User manual VEXILAR FL-8 COLOR FLASHER

[. . . ] FL-8 Owner's Manual CONTENTS General Description Specifications Unit Installation Power Connection Transducer Installation Operation Typical Indications Maintenance Operational Questions & Answers Trouble Shooting Chart Transducer Beam Angle Chart Transducers Service and Support 2 3 4 4 5-8 9 - 10 10 - 14 15 16 - 20 21 22 23-25 26 Founded in 1965, 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, and the first CRT and straight line paper graphs, for the sport fisherman. 1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION The FL-8 is a compact and lightweight depth sounder designed for serious anglers. Besides indicating depth, the unit also shows changes in bottom content and conditions. [. . . ] It is usually displayed as thin green or orange lines. Clutter can include bait fish, plankton, floating debris, or air bubbles. Although clutter is not fish, it can be useful in finding fish. Noise is, usually, electrical noise which is in the engine ignition, radios, or trolling motors. It can be displayed as red, orange, or green lights that flash as the interfering equipment is operated. 13 HIGH SPEED OPERATION The FL-8 can accurately read depths at almost any boat speed. Here high speed is defined as any speed at or above the planning speed of the boat. Once the boat starts to plane out, turbulence will develop behind the transom. If you have the wrong type of transducer, or it is poorly mounted, the unit will lose the bottom at a certain boat speed. This is due to all of the air bubbles in the turbulent water. ICE FISHING Ice fishing brings out the best in the FL-8. The stable platform of ice lets you concentrate on your bait and the fish around it. The bottom becomes less important because it never changes. The only movement on the display is of your bait and fish. 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 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 Ice-Ducer 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 straight. After your system is properly set up, adjust the gain until you see your bait as a green target. You may need to readjust the gain control to keep the bait green. This is due to the changing condition and position of your bait. 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. [. . . ] Comes with the Mounting Bracket and 25 Feet of Cable. Built-In Switch Box must be Mounted within 3 Feet of the Depth Finder. BK0044 Optional Suction Cup Mount for all of the above High Speed Transducers. Dual suction cups for extra holding power. 23 TB0023 19 Degree Puck Transducer. For Mounting on a Electric Trolling Motor, In-Hull Mounting, Portable Use, or Ice Fishing. [. . . ]