FL-8SLT Operation Manual CONTENTS General Description Specifications Unit Installation Power Connection Transducer Installation Operation Typical Indications Maintenance Operational Questions & Answers Transducer Beam Angle Chart Trouble Shooting Chart Accessories and Other Products Transducers Service and Support 2 3 4 4 5-8 9 - 10 11 - 14 15 16 - 20 21 22 23 - 25 26 - 27 28 Founded in 1960, Vexilar, Inc. has a long history of bringing revolutionary technology to the sport fishing industry.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION The FL-8SLT 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 can also discriminate between large underwater targets, such as fish, and smaller targets such as bait fish and plankton. The unit transmits bursts of high frequency pulses, which are converted from electrical to mechanical energy by the transducer.
SPECIFICATIONS Operating Voltage: Current Draw: Power Output: Frequency: Resolution: Target Separation: Display Colors: Dimensions: Weight: 10.5 - 15 Volts (12 Volts Nominal) 200mA 400 Watts (Peak to Peak) 200 kHz 525 Segments 2.65" Min. 3 - Red, Orange, and Green 4.4"H x 6"W x 2.5"D 1.1 Lbs.
INSTALLATION To make the FL-8SLT work, you must provide the unit with power and mount the transducer in an appropriate location. UNIT INSTALLATION Find a convenient place to mount the unit. This may include a boat seat, deck, dash, or a portable case. Make sure that there is plenty of room for the unit to tilt and/or swivel freely without the cables binding behind the unit. Once you have found a spot, remove the unit from the gimbal bracket. Securely attach the bracket to the mounting surface.
TRANSDUCER INSTALLATION There are three basic types of transducers to consider: High Speed, Puck Style, and the Ice-Ducer System. HIGH SPEED TRANSDUCERS High Speed transducers are designed to be mounted on the transom of a boat. The wedged shape will cut the water and give a clear depth reading at any boat speed. Locate a spot similar to the one in figure E. Keep in mind that you need clear water flow across the face of the transducer to insure a clear reading at all speeds.
PUCK STYLE TRANSDUCERS There are three ways in which a Puck Style transducer can be mounted. It can be mounted In-Hull, on an electric trolling motor, or portable (with a suction cup or on an arm of some type). IN-HULL MOUNTING This method, gluing the transducer to the hull, gets the same results as if you were using the High Speed transducer only there are no holes to drill in the boat and there is no transducer on the transom to get damaged by impact.
TROLLING MOTOR MOUNTING To attach a Puck Style transducer to a trolling motor, use a hose clamp or a large cable tie. Notice the slots in the transducer for this purpose. Locate the transducer on the bottom of the lower unit as in figure G. Run the cable up the shaft using cable ties to hold Figure G it in position. Make sure that the movement of the trolling motor will not damage the cable. Plug the transducer connector into the back of the unit and screw the retaining ring down tight.
THE ICE-DUCER™ SYSTEM* The Ice-Ducer system provides a quick and easy way to set up the transducer for ice fishing. All of the adjustments needed to find the true perpendicular point are done automatically. To use the Ice-Ducer, simply adjust the transducer to the desired depth and drop the assembly in the ice hole. There are three main components to the Ice-Ducer system. They include the transducer, float, and the stop. The transducer comes assembled with the connector already installed.
OPERATION Figure I shows the three main controls of the FL-8SLT. They include Power and Range control, Gain, and Interference Rejection. POWER AND RANGE CONTROL The knob located at the bottom of the control panel turns the unit on and selects which range is to be used. The center position is the Off position. There are six depth ranges to choose from.
GAIN CONTROL The knob located at the top of the control panel is the gain control. This controls the amount of signal that you see on the display. A gain setting of zero will display a minimum amount of signal while a gain setting of ten will show the maximum amount. Different conditions will require different gain settings. Deeper water will require higher gain than shallow water. A weedy bottom will demand a lower gain setting than a clean bottom. Keep the gain level low.
TYPICAL INDICATIONS The three-color display on the FL-8SLT can give you a lot of information if you know how to read it. A color represents the strength of a signal. A red color indicates a strong signal, an orange color indicated a medium strength signal, and green represents a weak signal. The colors will combine to indicate objects, such as bottom echoes, structure, fish, and plankton. The way in which they combine, and the speed in which they do so, tells you what is what.
Fig. J ZERO MARK 2ND ECHO SURFACE CLUTTER BAIT FISH OR PLANKTON TRAILING EDGE FISH BOTTOM Fig.
SEEING FISH The FL-8SLT sees a fish as a target, much like the bottom. It has a leading edge, a width, and color content. Refer, again, to figure J. If the range setting is S x2 then the fish is just over two feet above the bottom. It is a fairly wide target and is made up of all three colors. This should be recognized as a significant fish, something you may want to catch. The targets that appear just above this fish are smaller and there is no red. Here is where target identification gets a bit trickier.
HIGH SPEED OPERATION The FL-8SLT 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-8SLT.
MAINTENANCE PERMANENT MOUNT With permanent mount applications, the power cord is left connected to the source, the transducer is not easily removed, and the gimbal bracket is screwed to the seat, deck, or dash. Under these conditions maintenance is very simple because nothing changes once the unit is installed. Because of this problems can sneak up on you if you're not careful. The unit should be removed from the bracket whenever the boat is parked to guard against theft.
OPERATIONAL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Where Should The Gain Control Be Set? For ice fishing - the gain control should be set so the bait you are fishing with is shown in green color on the dial. This color should be set while the lure or bait is at the normal fishing depth. As the bait is raised toward the surface the colors will turn to orange and possibly red, just below the surface.
What Color Should Fish Be? For ice fishing - with the FL-8SLT being operated with the perpendicular position found, the fish target entering the outside of the cone of sound will appear in green, as it moves towards the bait it will add some orange into the center of the signal, and if the fish continues to the perpendicular line under the transducer, red will be added to the center of the fish target. These color changes will take place automatically without adjusting the gain control.
How Far Down The Ice Hole Does The Ice-Ducer Have To Be? You need water contact only to get a depth reading. The bottom or the face of the transducer, only, has to make contact with the water in order to get a good transfer of sound waves into the water There are times (usually deep ice - 36" or more) when the transducer needs to be placed at the bottom of the ice. The zero indication of the flasher will be unusually wide, 8 to 10 feet wide.
sounders are placed. If this interference is happening, each of the sounders will have a non-stop rotating light moving around the dial. One moving light rotates around the dial clockwise and on the other sounder the light will rotate in the counter clockwise direction. To eliminate this problem you can either move the sounders farther apart or shut one off. Which Side of the Transducer Should Be Aimed Toward The Lake Bottom? Most of today's transducers have two sides to them.
the metal arm and the plastic housing of the transducer. This insulation layer eliminates any transmission vibrations caused when the unit transmits the signal to the water. What Does the Bottom Light Mean? Besides depth the bottom light can give you a lot of information. The width and color content of the bottom signal can tell you what type of bottom it is. Ice fisherman can look for movement of color in the bottom signal.
TRANSDUCER BEAM ANGLES VERSES DIAMETER OF COVERAGE AND PERFORMANCE Beam angle has a large effect on the performance of your depth finder. There is more to it 10’ 1.6’ 3.4’ than simply area of coverage. The correct beam 20’ 3.2’ 6.7’ angle to use depends entirely on what you are try30’ 4.7’ 10.0’ ing to do with your sonar. If you are fishing for 40’ 6.3’ 13.4’ suspended fish then you probably would be very 50’ 7.9’ 16.7’ pleased with the performance of the 19º. However, 60’ 9.4’ 20.
TROUBLE SHOOTING CHART Symptom Possible Cause Unit is turned on, but no display and motor is not running. Check for bad connections, proper hook up polarity, and make sure you have a good, fully charged, battery. Unit is turned on and the motor is running, but there is no display. Battery voltage too low. The unit will show no display if the voltage is below 10 volts. Check while unit is running. Unit runs well for a short time, then lights fade out or unit quits. Bad battery or connection.
Accessories for the FL-8 SLT PORTA CASE The unique P-160 Porta Case holds your FL-8, FL8SLT or other manufacturer's sonar or GPS. It has space for your transducer, a rechargeable battery, and the Vexilar Battery Status Indicator. Just set it down on the ice or boat seat, position the transducer and turn on your flasher. The round base is just the right size to fit down inside a standard 5 gallon bucket. ECONOMY CARRY CASE The new P-100 carrying case is simple, sturdy, and inexpensive.
L-100 Flexible Night Light It simply attaches to the Porta Case or other type of case to get light where it is needed. Just attach with the wing nut provided and hook up the battery clips. Extra bulb is included. S-240 Sun Hood The Sun Hood gives you full screen visibility in even the most extreme sunlight. Inexpensive and easy to take on and off. More Depth Sounders From Vexilar For a free color brochure please ask your dealer or contact Vexilar.
The FL-18 The FL-18 is the first ever flasher to incorporate a split-screen zoom. and with two modes of zoom, a low power mode for shallow water, and a super bright display, this unit is the ultimate three-color flasher. The Boundary Waters Model LC-10 The LPS-1 is a simple to use handheld digital depth finder. Use it for fishing, ice fishing, canoeing, backpacking, and scuba diving. runs on one 9-volt battery. The Deptherm Model 104 The fishing odds are on your side when you use DEPTHERM.
Transducers and Accessories TB0044 - 19° Transom Mount High Speed Transducer. Comes with the Mounting Bracket and 25 Feet of Cable. TK144 - Complete Mounting Kit. Comes with TB0044 Transducer, FL-8 Power Cord, Unit Mounting Bracket, and all the Hardware You Need to do the Job Right. TB0030 - 9° Transom Mount High Speed Transducer. Comes with the Mounting Bracket and 25 Feet of Cable. TB0045 - Dual Beam 9/19° Transom Mount High Speed Transducer. Comes with the Mounting Bracket and 25 Feet of Cable.
TB0032 - Dual Beam 9/19° Puck Transducer. For Mounting on a Electric Trolling Motor, In-Hull Mounting, Portable Use, or Ice Fishing. Comes with 25 Feet of Cable. Built-In Switch Box must be Mounted within 3 Feet of the Depth Finder. BK0027 - Optional Suction Cup Mount for TB0027 and TB0032. TB0050 - 19° Ice-Ducer. Self Leveling and Floats in the Ice Hole. Comes with Float, Stopper, and 7 Feet of Specially Designed Cable. TB0051 - 9° Ice-Ducer. Self Leveling and Floats in the Ice Hole.
Service and Support If you find that you need help please contact us. Have ready the model number and, if possible, the serial number of your product. Be sure to read the Question and Answer and Trouble Shooting sections first. Address Vexilar, Inc. 200 W. 88th St. Minneapolis, MN, 55420-2752 Telephone (952) 884-5291 (8 am to 5 pm M-F Central Time) Fax (952) 884-5292 Email service@vexilar.com Web Site www.vexilar.
