User manual VEXILAR FL-18 COLOR FLASHER

[. . . ] FL-18 Owner's Manual CONTENTS General Description Specifications Unit Installation Power Connection Transducer Installation Operation Typical Indications Frequently Asked Questions Maintenance Transducer Beam Angle Chart Trouble Shooting Chart Accessories and Other Products Transducers Service and Support 2 3 4 4 5-8 9 - 11 12 - 16 17 - 20 21 22 23 24 - 26 27 - 28 29 Founded in 1960, Vexilar, Inc. has a long history of bringing revolutionary technology to the sport fishing industry. Just some of the Vexilar firsts include: the first liquid crystal display, the first fish alarm, the first three color display, the first CRT and the first straight line paper graphs for the sport fisherman. And over the last twelve years, the Vexilar FL-8 has revolutionized the flasher market. [. . . ] Therefore, it is a good idea to select a deeper range than the water you anticipate being on. Here the range is set to X4, so the Bottom Lock will operate down to 80 feet. On the full view side, the bottom and the fish are very close together making it difficult to recognize the fish. However, on the zoom side the targets are much more spread out making the fish very easy to identify. An advantage to setting the depth range to a much deeper setting than necessary is that you now will be able to see the multiple echoes beyond the bottom. Given a fixed gain setting, the more and the stronger the echoes appear, the harder the bottom content is. This can be an important feature to the bottom and can help you find where the fish are. 15 ICE FISHING Ice fishing brings out the best in the FL-18. The stable platform of ice lets you concentrate on your bait and the fish around it. Unlike open water use, the direction in which the transducer is pointed is very critical. You want your bait to be located in the dead center of the cone of sound. This way you can see very small baits at low gain settings and also see fish come in from all sides. If you are not using the IceDucer system, the transducer must be attached to an adjustable arm so that it can be manually pointed directly at the bait. Sometimes it helps to attach a bubble level to the transducer so that you know when it's sending the signal straight down the hole. After your system is properly set up, adjust the gain until you see your bait as a green target. If you are using a swimming bait or a lure that darts to the side as it's jigged, you will see the color change as the bait moves. Sometimes it may even disappear if the bait goes out of the cone of sound. If the fish moves closer to the bait it will change from green to orange. If it moves up, right next to the bait, it will change to red. 16 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Where Should The Gain Control Be Set? Generally, the gain should be set to give you a good reading of the bottom. Although you will want to finetune this setting with the current conditions in mind. For ice fishing, you want set your gain level by the appearance of your bait. With your bait down at the fishing depth, adjust the gain to make your bait appear as a green signal. What Color Should Fish Be? For ice fishing with the FL-18, the fish target entering the outside of the cone of sound will appear in green, as it moves towards the bait it will add some orange into the center of the signal, and if the fish continues to the perpendicular line under the transducer, red will be added to the center of the fish target. These color changes will take place automatically, without adjusting the gain control. [. . . ] It has a lot of powerful features, but is one of the easiest units ever made to understand and operate. 25 The CLC-200 Five-Color LCD The CLC-200 is a five-color LCD depth finder with great multi-colored resolution at an affordable price. It's available in either the popular Boundary Waters portable version (shown) or with a releasable swival ProMount mounting system. The FL-10 In-Dash Color Flasher The FL-10 is designed to fit in the standard in-dash mounting hole in your boat. It's super bright and has an exclusive flat display with a very wide viewing angle. The LPS-1 Handheld The LPS-1 is a simple handheld digital depth finder. It's great for canoeists, backpackers, ice fishermen, and even scuba divers. [. . . ]