Pub. 988-0151-152
Addendum I
X67C IceMachine
Since the manual was written for the X67C, specialized features and ac-
cessories have been added to create the X67C IceMachine, a portable
color ice fishing sonar. The IceMachine package includes the X67C so-
nar unit and the PPP-15 portable power pack. The PPP-15 includes a
self-leveling ice fishing transducer, a rechargeable battery and a freeze-
resistant carry bag.
Each X67C unit contains a menu command that allows you to switch the
sonar in and out of IceMachine mode. If you purchased a regular X67C
package with the Skimmer transom-mount transducer, you can buy the
PPP-15 separately. If you purchased an IceMachine package, you can
buy a Skimmer transducer separately with mounts for transom, trolling
motor or portable suction-cup installations.
These accessory combinations and the unit's digital flashers and scrolling
chart display make the X67C the most versatile ice fishing sonar in its
class. Owning an X67C is like having two fish finders in one, because it's
equally at home on a boat in summer or on the ice in winter.
The main manual, part number 988-0151-062, introduces you to the
X67C, and it covers general warm weather operations. Introductory ma-
terial is only discussed in the main manual. You should be familiar with
those basic functions before you head for the ice. A good place to start is
the Basic Sonar Operation section, beginning on page 27, or the one-page
Basic Sonar Quick Reference, on page 34.
This addendum covers the basic ice fishing functions and any other op-
erational changes that may have occurred since the manual was pub-
lished. In addition to the instructions found here, be sure to read the
PPP-15 instruction booklet, part number 988-0147-871. It will tell you
how to set up the ice fishing power pack and mount the X67C.
Topics discussed in this document include:
Introduction to IceMachine Mode
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Your unit now has five pages that display sonar information.
IceMachine Mode Operation
•
•
•
Sensitivity
ColorLine
Battery gauge.
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The Split Zoom and Sonar Chart pages share the same settings. The chart
pages, the Flasher and Ice Flasher pages each have their own independent
controls for Sensitivity, ColorLine and sonar color mode. For example, if
you make any Sensitivity changes to the sonar chart page, the sensitivity
settings for the Flasher and Ice Flasher are unchanged. Each of these set-
tings are saved when you turn the unit off, so you can keep your favorite
settings for each operating mode.
Remember, no matter what changes you make to the various settings,
you can always restore the factory defaults by using the Reset Options
command, which is described on page 55 in the manual.
IceMachine Mode Operation
To turn on the X67C, press and release the MENU key. (This is actually
the Menu/Power key, but in the text we just refer to it as the "Menu"
key for short.) The Backlight control will appear for five seconds and
then automatically clear. You can adjust it with the ↓ and ↑ buttons, or
clear it immediately by pressing the EXIT button.
At left, X67C IceMachine opening screen, showing the Full Sonar Chart
Page. The Backlight Level control bar automatically disappears after
five seconds. At right, the Full Sonar Chart is shown.
You access the various page displays by pressing the ENT/PAGES key.
As you press this key, the unit cycles through the page options. To re-
turn to a previous page, simply press ENT repeatedly until the desired
page appears again. (It serves multiple functions, but we'll refer to this
key in the text as simply the ENT key.)
NOTE:
We use a type of "menu shorthand" to describe how to work your so-
nar. To understand our typographical and instruction conventions, see
the segment How to Use this Manual on pages 3-4 in the X67 manual.
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To enter the IceMachine mode:
1. From the Full Chart Sonar page, press ENT|ENT|ENT to switch to
the normal Flasher page.
2. Press MENU|↓ to ICEMACHINE MODE|ENT|EXIT and the Ice Flasher ap-
pears. (To leave IceMachine mode and return to normal operation, just
repeat step 2.)
Flasher Page Menu, with IceMachine Mode command highlighted but
turned off (box not checked).
The following figure shows the various components of the Ice Flasher
page display.
Bottom ColorLine shows hard bottom
Surface signal
Temperature
Surface clutter
signal
Bottom Signal
indicator
Small fish or
bait signals
Digital Depth
Depth Range Scale
Bigger fish signal
at 15 feet.
Battery capacity
gauge
Sensitivity
Control Bar
Echo Strength
Color Scale
Ice Flasher page.
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Sensitivity
Sensitivity and Auto Sensitivity are described in detail in the manual on
page 55. To adjust sensitivity on the Flasher or Ice Flasher page, simply
press ↑ to increase sensitivity and press ↓ to decrease sensitivity. The
changes are displayed on the horizontal Sensitivity Control Bar. The
Echo Strength Color Scale also changes as you adjust sensitivity.
Important:
Setting Sensitivity for Ice Fishing
The IceMachine's basic operation is pretty easy, right out of the box. If
you're a sonar novice, try operating the unit with the automatic factory
default settings until you get a feel for how it's working.
As you're learning the basics however, Sensitivity is the one important
setting that you should adjust while ice fishing. We strongly recom-
mend you try the following method for "tuning" your sensitivity to
match the current water conditions. It will help you see your bait, cut
through any clutter in the water and dramatically show fish when they
move in to check your offering. As you learn to interpret the signals on
the flasher screen, you'll be able to modify your presentation based on
how fish react to your lure.
To adjust sensitivity:
1. Start with your IceMachine showing the Ice Flasher page, in the de-
fault IceView color mode.
2. Drop your lure five to 10 feet directly below the transducer. You
should be able to follow the fall of the bait on the flasher screen.
2. Use the arrow keys to turn the sensitivity up or down until the lure
is barely visible as a black or blue signal band on the screen.
3. Now fish at the desired depth. When a fish approaches the bait, its
signal will stand out from the lure because it will be a moving signal
that is wider and a brighter color than your lure.
ColorLine
ColorLine is described in detail in the manual on page 43. ColorLine
changes will be reflected in the Echo Strength Color Scale. This scale
considers both sensitivity and ColorLine and then shows you the rela-
tionship of signal strength to signal color. To adjust the ColorLine level:
1. From the Ice Flasher Page, press MENU|↓ to COLORLINE|ENT.
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2. The ColorLine Control Bar appears. Press ↓ to decrease ColorLine;
press ↑ to increase ColorLine.
3. When it's set at the desired level, press EXIT.
ColorLine distinguishes between weak and strong sonar signals by
"painting" them with different colors. You can adjust ColorLine to suit
your personal viewing tastes. The left figure shows the default Color-
Line setting. The center figure shows a lower ColorLine setting and at
right, a higher setting. These black and white illustrations don't show
it, but the far left band on the Echo Strength scale is black, followed by
blue, green, yellow and at the far right, red.
In the Ice Flasher, the weakest signals are shown in black and the
strongest signals show as red. Fish are among the weakest echoes, so
they show up mostly as black and blue bands on the flasher screen. The
hardest surfaces, like the bottom, show as red. Cover in the form of
weed beds or submerged timber display in the blue to yellow range.
Battery Gauge
The Ice Flasher has a battery gauge that shows the capacity of the re-
chargeable battery. When the battery is fully charged, the gauge is
filled with green. As power is consumed, the fill level drops and turns to
yellow (70 percent charged) and red (30 percent). When the gauge
shows 0 percent, you should turn off the unit to save your settings, and
then recharge the battery.
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Battery charge
indicator
This battery gauge is solid green, indicating a full charge.
Sonar Signal Interpretation
When you monitor your flasher screen for signs of fish, there are three signal
band characteristics to watch for: movement, color and thickness.
Signal band movement
In a stationary setting like ice fishing, the bottom, structure and cover
will show on the flasher screen as stationary bands of color. Signals
between the surface and the bottom that come and go or move up and
down (even slightly) will be fish that have appeared inside the sonar
signal cone.
Signal band color
The color of the signal bands correspond to both fish size and their posi-
tion in the sonar signal cone. Black and blue signals tend to be smaller
fish, or fish that are at the outside edge of the sonar cone. These
smaller or more distant fish return weaker echoes.
Red signals are much larger fish, or fish that are in the center of the
sonar cone, almost directly below the transducer. They return the
strongest echoes.
Signals that are yellow and some other color result from mid-sized fish
that are in a transition zone between the center and outer edges of the
sonar cone. They represent medium-strong echoes.
As a fish moves through part of the signal cone, the signal may change
from black to blue to green or yellow then back again. The signals may
appear to move up slightly and then back down, even if the fish doesn't
actually change depth. This is caused by the relative distance from the
transducer to the fish as it passes by the transducer.
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Signal band thickness
Simply put, smaller fish return smaller echoes that result in thinner
and fainter signal bands. A thin signal can also indicate a fish located
toward the outer edge of the signal cone. As fish size increases, the ech-
oes grow stronger and the signal band grows wider. Signal width also
increases as a fish approaches the center of the sonar cone.
Ice Flasher Options
Split Zoom Display Mode
When ice fishing season arrives, you're often searching for fish that are
hugging the warmer water at the bottom of the lake. When walleye or
perch are holding right on the bottom, your X67C IceMachine can separate
those fish from the bottom with a remarkable Split Zoom display mode.
In this mode, the right half of the flasher screen operates normally with
the surface at the 12 o'clock position and the bottom of the depth range
at the 6 o'clock position. The left half of the flasher zooms in on the six
feet just above the bottom, with the bottom at the 6 o'clock position and
6 feet above the bottom at the 12 o'clock position.
To switch to Split Zoom:
1. From a flasher page, press MENU|↓ to FLASHER OPTIONS|ENT.
2. Press ENT|↓ to SPLIT ZOOM|ENT.
3. Press EXIT|EXIT to return to the flasher page.
4. To return to normal mode, repeat these steps, but in step 2, select
Normal instead of Split zoom
At left, Flasher Page Menu with Flasher Options command high-
lighted. Center, Flasher Options Menu with Flasher Display Mode se-
lected. At right, the Split Zoom option has been selected.
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The following figure show the bottom target separation possible using
the flasher's Split Zoom.
Fish signal 1
zoomed
Normal range side
Bottom zoom side
Fish signal 2
zoomed,
about 3.5
feet above
the bottom.
Depth range
60 feet
This scale shows 6
feet above the bottom
Fish signal 1
Fish signal 2
Bottom ColorLine
Bottom ColorLine
Notice the bottom target separation with Split Zoom mode.
Color Modes
Sonar Color Mode is described in detail in the manual on page 59. The
additional ice fishing features have increased the number of options
and how the color modes are controlled while using either the Flasher
or Ice Flasher.
There are six color mode options for the flasher pages, and seven for the
sonar chart page. The Ice Flasher default color is the IceView mode, but
other settings may suit your eyes better.
For example, some of our fishing friends favor the striking green-on-
black contrast of the Nightview mode…they use it a lot, even in broad
daylight! Experiment with the color modes to see which ones work best
for you under various fishing and lighting conditions.
To change the Flasher or Ice Flasher page color scheme:
1. From a flasher page, press MENU|↓ to FLASHER OPTIONS|ENT.
2. Press ↓ to FLASHER COLOR MODE|ENT.
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3. Press ↑ or ↓ to Mode Name|ENT.
4. Press EXIT|EXIT to return to the flasher page.
At left, Ice Flasher menu with Flasher Options selected. Center,
Flasher Options menu with Flasher Color Mode selected. At right,
Nightview color option is selected.
Scouting Through the Ice
Since the 1960s, Lowrance flasher sonars have helped anglers hunt fish
beneath the ice without drilling holes. That's because your IceMachine
works as well through ice as it does through water!
This technique works best early in the winter fishing season, when ice
is clear and free of bubble formation. There must also be wet, bubble-
free contact between the transducer and the ice.
To shoot through solid ice, first brush away any snow from the spot you
want to search. Then, pour a small amount of non-toxic recreational
vehicle antifreeze onto the surface and place the transducer (face down)
in the puddle.
Another variation used by some anglers requires a small plastic bag,
such as a food storage bag. They fill the bag with a mixture of RV anti-
freeze and water. The bag is placed on the ice surface, and the trans-
ducer is rested in the "puddle" just as your head rests on a pillow.
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Notes
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This addendum contains information that has changed or was unavailable when
the manual was printed. This addendum supplements the manual X67C, part
number 988-0151-062. It also serves as a companion to instructions for the PPP-
15 Portable Power Pack for ice fishing, part number 988-0147-871
Pub. 988-0151-152
© Copyright 2003
All Rights Reserved
Lowrance Electronics, Inc.
Printed in USA 111303
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