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NorthStar Echo Sounder 491 Operation Manual

Echo sounder
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Download this manual See also: Installation Manual
This manual is for using the 491 sounder with the
Northstar 957, 958, 961 and 962 navigators. For the
Northstar 6000i, information in Section 6 of its manual can
be used instead.
Northstar
a unit of Brunswick New Technologies Marine Electronics
30 Sudbury Road
Acton, Massachusetts 01720
Northstar 491

Echo Sounder

Operations Manual
Part Number GM494
Revision A
www.NorthstarNav.com
Service: 978/897-6600
Sales: 800/628-4487

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Summary of Contents for NorthStar Echo Sounder NorthStar 491

  • Page 1: Echo Sounder

    Northstar 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual This manual is for using the 491 sounder with the Northstar 957, 958, 961 and 962 navigators. For the Northstar 6000i, information in Section 6 of its manual can be used instead. Northstar a unit of Brunswick New Technologies Marine Electronics 30 Sudbury Road Acton, Massachusetts 01720 Revision A...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Contents ........1 Welcome Welcome to the Northstar 491 Using this manual Technical support How echo sounding works...
  • Page 3 Introducing snapshots Setting up the video image overlay Reviewing past echoes using SoundTrac Viewing past echoes using SoundTrac Marking fish as waypoints Navigating to a past echo position ......55 Setting the Alarms Understanding the alarms Setting the fish alarm...

  • Page 5: Welcome

    491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Welcome Welcome to the Northstar 491 ... . . 1-2 Using this manual ......1-2 Technical support .

  • Page 6: Welcome To The Northstar 491

    Welcome to the Northstar 491 Using this manual Organization Page 2 Congratulations on your purchase of the Northstar 491 Echo Sounder. The 491 connects with a Northstar navigator and a third-party transducer to add echo sounding capability to the Northstar 957, 958, 961, and 962 navigators. See the Northstar 491 Installation Manual (part number GM495) for recommended transducers.
  • Page 7 Conventions 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Chapter 4 describes how to adjust the depth settings to choose what portion of the water under the vessel you’ll display. Chapter 5 explains other functions—the A-Scope, etc. Chapter 6 describes Northstar’s exclusive SoundTrac™ feature, for accessing past echoes and navigating back to their locations.

  • Page 8: Technical Support

    Technical support Hearing from you Service and repair Page 4 After you follow the instructions in this manual, if you need technical support or if you have any other questions, you can contact Northstar by email, fax, phone, or U.S. mail as follows: Table 1: Contacting Northstar Email Service: service@northstarnav.com...

  • Page 9: How Echo Sounding Works

    To prevent delays, it is critical that you first obtain a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) number before returning your unit to the factory. If you purchased your 491 through a dealer, to get an RMA number, call the dealer with the serial number.
  • Page 10 antenna 33-foot cable (part of transducer) module 957/958/6000i Navigator 10-foot cable Ship's Transducer (Northstar-supplied) Power 10-foot cable (Northstar-supplied) Figure 1: 957/958 echo sounder system components antenna Control Head 33-foot cable (part of transducer) module 961/962 Processor 10-foot cable Ship's Transducer (Northstar-supplied) Power 10-foot cable...

  • Page 11: Powering The 491 On And Off

    Powering the 491 on and off Setting up the 491 Using 491 with the 961/962 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual As part of its power-up sequence, the navigator automatically activates the 491. The 491 is automatically shut off by the navigator when you press and hold PWR until the screen goes dark.
  • Page 12 Using the 491 with the 957/958 Page 8 4. Check that the FORMAT option is set to “490. ” If not, set it now. Before starting, you should double-check that the navigator’s AUX port is set to the Sounder option: 1.
  • Page 13 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual ECHO SCREEN Depth settings More settings Alarms Advance Speed Snapshot A-Scope Data Return Data on-screen Bottom box Temp box Temp graph Speed Return Figure 4: 961/962 echo sounder menu structure STAR key Auto Picture Frequency Zoom Depth More...
  • Page 14 Page 10 ECHO SCREEN Depth settings More settings Alarms Advance Speed Video A-Scope Data Return Data on-screen Video setup Temp box Temp graph Bottom box Speed Return Figure 5: 957/958 echo sounder menu structure STAR key Auto Picture Frequency Zoom Depth More Picture settings...

  • Page 15: Quick Start: Using The Echo Sounder

    Quick Start: Using the Echo Sounder 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Displaying the echo sounder’s picture ..2-12 Using demo mode ......2-14 Introducing the displayed information .

  • Page 16: Displaying The Echo Sounder's Picture

    Displaying the echo sounder’s picture Depth marker indicator Water temperature Color Water temperature scale Depth Navigation Lat/lon of information vessel Page 12 Once the navigator has been configured to operate with the 491, you’re ready to start viewing echo sounding data. To see the echo sounding screen at any time, press STAR from any screen.
  • Page 17 Depth marker Echo data indicator Water temperature Color Water temperature scale Depth Lat/lon of position marker 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual real-time echoes. For details, see “Reviewing past echoes using SoundTrac” starting on page 51. Dist/brg to Steering indicator position marker Figure 7: Illustrated All of the alarm messages always appear on all of the echo...

  • Page 18: Using Demo Mode

    Using demo mode Displaying echo sounder data on the screen CHART For the 961/962 For the 957/958 Page 14 The echo sounder can be operated in “demo mode” for training and familiarization. Simulated echo data generated by the 491 will be displayed. To enter demo mode: 1.

  • Page 19: Introducing The Displayed Information

    Introducing the displayed information Echo sounding Depth and temperature Navigation Status tabs 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual The following information can be displayed on the ECHO screen. • echo sounder data • echo sounder frequency in use (50 or 200 kHz or both) •...

  • Page 20: Using Automatic Mode

    Using automatic mode Cruising or fishing The status tabs Page 16 To operate the echo sounder automatically, just press AUTO. All of the 491’s adjustments will be set to produce a useful picture under most conditions. When you’re too busy to optimize the settings manually, the echo sounder can automatically set the optimal gain, clutter, and range settings, to show an excellent picture, from the surface to the bottom.

  • Page 21: Changing The Frequency Of Echoes

    Manually overriding automatic mode Changing the frequency of echoes 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual You can always manually change any of the echo sounder’s settings: the gain, clutter, noise limiter, shift, and range. Changing the appearance of the picture (colors, gain, clutter, and the noise limiter) is described in Chapter 3.
  • Page 22 50 kHz echoes Page 18 • when adjusting the picture, you can see the effect of changes on the right side 200 kHz echoes Figure 8: ECHO screen with both frequencies displayed To change the display frequency: 1. On the ECHO screen, press FREQUENCY until you display the desired frequency or frequencies.

  • Page 23: Zooming In And Out

    Zooming in and out Choosing the zoom scale Choosing a zoom mode 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual When using the zoom feature (which also splits the screen into halves), both sides of the screen always display the same frequency. On the ECHO screen, the echo sounder’s zoom feature expands a portion of the echoes.
  • Page 24 • marker zoom The original unzoomed echoes are on the right side, and the magnified area is shown on the left side of the screen. A tab below the ZOOM key shows which zoom mode is in use. When you select bottom zoom, the contour of the bottom is Using bottom zoom magnified, clearly displaying canyon edges and echoes near the seabed.
  • Page 25 When you select bottom lock/center zoom, the sea bottom is Using bottom lock/ flattened out and displayed in the center of the screen. You center zoom can see any fish near the bottom, as with the bottom lock zoom, and also examine the seabed’s composition. When you select marker zoom, you can choose the part of the Using marker zoom water column to magnify.

  • Page 26: Setup Functions

    Leaving zoom mode Setup functions Accessing the setup screen Page 22 the magnified area up or down, press the CURSOR PAD to move the depth marker. You can return to the normal unzoomed display just by pressing and holding ZOOM for more than one second, or by pressing ZOOM repeatedly until you have cycled through all the zoom modes.
  • Page 27 Entering numerical values 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual 961/962 echo sounder setup screen 957/958 echo sounder setup screen When changing the numerical value of the echo sounder’s settings, you can either press the CURSOR PAD to increase or decrease the value, or use the KEYPAD to manually type in the desired value.
  • Page 28 Transducer depth Changing the depth units Changing the temperature graph’s units and scale This option only appears on the screen if a temperature sensor is connected. Number of special waypoints Page 24 This option specifies how far below the surface of the water the transducer is mounted.
  • Page 29 Speed and temperature sensor setup 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual sequence number restarts at 00, and the oldest waypoints with this same name will be overwritten (unless they have been renamed). To turn this feature on or off, or to change the maximum number of each of these waypoints: 1.
  • Page 30 Page 26 To simplify operation, the “sensor installed” options can be set to “No” to remove all references to temperature and speed from all the screens. Highlight the appropriate line and press EDIT to change an option. Speed calibration is entered as a percentage from –99% to +99% to make the speed read lower or higher than the uncalibrated value.

  • Page 31: Adjusting The Echo Sounder Picture

    Adjusting the Echo Sounder Picture 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual The picture menu ......3-28 Adjusting the gain (strong echoes) ..3-28 Adjusting the clutter (weak echoes) .

  • Page 32: The Picture Menu

    The picture menu Adjusting the gain (strong echoes) Page 28 You can adjust the appearance of echoes in five different ways: • gain (for high intensity echoes) • clutter (for low intensity echoes) • noise limiter (for interference) • hue (to choose colors and white level) •...

  • Page 33: Adjusting The Clutter (Weak Echoes)

    Adjusting the clutter (weak echoes) 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual 3. At the GAIN window, press the CURSOR PAD left or right to adjust the gain, or use the KEYPAD to manually enter the desired gain value. The available settings range from zero (minimum) to 75 (maximum).

  • Page 34: Adjusting The Signal Level (Weak Echoes)

    Adjusting the signal level (weak echoes) Page 30 displayed. If you select 5, for example, all weak and moderate echoes will be displayed using the background color (just as if they weren’t there). You might choose this setting to eliminate high levels of background noise and echoes from turbulence or plankton.

  • Page 35: Suppressing Interference (The Noise Limiter)

    Suppressing interference (the noise limiter) 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual desired signal range, Signal Level completely removes the weaker colors and their echoes. To adjust the signal level: 1. On the ECHO screen, press PICTURE. 2. On the PICTURE screen, press SIGNAL LEVEL. 3.

  • Page 36: Selecting The Color Bar (Hue) And White Level

    Selecting the color bar (hue) and white level Understanding the color bar Selecting the color bar (hue) Page 32 The color bar displayed at the extreme left of the ECHO screen shows the range of colors used to display different echo strengths.
  • Page 37 Hue and white level window 4. Press RETURN to go back to the ECHO screen. You can replace any single color in the color bar with white. Setting the white On the HUE AND WHITE LEVEL window, press the CURSOR level PAD up or down to select that color.
  • Page 38 Page 34 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual...

  • Page 39: Understanding Depth Settings

    Understanding Depth Settings 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Viewing the seabed depth ....4-36 Viewing the depth marker ....4-36 Changing the depth settings .

  • Page 40: Viewing The Seabed Depth

    Viewing the seabed depth Viewing the depth marker Changing the depth settings Page 36 The seabed depth (the “bottom”) is displayed in a black box at the left edge of the ECHO screen. You can change the size and location of the depth box on the ECHO screen.

  • Page 41: Setting The Picture's Shift (Starting Depth)

    Setting the picture’s shift (starting depth) 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual you can manually override these auto values for your specific needs at any time. There are two depth settings: • shift (how far below the surface the echo sounder picture starts) •...

  • Page 42: Setting The Picture's Range

    Setting the picture’s range Page 38 In the large rectangle on the right, the blue area at the top (with waves) represents the surface of the water, and the brown area below represents the seabed. The number at the bottom is the depth of the picture, and the seabed depth is also labelled.
  • Page 43 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual The vertical black arrow in the SET RANGE window ind- cates the values that this window adjusts: the range of the echo sounder picture, relative to the depth of the water. The white number in the black box indicates the current range setting.
  • Page 44 Page 40 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual...

  • Page 45: Other Functions: Using The More Key

    Other Functions: Using the MORE key 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Using the MORE key ..... . 5-42 Changing the advance speed ... . . 5-42 Displaying the A-scope .

  • Page 46: Using The More Key

    Using the MORE key Changing the advance speed Page 42 Pressing the MORE key accesses the following functions: • alarms (described in Chapter 7) • advance speed • A-scope data (numeric and graphic information on the ECHO • screen) • snapshots (961/962 only) •...

  • Page 47: Displaying The A-Scope

    Displaying the A-scope 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual The A-Scope shows every ping received, even when the advance speed setting causes pings to be averaged before display The echo sounder’s A-scope lets you look closely at present or past echoes by horizontally magnifying the echo from each ping.

  • Page 48: Setting The Echo Screen Data

    Using the A-scope with dual frequencies Using the A-scope with zoom mode Setting the ECHO screen data Page 44 If you’re displaying both 50 and 200 kHz echoes, the A-scope magnifies echoes from the frequency shown on the right side of the screen.
  • Page 49 Bottom depth box Temperature box This key won’t appear unless a temperature sensor is installed and configured. 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Press BOTTOM BOX to set the size and location of the box displaying the bottom depth (white numbers on a black background).

  • Page 50: Introducing Snapshots

    Temperature graph This key won’t appear unless a temperature sensor is installed and configured. Speed through the water This key won’t appear unless a speed sensor is installed and configured. Introducing snapshots Taking and storing a snapshot Page 46 Press TEMP GRAPH to turn the temperature graph on or off. The temperature graph displays an orange temperature scale at the left of the screen, and an orange line tracing out the varying water temperature measurements, superimposed on...
  • Page 51 Snapshot screen (961/962 only) To rename a stored snapshot, from the SNAPSHOT screen, press the CURSOR PAD to highlight the desired slot, and press RENAME. Use the KEYPAD to enter a new name and press ACCEPT. To display a stored snapshot, from the SNAPSHOT screen, press the CURSOR PAD to highlight the desired slot, and press DISPLAY.
  • Page 52 If your 961/962 has a zip drive installed, you can save up to 10 Archiving and snapshots on each disk. restoring snapshots To save a stored snapshot onto a zip disk, from the SNAPSHOT with a Zip disk screen, press the CURSOR PAD to highlight the desired slot, and press ARCHIVE.

  • Page 53: Setting Up The Video Image Overlay

    Setting up the video image overlay If you’ve connected the 957/958 to an NTSC-compatible device, you can display the image on the echo sounder screen. To display the video image on the ECHO SOUNDER screen, first press MORE, then press VIDEO. To change the transparency of the image while you’re displaying the ECHO SOUNDER screen, go to a different screen, press the navigator’s IN or OUT keys, then return to the...
  • Page 54 Page 50 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual...

  • Page 55: Reviewing Past Echoes Using Soundtrac

    Reviewing past echoes using SoundTrac 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Viewing past echoes using SoundTrac ..6-52 Marking fish as waypoints ....6-53 Navigating to a past echo position .

  • Page 56: Viewing Past Echoes Using Soundtrac

    Viewing past echoes using SoundTrac Echoes from at least the past three minutes are available, depending on the depth of the water and the advance speed you’ve set. Page 52 On the SOUNDTRAC screen, you can use Northstar’s exclusive SoundTrac feature to look back and examine past echo data. To enable SoundTrac, at the ECHO screen, press the CURSOR PAD to the left.

  • Page 57: Marking Fish As Waypoints

    Marking fish as waypoints Navigating to a past echo position 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Echoes from the last 3000 pings are stored. The number of minutes of past echo data available depends on two factors: • the depth of the water •...
  • Page 58 Going directly to a past echo position Page 54 • to add a past echo position to the end of an already dis- played route Going to a past echo position is described below. The other options are described in the Operator’s manuals for your Northstar navigator.

  • Page 59: Setting The Alarms

    491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Setting the Alarms Understanding the alarms ....7-56 Setting the fish alarm ..... 7-56 Setting the bottom alarm .

  • Page 60: Understanding The Alarms

    Understanding the alarms Setting the fish alarm Page 56 The echo sounder’s alarms work just like the other alarms. Their status is updated every second, and their messages are displayed in the following ways: at the bottom of the ECHO screen, and also on various •...
  • Page 61 Setting the alarm’s echo strength level Setting the upper and lower marker depths 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual 4. Follow the instructions below for each of these five settings. To set the fish alarm’s minimum echo-strength level: 1. At the FISH ALARM window, press SET ALARM LEVEL. 2.

  • Page 62: Setting The Bottom Alarm

    Setting inside or outside fish markers Turning the fish alarm on and off The alarm Setting the bottom alarm Page 58 2. Press the CURSOR PAD up or down to set the depth, or use the KEYPAD to manually enter the desired depth. The depth is displayed in the tab below the SET UPPER MKR key.
  • Page 63 Setting the bottom level 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual To set the bottom alarm: 1. At the ECHO screen, press MORE. 2. Press ALARM. 3. At the ALARM screen, press BOTTOM ALARM. The options on the BOTTOM ALARM window are on/off and the depth setting.

  • Page 64: Setting The Temperature Alarm

    Turning the bottom alarm on and off The alarm Setting the temperature alarm This alarm isn’t present unless a temperature sensor is installed and configured. Page 60 To turn the alarm on, at the BOTTOM ALARM window, press TURN ALARM ON. To turn the alarm off, press TURN ALARM OFF.
  • Page 65 Setting the upper and lower temperature limits Setting inside or outside temperature limits Turning the temperature alarm on and off 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual You can set the upper and lower temperature limits. When the water temperature is either inside or outside these limits, the temperature alarm will sound.
  • Page 66 When the temperature alarm sounds, an alert message is The alarm displayed. This message clears automatically after 20 seconds and the alarm is reset. Page 62 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual...

  • Page 67: Troubleshooting 491 Operations

    Troubleshooting 491 Operations 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Troubleshooting the echo sounder ..8-64 Checking the transducer ....8-65 his chapter explains how to troubleshoot the echo sounder system before returning the equipment for factory service.

  • Page 68: Troubleshooting The Echo Sounder

    Troubleshooting the echo sounder Contact Northstar Service to upgrade to the latest version of 961/962 software. Configure NMEA Port 3 for the 491. See Section 1 of this manual for instructions. 1. Check fuses and circuit breakers 2. Check power to 491 with a voltmeter.

  • Page 69: Checking The Transducer

    Configure the navigatorʼs Aux Port for the 491. See Section 1 of this manual for instructions. 1. Check fuses and circuit breakers. 2. Check power to 491 with a voltmeter. 3. Verify that the data cable between the navigator and the 491 is properly wired and connected.
  • Page 70 Table 3: Northstar-recommended transducers Manufacturer Airmar Airmar Airmar Maintaining a transducer Page 66 transducer. The models below can be purchased from Northstar. Model Power B260 1 kW B744V 600 W (w/3-wire speed) 600 W Airmar Technology Corporation may be reached at 35 Meadowbrook Drive, Milford, New Hampshire 03055-4613;...
  • Page 71 491 Features and Specifications 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Table 4: 491 echo sounder features Performance characteristics Output Single/Dual Channel, 50/200kHz, 600W Alarms Fish, seabed, temperature Update rate 10 Hz maximum (depends on water depth) Auto modes Fishing and cruising Zoom modes Marker, bottom, bottom lock, bottom lock/center Features...
  • Page 72 Page 68 Table 4: 491 echo sounder features (Continued) Screen notations Echo data Seabed depth (various size digits) Frequency of each window Speed through water (if connected) Water temperature (if connected) Depth scale for each window Depth of depth marker Latitude/longitude of position marker and vessel Alarm status and auto/manual status Zoom mode...
  • Page 73 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Table 4: 491 echo sounder features (Continued) Manual controls Gain 0 to 75 db Clutter 0 to 9 Signal level 0 to 5 Noise limiter ON/OFF White level Any single color Other Screen color palette Depth marker Position marker Zoom in/out...
  • Page 74 Page 70 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual...
  • Page 75 A-scope clutter current default echo echo sounder fathom gain interference latitude 491 Echo Sounder Operations Manual Glossary A horizontally magnified view of each echo, where the strength is shown by the width as well as the color of the line. Course-Over-Ground.
  • Page 76 longitude Imaginary lines on the Earth's surface running North/South and expressed in degrees (0-180) east or west of the Prime Meridian (a line running from the North to South Pole, passing through Greenwich, England). A unit of measurement (length) equal to 39.37 inches, slightly meter more than a standard yard.

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