How to Use a Lowrance X96

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The Lowrance X96 Depth Finder users sonar waves to plot water depth, lake and ocean bottom topography and find fish or obstacles in the water The unit comes with transducer, installation kit, manual and display unit with transom mount. Learning how to use the X96 requires a slight learning curve, but it is an intuitive electronic device. The screen on the X96 is gray-scale and uses a magnification button to zoom in on objects or fish schools.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Step 1

Locate the PWR/LHT switch on the lower right-hand corner of the control panel and press until the screen powers up. The unit powers up to the default screen settings. Verify this screen by finding a large black number displayed in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. This is the depth of the water at your location.

Step 2

Power the boat and begin to move out into the open water or where you will fish or use the unit. Press the "Pages" button and wait for the drop-down menu to appear. Press either the left- or right-hand arrow button on the control panel to scroll to your desired page.

Step 3

Press the PWR button quickly, once, to turn off the backlight display if it is not needed under your lighting conditions. Press the "Alarm" function with the arrow button and allow the drop-down menu to come up. Program the alarm by entering in data with the arrows and pressing PWR once for each time or letter you wish to enter to program depth alarms. Press the arrow button (right or left) until the Alarm menu disappears and the default screen returns.

Step 4

Look for a thin black line on the bottom of the display screen This is the water bottom. A thin line represents a hard pack bottom. A thick line represents soft or muddy lake bottoms. Large bunches of gray or black pixels near the bottom represent sediment, vegetation or brush.

Step 5

Look for upside down semi-circles on the center of the display screen, with small numbers next to them. These are fish or schools of small bait fish along with the depth (the number) of where they are underneath the boat. Use this information for dropping fishing lines into the water to maximize fishing time.

Step 6

Press and hold the PWR button for five seconds to turn off the unit.

Tips & Warnings

Print a copy of the legend from the user manual and keep it next to the display screen as a reference.

Article Written By Eric Cedric

A former Alaskan of 20 years, Eric Cedric now resides in California. He's published in "Outside" and "Backpacker" and has written a book on life in small-town Alaska, "North by Southeast." Cedric was a professional mountain guide and backcountry expedition leader for 18 years. He worked in Russia, Iceland, Greece, Turkey and Belize. Cedric attended Syracuse University and is a private pilot.

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