Lowrance electronic iFINDER Expedition C User Manual

www.lowrance.com

Pub. 988-0160-011

Mapping GPS & MP3 Player

Operation Instructions

Copyright © 2006 Lowrance Electronics, Inc.

All rights reserved.

No part of this manual may be copied, reproduced, republished,
transmitted or distributed for any purpose, without prior written
consent of Lowrance. Any unauthorized commercial distribution
of this manual is strictly prohibited.

®

iFINDER

and Lowrance® are registered trademarks of Lowrance

Electronics, Inc. Expedition™c is a trademark of Lowrance Electronics,
Inc. MapCreate™, FreedomMaps™ and NauticPath™ are trademarks of
LEI. Fishing Hot Spots
Inc. LakeMaster

®

trademarks of Waypoint Technologies, Inc. Navionics
trademark of Navionics, Inc. DURACELL
Duracell, Inc. RAYOVAC
Corporation. Energizer

®

is a registered trademark of Fishing Hot Spots

and ProMaps are trademarks or registered

®

®

is a registered trademark of Rayovac

®

and e2® are registered trademarks of Energizer

is a registered trademark of

®

is a registered

Holdings, Inc.

Points of Interest Data in this unit are by infoUSA,
copyright © 2001-2005, All Rights Reserved. infoUSA is a
trademark of infoUSA, Inc.

eXitSource Database, copyright © 2001-2005 Zenrin Co.
Ltd. Exit Authority™ and eXitSource™ are trademarks of
Zenrin Co. Ltd.

Lowrance Electronics may find it necessary to change or end our
policies, regulations and special offers at any time. We reserve the right
to do so without notice. All features and specifications subject to change
without notice. All screens in this manual are simulated. This manual
was written for software version 1.0.0.

For free owner's manuals and the most current information on

this product, its operation and accessories,

visit our web site:

www.lowrance.com

Lowrance Electronics Inc.

12000 E. Skelly Dr.

Tulsa, OK USA 74128-2486

Printed in USA.

Table of Contents

Section 1: Read Me First! ......................................................... 1

Specifications:................................................................................ 2

How the iFINDER Expedition™c Works..................................... 4

Introduction to GPS, WAAS and EGNOS ................................... 6

How to use this manual: typographical conventions .................. 8

Arrow Keys ................................................................................ 8

Keyboard .................................................................................... 8

Menu Commands....................................................................... 8

Instructions = Menu Sequences ............................................... 9

Section 2: Installation & Accessories.................................. 11

Power............................................................................................ 11

Batteries....................................................................................... 11

Battery Installation................................................................. 12

Cigarette Lighter Power Adapter .............................................. 13

NMEA Cable Connections .......................................................... 13

MMC or SD Memory Card Installation ..................................... 14

Mapping Resources ..................................................................... 15

External Antenna........................................................................ 16

R-A-M

Other Accessories ........................................................................ 18

Section 3: Easy Mode Operation .......................................... 19

Keypad ......................................................................................... 19

Power/lights on and off ............................................................... 20

Main Menu................................................................................... 20

Pages ............................................................................................ 21

Easy Mode Quick Reference ................................................. 28

Find Your Current Position........................................................ 29

Selecting Any Map Item with the Cursor.................................. 30

Searching ..................................................................................... 30

Set Home Waypoint .................................................................... 32

Set Man Overboard (MOB) Waypoint........................................ 33

Navigate to Cursor Position on Map.......................................... 34

Navigate to a Point of Interest ................................................... 35

Creating and Saving a Trail ....................................................... 35

Navigating or Backtracking a Trail ........................................... 36

®

Bracket Mounting Systems .......................................... 17

Satellite Status Page............................................................... 21

Navigation Page ...................................................................... 22

Map Page ................................................................................. 24

Navigate Back to MOB Waypoint .......................................... 33

Displaying a Saved Trail ........................................................ 36

Visual Back Trailing ............................................................... 36

Navigate a Back Trail ............................................................. 36

i

Clearing a Trail ....................................................................... 38

Transfer Custom Maps and GPS Data Files ............................. 38

Switch to Advanced Mode........................................................... 40

Section 4: Advanced Mode Operation................................. 41

Keypad ......................................................................................... 41

Power/lights on and off ............................................................... 42

Main Menu................................................................................... 42

Pages ............................................................................................ 43

Satellite Status Page............................................................... 43

Status Menu ............................................................................ 44

Digital Data Page .................................................................... 44

Digital Data Menu................................................................... 45

Navigation Page ...................................................................... 45

Navigation Menu..................................................................... 46

Music Mode Page..................................................................... 46

Map Page ................................................................................. 47

Map Menu ................................................................................ 48

Find Distance to Another Location ............................................ 48

Find Distance from Point to Point ............................................. 48

Find Your Current Position........................................................ 49

Icons ............................................................................................. 49

Create Icon on Map ............................................................. 49

Create Icon at Current Position ......................................... 50

Delete an Icon .......................................................................... 50

Load GPS Data Files from an MMC .......................................... 50

Navigate....................................................................................... 51

Navigate Back Home............................................................... 51

Navigate Back to Man Overboard Waypoint......................... 51

Cancel Navigation ................................................................... 52

Navigate a Route ..................................................................... 52

Navigate to Cursor Position on Map...................................... 52

Navigate to Point of Interest (POI) ........................................ 52

Navigate to a Waypoint .......................................................... 52

Navigate a Trail ...................................................................... 53

Routes .......................................................................................... 54

Create and Save a Route ........................................................ 54

PC-created Routes ............................................................... 54

Delete a Route ......................................................................... 56

Save GPS Data Files to an MMC ............................................... 56

Searching ..................................................................................... 56

Trails ............................................................................................ 58

Create and Save a Trail .......................................................... 58

Delete a Trail ........................................................................... 58

ii

Edit a Trail Name ................................................................... 59

Edit a Trail Color .................................................................... 59

Edit a Trail Pattern................................................................. 59

Transfer Custom Maps and GPS Data Files ............................. 59

Utilities ........................................................................................ 60

Sun/Moon Calculation............................................................. 60

Trip Calculator ........................................................................ 61

Alarm Clock ............................................................................. 61

Down Timer ............................................................................. 61

Up Timer.................................................................................. 61

Trip Calculator ............................................................................ 61

Trip Active ............................................................................... 61

Reset Trip................................................................................. 61

Threshold ................................................................................. 61

Calculated Data....................................................................... 61

Speed, Average Speed and Max Speed .............................. 62

Trip Time and Trip Distance .............................................. 62

Weather Prediction (barometer) ................................................ 62

Interpreting Weather Information......................................... 63

Sleep Mode............................................................................... 65

Waypoints .................................................................................... 66

Create Waypoint on Map .................................................... 66

Create Waypoint at Current Position ................................ 66

Create a Man Overboard Waypoint ................................... 66

Create a Waypoint by Average Position ............................ 66

Create a Waypoint by Projecting a Position ...................... 67

Select a Waypoint.................................................................... 67

Delete a Waypoint ................................................................... 67

Edit a Waypoint....................................................................... 68

Waypoint Name ................................................................... 68

Waypoint Symbol................................................................. 68

Waypoint Position ............................................................... 68

Waypoint Altitude ............................................................... 68

Waypoint Audio Note .......................................................... 69

Section 5: System & GPS Setup Options ............................ 71

Alarms.......................................................................................... 71

Auto Satellite Search .................................................................. 72

Check MMC Files and Storage Space........................................ 73

Com Port Configuration.............................................................. 73

Configure NMEA......................................................................... 74

Use WAAS/EGNOS ..................................................................... 75

Coordinate System ...................................................................... 75

Map Fix .................................................................................... 77

iii

Customize Page Displays............................................................ 78

Customize Digital Data Page ................................................. 78

Customize Navigation Page.................................................... 79

Customize Map Page............................................................... 79

External Passive Antenna ...................................................... 79

GPS Simulator............................................................................. 80

Map Auto Zoom ........................................................................... 81

Scouting ....................................................................................... 81

Map Data ..................................................................................... 83

Popup Map Information.......................................................... 83

Draw Map Boundaries ............................................................ 83

Fill Water with White ............................................................. 83

Map Overlays (Range Rings, Lat/Long Grid) ........................ 84

Map Datum Selection.................................................................. 84

Map Detail Category Selection................................................... 85

Map Orientation.......................................................................... 86

NauticPath™ USA Marine Charts............................................. 87

Nautical Chart Notes .............................................................. 87

Port Information...................................................................... 88

Tidal Current Information...................................................... 89

Tide Information ..................................................................... 91

Navionics

®

Charts ....................................................................... 92

Pop-up Help ................................................................................. 93

Reset Options............................................................................... 94

Screen Contrast and Brightness ................................................ 94

Set Language ............................................................................... 96

Set Local Time ............................................................................. 96

Software Version Information .................................................... 97

Sounds and Alarm Sound Styles ................................................ 98

Track Smoothing ......................................................................... 99

Trail Options................................................................................ 99

General Trail Options ....................................................... 100

Update Trail Option.............................................................. 100

Update Trail Criteria ............................................................ 101

Trail Update Rate.................................................................. 101

Specific Trail Options........................................................ 101

Delete Trail ............................................................................ 101

New Trail ............................................................................... 101

Trail Visible/Invisible and Other Trail Options.................. 102

Units of Measure ....................................................................... 102

Section 6: Searching.............................................................. 105

Selected Item ............................................................................. 106

Destination ................................................................................ 106

iv

Recent Finds .............................................................................. 107

Current Route............................................................................ 107

Find Addresses .......................................................................... 108

Find Home Waypoint ................................................................ 110

Find Interstate Highway Exits ................................................ 110

Find Map Places or Points of Interest (POI) ........................... 111

Find Streets or Intersections.................................................... 113

Find Waypoints (Advanced Mode only) ................................... 116

Section 7: Music Mode .......................................................... 119

The Music Mode Display .......................................................... 119

Play Control Buttons............................................................. 120

Launch Music Browser ......................................................... 120

Music Mode Practice Run.................................................... 122

Play Lists ................................................................................... 123

Getting Music onto the iFINDER ........................................ 123

The Music Menu........................................................................ 123

Use Indoors................................................................................ 124

Sounds Menu ............................................................................. 124

Shuffle (On/Off) ..................................................................... 124

Repeat (On/Off)...................................................................... 124

Section 8: Supplemental Material ..................................... 125

v

A CAREFUL NAVIGATOR NEVER RELIES ON ONLY ONE METHOD
TO OBTAIN POSITION INFORMATION.

When showing navigation data to a position (waypoint), a GPS unit will show
the shortest, most direct path to the waypoint. It provides navigation data to the
waypoint regardless of obstructions. Therefore, the prudent navigator will not
only take advantage of all available navigation tools when traveling to a way­point, but will also visually check to make sure a clear, safe path to the waypoint
is always available.

When a GPS unit is used in a vehicle, the vehicle operator is solely re­sponsible for operating the vehicle in a safe manner. Vehicle operators
must maintain full surveillance of all pertinent driving, boating or flying
conditions at all times. An accident or collision resulting in damage to
property, personal injury or death could occur if the operator of a GPS­equipped vehicle fails to pay full attention to travel conditions and vehi­cle operation while the vehicle is in motion.

WARNING!

CAUTION

WARNING!

vi

Section 1: Read Me First!

How this manual can get you out on the road, fast!

Welcome to the exciting world of GPS satellite navigation! We know
you're anxious to begin finding your way with this hand-held technol­ogy, but we have a favor to ask. Before you grab the batteries and head
outside, please give us a moment or two to explain how our manual can
help you get the best performance from this remarkable little GPS unit.

First, we want to thank you for buying an iFINDER
Whether you're a first-time user or a professional navigator, you'll dis­cover that the iFINDER is a true pocket-sized, full-featured mapping
GPS receiver. When you team an iFINDER with one of our specialized
maps or our custom mapping software MapCreate™ 6, you have an in­credible combination. No other consumer GPS mapping system on the
market offers so much information and so many features in one pack­age.

Our goal for this book is to get you on the road or out to the woods and
water fast, with a minimum of fuss. Like you, we'd rather spend more
time traveling and less time reading the manual!

So, we designed our book so that you don't have to read the whole thing
from front to back for the information you want. At the start (or end) of
each segment, we'll tell you what content is coming up next. If it's a
concept you're already familiar with, we'll show you how and where to
skip ahead for the next important topic. We've also made it easy to look
up any tips you may need from time to time. Here's how:

Expedition™c.

The manual is organized into seven sections. This first section is an
introduction to Lowrance GPS. It tells you the basics you need to know
before you can make the unit look around and tell you where you are.

Section 2 will help you get the batteries and MultiMedia Card (MMC)
correctly installed in your iFINDER. We'll also tell you about some of
the accessories available for your unit.

Section 3 is the heart of our book, Easy Mode Operation. It will intro­duce you to the basic GPS functions. We lead off this section with a
one-page Easy Mode Quick Reference. (If you've already figured out

how to load the batteries yourself, and you just can't wait any
longer, turn to the Quick Reference on page 28 and head out­side with your iFINDER!)

1

The rest of Section 3 contains short, easy-to-scan lessons that follow
one another in chronological order. They're all you'll need to know to
find your way on the water or in the wilderness quickly.

Easy Mode operation will meet the navigation needs of many users.
But, after you've learned the basics (or if you already have some GPS
experience), you may want to try out some of the iFINDER's many ad­vanced navigation features. That brings us to Section 4, Advanced
Mode Operation. After we introduce the Advanced Mode menus and
submenus, this section contains the rest of the iFINDER's command
functions, organized in alphabetical order.

When you come to a GPS menu command on the iFINDER screen, you can
look it up in the manual by skimming over the table of contents, flipping
through Section 3 or scanning through the command portion of Section 4.

The iFINDER is ready to use right out of the box, but you can fine tune
and customize its operation with dozens of options. We describe how to
use general system options along with GPS options in Section 5, System
Setup and GPS Setup Options. This section covers both Easy Mode and
Advanced Mode options.

In Section 6, we go into more detail on one of the iFINDER's most re­markable capabilities — Searching. We'll introduce a couple of search
examples in both the Easy and Advanced mode sections, but there are
so many map items you can search for, we had to give this function its
own section in the manual! For example, did you know the iFINDER
can look up business phone numbers, functioning as a virtual Yellow
Pages? We’ll show you how in Section 6.

Finally, in Section 7, we offer Supplemental Material, including a list of
the GPS datums used, warranties, and customer service information.

Now, if you are into the fine details, glance over the next segment on
specifications to see how much GPS power you hold in your hand. It's
important to us (and our power users), but if you don't care how many
waypoints the iFINDER can store or how long the batteries last, skip
ahead to important information on how the iFINDER works, on page 4.

Specifications: iFINDER Expedition™c

General

Display: ............................2.83" (7.18 cm) diagonal color TFT display.

Resolution: ......................320 pixel x 240 pixel resolution; 256 color

screen

Backlighting: ..................White LED screen backlighting for night and

low-light viewing.

2

Input power:...................... 3 volts DC (two 1.5v AA batteries); operates up

to 12 hours on batteries when using one­second position updates (longer update rates
further extend battery life, but will reduce
GPS accuracy). Cigarette lighter adapter in­cluded.

Case size: .........................5.6" H x 2.5" W x 0.9" D (142 x 65 x 25 mm);

water resistant to IPX-7 standards.

Weight: ................................. 8.48 ounces (242 grams) with alkaline batteries.

GPS

Receiver:..........................Internal, 16 parallel channel

GPS+WAAS+EGNOS; external active or passive
antennas optional.

Active Antenna

Voltage: ............................3 volts DC.

Recording: ....................... Removable MMC or SD memory cards for

recording GPS trip details, displaying cus­tom maps, adding audio notes to waypoints,
upgrading operating system software and
transferring trip data to personal computer
without a slow serial connection.

MMC slots:.......................One, inside battery compartment. Accepts

non-proprietary MMC or SD memory cards.

Background map: ..........Built-in custom, detailed Lowrance map.

Contains: low-detail maps of the whole world
(containing cities, major lakes, major rivers,
political boundaries); and medium-detail
maps of the United States (containing all in­corporated cities; Interstate, U.S. and state
highways; Interstate highway exits and exit
services information; large- and medium­sized lakes and streams.)

Custom mapping:...........Accepts custom, higher-detail MapCreate™ 6

mapping on memory cards, with searchable
Points-of Interest database of hotels, restau­rants, shopping, services and more. Nau­ticPath™ USA, Fishing HotSpots
FreedomMaps™, LakeMaster
Navionics

®

charts are optional.

®

Elite,

®

ProMaps and

Mapping memory: .........Up to 1 GB on one MMC (MultiMedia Card)

3

or SD (Secure Digital Card.)

Position updates:...........Up to every second.

Position points: .............. 1,000 waypoints; 1,000 event marker icons.

Graphic symbols for
waypoints or event

marker icons:..................42.

Routes: .............................100; up to 100 waypoints per route.

Plot Trails:.......................99 savable; up to 9,999 points per trail.

Man Overboard: ............. MOB feature precisely marks man overboard

location with special icon, then automatically
displays navigation data to that position.

Audible alarms:..............Arrival/off-course/destination passed/anchor.

Com Port:.........................One serial communications port, NMEA

0183 version 2.0 compatible. Allows ex­change of position data with another device,
such as an autopilot or personal computer.
Optional combination serial/power cable
available.

Zoom range: .................... 40 ranges; 0.02 to 4,000 miles.

NOTE:

The above memory capacities refer only to the iFINDER's on-board
memory. The amount of GPS data you can record and save for re­call later is only limited by the number of MMC cards you have.

How the iFINDER ExpeditionC Works

You'll navigate faster and easier if you understand how the iFINDER
scans the sky to tell you where you are on the earth — and, where
you're going. (But if you already have a working understanding of GPS
receivers and the GPS navigation system, skip on ahead to Section 2,
Installation & Accessories on page 11. If you're new to GPS, read on,
and you can later impress your friends with your new-found knowl­edge.)

Think of your iFINDER as a small but powerful computer. (But don't
worry — we made it easy to use, so you don't need to be a computer ex­pert to find your way!) The iFINDER includes a keypad and a screen
with menus so you can tell it what to do. This pocket-sized unit also
contains an antenna and specialized scanning receiver, similar to a car
radio. But instead of your favorite dance tunes, this receiver tunes in a
couple of dozen GPS satellites circling the earth. The iFINDER listens
to signals from as many satellites as it can see above the horizon, elimi-

4

nates the weakest signals, then computes its location in relation to the
remaining satellites. Once the iFINDER figures its latitude and longitude,
it plots that position on the moving map shown on the screen. While the
screen is updated once a second, your iFINDER is making these internal
calculations and determining its position several times a second!

The performance doesn't stop there. Stored in the permanent memory of
each iFINDER is a basic background map of the entire world. We lock it in
at the factory — you can't change or close this map.

Another portion of the iFINDER's onboard memory is devoted to re-
cording GPS navigation information, which includes waypoints, event
marker icons, trails and routes. This lets you look back the way you
came. Think of this data storage like the hard drive memory in a com­puter or a tape in a cassette tape recorder. You can save several differ­ent GPS data files, erase 'em and record new ones, over and over and
over again. Like any computer file, these GPS Data Files (file format
*.usr) can be shared between iFINDERs, other Lowrance GPS and so­nar/GPS combo units and even personal computers.

The iFINDER has one more thing in common with a personal com­puter. Just as computers have a floppy disk drive for storing and ex­changing files, the iFINDER has a slot for an MMC (MultiMedia Card)
or SD (Secure Digital) Card flash memory card. These solid-state mem­ory devices are about the size of a postage stamp, but can hold data
ranging from 8 MB to 1 GB. (Compare that to a floppy disk's 1.44 MB
capacity!) The iFINDER uses all that MMC space for two key purposes.

You can backup your onboard GPS Data Files by copying them to the
MMC. Since the MMC is removable (like a floppy disk or a cassette tape),
you can store these GPS Data Files on a personal computer equipped
with an MMC card reader. (Or store them on a pocketful of MMCs, if you
don't have a computer.) Our MapCreate mapping software can save, edit
and create its own GPS Data Files, which may be copied to the MMC and
then loaded from the MMC into the iFINDER's memory.

NOTE:

No matter where they come from, GPS Data Files must be loaded
from the MMC into memory before the iFINDER can use them.

The other key GPS use for MMCs is storage of special high-detail, cus­tom maps, which can be produced on a computer with our MapCreate
software. These MapCreate custom maps contain much greater detail
than the basic background map.

Custom Map Files (file format *.lcm) can also be shared between
iFINDERs, other Lowrance GPS or sonar/GPS units and personal com­puters.

5

You make your own Custom Map Files with our MapCreate software,
but you don't have to.

We also sell ready-to-use FreedomMaps™. These custom maps are pre­loaded on MMCs. (No computer work required!).

The iFINDER automatically reads Custom Map Files directly from the
MMC or SD Card. To use a custom map, all you need to do is slide an
MMC containing a map into the unit.

Introduction to GPS, WAAS and EGNOS

Well, now you know the basics of how the iFINDER does its work. You
might be ready to jump ahead to Section 2, Installation & Accessories,
on page 11, so you can install the batteries. Or you might want to see
how our text formatting makes the manual tutorials easy to skim. If
that's the case, move on to How to Use This Manual on page 8. But, if
you want to understand the current state of satellite navigation, look
over this segment describing how GPS and its new companions WAAS
and EGNOS work together to get you where you're going.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) was launched July 17, 1995 by
the United States Department of Defense. It was designed as a 24­hour-a-day, 365-days-a-year, all-weather global navigation system for
the armed forces of the U.S. and its allies. Civilian use was also avail­able at first, but it was less accurate because the military scrambled
the signal somewhat, using a process called Selective Availability (SA).

GPS proved so useful for civilian navigation that the federal govern­ment discontinued SA on May 2, 2000, after the military developed
other methods to deny GPS service to enemy forces. Reliable accuracy
for civilian users jumped from 100 meters (330 feet) under SA to the
present level of 10 to 20 meters (about 30 to 60 feet.)

Twenty-four satellites orbit 10,900 nautical miles above the Earth, pass­ing overhead twice daily. A series of ground stations (with precisely sur­veyed locations) controls the satellites and monitors their exact locations
in the sky. Each satellite broadcasts a low-power signal that identifies
the satellite and its position above the earth. Three of these satellites are
spares, unused until needed. The rest virtually guarantee that at least
four satellites are in view nearly anywhere on Earth at all times.

6

A minimum of three satellites are required to determine a 2D fix.

The system requires signal reception from three satellites in order to
determine a position. This is called a 2D fix. It takes four satellites to
determine both position and elevation (your height above sea level —
also called altitude). This is called a 3D fix.

Remember, the unit must have a clear view of the satellites in order to
receive their signals. Unlike radio or television signals, GPS works at
very high frequencies. These signals can be easily blocked by trees,
buildings, an automobile roof and even your body.

Like most GPS receivers, the iFINDER doesn’t have a compass or any
other navigation aid built inside. It relies solely on the signals from the
satellites to calculate a position. Speed, direction of travel, and distance
all are calculated from position information. Therefore, in order for the
iFINDER to determine direction of travel, you must be moving and the
faster, the better. This is not to say that it won’t work at walking or
trolling speeds — it will. There will be more "wandering" of the data
shown on the display.

GPS alone is plenty accurate for route navigation, but the U.S. Federal
Aviation Administration has special aircraft navigation needs that go
beyond basic GPS. Consequently, the FAA has developed a program to
boost GPS performance with its Wide Area Augmentation System
(WAAS). The FAA commissioned the system on July 11, 2003. EGNOS
(European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) is the European
equivalent of WAAS. Like WAAS, it was created to make GPS position
calculation more accurate.

WAAS is designed to increase GPS accuracy to within 7.6 meters vertically
and horizontally, but according to the FAA, it consistently comes within 1-2
meters horizontal and 2-3 meters vertical. It does this by broadcasting cor­rection signals on GPS frequencies. Your unit automatically receives
both GPS and WAAS signals.

7

There, however, are some fringe areas of the U.S., including parts of
Alaska, that do not yet receive robust WAAS coverage. Continued WAAS
development is planned to extend WAAS coverage in the years to come.

WAAS boosts the accuracy of land GPS navigation, but the system is
designed for aircraft. The satellites are in a fixed orbit around the
Equator, so they appear very low in the sky to someone on the ground
in North America. Aircraft and vessels on open water can get consis­tently good WAAS reception, but terrain, foliage or even large man-made
structures can sometimes block the WAAS signal from ground receivers.

You'll find that using your GPS receiver is both easy and amazingly
accurate. It’s easily the most accurate method of electronic navigation
available to the general public today. Remember that this receiver is
only a tool. Always have another method of navigation available, such
as a map or chart and a compass.

Also remember this unit will always show navigation information in
the shortest line from your present position to a waypoint, regardless of
terrain! It only calculates position. It can’t know what’s between you
and your destination. It’s up to you to safely navigate around obstacles,
no matter how you’re using this product.

How to use this manual: typographical conventions

Many instructions are listed as numbered steps. The keypad and arrow
"keystrokes" appear as boldface type. So, if you're in a real hurry (or
just need a reminder), you can skim the instructions and pick out what
menu command to use by finding the boldface command text. The fol­lowing paragraphs explain how to interpret text formatting for those
commands and other instructions:

Arrow Keys

The arrow keys control the movement of dotted crosshairs lines (the
cursor) on your mapping screen. The arrow keys also help you move
around the iFINDER menus so you can execute different commands.
They are represented by symbols like these, which denote the down
arrow key, the up arrow, the left arrow and the right arrow: ↓ ↑ ← →.

Keyboard

The other keys perform a variety of functions. When the text refers to a
key to press, the key is shown in bold, sans serif type. For example, the
"Enter/Save" key is shown as

Menu Commands

A menu command or a menu option will appear in small capital letters,
in a bold sans serif type like this:
are to select this command or option from a menu or take an action of

ENT and the "Menu" key is shown as MENU.

ADVANCED MODE. These indicate that you

8

some kind with the menu item. Text that you may need to enter or file
names you need to select are shown in italic type, such as trail name.

Instructions = Menu Sequences

Most functions you perform with the iFINDER are described as a se­quence of keystrokes and selecting menu commands. We've written
them in a condensed manner for quick and easy reading.

For example, instructions for backtracking a trail in Easy Mode would
look like this:

1. Press

MENU|↓ to NAVIGATE TRAIL|ENT.

2. Now, let the iFINDER guide you.

Translated into complete English, step 1 means: "Press the Menu key. Use
the down arrow key to scroll down and select (highlight) the Navigate
Trail command. Press the Enter key."

Also note that throughout this text, we will refer to the iFINDER Expe­ditionC as the iFINDER or as the unit.

9

Notes

10

Section 2:

Installation & Accessories

Power

The iFINDER operates from AA batteries or on 3 volts DC using an
optional external power cable with a cigarette lighter adapter. When
the power cable is used, the iFINDER automatically switches to exter­nal power. If the external power fails, the unit will switch to battery
power.

Flash memory will keep your stored data safe and accessible for the life
of the product. After the unit is turned off, no battery or external power
is needed to store your data.

Batteries

The unit requires two, 1.5-volt AA batteries. We recommend you use
alkaline batteries for the best trade-off between battery life and cost.
We recommend DURACELL
you're looking for an extended-life battery, the Duracell
tery has performed well in our tests.

You can also use rechargeable AA alkaline batteries, such as those
made by RAYOVAC

®

, or rechargeable AA nickel metal hydride (NiMH)
batteries. We do not recommend nickel cadmium (NiCd) rechargeable
batteries because we tend to get poor battery life from them.

Rechargeable alkaline batteries will not last as long as standard alka­line batteries. Rechargeable NiMH batteries, however, should give you
suitable battery life.

Lithium batteries are lighter than alkaline, and with some brands of
lithium batteries, the iFINDER ExpeditionC will float. We've tested it
using Energizer

®

®

2

e

lithium batteries and it remained afloat.

NOTE:

The battery gauge on the Satellite Status Page may not read accu­rately with some battery brands because discharge rates can vary
significantly. This is especially true for rechargeables. This battery
gauge was calibrated for alkaline batteries.

Do not mix different battery types. Mixing battery types may cause leak­age. (For example, don’t use both alkaline and NiMH batteries at the
same time, and don't use standard alkalines with rechargeable alkalines.)

®

brand, but other brands will work. If

®

ULTRA bat-

11

Battery Installation

Turn the unit over so that the back is facing you. With your thumb or
nail, pull back on the small clip to release the battery cover latch as
shown in the following images. Once the latch is released, pull the bat­tery cover out of the grooves in the bottom of the case.

Remove the iFINDER battery cover.

Install the batteries according to the embossed signs in the battery com­partment. They show the correct polarity. Point the positive pole of the
upper battery to the left; point the positive pole of the bottom battery to
the right.

NOTE:

Inside the battery compartment is a rotating MMC card lock. The
grip on this lock must be turned parallel with the direction of the
batteries for them to fit properly.

Replace the battery compartment cover. First, align the latch tabs at the
bottom of the cover with the slots at the case's base. Press the cover into
place, then firmly push up on the clip at the top of the cover until it
latches in place. There is usually an audible click when the latch engages.

Replace battery compartment cover. Align tabs with slots

in the base (left). Press latch firmly until it clicks (right).

12

Cigarette Lighter Power Adapter

To use external DC power, plug the power cable's cigarette lighter
adapter into a cigarette lighter receptacle. Next, pull aside the rubber
cover on the bottom of the unit and insert the other connector as shown
in the following image. A small clip on the connector should hold the
connector in place.

Attach external power cable to the iFINDER.

WARNING:

Do not remove the cigarette lighter adapter and splice
the exposed wires directly to a 12-volt power system.
The cigarette lighter adapter contains in the plug a pro­tective fuse and a voltage regulator to convert 12 volts
down to about 3 volts. Without this regulator, connect­ing your unit to a 12-volt power source will destroy the
unit. This damage will not be covered by your warranty.

The iFINDER can use two other optional external cables to supply a
NMEA/serial data connection or a combination of power and data. These
cables are discussed in the following segment on NMEA connections.

NMEA Cable Connections

NMEA is a standard communications format for marine electronic
equipment. For example, an autopilot can connect to the NMEA interface
on this unit and receive positioning information. The unit can exchange
information with any device that transmits or receives NMEA 0183 data.

To exchange NMEA data, Lowrance offers an optional data only cable
and a power/data combo cable:

The PC-DI7 is a NMEA/serial communications cable. It has a standard
female DB-9 connector on one end to attach your unit to a computer's
serial communications port.

The PC-DI8 combines a cigarette lighter power adapter with a DB-9
plug for a NMEA/serial com port connection to a laptop computer or

13

other device. This is our favorite cable for connecting the iFINDER Ex­peditionC to a laptop computer in a RV or other vehicle. By transmit­ting NMEA data to the computer, you can get live position data for
GPS-compatible mapping software.

You can also run one of our free Lowrance GPS emulators on your lap­top and operate it with real-time position information.

To use it, plug the power adapter into a cigarette lighter socket, plug
the DB-9 connector into a serial port on the computer and attach the
cable to the iFINDER. Then see "Com Port Configuration" in Sec. 5.

MMC or SD Memory Card Installation

Your iFINDER uses a MultiMedia Card to store information, such as
custom maps, waypoints and other GPS data. The unit can also use
Secure Digital Cards (SD cards) to store information.

NOTE:

Throughout this manual, we will use the term MMC, but just re­member your unit can use an MMC or SD card to store data.

Both of these solid-state flash memory devices are about the size of a
postage stamp. A SD card is slightly thicker than an MMC. As this
manual went to press, MMC and SD cards were available in storage
capacities of up to 1 GB.

Additional MMC cards are available from LEI Extras. See ordering in­formation inside the back cover of this manual. MMCs and SD cards
are also available at many consumer electronics stores.

The MMC slot is located in the battery compartment, beneath the bat­teries on the right side of the unit. The contact pins are springy, to
make it easier to insert and remove a MMC card.

To remove an MMC

1. Remove battery compartment cover.

2. Remove batteries, if present.

3. Hold unit facedown in right hand. Use your thumb or index finger
and press down on the center of the MMC label.

14

Remove an MMC Card.

4. Drag the MMC from the slot into the battery compartment.

5. Turn the iFINDER face up and give it a shake to dump the MMC
into your hand or onto a work surface.

To add an MMC or SDC

1. Remove battery compartment cover.

2. Remove batteries, if present.

3. Hold unit facedown in right hand. Drop the MMC card into the slot,
label-up, with the notched edge toward the right.

4. Press down on the center of the label and slide the card to the right.

Add an MMC Card.

5. Turn the plastic rotating card lock until it holds the card firmly in
place with the grip parallel to the direction of the batteries.

6. Replace the batteries and battery cover.

Mapping Resources

The iFINDER Expedition™c works with FreedomMaps™, NauticPath™
USA, Fishing Hot Spots
charts.

FreedomMaps are pre-made custom maps that cover multiple states,
provinces, countries or other geographic regions on a single memory card.

®

Elite, LakeMaster® ProMaps and Navionics®

15

They give you all the features found in our MapCreate™ mapping soft­ware, but without the necessity of using a computer. FreedomMaps are
available for the United States, Canada and Europe.

Like custom maps built in MapCreate, the custom map on a FreedomMap
card contains all of these features: rivers/lakes/tributaries; more than
60,000 critical navigation aids; more than 10,000 wrecks/obstructions in
coastal and Great Lakes waters; interstate/federal/state highways; inter­state exit services; searchable Points-of-Interest (POI) database including:
airports, hotels, restaurants, entertainment, emergency services; rural
roads and city streets; cities and towns; railways; key landmarks; search­able street intersections and street addresses; national parks and forests
with boundaries; wildlife preserves; and more!

NauticPath charts offer the highest level of offshore/coastal navigation
detail and information pre-loaded on a digital mapping card. Nau­ticPath has electronic charts covering the East and West coasts, Ha­waii, the Gulf Coast, Alaska, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and US Virgin
Islands — all on one memory card!

Fishing Hot Spots Elite provides superb coverage of more than 2,000 of
America's premier inland fishing lakes. The mapping detail, which in­cludes depth contour lines and excellent shoreline detail, is preloaded
onto one of four digital mapping cards.

LakeMaster ProMaps are high definition maps loaded on plug-and-play
digital media cards. The cards cover Minnesota and Wisconsin.

FreedomMaps, NauticPath charts, Fishing Hot Spots Elite and Lake­Master ProMaps are available through LEI-Extras. To order a card (or
for list of areas available) see ordering information in the back of this
manual or visit the LEI web site at www.lei-extras.com. The iFINDER
also supports Navionics charts, which may be ordered at the Navionics
web site.

External Antenna

A GPS antenna requires a clear view of the sky for optimum operation.
Inside a vehicle, your iFINDER can sometimes maintain satellite lock
while sitting on the seat beside you, but we don't recommend this for
optimum performance.

Since the view is restricted to what can be seen through the windows,
this operating mode will reduce position accuracy and will increase the
chance of losing satellite lock. Inside a vehicle, the unit operates best
with an optional external antenna mounted on the windshield, on the
dash or on top of the vehicle.

16

The optional external antenna can use a magnetic base that allows
temporary mounting on any flat ferrous metal surface. A suction-cup
mount allows you to attach the antenna to a windshield.

The iFINDER ExpeditionC can use the passive FA-8 antenna or the
active RAA-3 antenna. The active antenna offers a further performance
boost by amplifying the satellite signals it receives. This is especially
helpful when operating in areas like dense forests, which can obstruct
GPS signals. Your unit will automatically switch between the active
RAA-3 and its internal antenna (located in the top of the case). If you
purchase the passive FA-8, you must use a menu check box to manu­ally switch between it and the internal antenna. See the topic "Exter­nal Passive Antenna" in Sec. 5.

Attach the iFINDER antenna to windshield bracket with two screws.

You may achieve good results by placing the external antenna on the
top of the dash, at the base of the windshield. A piece of the rubber
non-skid shelf liner material available in recreational vehicle supply
stores will also help hold the antenna in place.

To use the antenna: Mount it in a location with an unobstructed view of
the sky. Plug the connector into the unit's antenna socket, located on
the back, in the upper left corner of the case.

R-A-M® Bracket Mounting Systems

Several R-A-M® mounting brackets are available for your iFINDER.
There are permanent mounts and temporary mounts suitable for virtu­ally any boat, aircraft, vehicle, even motorcycle handlebars.

17

Two R-A-M mounting systems for your unit.

One model has a mounting arm and cradle attached to a swivel ball
plate that can be screwed or bolted to a supporting surface. Another
has a moldable, weighted, rubber foot and gooseneck for support virtu­ally anywhere without screws or adhesives. R-A-M even has suction
cup bases for attachment to windscreens or fiberglass surfaces. See
your Lowrance dealer or visit the LEI web site for the latest options.
Accessory ordering information is on the inside back cover of this man­ual. For a complete look at the many mounting options, visit the R-A-M
web site at www.ram-mount.com.

Other Accessories

Other iFINDER accessories include MMC cards, MMC card readers and
MapCreate™ 6 custom mapping software for your computer. (The
iFINDER ExpeditionC Plus model ships with the GPS Accessory Pack,
which is composed of the MapCreate CDs, the card reader and one mem­ory card.)

If these accessories are not available from your dealer, see the acces­sory ordering information on the inside back cover of this manual.

MapCreate™ 6 CD-ROM and MMC card reader for USB ports.

18

Section 3:

Easy Mode Operation

This section addresses Easy Mode operation for the iFINDER's main
GPS functions. The principles are the same in both operating modes, so
this discussion also serves as a good introduction to Advanced Mode
work.

Before you turn on the iFINDER, it's a good idea to learn about the dif­ferent keys, the three Page screens and how they all work together.
BUT, if you just can't wait to get outside, grab the batteries and turn to
the one-page Quick Reference on page 28.

Keypad

2

3

1

iFINDER ExpeditionC keypad.

1. PWR/LIGHT – The PWR key turns the unit on and off and activates
the backlight.

2. PAGES – Pressing this key switches the unit between four page
screens in Easy Mode. (Satellite, Navigation, Compass and Map.) Each
page represents one of the unit's major operation modes.

3. MENU – Press this key to show the menus, which allow you to select
or adjust a feature from a list.

4. ARROW KEYS – These keys are used to navigate through the
menus, make menu selections, move the map cursor and enter data.

5. ENT – The enter key allows you to save data, accept values or exe­cute menu commands.

4

8

9

7

6

5

19

6. EXIT – The Exit key lets you return to the previous screen, clear
data or close a menu.

7. FIND – The Find key launches the iFINDER search menus and
some navigation functions.

8. ZOUT – (Zoom Out) – This key lets you zoom out the screen to see a
larger geographic are on the map. Less detail is seen as you zoom out.

9. ZIN – (Zoom In) – This key lets you zoom in the screen to see greater
detail in a smaller geographic area on the map.

Power/lights on and off

To turn on the unit, press PWR. To turn on the backlight, press PWR
again. Pressing
message or alarm displays.

Turn off the unit by pressing and holding the

PWR again will turn off the backlight. Press EXIT to

PWR key for 3 seconds.

Main Menu

Easy Mode has a single Main Menu, which contains function and setup
option commands. The lessons in this section will deal only with functions
— the basic commands that make the iFINDER do something. The
iFINDER will work fine for these lessons with the factory default settings.
But, if you want to learn about the various options, see Sec. 5, System
Setup and GPS Setup Options.

Main Menu, Easy Mode.

The Main Menu commands and their functions are:

Go To Cursor: navigates to the current cursor position on the map

Cancel Navigation: turns off the navigation command after you have

reached your destination.

20

Screen: changes the contrast or brightness of the display screen and
backlight delay.

Sounds: enables or disables the sounds for key strokes and alarms and
sets the alarm style.

Navigate Trail: sets up navigation back to the start of the current
trail.

Clear Trail: clears all the points stored in the plot trail.

Sun/Moon: finds the rising and setting time of the sun and the moon.

Units of Measure: allows users to change units for Speed/Distance,

Time, Date, Heading, Altitude, Depth and Pressure.

Set Local Time: sets the time for your local time zone.

Advanced Mode: used to switch from Easy Mode to Advanced Mode.

Easy Mode shows only the most commonly used features to simplify the
interface and simplify operation.

Transfer My Data: load or save GPS Data Files containing waypoints,
routes, trails and event marker icons.

Software Information: shows the product name and software version
of the unit's operating system software, as well as copyright notices.

Pages

Easy Mode has a three page display. They are Satellite Status Page,
Navigation Page and Map Page. The pages are accessed by pressing the

PAGES key. Pressing PAGES repeatedly scrolls through the three

screens in an endless loop.

Satellite Status Page

The Satellite Status page, shown in the following images, provides de­tailed information on the status of the iFINDER's satellite lock-on and
position acquisition. To get to the Satellite Status Page, press
repeatedly until it appears on the screen.

No matter what page you are on, a flashing current position indica­tor/question mark symbol and flashing GPS data displays indicate sat­ellite lock has been lost and there is no position confirmed. This page
shows you the quality and accuracy of the current satellite lock-on and
position calculation.

WARNING:

Do not begin navigating with this unit until the numbers
have stopped flashing!

PAGES

21

Satellite Status Page.

This screen shows a graphical view of the satellites that are in view.
Each satellite is shown on the circular chart relative to your position.
The point in the center of the chart is directly overhead. The small in­ner ring represents 45° above the horizon and the large ring represents
the horizon. North is at the top of the screen. If you hold the unit facing
north, you can use it to see which satellites are obstructed by obstacles
in your immediate area. The GPS receiver is tracking satellites that
are in bold type. The receiver hasn't locked onto a satellite if the num­ber is grayed out, which means it isn't being used to resolve the posi­tion.

Beneath the circular graph are the bar graphs, one for each satellite in
view. Since the unit has 16 channels, it can dedicate one channel per
visible satellite. The taller the bar on the graph, the better the unit is
receiving signals from the satellite.

The Estimated Position Error (EPE), shown above the bar graphs, is
the expected error from a benchmark location. In other words, if the
EPE shows 50 feet, then the position shown by the unit is estimated to
be within 50 feet of the actual location. This also gives you an indicator
of the fix quality the unit currently has. The smaller the position error
number, the more accurate the fix. If the position error flashes dashes,
then the unit hasn't locked onto the satellites and the number shown
isn't valid.

Navigation Page

At the center of the Navigation Page is a compass rose. It shows direc­tion of travel and the direction to a recalled waypoint. When you're not
navigating to a waypoint or destination, the navigation screen looks
like the one in the following image. No graphic course information is
displayed. Your position is shown by an arrow in the center of the

22