Garmin 100 BLUE User Manual

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On the Water
On the Water
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Understanding Sonar
If you are unfamiliar with sonar, or need help determining what is 
displayed on the chart, then this section may be for you.  This section 
is intended to help the novice user gain some understanding of how the 
Fishfinder 100 Blue operates and how it can help improve their fishing 
productivity.
To understand what the unit is displaying, it is important to have a 
general knowledge of how the unit works and how it determines what to 
display.  Briefly described, the unit operates by transmitting sound waves 
toward the bottom of a lake, stream or seabed in a cone shaped pattern.  
When a transmitted sound wave strikes an underwater object such as the 
bottom, a piece of structure, or a fish, sound is reflected back to the 
transducer. The transducer collects the reflected sound waves and sends 
the data to the unit to be processed and displayed on the chart.  The 
underwater data is displayed on the chart in the order that it is returned: 
first returned—first on the chart. 
 The diagram in the sidebar demonstrates this, showing an underwater 
scene as it would be displayed on the chart. Generally speaking, if the only 
thing between the transducer and the bottom is water, the first strong 
return will come from the bottom directly below the transducer.  This first 
strong return sets the bottom level. Weaker secondary returns provide the 
detailed data.  Stronger returns will display in darker colors, black being 
the strongest return.   
Unit Operation and the Chart
This fi sh is currently in a Dead Zone and is not detected 
by the sonar.  The fi sh is in the coverage area of the 
transducer, but remember the fi rst strong return sets the 
bottom level. The fi sh will never be detected since the 
bottom level will never be set below the fi sh.  
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