By Frank Patton/Lowrance Pro Staff

INTRODUCTION

“Why should I buy a Sonar/GPS Fish-Finder with a color display? Is it that much better than a black and white unit? I can see details on my old black and white unit just fine. After all, a color unit costs more.” To most people the question becomes, is color worth the additional price?

These questions arise when discussions of Fish-Finders and Global Positional Systems (GPS) units take place at seminars, boat shows, dealers, or between fishermen. The short answer today is – yes. Yes, if you wish to get all you can out of your unit. This article will discuss why you can get greater information both for seeing and identifying fish as well as better map detail on the GPS map displays. It will also discuss some of the uses of display color options.

DISCUSSION
First, a few caveats follow. The colors described are as perceived by my eyes. For example, chartreuse (a brilliant yellow green) to me might appear be described as green, or yellow, to you. Also, the color of sunglasses lens, particularly if polarized, might affect color perception. Additionally, newer liquid crystal technology (i.e., Solar Max) allows superior sunlight viewing.
This article uses laymen’s terms through out. Nor will I attempt to describe what combination of colors produces a different color. Color descriptions are truly in the mind of the beholder.

Those of us with color perception problems might need to experiment on which combinations of colors work best for them. Finally, I use Lowrance’s descriptions and terminology. Words in all capitals are actual menu commands (e.g., SONAR FEATURES…). When ellipses or three dots (…) appear, it means there is more to follow. Then, select the desired command by pressing the ENTER key.

“You do not look at black and white televisions anymore do you?” “Why do all cats look gray at night?” These and other expressions might be clichés but are true. Therefore, the short answer for choosing a color unit over a black and white unit is because it is easier for us to make superior judgments concerning the objects of attention, that is, fish in their aquatic surroundings.

The reasons for these superior judgments are that it is easier, for humans, to distinguish between strong and weak sonar differences when displayed in color than shades of gray. The human eye sees the differences between red and green easier than gray shade number five and gray shade number ten. Lowrance’s monochrome units, called black and white here, use up to 16 shades of gray.

For example, it is easier to tell the difference between a hard or soft bottom. The soft, muddy, or perhaps, weedy bottom returns a weaker sonar return than a hard bottom such as sand or rocks. When this signal difference is in color, differences are apparent.

Similarly, weak signals such as fish in weeds (e.g., milfoil) or fish mixed in with thin tree limbs will stand out with a properly adjusted unit as do fish lying close to the bottom. Programmer/engineers assign the colors based on signal return strength, similar to radar returns on television’s Weather Channel. Generally, weak returns or echoes are assigned cold colors (e.g., blue). Medium colors show with warm colors (e.g., green, yellow). Finally, the warmest or hottest colors show the most intense returns (e.g., red, orange).

However, the programmer/engineers can also change color assignments based upon operator preference. Similarly, monochrome unit use shades of gray, from black to white, to display signal strength. Some observations on these different color assignments follow.

OBSERVATIONS
The menu options to chance the screen displays are MENU/SONAR FEATURES…/SONAR CHART MODE/ then select one of the drop-down menu options. By adjusting COLORLINE from all the way from its minimum position to the maximum position you can see how the different colors mix and change as they march into the arena of the screen’s display. For example, as red is added to black it becomes brown. If you do not have a sonar log or a MMC or SD memory card of actual fish to adjust your unit with, I recommend the following method to start with.

Just go into the SIMULATOR mode and stop the chart when some fish arches and the bottom appear. Using these commands, SONAR SETUP, scroll down to SIMULATOR and press enter. Then MENU and press enter to check the STOP SCROLL box and EXIT out of the menu. Next, adjust the color level until the middle of a large fish arch appears with the most intense color.

For example, in the WHITE BACKGROUND mode, which is the default option, adjust the COLORLINE level until fish arch will have yellow spot, the most intense color in this mode, in its middle. The colors will be blue as the arch begins then changing to red and finally yellow in its middle, then red, and finally blue again as the arch ends.

The fish’s gaseous swim bladder accounts for the most significant portion of a return. Therefore, when the middle of the fish’s arch contains intense yellow it is apt to be close to the middle of the sonar cone angle which is shortest distance between the target (fish) and the sonar’s transducer.

Hence, this point of maximum reflection helps judgments of both size and range. At this point, you might wish to review the sonar tutorial on Lowrance’s website (lowrance.com). Additionally, you might also read the two articles on measuring sonar cone coverage on Smith Lake in Mark’s website (marksoutdoors.com).

A short description of the seven different modes and some of their uses follow:

1) GRAYSCALE: This mode is the familiar and traditional monochrome or black and white with shades of gray.

2) REVERSE GRAYSCALE: This mode is simply reversed polarity or a negative image of the regular grayscale. Also, called Fish Reveal, this mode might be an aid to pick fish out of tree limbs or weeds. This mode can also be good for night time use as it is less bright than Grayscale, the previous mode. The background is black and fish and bottom appear as dark to light (white) shades of gray.

3) BLUE BACKGROUND: The background is blue. The bottom and fish appear as red, green, and with yellow as the most intense color. Less brightness is produced than modes with a white background.

4) WHITE BACKGROUND: This mode is the standard Lowrance default mode, and has a white background. The thin bottom line appears black then blue below. Fish appear blue, red, with yellow as the most intense return.

5) NIGHTVIEW: This mode is useful for running at night as it is dimmer that the White Background mode. The background is black. The bottom and fish appear green.

6) ICEVIEW: The background is white. In this mode the bottom appears blue and fish appear as green, yellow with red as the most intense color. I intend to experiment more with this mode as the most intense color is red and might really stand out.

7) BOTTOM COLOR TRACKING: This one is probably my favorite. The background is white. The bottom has a thin black line then brown (the color of a mud bottom) as red merges in. Fish appear as blue, yellow, and the most intense color is a bright green that really catches my eye. Finally, the maximum number of colors is used.

Thus, two modes have yellow (3, 4) as the most intense return, one red (6), and two green (5, 7). Only experimentation will tell which color mode works best for each individual and under what conditions. By the way, it is always a good idea to check the unit’s contrast and brightness settings.

As striper guide Bill Vines (stripefishingheadquarters.com) tells his customers when using BOTTOM COLOR TRACKING, “when we find the green worms we are in quality fish.” Or while in WHITE BACKGROUND, “when we found the yellow bananas we have found the fish.” Worms and bananas being Bill’s terms for the fish arches displayed on screen.

Current LCX units have a lower brightness level adjustment than some other units. Therefore, lowering screen brightness lessens the affect on night vision. You can also brighten the screen back up to see to tie lures onto your line. Too bright a screen is annoying and reduces our night vision. Thus, some of the darker background modes come into play and are useful at night or during low light conditions.

Positioning of the units is important. On my center console, the10.4 inch display is almost like using an aircraft’s heads-up instruments display. Therefore, when operating my boat while either standing or while seated I only have to cut my eyes slightly up or down to switch focus between the water ahead and the screen display. Of course mounting the unit too high can hinder forward vision. An especially critical time is when the boat is starting to get up plane with its bow raised. Finally, one other point is that the interior of a white boat reflects much more light that the darker colored interiors.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, there is a strong case for the superiority of color Fish-Finders and GPS screen displays over various shades of gray. Clearly, it is self evident that charts and maps displayed on GPS units (e.g., handheld, marine, and automobile, etc.) are also easier to read. It is up to the consumer to decide if the price/performance ratio, which is lowering with new models, is right for them. We can make superior judgments by using color units vs. monochrome units in our quests for fish. After all: You do not watch black and white TV anymore - do you?

Frank Patton/Lowrance Pro Staff

Call Mark’s for a free high tech Lowrance school by “Don Iovino.” Limited space available. 205-822-2010.