, please contact your Interphase dealer. A 30-foot scanning sonar transducer extension cable is available. (P/N # 04-0014-008)

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Transducer (9-pin)

Speed/ Temp (8-pin)

Red Wire NMEA

0183 Input

12 VDC

12 Volt Battery

Power Cable (2-pin)

DANGER: Removal of any connector, disassembly of transducer, shortening of any cable or use of any cable other than that supplied by Interphase will void your warranty. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Cable Connectors

(view from front of female plug)

Transducer: 1 White 1st element 2 Brown 2nd element 3 Orange 3rd element 4 Yellow 4th element 5 Green 5th element 6 Blue 6th element 7 Violet 7th element 8 Gray 8th element 9 Shield Ground/Return

Speed/Temperature Input

1 Speed Data 2 +5VDC 3 N/C 4 N/C 5 N/C 6 +Temp. Sensor 7 -Temp. Sensor 8 Shield/Ground

Power Connector 1 +12 vdc 2 - (Ground)

NMEA Input 1 Data 2 Return ( Ground) 3 N/C

N/C = No Connection

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Selecting the Transducer Configuration for your Boat

Keep in mind the primary rule for transducer operation. This is: the transducer can function as long as it has an unobstructed forward view and has smooth flowing non-aerated water surrounding it.

The first line of inquiry should be about the boat. Transom mounted transducers are intended for low speed boats with external props. Boats with inboard motors and boats that regularly exceed 40MPH cannot use transom mounted transducers. Inboard motors create aeration and excess turbulence that prevent the transducers from operating properly. I/O motors where the prop is aft of the transom do not create this situation. Be careful that the driveshaft of the I/O does not block the forward horizontal scan. Boats that exceed 40MPH run a risk of having the transom mounted transduers torn free of the transom. The transom mounted transducers are not designed to be used at these speeds.

In addition, the transom mounted transducers are mounted on kick-up brackets. This allows the brackets to kick up at about 35-40MPH. This is intended to allow the transducers to kick-up if they strike an object, or to be pulled up when trailering a boat. Once kicked up, the transducers must be manully reset in order to function.

Thru-hull transducers are for boats that exceed 40MPH and /or have inboard motors. Transducer placement depends on boat size, speed, hull configuration and sonar application. On displacement hulls, the transducer is generally located 1/3 aft of where the bow meets the water line. This is the farthest forward the transducer should ever be mounted. It is important that the transducer be below turbulent aerated water created by the bow.

Special Thru-Hull Mounting Considerations

On sailboats with a fin keel, the transducer is most often placed at the leading edge of the keel and sometimes faired into the keel. As this location may be where the sling rests when hauling the boat, the transducer may be placed on either side of the hull with the foremost face of the transducer even with the leading edge of the keel.

Alternatley, the transducer may be placed forward of the keel ahead of the lifting strap location. This should not be ahead of 1/3 aft of where the bow meets the waterline.

On planing hulls the transducer is typically placed near the transom. This is to provide smooth flowing water at the greastest speed. However, most planing hull boats create transducer aeration when on plane regardless of transducer location.

It should be noted that thru-hull transducers can effect boat performance in two important ways. The first concern is cavitation created by the transducer that causes reduced engine performance by disrupting water flow around the propeller. This is smoothed out by the hull in some boats, but on planing hulls with the transducer near the transom, the hull is not able to clear the cavitation. The second concern is uneven drag on high-speed boats. This may occur when the thru-hull transducer is mounted far off of the centerline of the boat. At low speeds and on large boats the effect is negligible. On smaller boats at high speeds the drag can effect the steering. The effect increases as the boat’s speed rises. Boats with trim tabs can usually trim this out, but boats without trim tabs may feel a pulling sensation toward the transducer side of the boat.

A less intuative mounting location for the thru-hull transducer on a planing hull is on the centerline just forward of midship. The goal in this mounting is to place the transducer so that it is out of the water at planing speed. As most transducers are aerated at planing speeds, this removes the transducer from the water flow preventing cavitation and steering problems. Most applications for forward scanning sonar occur when the boat is at low non-planing speeds, including fishing and navigating hazardous waters. Under these speed conditions the transducer is in the water.

On trailered boats, be certain that the mounting is such that the boat does not rest on the transducers. This could result in damage to the transducer and/or boat hull. Explore possible mounting locations while the boat is on the trailer.

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Side View showing Sea Scout Scanning

directions.

Transom Mounted Transducer

Forward

Thru-Hull Transducer

Side View

Forward Direction

Top View

Transducer Installation

The Sea Scout comes standard with either a thru-hull or transom mounted forward scanning transducer. It is important to position the transducer so that it has as clear a view as possible of the water directly below and ahead of your boat, as indicated at left.

The scanning transducer must be positioned properly so that it scans in the proper direction (i.e. from in front of the boat to the bottom below). The sketch at left shows the proper orientation for both the transom mount and thru-hull transducer.

NOTE THAT ON THE TRANSOM MOUNT TRANSDUCERS, THE ROUNDED SIDE MUST POINT FORWARD, AND ON THE THRU-HULL TRANSDUCER, THE MORE BLUNT AREA MUST POINT FORWARD.

General Considerations

DO NOT CUT OR SPLICE YOUR PHASED ARRAY TRANSDUCER CABLE OR REMOVE THE 9-PIN CONNECTOR BECAUSE THE SYSTEM PERFORMANCE MAY BE SERIOUSLY DEGRADED. THIS ACTION WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY. NO EXCEPTIONS.

If you need a longer length cable than comes with the transducer (30’), then purchase the optional 30’ extension cable, Interphase Part # 04-0014-008.

In addition to the above, the following considerations should be observed:

1) Choose a location where there is the least amount of acoustic noise, air bubbles or turbulence caused by the boat’s movement. The transducer should not be located nearby or especially directly behind the propeller.

2) Choose a location where the transducer can be mounted so that it will be level to the water’s surface and will not be tilted to either side.

3) The transducer must always remain submerged, regardless of the speed of the boat and should not be mounted where it could be damaged by underwater obstacles or when loading on a trailer.

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4) DO NOT locate the transducer in the extreme bow of the boat where it will be subject to intense turbulence as the boat pounds through the water.

5) DO NOT locate the transducer directly behind any hull protrusion which will cause the water to be turbulent when it reaches the transducer or which will obstruct the transducer’s forward looking view. For displacement-hull power and sail boats, the thru-hull installation is usually required.

DANGER: DO NOT allow any solvents, i.e. gasoline, acetone, to come in contact with the transducer or head unit as this may dissolve the plastic material.

Transom Transducer Kick-Up Bracket

The transom transducer is attached to the boat with a heavyduty stainless steel kick-up bracket to provide protection against impact. When the transducer strikes an object, or the water force exceeds the resistance of the bracket, the transducer automatically kicks up and becomes nonoperational. The bracket does not automatically reset at lower speeds. The transducer must be manually returned to its operational position.

The transducer is designed to kick up at speeds between 35 and 40MPH (30-35 knots). We do not recommend transom mount transducers on boats that regularly exceed 35MPH (30 knots). Boats that exceed 40MPH (35knots) cannot

use transom mounted transducers, but must use thruhull transducers.

Special Note: The kick-up feature is designed as a safety

consideration to prevent the transducer from being removed from the boat due to impact or excessive speed. The kickup bracket is not designed for repeated kick-up or to be pulled up manually during loading and unloading from boat trailers. Tests have shown that the bracket can kick-up as many as 30 times before there is a negative effect on the bracket. Repeated kick-up will cause the transducer to kick-up at progressively lower speeds. Excessive kick-ups can cause the transducer bracket to fail. Brackets that fail due to repeated kick-up are not covered under warranty.

If the transducer must be kicked up for installation, boat service or loading, the nylok nut on the end of the bracket axle can be loosened. Tighten the nut to 50 inch pounds of torque before operating the boat.

30’ Extension Cable

9-pin Male

Interphase Part #

04-0014-008

9-pin Female

Transom Mount Bracket in Released Position

Note: Will

not work at

speeds above

35 MPH

Suggested materials required for installation:

♦

capacity of 10mm (3/8”) or larger.

♦

transom hole to route cable and connector

♦

Variable speed electric drill with a chuck

Hole saw or spade bit 19 mm (7/8”) for

Chamfer bit or 6 mm (1/4”) drill bit

Drill bit No. 28 or 4 mm (9/64”)

Drill bit 3 mm (7/64”)

Marine bedding/sealing compound

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Nylok Nut

Bracket

Axle

Kick-up Bracket Replacement Parts

If during installation parts are somehow lost are damaged, they can be replaced as follows:

Part# 17-0088-008 - Spray Shield Kit - Includes: Spray Shield, four Mounting Bolts and Nuts, Rubber Grommet and four Large Mounting Screws. Part# 17-0089-008 - Transom Transducer Hardware Kit Includes: Complete Bracket Axle Assembly and four Large Mounting Screws. Part# 17-0056-008 - Kick-Up Bracket Assembly - Includes: Complete Bracket Axle Assembly, four Large Mounting Screws and the Stainless Steel Mounting Bracket.

Bracket Axle Assembly

On some boats it will be neccessary to remove the Bracket Axle during installation. See the diagram to the left and instructions below for details on assembling the axle.

1. Place one stainless steel washer onto the axle against the hex end.

2. Place one small stainless steel spacer against washer.

3. Slide two urethane spacers over the small steel spacer.

4. With the transducer bracket in place, align the long stainless steel spacer with the mounting holes of the mounting bracket and slide the axle in place through the spacer.

5. Place one small stainless steel spacer against the transducer bracket.

6. Slide two urethane spacers over the small steel spacer.

7. Place one stainless steel washer onto the axle against the urethane spacer.

8. Place the nylok nut onto the threaded end of the axle and tighten to 50 inch pounds. If you do not have a torque wrench, tighten until the nut will not turn easily. The stainless steel spacers should prevent over-tightening.

Transom Mounting Location

The main source of vessel acoustic noise is the propeller. It is very important to position the transducer to minimize noise pickup and provide as clear a view as possible of the water ahead and to each side of the boat. Study the hull shape of the

vessel carefully to determine the best transducer mounting location. To achieve optimal operation the transducer should

be mounted in a spot which:

•

Minimizes acoustic noise reception.

•

Minimizes the chance that aerated water will flow across the transducer’s frontal nose area.

•

Optimizes the transducers view of the area in front and to the left front and right front of the vessel.

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The transducer can be installed on either side of an outboard

Twin Outboards

or inboard/outboard engine, or between twin outboards. For single engine installations, normally 18” to 24” outboard of the propeller center line is acceptable and the down stroke side of the propeller is preferred. Choose a location where water flow is smoothest. For dual engine installation, just off the center line is usually acceptable.

Because the transducer rotates back and upwards when the bracket releases, it must be mounted in a location where there is sufficient clearance and headroom to allow the full release.

Attaching the Transducer and Spray Shield to the Bracket

Locate the Stainless Spray Shield inside the transducer’s stainless mounting ears. Make sure spray shield is orientated as shown in sketch on the right.

Then, assemble the stainless kick-up bracket to the transducers using the 4 screws, washers and lock nuts provided. The bracket arms must be mounted outside the stainless steel mounting ears of the transducer. Do not fully tighten the lock nuts at this time.

Position the transducer so that it is perpendicular from side to side and make sure the rounded shaped area is pointed towards the front of the boat.

Mounting the Transducer to the Boa

After you have selected the optimum mounting location and have assembled the mounting bracket to the transducer, mount the bracket onto the hull as shown on the right.

Make sure to position the transducer so that it is level in the fore and aft direction and so it will look straight down. Check the location of your boat’s waterline and position the flat top surface of the transducer so that it is parallel to the waterline as shown below.

Note: If the transducer is not mounted so that its fore and aft direction is parallel to the surface, then the forward looking display will be distorted and flat bottoms will appear to be slanted upwards or downwards. After mounting the transducer and actually using the Sea Scout on the water, you may need to readjust the transducer’s mounting for optimum performance.

Transom Mount Locations

Cable

Transducer

Cables

Bracket

Axle

Rear View

Rubber

Grommet

Fasten Spray Shield with 4 screws & nylok washers as shown

Side

View

Spray Shield

Waterline

18 - 24"

Fasten Spray Shield

with 4 screws & nylok

washers as shown

Spray Shield

Waterline

Transducer must be

mounted vertically

Mounting Bracket

Boat Hull

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Suggested Thru-Hull

Transducer Locations

Fin Keel

L = waterline length

Displacement Hull

~ 1/3 L

Planing Hull

Thru-Hull Transducer Installation

The thru-hull transducer is the recommended choice for larger boats with in-board engines. Thru-hull mounting is usually required on larger power and sail craft in order to find a mounting location free of forward looking hull obstructions. The Sea Scout must have a clear view of the water ahead as it can not magically see through obstructions such as the vessel’s hull. Please read the following carefully before starting the thru-hull installation.

Normally, thru-hull installations are performed by a professional in a boat haul-out facility. We suggest you seek professional assistance before attempting to mount this transducer.

Selecting the Best Location

The best location to mount the thru-hull transducer will vary with the type of boat. Try to find a location with the smallest dead rise angle to make installation easiest.

a. On displacement hulls (sailboats, trawlers, etc.) locate the transducer about 1/3 aft along the waterline. Generally this provides the best compromise between obtaining aeration-free water and minimizing propeller noise. The Sea Scout’s transducer can not see through aerated water and water near the bow and near the keel can be quite aerated. Aeration of the transducer can be minimized by keeping the transducer mounted away from the keel and by not mounting too far forward.

b. On sailboats, the transducer should be mounted where the acoustic beam will not be shaded by the keel. A spot forward of a fin keel is usually best. Try to find an accessible spot with a minimum dead rise angle.

c. On planing powerboat hulls, the transducer should be mounted well aft and close to the keel to insure that the transducer is in contact with the water at higher boat speeds.

On I/O’s, transducer mounting close to the engine usually yields good results.

On inboards always mount the transducer well ahead of the propeller(s). Turbulence from props can seriously degrade perform ance. (Thru-hull installation is recommended.)

d. Mount the transducer on the side of the hull where the propeller is moving downwards. The upward motion of the propeller generates pressure waves and pushes bubbles up against the transducer’s face causing a loss of signal.

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DO NOT install a bronze transducer housing directly into an aluminum or steel hull because electrolytic corrosion will occur.

IMPORTANT:

1) Make sure the water flow across the thru-hull transducer is bubble and turbulence free at all speeds if good performance is to be achieved.

2) Make sure the transducer has an unobstructed view of the water ahead and below the boat.

3) On displacement-hull power boats, the transducer should be mounted relatively close to the center line of the hull.

4) Mount the transducer in a place which has reasonable access from inside the vessel since the transducer’s bronze nut will require tightening from inside the hull.

The transducer must be mounted so that it’s bronze stem is as perpendicular to the water line as possible. If necessary, use a fairing block to properly position the transducer.

Use of a Thru-hull Fairing Bl

Nearly all vessels have some dead rise angle at the transducer mounting location. If the thru-hull transducer were mounted directly to the hull, the sound beam would be tilted off the vertical at the same angle as the dead-rise. Most thru-hull installations will require a fairing block to insure the transducer is mounted properly.

A fairing block is typically made of tea, mahogany or plastic and should be glued between the transducer and hull (both inside and outside) to insure that the transducer’s mounting shaft is perpendicular to the water’s surface. Make the fairing block as smooth as possible, and not bigger than the transducer’s face, to minimize possible turbulence.

After cutting the fairing block, trial fit the block to the hull. It is very important that the flat top surface of the transducer be parallel to the water. Because of the skill required, we suggest that your professional boatyard provide the fairing block. Molded plastic fairing blocks are also available to fit the Sea Scout’s transducer. Contact us at (831) 477-4944 for additional information and where to purchase.

ock

Mount Transducer so bronze stem is Vertical

Waterline

Keep parallel

Hull

to waterline !

Forward

Transducer

Bronze Hex Nut

Waterline

Fairing Block

Keep parallel

Hull

Boat’s Hull

to waterline !

Wood or Plastic Fairing Block (Add sealing compound between faring block & hull).

Transducer

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MOLDED FAIRING BLOCK

If your installation requires a fairing block, you may either have one made locally, or purchase a molded plactic unit from Interphase or your Interphase distributor.

For this transducer, the molded Fairing Block Part Number is:

42-2004-000

OPTIONAL SPEED/TEMPERATURE

INTERPHASE DESCRIPTION PART #

T1-0200-021 Transom mount S/T transducer

T1-0200-027 Thru-hull mount S/T transducer

04-0009-008 30’ Speed/Temp extension cable

Both the transom and thru-hull S/T transducers are separately installed. The transom mount S/T transducer can be used with the thru-hull depth only transducer if desired. The S/T transducer cable and the depth only transducer cable both plug directly into the back of the display unit.

To order, call your local Interphase dealer, or

Interphase directly at (831)477-4944.

TRANSDUCERS

Installing the Thru-hull Transducer

1) Drill a 1/8” pilot hole from inside the hull to assure access to tighten the housing nut and clearance for the transducer cables. If there is any hull irregularity near the mounting location, it may be desirable to drill from the outside.

2) Use a 1-1/16” hole saw and drill the hole from the outside of the hull. Sand or clean the area around the hole, inside and outside to insure that the sealing compound will adhere properly to the hull. Select a marine grade adhesive sealant, such as 3M 5200, and use according to the instructions.

3) Remove the bronze hex nut from the housing and cable.

4) Uncoil the transducer cable and thread it through the hole into the inside of the hull. DANGER: DO NOT apply tension to the transducer cables as this may sever internal connections.

5) Apply a 1/8” thick layer of sealant on the upper flat surface of the transducer, bronze alignment pin and fairing block (if used).

6) From the outside of the hull, push the housing into the 1” hole. Twist the housing slightly to squeeze out excess sealant. Carefully confirm that the transducer is aligned so that the round front end is pointed directly toward the front of the boat.

7) Install and tighten the bronze hex nut (allow for swelling in wooden hulls).

8) Remove excess sealant from the outside to assure smooth water flow over the transducer.

DANGER: Wood hulls and fairing blocks will expand after the boat is put back into the water, so it is important that the transducer be only hand-tightened until the wood fully expands. Otherwise the wood fairing block may crack.

DANGER: Be sure to check for leaks when the boat is placed in the water. Allow at least 24 hours after installation for any leak to appear.

DANGER: If the boat is kept in saltwater it is recommended that the transducer be coated with an anti-fouling paint. USE

ONLY WATER BASED ANTI-FOULING PAINT. DO NOT USE KETONE BASED PAINTS. Ketone based anti-

fouling paint will attack the plastic materials used in the transducer. See page 50 for recommendations.

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Page 18

Interphase Sea Scout

Softkeys

Power On/

Off

Short-cut

In this manual you will find instruction on how to change all adjustable settings by using the “soft keys”. However, any setting adjustment can be done (when the appropriate menu selection is made) by turning the control knob.

Settings which can be adjusted by using the control knob are:

Range Alarm Contrast Sensitivity Zoom Beam Sector Width & Steer

LCD screen contrast can be changed any time while in the Control Center simply by turning the control knob.

Basic Operation

The Sea Scout has been designed to be as easy to learn and operate as possible. The raised push-button keys provide a tactile feel to each operation and the Sea Scout responds with an audible beep each time a key is pressed. All keys necessary for operation of the unit are on the front panel. The Sea Scout uses a unique approach called “soft keys” along the bottom of the display. These five keys are labeled by the LCD display and are controlled by the unit’s software, thus the name “soft keys”.

In addition, a large front panel rotating knob eliminates the need for multiple button pushes while making gain, depth range, display contrast and many other adjustments. The knob provides easy and quick adjustments while giving the user a familiar style of operation.

The “soft key” buttons allow very easy operation as they almost guide you along, even though the Sea Scout possesses an amazing number of advanced sonar features. It would take a considerable number of additional buttons and greatly add to the unit’s operational complexity if each function had a dedicated button instead of using the “soft key” approach. In addition, the use of “soft keys”, coupled with the front panel adjustment knob, allow for easy future software upgrades which may include new important features. The use of fixed, permanently labeled buttons would severely limit any future upgrade ability.

User Interface

The Sea Scout is a very advanced product with many features never before found on marine instrumentation. In order to provide these sophisticated new features while continuing to keep user operation simple and easy to learn, several new design approaches were adopted. Some of the more significant approaches are described in the following.

Multi-Tasking Operation

The Sea Scout’s Multi-Tasking operation was developed to make sure your time would not be wasted whenever you change screen displays. When changing displays with other conventional systems, the microprocessor has to completely reassemble a new display picture which can take a considerable amount of time. These time delays can be very frustrating and are unnecessary if a Multi-Tasking operating system is used.

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Pre-Programmed Screen Displays

Rather than ask you to “build” different screen displays while operating the unit, the Sea Scout has seven of the most valuable LCD screen displays pre-programmed into its operating system memory. Thanks to the Multi-Tasking operating system, each of these pre-programmed displays (known as Views) are always being updated, regardless of which screen display is presently being used. This means, for example, that the two Track Plotter’s will continue to plot and update your vessel’s position - even while you’re looking at a Zoomed picture of the bottom! Similarly, even while viewing your vessel’s position on one of the Track Plot displays, the digital and graphic depth screens are simultaneously being updated in the background - ready for immediate access. And, thanks to the lithium battery memory backup, as described in the next section; ranges, gain, zoom and other settings are remembered as you go from View to View and are even remembered when you turn the unit off.

Internal System Memory

There is nothing so frustrating as having your fishfinder restart when you start your boat’s engine and having to completely re-set the range, gain, contrast and all your other settings. Because the Sea Scout contains an internal lithium memory battery, it remembers all system settings with the power removed. When you turn your Sea Scout on, it will immediately start in the last View that you used, complete with the proper range, zoom, gain and other important settings. Instead of using a non-volatile RAM, a lithium battery was used to ensure a long error-free memory life. Most nonvolatile RAM’s exhibit increasing errors with time and can become a serious problem after only 100,000 operations.

Cold Cathode Backlight

The Sea Scout has the best LCD backlight system available. It uses a Cold Cathode Fluorescent lamp (CFL) with exceptionally long life characteristics which greatly exceed the more common electro-luminescent and incandescent bulb backlights. In addition to its exceptional reliability, the cold cathode lamp provides a much more visible display than other backlight systems. Screen clarity and contrast are greatly enhanced. The typical half-life (when output brightness diminishes to 1/2 its original value) of the cold cathode backlight is in excess of 20,000 hours. A typical electroluminescent panel, for comparison, has a half life of only 2,000 hours!

Interphase Sea Scout

Control Knob

Pre-Programmed Screen Displays

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Control Center Softkey Menu

Typical Sub-Menu

Common Soft Key Functions

The Sea Scout’s innovative Multi-Tasking operating system is controlled through the Control Center, where several different screen displays (views) can easily be selected by the push of a button. Each of these screens (views) reside in the Sea Scout’s internal memory and all are being updated in the background, regardless of which screen is currently being displayed. This allows the Sea Scout to provide instant full screen displays of different features with no data loss on other screens.

On many of the display screens you will note a recurrence of the left most soft key labeled “MENU”. When the MENU soft key is pressed, the Sea Scout will return to the Control Center display. Use of the MENU soft key is required in order to return to the Control Center where another mode of operation (i.e. forward looking, track plotting, etc.) can be chosen.

Power/Backlight Key

Press the "Power/Backlight" key located at the lower right of the unit to turn the Sea Scout on. The unit will respond with an audible beep when it turns on. Pressing this key again turns the backlight on and off, each time accompanied by a beep. To turn the Sea Scout off, press this key and hold it down for several seconds until the unit goes off.

Demo/Simulator Mode

Your Sea Scout includes a built-in DEMO simulator program which makes it easy to practice with the unit and to get a feeling for its many features before actually using it in real situations on the water. We highly recommend you run through this section on operation of the Sea Scout with the DEMO mode activated to first learn basic feature controls. The DEMO mode can be started from the SETUP menu as described in the following section.

Split Screen Displays

The Sea Scout has several different split screen display capabilities such as Split Screen Zoom, Split Screen Chart and Forward Scan, Split Screen Chart and Track Plot, among others. It is important to realize that whatever is displayed on the right side of the display is the PRIMARY information. This means that when you are in split screen displays, the softkey menus will usually only relate to the right side of the display.

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For example, when you are in the split screen Chart/Track Plotter display, the Track Plot will appear on the right side of the display and the softkey menu will allow you to change the Track Plotter settings. In order to make changes to the downlooking Chart display, you must go to a display where the Chart display is on the right side of the display (such as the Chart mode).

In addition to the fact that the softkey menu typically relates to only the right side of the split screen displays, other features such as Bottom Hardness and Fish Symbols will not appear in Zoomed, Bottom Track or Bottom Locked displays.

Cone Angle & Area Covered to Side

The Sea Scout’s 1/2 Power Point Cone Angle is approximately 12 degrees. The Chart at right shows the approximate width of the cone at different distances from the boat. Although 50% of the acoustic radiation is concentrated within this cone, 50% is also outside the cone which permits the Sea Scout to detect targets typically up to twice the 1/2 power cone angle, (i.e. 24 degrees). This means, for example, that at 1000 feet the Sea Scout will typically be able to see targets across a 420 foot width (210 feet each side of center). See Figure at below.

In Split Screen Views, the Softkey Menu

Relates to the Right Side of the Display

FORWARD DISTANCE

1/2 Power Cone Angle

Sea Scout can typically detect targets within this area

250 500 750

20 degrees

105

158

1000

420

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Display Unit

12 VDC

Power

Cable

Display

Mounting

Bracket

Transom Mounted Transducer

Thru-Hull Transducer

Mounting

Knobs

Getting Started

Check to see that all the components shown at left were included with your Sea Scout. If a part is missing, contact the Interphase Customer Service Department (831) 477-4944 immediately.

WARNING: DO NOT operate the Sea Scout with parts missing or with parts other than those obtained through Interphase; doing so could cause a malfunction in the unit. Any malfunctions to the Sea Scout resulting from unauthorized parts are not covered by warranty.

Turning the Sea Scout On

To turn the Sea Scout on, press the Power/Backlight Key located on the lower right corner of the unit one time. The unit should sound a beep and the display should be illuminated.

The Control Center

From the Contol Center the Contrast can be adjusted by turning the Control Knob cockwise to darken, counter clockwise to lighten. Seven of the most popular displays have been pre-programmed into the Sea Scout’s memory and can be instantly selected from the Control Center Menu. In the following sections, these different displays are called “Views”. They include:

♦

Full Screen Forward View

♦

Full Screen Track Plot View

♦

Full Screen Chart (Conventional) View

♦

Full Screen Set-Up View

♦

Split Screen Data View with Large Digits on left and Forward looking display on right.

♦

Split Screen View with Chart (Conventional) display on left and Forward looking display on right.

♦

Split Screen View with Chart (Conventional) display on left and Track Plot display on right.

Each of these views can be easily selected by pressing the button below the desired menu selection. Where two selections are possible, press the button again until you see your desired view. When first turned on, the Sea Scout’s internal memory automatically sets the starting view to the last one you used before turning off the power.

The flow chart diagram on the facing page shows how to easily navigate between the Sea Scout’s instant Views.

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PLOT View (Track Plot)

FWD View (Forward Scan)

DATA View (Large Digits)

CHART/PLOT View

CHART View (Conventional)

SET-UP View (Languages, etc.)

CHART/SCAN View

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Set-Up View

The Sea Scout includes a SET-UP View where the DEMO program can be activated, the units of measure

and language can be selected and the display contrast can be adjusted. The Sea Scout's internal backup battery will remember all settings for future use.

From the Control Center press the button below the

SET-UP soft key twice to put the display into the SETUP View. Then press the button below the “GO” soft key

to use this view. The display should appear as on the right.

Demo Program

We highly recommend you initially operate the Sea Scout in the DEMO mode to familiarize yourself with the many advanced features of the Sea Scout. When using the SET-UP view, press the soft key below DEMO and hold for 3 seconds to activate the simulation program. The unit will automatically cycle through a simulated demonstration of its many features. At any time, you can press any key to gain control of the DEMO program to make your own selections and adjustments. If you do not press any button for about 45 seconds, the unit will automatically resume cycling through the different demo features on its own.

The pictures shown in the DEMO mode are representations of what you might see on your Sea Scout. In actual use the picture you will get can vary significantly depending on depth, bottom and water conditions, the speed of your boat and many other factors (see Interpreting The Sea Scout’s Forward Display, page 44).

To exit the DEMO program either turn the Sea Scout off and back on again, or press the “DEMO” soft key again.

Select Units of Measure

The Sea Scout starts with the last units of measure selected. By pressing the button indicated on the display, you can use the large front panel knob labeled “BEAM” to choose between U.S., Nautical and Metric units. Rotate the front panel knob to select (highlight) the type of display units desired. Once selected, press any button to save your selection and exit. The current choice is displayed each time the “UNITS” soft key is pressed.

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The choices and their settings are as follows:

Feature U.S. Nautical Metric

Depth/Range Feet Fathoms Meters (Ft.) (Fa) (M) Water Temp. F F C (ºF) (ºF) (ºC) Boat Speed Mi./Hr. Knots Knots (MPH) (KT) (KT) Distance Log Miles Naut. Mi Naut.Mi (Mi) (NMi) (NMi) Nav. Track Plot Miles Naut. Mi Naut.Mi (Mi) (NMi) (NMi)

Select Menu Language

The Sea Scout allows the selection of 9 operating languages; English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Danish, Finnish, Swedish and Greek may be chosen. To select the operating language, press the button labeled “LANG”. A display window as shown at right will pop up on the screen showing the available languages and the one currently selected. Use the large front panel knob labeled “BEAM” to change (highlight) the language selection. Once selected, press any key to save your selection and exit.

Transducer Alignment

The Sea Scout includes a feature that will allow you to compensate for some transducer installation problems where the transducer is not pointing straight forward but instead points off to the right or left of the boat. By pressing the softkey labeled “ALIGN” an alignment submenu appears that shows arrows to the right and left. This adjustment will force the unit to move the center point of its horizontal scan up to 15 degrees to the left or the right. The number in the softkey indicates the number of degrees of offset from center with negative numbers indicating the number of degrees offset to the left and positive numbers refer to offset to the right. A zero number in the softkey indicates that the Sea Scout is not using any offset. If you feel you need to adjust the transducer alignment left or right, point the boat toward a piling or other small object and then adjust the alignment until the object appears in the center of the screen. Use either the softkeys or the “BEAM” knob to adjust.

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Forward View (Full Screen)

While in the Control Center press the leftmost button labeled "FWD" to view a full screen forward looking display. At the top right of the screen the current depth beneath the boat is shown in digital numbers. If the optional speed/temperature transducer is connected to the unit, the boat’s speed is displayed just to the left of the digital depth as shown on the picture above.

The vertical scale at the far left of the display shows the forward range at the center of the display. In this example, the outer range ring is 40 feet. A target 1/2 this distance forward would be located at 20 feet in front of the boat.

The numbers on the outer range ring indicate the bearing from the bow of the boat. The display will show targets up to +/- 45 degrees ahead of the boat.

Press the GO button to bring up additional adjustments and features for this forward looking view. Your display menus should appear as on the left.

Range Adjustment

Press the button labeled "RANGE" to bring up the Forward Range Adjustment soft key menu as shown at left. Press the button labeled "AUTO" if you would like the Sea Scout’s internal microprocessor to automatically select and adjust the range as bottom conditions change. To manually adjust the range press either the range button labeled "" or "", or rotate the large knob. If you make a manual depth adjustment, the AUTO range mode is turned off and will remain off until the button labeled AUTO is again selected. Note: when in the AUTO mode, the soft key labeled AUTO will be shown in reverse video (white on black). To return to the main forward looking menu, press the left soft key labeled "LAST".

Sensitivity Adjustment

Press the soft key labeled "SENS" (for sensitivity) to bring up the choices available for adjusting the Sea Scout's receiver sensitivity. Press the button labeled "AUTO" so that the word AUTO is shown in reverse video (white letters on a black background) if you would like the Sea Scout to automatically adjust its sensitivity for changing conditions. To manually adjust the sensitivity, either press

the button labeled “- Sens” or “Sens.+” or rotate the front panel knob. Note that the soft key shows a number which indicates the relative sensitivity being used (+1 to +32).

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When you choose to manually adjust the sensitivity, the Sea Scout turns off the AUTO sensitivity mode and it will remain off until the AUTO soft key is again selected. To exit the sensitivity menu and save your adjustments simply press the soft key labeled “LAST” to return to the main forward looking menu.

Although the “AUTO” sensitivity will work well in most situations, you may often find that you need to adjust the forward sensitivity manually for the optimum picture.

Alarm Adjustment

In the forward looking display or view, a forward alarm may be set for targets which are closer than a present distance.

To adjust or clear the alarm settings, press the soft key labeled “ALARM” to bring up the forward looking alarm menu choices. As either the up or down keys are pressed and held down, or the large knob is rotated counterclockwise , a horizontal bar will move from the bottom of the display towards the top. A vertical bar will also move along the range scale. The horizontal and vertical bar indicate the alarm range. Any strong target between the boat (at the bottom of the display) and the alarm bar will cause the alarm to sound. (Note: the horizontal line will disappear a few seconds after the alarm is adjusted, but the vertical bar will remain to indicate the alarms setting.)

To deactivate the alarm either press the "CLEAR" soft key to clear the forward alarm, or rotate the control knob clockwise until the alarm bar disappears at the bottom of the display.

Horizontal Alarm Bar

Vertical Alarm Indication

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RESET FULL SECTOR SCAN

RESET FORWARD SECTOR SCANS

Beam Sector Width & Steer Adjustment

The large rotary knob labeled “BEAM” can be used to both adjust the beam scanning sector width and the direction of the scanning sector. For example, you may only want to scan the area to the port (left) or starboard (right) side of the boat.

Press the soft key labeled "BEAM" to bring up a submenu of beam adjustment choices. By pressing the soft key labeled "WIDTH", the rotary "BEAM" knob can be used to adjust the scanning sector width. The actual sector size will be shown on the display as the BEAM width is adjusted.

By pressing the soft key labeled “STEER” the resulting sector can then be steered throughout the possible 90 degree horizontal sector .

The RESET button can be used to quickly select three popular scanning sectors. If the RESET button is pressed once, the Sea Scout will return to the full 90 degree horizontal sector scan , pressing RESET again will put the Sea Scout into one of two preprogrammed forward sector scans.

The RESET button cycles through the possible scan sectors as shown at left.

Beam Speed (Resolution)

In its normal scanning mode “NORM”, the Sea Scout will send out 50 forward beams and will alternate between a forward beam and the down-looking beam. In the “FAST” position, only 30 beams will be used and the Sea Scout will send 5 forward scanning beams for every down-looking sample. In the “DETAIL” mode, the Sea Scout sends out 90 beams, one every 1 degree for the maximum resolution, but also at the slowest speed.

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Plot (Track Plot) View

If your separate Loran C, Decca or GPS receiver has the proper NMEA 0183 Version 2.0 non-differential output capability, or if you own the Interphase Star Pilot GPS, Pilot GPS or Interphase Pilot Loran, you can easily interface the unit to the Sea Scout to show both digital and graphic navigation information. Possible information obtained from a navigation receiver can include track plotting and digital Lat/Lon readings. The Sea Scout can also instantly mark positions with several different graphic symbols. These functions will not work unless you are able to successfully interface a navigational instrument such as a Loran C, Decca or GPS receiver to the Sea Scout.

From the Command Center select the "Plot View" and press the "GO" soft key to bring up the menu showing the features and adjustments for this view.

Range

The "RANGE" soft key calls up the sub-menu which lets you turn on and off an automatic plot ranging function by pressing the soft key labeled "TRACK". This feature will, for example, automatically increase the track plot range if your position goes off the screen. You can manually adjust the plotter range by using the "Range" up/down soft keys in this sub-menu.

The Track Plot square on the display shows the current plotter range (1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128) in statute (U.S.) or nautical miles, depending on the units of measurement selected.

Mark

Pressing the "MARK" soft key allows you to mark your current position on the track plot screen with one of three graphic icons - an anchor, a fish or a flag. Each icon can be used up to ten times on a track plot for a total of 30 possible marks. When power is removed from the Sea Scout, the marks are erased.

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Center

By pressing the "CENTER" soft key, your current position will be moved to the center of the track plot display and the track line dots will be shifted accordingly.

Reset

The "RESET" soft key in the menu restarts your track plotting by placing your present position in the center of the track plot screen and erasing all track line dots.

Note: The Sea Scout has both a full screen and a split screen track plotter. Both of these Views are updated automatically, regardless of what display screen is in use. Although these two track plot views are similar, the user may select different ranges for each of these views. For example, the full screen track plotter can be set up for a 64 mile range, while the split screen track plotter can be set up for 1/4 mile! This allows you to get two different instantaneous views of your boat’s movement by selecting the two different track plot views. For example, you could select the range of 64 miles for the full screen to show far off waypoints, etc., but select a range of only 1/4 mile on the split screen track plotter to show more detail of your boat’s movement.

Track Plotter Symbols

+ Starting Position

W Waypoint selected in navigation receiver

+ Center of plot screen

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Chart View

(Conventional down looking)

The Sea Scout’s phased array transducer can be electronically steered to look directly below the boat. In this mode the Sea Scout LCD display will show a picture exactly like conventional fixed beam down-looking fish finders. When in this mode, the Sea Scout offers a full range of sophisticated features which are found on advanced conventional depth sounders, such as split screen zoom, bottom lock, fish and depth alarms, bottom hardness (whiteline), plus several other features.

From the Command Center select the "CHART" View and press the "GO" soft key to bring up the menu showing the features and adjustments for this view. The display should be similar to that at right.

Range Adjustment

Press the button labeled "RANGE" to bring up the Range Adjustment soft key menu. Press the button labeled "AUTO" if you would like the Sea Scout’s internal microprocessor to automatically select and adjust the depth range as bottom conditions change. To manually adjust the depth, press either the range button labeled "" or "". If you make a manual depth adjustment, the AUTO range mode is turned off and will remain off until the button labeled AUTO is again selected. Note: when in the AUTO mode, the soft key labeled "AUTO" will be shown in reverse video (white on black). To return to the main forward looking menu, press the soft key labeled "LAST". (To return to the Control Center press the soft key labeled "MENU")

Sensitivity Adjustment

Press the soft key labeled "SENS." to bring up the choices available for adjusting the Sea Scout's receiver sensitivity. Press the button labeled "AUTO" so that the word AUTO is shown in reverse video (white letters on a black background) if you would like the Sea Scout to automatically adjust its sensitivity for changing conditions. To manually adjust the sensitivity, press the button labeled “- Sens” or “Sens.+” to increase or decrease the receiver gain. Note that the soft key shows a number which indicates the relative sensitivity being used (+1 to +32). When you choose to manually adjust the sensitivity, the Sea Scout turns off the AUTO sensitivity mode and it will remain off until the AUTO soft key is again selected. Note: when AUTO mode is turned on, the word will be displayed in reverse video (white letters on a black background). To exit the sensitivity menu and save your adjustments, simply press the soft key labeled “LAST” to return to the main forward looking menu.

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Hardness (White-Line)

If the softkey labeled “HARD” is pressed, the display will show the bottom as a thin line separated by a shaded area. This mode can be used to find detail close to the bottom or to indicate the bottom composition. The thinner the shaded area the softer the bottom. A thick shaded area indicates a hard or rocky bottom.

Alarm Adjustment

In the forward looking display or view, alarms may be set for targets which are shallower than, deeper than, or within a specific zone of adjustable depth settings.

To adjust or clear the alarm settings, press the soft key labeled “ALARM” to bring up the forward looking Alarm menu choices. Pressing the "Deep" or "Shal." soft keys brings up sub-menus to set, adjust or clear the Shallow, Deep and Zone Alarms. As either the “” or “” keys are pressed and held down, or the front panel knob is rotated, a vertical bar on the left side of the screen (just below the boat icon) shows the area covered by the depth alarm. Whenever a solidly displayed target appears at the same depth as that covered by the alarm bar, the audible alarm sounds to warn you of underwater targets or changing bottom conditions.

The S

hallow Alarm is often used to alert the user to shallowing bottom conditions and the presence of underwater targets such as fish. The Deep Alarm is often used in conjunction with the Shallow Alarm to define a depth range. If the depth becomes less or greater than the alarm settings, the audio alarm will sound as a warning. A Zone Alarm can be created by using both the Shallow and Deep Alarms. If the Shallow and the Deep alarm bars on the left side of the display are “overlapped” (that is, the Shallow Alarm bar overlaps the Deep Alarm bar) a new Zone Alarm will result and be displayed.

Pressing the “FISH” softkey activates the fish alarm. This alarm will activate when the unit detects suspended returns that it interprets as fish. Press FISH again to deavtivate the fish alarm. Note: The fish alarm is an independant alarm and will not be deactivated by pressing CLEAR as described below.

Press the "CLEAR" soft key to clear the alarm or alarms you previously set. Press "CLEAR" in the main alarm menu to clear all alarms simultaneously, or press “CLEAR” in the sub-menus to clear the selected Shallow or Deep Alarm.

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Other Features

Press the soft key labeled "OTHER" to bring up a submenu that will allow you to create a split screen zoom or bottom locked picture, have the Sea Scout interpret the display and show fish symbols or adjust the display scrolling speed.

Zoom & Bottom Track & Bottom Lock (Split Screen displays)

When using the Chart display (conventional down looking view), the Sea Scout can also display a split screen high resolution zoom of any 25% of the depth range, or can show a split screen Bottom Track or Bottom Lock display. The high resolution Zoom is very useful when looking for extra detail on the bottom or in areas above the bottom. Because the Sea Scout uses an Interphase unique 4X over-sampling technique, the zoom actually shows more data than the non-zoomed picture. Fishermen have long used the bottom locking features when fishing over a rocky bottom or when fishing in rough surface conditions. In the Bottom Track mode, a zoomed view of the bottom is shown on the left side of the split screen display. Regardless of changes in bottom depth, the left side tracks it and keeps the zoomed bottom picture in view. In the Bottom Lock mode, the bottom is forced to appear as a straight horizontal line across the bottom of the left side of the LCD while any targets close to the bottom are displayed above the bottom line. Over rough bottoms or in rough conditions, this feature is extremely useful to eliminate rapidly changing bottom depths from the display and to show only suspended targets close to the bottom.

Press the soft key labeled "ZOOM " to activate the split screen high resolution zoom function. The left side of the LCD screen now shows the zoomed area, while the right side continues to show the conventional depth display. Hold down the "ZOOM " soft key (or rotate the front panel knob) and notice the vertical bar moving downward in the center of the display which shows the depth area that is being “zoomed”. By using the "ZOOM " and "ZOOM " soft keys, you can zoom in on particular depth areas. The Zoom feature expands any 25% section of the current depth range on the left half of the screen, or effectively magnifies the section selected by the zoom bar by 400%.

Zoom Bar

Split Screen Zoom Display

Split Screen Bottom Tracking Display

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Split Screen Bottom Lock Display

Zoomed Display with Fish Symbols ON

If you move the zoom bar all the way to the bottom of the display, the Bottom Track and the Bottom Lock features can be activated.. When the Bottom Track feature is activated, the Zoom Bar changes to a thin bar extending from the top to the bottom of the display. Pressing the “ZOOM ” button once more activates the Bottom Lock feature. When in Bottom Lock, the Zoom Bar changes to a thick vertical line extending from the top to the bottom of this display. Move the zoom bar up to return to the regular zoom operation and turn Bottom Lock off. Moving the zoom bar all the way to the top of the display turns the Zoom off.

NOTE: To return to a full screen and exit the split screen zoom or bottom track mode, you must carefully move the zoom bar to the top of the display until it disappears. This can sometimes be confusing because the Advantage remembers all settings and will remain in the split screen zoom or bottom track mode until you exit this mode as described above.

Fish Symbol (Turn on/off)

Pressing the soft key labeled "FISH" turns the fish symbol on or off. When turned on, the "FISH" soft key will be shown in reverse video and the Sea Scout’s microprocessor will scan the output of the receiver and looks for specific patterns which it has been programmed to recognize as fish. If it thinks it “sees” a fish, it creates a fish symbol in place of the normal blob or arch. Press the "FISH" softkey to turn this feature off.

Display Scrolling Speed Adjustment

The second softkey from the right can be used to adjust the speed at which the display “scrolls” the picture from right to left. This softkey can be used to choose a speed of “FAST, SLOW, or STOP”. Faster scrolling rates are generally used when you want to see the maximum detail possible while slower speeds are used when you want to slow the display to show the maximum amount of bottom history.

Screen Scroll Speed

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Data View

From the Control Center, press the soft key labeled "DATA" to see a split screen display with large digits on the left and a forward scanning view on the right. The large numbers show the digital depth and, if your Sea Scout is equipped with the optional speed/temperature transducer, the boat speed, surface water temperature, and distance traveled log.

Range Adjustment

Press the button labeled "RANGE" to bring up the Range Adjustment soft key menu. Press the button labeled "AUTO" if you would like the Sea Scout’s internal microprocessor to automatically select and adjust the depth range as bottom conditions change. To manually adjust the depth, press either the range buttons labeled "" or "" or rotate the front panel knob. If you make a manual depth adjustment, the AUTO range mode is turned off and will remain off until the button labeled AUTO is again selected. Note: when in the AUTO mode, the soft key labeled "AUTO" will be shown in reverse video (white on black). To return to the main forward looking menu, press the soft key labeled "LAST".

Log Res. (Distance log reset).

If your Sea Scout is equipped with the optional speed/ temperature transducer, the Sea Scout will automatically keep a distance traveled log. You can reset this log to zero by pressing the "Log Res." soft key.

Note: The Sea Scout internal memory keeps the Sea Scout’s distance log data, even when power is removed. To zero out the distance log, press the softkey labeled “Log Res.”.

Sensitivity Adjustment

Press the soft key labeled "SENS." (for sensitivity) to bring up the choices available for adjusting the Sea Scout's receiver sensitivity. Press the button labeled "AUTO" so that the word AUTO is shown in reverse video (white letters on a black background) if you would like the Sea Scout to automatically adjust its sensitivity for changing conditions. To manually adjust the sensitivity press the button labeled “Sens.+” or “- Sens” to increase or decrease the receiver gain. Note that the soft key shows a number which indicates the relative

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Alarm Indication

sensitivity being used. When you choose to manually adjust the sensitivity, the Sea Scout turns off the AUTO sensitivity mode and it will remain off until the “AUTO” soft key is again selected. Note: when AUTO mode is turned on the word AUTO will be displayed in reverse video (white letters on a black background). To exit the sensitivity menu and save your adjustments simply press the soft key labeled “LAST” to return to the main forward looking menu. (Press "MENU" to then return to the Control Center).

Alarm Adjustment

In the forward looking display or view, a forward alarm may be set for targets which are closer than a present distance.

To deactivate the alarm either press the "CLEAR" soft key to clear the forward alarm, or rotate the control knob clockwise until the alarm bar disappears at the bottom of the display.

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Beam Sector Width & Steer Adjustment

The large rotary knob labeled “BEAM” can be used to both adjust the beam scanning sector width and the direction of the scan. For example, you may only want to scan the area to the port (left) or starboard (right) side of the boat.

By pressing the soft key labeled “STEER” the resulting sector can then be steered throughout the possible 90 degree horizontal sector .

Beam Speed (Resolution)

RESET (Full Sector Scans))

RESET (Forward Sector Scans)

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Chart/Plot View

In this view, the Sea Scout shows a split screen display with a conventional down looking depth sounder picture on the left and a track plot display on the right. Pressing the "GO" soft key will bring up a sub-menu to allow adjustments to the track plotter display. Adjustments to the left side of the display (down looking depth display) are not possible in this view. To make adjustments to the depth ranges, alarms, etc., go to the CHART view.

From the Command Center select the PLOT/CHART view and press the "GO" soft key to bring up the menu showing the features and adjustments for this view.

(split screen)

Range

The Track Plot square on the display shows the current plotter range (1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128) in statute (U.S.) or nautical miles depending on your units of measure selected.

Mark

Pressing the "MARK" soft key allows you to mark your current position on the track plot screen with one of three graphic icons - an anchor, a fish or a flag. You may use each icon up to ten times on a track plot for a total of up to 30 possible marks.

Note: Marks are not stored in memory. All marks are removed when unit is powered off.

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Center

position will be moved to the center of the track plot display and the track line dots will be shifted accordingly.

Reset

The "RESET" soft key in the menu restarts your track plotting by placing your present position in the center of the track plot screen and erasing all track line dots

Note: All other past information, including track line dots and marks, will be lost when you Reset the Track Plot.

y pressing the "CENTER" soft key, your current

Note: The Sea Scout has both a full screen and a split

screen track plotter. Both of these Views are updated automatically regardless of what display screen is in use. Although these two track plot views are similar, the user may select different ranges for each of these views. For example, the full screen track plotter can be set up for a 64 mile range, while the split screen track plotter can be set up for 1/4 mile! This allows you to get two different views of your boat’s movement by selecting the two different track plot views. For example, you could select the range of 64 miles for the full screen to show far off waypoints, etc.; but select a range of only 1/4 mile on the split screen track plotter to show more detail of your boat’s movement.

Track Plotter Symbols

+ Starting Position

W Way point selected in navigation receiver

+ Center of plot screen

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Chart/Scan View

In this split screen view, the Sea Scout shows a forward looking view on the right and a conventional down looking chart view on the left. In this view, adjustments can be made to the right side of the display (forward looking view) but not to the left side (conventional down looking display). To make adjustments to the down looking alarms, etc., go to the CHART view.

Range Adjustment

Press the button labeled "RANGE" to bring up the Range Adjustment soft key menu. Press the button labeled "AUTO" if you would like the Sea Scout’s internal microprocessor to automatically select and adjust the depth and forward range as bottom conditions change. To manually adjust the depth and forward range, press either the range button labeled "" or "". If you make a manual adjustment, the AUTO range mode is turned off and will remain off until the button labeled AUTO is again selected. Note: when in the AUTO mode, the soft key labeled “AUTO” will be shown in reverse video (white on black). To return to the menu, press the soft key labeled "LAST".

(split screen)

main

forward looking

Sensitivity Adjustment

Press the soft key labeled "SENS." to bring up the choices available for adjusting the Sea Scout's receiver sensitivity. Press the button labeled "AUTO" so that the word AUTO is shown in reverse video (white letters on a black background) if you would like the Sea Scout to automatically adjust its sensitivity for changing conditions. To manually adjust the sensitivity press the button labeled “- Sens” or “Sens.+” to increase or decrease the receiver gain. Note that the soft key shows a number which indicates the relative sensitivity being used. When you choose to manually adjust the sensitivity, the Sea Scout turns off the AUTO sensitivity mode and it will remain off until the “AUTO” soft key is again selected.

Note: when AUTO mode is turned on the word AUTO will be displayed in reverse video (white letters on a black background).

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Alarm Adjustment

In the forward looking display or view, a forward alarm may be set for targets which are closer than a present distance.

To deactivate the alarm either press the "CLEAR" soft key to clear the forward alarm, or rotate the control knob clockwise until the alarm bar disappears at the bottom of the display.

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RESET (Full Sector Scan)

RESET (Forward Sector Scans)

Beam Sector Width & Steer Adjustment

By pressing the soft key labeled “STEER” the resulting sector can then be steered throughout the possible 90 degree horizontal sector.

Beam Speed (Resolution)

In it’s normal scanning mode “NORM”, the Sea Scout will send out 50 forward beams and will alternate between a forward beam and the down-looking beam. In the “FAST” position, only 30 beams will be used and the Sea Scout will send 5 forward scanning beams for every down-looking sample. In the “DETAIL” mode, the Sea Scout sends out 90 beams, one every 1 degree for the maximum resolution, but also at the slowest speed.

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NMEA 0183 Interface

The Sea Scout will accept navigation data from a separate compatible Loran C, Decca, and GPS receiver in the NMEA 0183 data format. This interface has been tested and is verified to work with the Interphase Pilot GPS. It features a unique, fully dedicated microprocessor for the NMEA 0183 data port which provides maximum compatibility among Loran C, Decca and GPS receivers.

If your equipment conforms to the following NMEA 0183 Version 2.0 non-defferential interface protocols, the Sea Scout is probably compatible- BOD, GLL, IMA, WDR, BPI, BWR, BWC, BER, BEC, GXP, GDP, GOP, GLP, GGA, RMA, RMB, RMC. Consult your operation manuals or contact the manufacturer for further information on interfacing.

The Sea Scout needs to be interfaced via the three pin jack on the rear panel of the display unit. The pin connections are shown at right.

Interphase offers a 5-foot long interconnection cable and a 10-foot interconnect extension cable.

For reference, the internal circuity for the Sea Scout’s NMEA input is shown below. This technical information may be helpful if you have difficulty with the NMEA connections.

View from front of the female plug

Data In (high) (pos)

5’ Interconnect Cable

Data Return

(low) (neg)

No connection

OUTPUT

+5 V

10K

4N26

Rear Panel 3-Pin NMEA Jack

510

Sea Scout’s NMEA Input Circuit Showing

Protective Opto-Isolator (4N26)

DATA+

DATA-

Part Number 04-0038-000

10’ Interconnect Extension Cable

Part Number 04-0006-008

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Interpreting The Sea Scout’s Forward Display

The Interphase Sea Scout provides a display which shows acoustic echo returns from the underwater area below and ahead of the vessel. The Phased Array Transducer steers an acoustic beam over a forward arc whose scan width can be adjusted from approximately 12 to 90 degrees. As the Sea Scout steers the beam to different positions, it transmits a pulse of energy and then waits a defined period of time (depending on the range selected) to receive any return echoes. As the energy from this acoustic beam strikes underwater objects or the bottom, a small portion of the energy is reflected as an echo back to the transducer. When the echo is received at the transducer, it is converted into a small electrical signal and processed for display on the Sea Scout’s LCD.

Since the Sea Scout knows the direction in which it sent the transmit pulse and the time it took to receive the return echo, it can determine the location of the object or bottom that created the return echo. As the Sea Scout sequentially steps the acoustic beam from the left to right and in front of the vessel, the LCD display shows a continuously updated display of the return echoes in their approximate position in relation to the boat.

It’s important to remember that to show underwater objects, the Sea Scout must be able to actually “see” them. It can not show forward areas that are hidden from its field of view or are hidden due to obstructions in the acoustic beam’s path through the water.

Forward View

The Sea Scout scans from left to right across the boats bow. The forward scanning elements in the transducer are positioned so that the plane of the horizontal scan is angled downward approximately 20 degrees from the water’s surface (see sketch at right). This downward angle is designed to help reduce the effects of surface noise clutter when the water is choppy and to allow easier mounting of the transducer to the transom of smaller boats.

As the acoustic sound beam is projected away from the boat, the cross-sectional diameter of the beam increases. At a range of approximately 3 to 3.5 times the depth of the water the sound beam will begin intersecting the bottom and some of the sound energy that intersects the bottom will be reflected back and will appear on the Sea Scout’s screen as bottom echos.

Plane of Forward Scan is Angled 20 Degrees

Downward From Surface. Forward beam will

reach bottom at approx. 3 to 3.5 times depth

Beam Depth at Various Forward Ranges

Forward Range

1000

Beam Depth = Approx. .36 X Forward

250

500 750

Depth

180

270

360

Page 45

It is important to understand that the Sea Scout will often see the bottom and will show it on the forward display. This display information can be used to help understand the structure of the bottom ahead of the boat, but the bottom echos can also mask or be confused as fish targets. Several forward display situations with comments are shown at right

The top picture and resulting screen display shows a boat in 12 feet of water. The Sea Scout’s forward range is set to 40 ft. Notice on the scan picture on the right side of the display, the bottom is just starting to show at about 35 to 40 ft in front. A school of fish or bait is off to the port side of the vessel at a forward distance of about 14 feet and additional fish or bait appears directly in front of the boat at a distance of only a few feet. Also notice the fish or bait near the bottom on the downlooking mode on the left side of the display.

In the lower picture and resulting screen display, notice that even in shallow depths of 12 ft the Sea Scout is detecting targets at a forward distance of approximately 200 feet. When looking far forward in shallow situations such as this, it is advisable to adjust the gain manually. Otherwise the Auto gain feature will reduce the gain because of the strong closein bottom reflections.

On the following page, two bottom situations are sketched along with the resulting Sea Scout Display.

Noise and Sensitivity Adjustments

The Sea Scout features an AUTO sensitivity feature where it continuously adjusts the sensitivity to achieve the optimum picture quality. The sensitivity can also be adjusted manually to allow for a reduction in sensitivity to minimize the effect of screen noise, or to increase the sensitivity to show weaker targets.

In the forward scanning modes, the sensitivity setting is especially important as too little sensitivity will cause a loss of target detection and too much sensitivity will cause an increase in screen noise. In the AUTO mode, the Sea Scout increases the forward gain until there is a certain density of targets on the display. In most situations the AUTO gain mode works well, but manual adjustments will often be required to get the optimum picture - especially when looking far ahead in shallow water.

40ft Forward Range, Water Depth of 12 Ft

Bait

Bottom

Bait

240ft Forward Range, Bottom Depth of 12 ft.

Fish or Bait

Bottom

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TVG (Time Variable Gain)

As the acoustic signal travels through the water it is attenuated in strength and also loses strength because the signal is being spread over a larger and larger area. For this reason, distant targets appear weaker than close targets - even if both targets are of identical size.

The Sea Scout’s receiver circuit includes a Time Variable Gain (TVG) feature where the receiver’s gain is controlled by the microprocessor and increases in value as the depth or forward range increases. This feature tends to compensate for the weakening of the signal at longer distances as the receiver’s gain will be increased as the signal gets smaller.

Bottom Getting Deeper to port (left) of boat.

Sides of Underwater Trench

Bottom Under Boat

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Reference Information

Phased Array Technology

Most existing depthsounders and fishfinders in the marine market use a mature “fixed beam” technology which was originally developed during W.W. II to detect the presence and distance of submarines. Products using this technology usually have a transducer mounted on the rear of the vessel, making contact with the water. The transducer is connected to an electronic display module which is typically mounted near the boat’s steering station.

These transducers are typically made up of a piezoceramic element which is encapsulated in a hydrodynamically shaped plastic or bronze case. The piezoceramic element has the important property in that it will vibrate when shocked with a high voltage electrical signal and will itself give off a small electrical signal when physically vibrated. If the display unit sends a large pulse of voltage down the cable to the transducer, the transducer will vibrate and the resulting acoustic vibrations will travel through the water until they strike an object, such as the bottom or suspended fish. When striking an object, a small amount of the acoustic energy is reflected and this “echo” returns and causes a small vibration in the transducer. The small vibrations in the transducer caused by the returning acoustic echo cause the transducer to send a small electrical signal back up the cable to the display unit. The user can then view the presence of, and distance to, these underwater objects.

The transducer element, depending on the physical characteristics of the piezoceramic element (thickness, diameter, etc.) has a fixed direction in which it is most efficient at sending and receiving acoustic signals. This direction is called the “beam angle” and is of critical concern to most knowledgeable fishermen, as the display will typically show only those targets that are within this beam angle. A large beam angle will show targets from a larger underwater area, but suffers from lack of resolution. That means that although several targets may be in the beam angle, the user can only determine their distance from the transducer, not their lateral position within the beam. For example, if one fish target is 10’ below the boat at the far right edge of the beam angle, it will show the same display as if it were 10’ below the boat at the far left edge of the beam angle. In addition, if fish are present at exactly the same depth but at different sides of the underwater beam, the transducer will receive

Cable

Display

Transducer Housing

Ceramic Element

Acoustic Beam

Echo Bottom

Beam Angle

Two Objects at Same Depth Will Appear as One Object

Page 48

echoes from both fish targets at the same time and the display will only show a single target. This is a serious limitation to the conventional technology.

To get around this limitation, several manufacturers have resorted to adding more piezoceramic elements to the transducer, each pointed in a different direction. By selectively using each piezoceramic element the transducer has the ability to point or look in as many different directions as there are piezoceramic elements. After approximately four elements, however, the transducer housing starts to become physically large and cumbersome. To date, manufacturers have put as many as five separate elements into the transducer to enable users a view in up to five different underwater directions. In the future, Interphase believes that this multiple fixedbeam approach has serious limitations, especially for use in more advanced products where maximum underwater coverage and resolution are important.

Development of New Technology

To get around these limitations and provide a sonar system that can achieve both outstanding coverage and good resolution, Interphase pioneered the use of Ultrasonic Phased Array Technology. In 1991 we received the prestigious IMTEC Innovation Award in recognition of the importance of this new technology to the marine industry. Although new to the sportsfishing and recreational marine industry, “phased array ultrasound technology” has proven its capabilities in the medical industry for many years. The amazing video images provided by medical ultrasound equipment are familiar to most people and clearly demonstrate the technology’s ability to show highly defined images in a real-time or live-action mode. Interphase has taken this same technology and modified it for use in the marine market.

An acoustic phased array is a group of piezoceramic elements that are precisely sized and spaced. Each element will send and receive acoustic pulses as when used in the conventional single element technology. However, when all the elements in the array are sending or receiving acoustic energy at the same time, the entire array behaves like a single larger element with one important difference: the ability for the array to concentrate its acoustic energy in different directions depending on the different “phasing” of the signals applied or received by each element. Depending on the signal phasing to the array, acoustic beams can be directed in an almost unlimited number of directions.

Three Fixed-Beam System, Looking Down and

to Each Side of Boat

Bottom

12º Acoustic Beam Can Be Steered In Any Direction Over a 90 Degree Arc.

8 Element Ceramic Phased Array

Page 49

For example, using an 8 element phased array, the Sea Scout is capable of steering the acoustic beam in over 70 different directions. Conventional fixed-beam technology would have required the use of at least 70 transducer elements, each pointed in a different direction. Such a transducer would be much too costly and bulky to be of any practical use in the marine market.

Since the acoustic beam in the phased array is steered electronically, requiring no moving parts, it can be quickly and reliably scanned and re-scanned over a large area. When displayed, the changing information between subsequent scans takes on an almost animated quality - showing, for example, the movement of underwater fish or the constantly changing bottom conditions.

In addition to its ability to electronically steer an acoustic beam, the phased array has other advantages over fixed beam technologies such as: allowing the user to adjust the transducer beam width, to scan large areas limited only by the physics of speed of sound through water (5,000 ft/sec.), and the ability to provide nearly real-time or live-action underwater views.

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Maintenance

The Sea Scout Forward Scanning Sonar has been designed to provide reliable, trouble-free performance for years. Follow the maintenance tips below to ensure that your Sea Scout remains problem free.

1) Keep your Sea Scout clean and dry. Occasionally wipe unit off with a damp cloth, but be careful not to scratch the lens covering the LCD screen. For stubborn dirt, use a mild soap and a damp cloth. NEVER USE SOLVENTS SUCH AS PAINT THINNER, ACETONE, OR GASOLINE TO CLEAN YOUR Sea Scout.

2) Occasionally clean the face of the depth transducer (sensing surface) and carefully remove any marine growth. Use a mild detergent, or 220 grit sandpaper, or crocus cloth to remove stubborn growth.

3) If the in-line fuse is blown, replace it with a 2 amp fuse. NEVER REPLACE WITH A HIGHER AMP RATING! If the fuse continues to blow, check the polarity of your 12 VDC power source. If the polarity is correct, check with the Technical Service Department at (831) 477-4944.

4) In order to protect your transducer from water damage, paint it with one of the following brands: InterluxUltraCoat, Fiberglass Bottom Coat, Super Bottom Coat; Pettit-UniPoxy; Rule-Super KL, Gloss Dura Poxy. DO NOT use a solvent based paint.

5) DO NOT allow any solvents, i.e. gasoline, acetone, to come in contact with the transducer or head unit as these may dissolve the material.

Factory Reset

Doing a factory reset as described below will return your Probe to the original faxtory settings (range, gain, display, etc.).

Start with the unit off.

1. Press soft keys #4 and #5 and hold (as labeled in diagram below)

2. Press the #6 key. The unit will turn on and beep three times, then release the keys. The units logo should appear in the display. This will reset the unit to it’s ‘factory settings’, please refer to the set-up view portion in the Operations Manual if you wish to choose a language, select units or modify the level/alignment.

LCD Display

#2 #3 #4 #5 #6

Power Key

Hold these keys as power key turned on

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Troubleshooting Guide

If you are experiencing trouble with your Sea Scout, please refer to the following checklist:

PROBLEM SOLUTION

Unit will not turn on. Check fuse, battery voltage and power connections. Also, check for continuity through the in-line fuse holder.

Unit beeps but no picture appears Check your connections to the battery. Check for on the screen. corrosion on the battery terminals or on the wiring connections on a fuse block or buss bar.

Unit blows fuses. Wiring is reversed or there is excessive current from the battery. The red wire should be “+” (positive) and have continuity with pin #1 on the female side of the power supply lead.

Loses picture at speed. Adjust the transducer angle or placement. Make sure that the transducer is installed in the area which has the least amount of water turbulence.

LCD darkens in sunlight after Overexposed to sunlight - provide shading for display. prolonged use.

Screen is full of noise, or has dots Reduce your gain setting and review the section on running through it. interference.

Bottom slopes up/down Adjust the transducer angle.

Speed display is erratic. Check and clean the impeller wheel and the surrounding area - be sure the impeller wheel spins freely.

Digital water depth not working. Increase your gain, and check that you are in the proper depth range.

SPEED CALIBRATION (Log Adjustment):

To adjust the speed calibration perform the following steps: Select the Data View and then Range option. Press and hold the Log Res. for three seconds to bring up the log/speed adjustment menu. Use the front panel knob to adjust the calibration factor. The unit will adjust up to 40% either positive or negative from the factory settings to compensate for different hull shapes, etc.

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Interference Problems

Interference can come from several sources. The most common of these are:

1) Other nearby depth sounders operating at the same frequency.

2) Radiated interference from the boat’s electrical system (alternator, distributor and spark plugs) or from nearby

equipment that radiates electrical noise.

3) Conducted interference usually occurs when the Sea Scout shares a 12VDC power lead with other noisy equipment (i.e.; bilge pumps, motors, refrigeration systems, autopilots, etc.)

Interference caused by nearby depth sounders operating on or near the same frequency as the Sea Scout will typically appear as “rabbit tracks” that march up and down the screen. Reducing the gain will help minimize this problem.

Radiated interference caused by the boat’s engine can usually be identified by observing the Sea Scout with both the engine running and turned off. If the interference disappears when the engine is turned off, it is safe to assume that the engine is the source of the interference.

This type of interference can usually be eliminated by using the same techniques used in the automotive industry to eliminate interference to car radios, CB’s, etc. The following actions may be required:

1) Reduce the Gain setting to minimize interference.

2) Make sure your boat uses resistor type spark plugs and plug wiring.

3) Install a suppressor on the center lead of the distributor.

4) Install an alternator filter to smooth the alternator’s output signal.

Interference may also be caused by radiation from other nearby equipment and can be detected by turning off all other equipment and observing the Sea Scout display as each suspected source is turned back on. This type of interference can usually be eliminated by moving the Sea Scout away from the source and checking to ensure that the interfering source is properly grounded.

Interference causing the display to be unstable, to pulsate or periodically change size is usually caused when another piece of equipment shares the same 12 VDC power leads from the battery. This problem is especially severe when equipment requiring large current surges (i.e.; autopilots, refrigerators, or bilge pumps) share the same power leads. Minimize this type of interference by running the Sea Scout’s 12VDC power leads, or those of the interfering equipment, directly to the battery.

Alternately, you may find it helpful to install a separate dedicated power supply battery that is used only to run your electronic gear (e.g.; fishfinders, VHF radios, radar units, etc.). If your unit shuts off during low voltage situations, such as when cranking your engine starter, you may want to install an isolator switch with an “A/B” type of battery system. An “A/B” system allows you to run your electronic gear on one battery, while the starter and alternator are hooked up to the other battery.

Your authorized marine electronics dealer is familiar with the methods of reducing electrical interference and is qualified to assist you should a problem persist.

Page 53

Specifications

Depth only

Transom Transducer

Part # T1-I200-028

Display Type: 128 x 160 pixels; 20,480 total pixel Super Twist LCD Depth Ranges: 23 overlapping depth ranges, 0 - 20 to 0 - 640 feet Forward Ranges: 23 overlapping forward ranges, 0 - 40 to 0 - 1,280 feet

Transmit Frequency: 200 kHz

Depth only

Thru-Hull Transducer

Part # T1-I200-029

12 VDC Power

Supply Cable

Part # 04-0001-008

Zoom Ranges: Variable Zoom allows 25% of depth range to be displayed across the entire screen.

Pulselength and Sounding Rates: Automatically optimized for selected range.

Transmitter Power: Over 300 watts RMS (2,400 watts peak to peak) Surface Water Temperature: With optional speed/temperature upgrade kit installed, display

continuously indicates surface water temperature in tenths of a degree F from 32.0º to 99.9º F.

Power Requirements: 10.5 to 16 VDC, less than 0.5 Amp. Dimensions: 7.5”W x 5.5”H x 3.5”D Standard Equipment: Display unit, 12 VDC power cable with in-line fuse, mounting

bracket with knobs, operation manual and depth transducer w/ 34’ cable.

Specifications subject to change without notice.

Page 54

How to Obtain Service

If you feel your set is not operating properly, first refer to the sections of this manual on Troubleshooting and Interference Problems. This information solves the most common problems. If problems persist, please call Interphase Technical Service at (831) 477-4944 or send your unit in with the information below filled out.

If you do need to return your set, send it to the following address:

Service Department

Interphase Technologies, Inc. 2880 Research Park Drive, Suite 140 Soquel, CA 95073

In addition, to speed your repair please fill out the following, tear this page out of the manual (or photocopy it), and tape it to your unit for our technicians to review. For fastest warranty service, include a copy of your purchase receipt to verify the purchase date.

RETURN TO:

(City) (State) (Zip)

(Your Name)

(Street Address - No P.O. Boxes Please)

Daytime Telephone: ( ) Evening Telephone: ( )

Model: Sea Scout Serial #:

Purchase Date / /

Type of transducer: Transom mount Thru-Hull Other

Please describe the problems you are having with the unit in as much detail as possible in the space below. Please use another sheet of paper if necessary.

Page 55

Interphase Technologies, Inc.

5 Year Limited Warranty

Any unit that fails during the first year of the warranty period will, at Interphase’ option, be repaired or replaced at no charge to the customer provided it is returned to Interphase, freight prepaid with proof of date of purchase and a description of the malfunction. Repair or replacement during the warranty period will not extend the basic warranty period.

From the second through the fifth year, Interphase will, at its option, repair or replace defective units for a fixed fee. This fee will be set at the beginning of each year. More information about the fixed rate repair fee is available by calling Interphase at (831) 477-4944 or visit our website at: www.interphase-tech.com.

This warranty does not apply to an Interphase product that has failed due to improper installation, misuse, or accident, nor does it apply to products which have been repaired or altered outside the Interphase factory.

Transducers, GPS antennas and Radar Antennas are subject to extreme conditions beyond control of the manufacturer and Interphase. Due to these conditions, the warranty on these components is limited to one year against defects in workmanship or materials. The fixed fee for years two through five of the warranty does not apply to these components. Any costs incurred with transducer or antenna replacement are specifically excluded from this warranty other than the cost of the components themselves.

This warranty does not include incidental or consequential damages and Interphase disclaims any liability for any such damages. All implied warranties, if any, are limited in duration to the above stated one year warranty period. Some states and provinces do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, therefore, the above limitations may not apply to you.

The completion and return of the enclosed Warranty Registration Card is a condition precedent to the warranty coverage. Owner must provide proof of date of purchase in order for warranty to be valid.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights which may vary from state to state and province to province. This warranty is limited only to the original purchaser of the unit.