Setting Up Lowrance Hds Units

[win222]

I currently have 2 HDS units on my boat with the structure scan, and the ethernet connections.

I'm having a hard time adjusting all the setting to see fish or struture on the displays.

Can someone tell me what to set every setting to, to fix this?

I mainly fish 5 to 20 feet of water, and its usually muddy and weedy.

I have a built in tranducer on the TM, a shoot-thru hull in back, and the structure scan mounted on the jackplate.

I can select which transducer to use on either unit, just to verify one isn't bad, or properly installed, but I can't see any fish, or maybe I don't know what to look for?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Todd Driscoll]

2D sonar - First, make sure you have the current software (Gen1 - 4.1.36.68; Gen2 - 1.1.39.38). Check your version at Menu, Menu, System, About. Recent updates have focused on enhancing sonar returns. Sonar Auto mode works very well. Keep the unit in 200 kHz. Under sonar settings, select Shallow Water (for our purposes this is water < 60 feet deep) and set scroll speed to normal. Also, under Installation select your appropriate transducer. Under Sonar Menu, I run Ping Speed at 18. Colorline I like at 85. For shallow water, especially around grass, I prefer color palette 1. For deeper water (> 15 feet) or with lakes void of grass, I like palette 13. This was called bottom color tracking in the older units, helps separate fish from the bottom/cover, and also shows hard bottoms/shell beds better.

StructureScan - In typical freshwater depths ( < 30 feet), your sidescan range will work best set at 2-3X the depth. 60-80 feet is where mine is most of the time, but I am primarily using sidescan in 15-30 feet. When in 15 feet or less, use a range of 60 feet or less. Range can be operated in either Auto or Manual – I prefer Manual. At times, Auto Range adjusts range too high preventing you from seeing good detail. Keep your frequency at 800 kHz. I prefer contrast between 65-80, with less contrast in shallow water and greater contrast in deep water. I also like the default color palette 6.

[Triton Bob]

Thanks Todd that helped me out as well

Bob

[dag623]

2D sonar - First, make sure you have the current software (Gen1 - 4.1.36.68; Gen2 - 1.1.39.38). Check your version at Menu, Menu, System, About. Recent updates have focused on enhancing sonar returns. Sonar Auto mode works very well. Keep the unit in 200 kHz. Under sonar settings, select Shallow Water (for our purposes this is water < 60 feet deep) and set scroll speed to normal. Also, under Installation select your appropriate transducer. Under Sonar Menu, I run Ping Speed at 18. Colorline I like at 85. For shallow water, especially around grass, I prefer color palette 1. For deeper water (> 15 feet) or with lakes void of grass, I like palette 13. This was called bottom color tracking in the older units, helps separate fish from the bottom/cover, and also shows hard bottoms/shell beds better.

StructureScan - In typical freshwater depths ( < 30 feet), your sidescan range will work best set at 2-3X the depth. 60-80 feet is where mine is most of the time, but I am primarily using sidescan in 15-30 feet. When in 15 feet or less, use a range of 60 feet or less. Range can be operated in either Auto or Manual – I prefer Manual. At times, Auto Range adjusts range too high preventing you from seeing good detail. Keep your frequency at 800 kHz. I prefer contrast between 65-80, with less contrast in shallow water and greater contrast in deep water. I also like the default color palette 6.

Thanks Todd!

[HookSetDon]

Responses like that make this forum #1! Im going out to the garage now haha

[win222]

Thanks alot Todd, I will try all these setting and get the boat out in the water and let you know.

It will probaly be a week or two before I can get on the water.

[dag623]

Took mine out today. The settings worked great! Top notch Todd!!!