Garmin nuvi 500-Series, Owner'S Manual

on the network. The values of other sonar settings, such as the 

Appearance

 settings, are not synchronized and should be 

configured on each individual device. In addition, the scroll rates 

of the various traditional and DownVü sonar views are 

synchronized to make the split views more cohesive.

NOTE: 

Using multiple transducers simultaneously can create 

cross talk, which can be removed by adjusting the 

Interference 

sonar setting.

Selecting a Sonar Source

This feature may not be available with all models.
When you are using more than one sonar data source for a 

particular sonar view, you can select the source to use for that 

sonar view. For example, if you have two sources for DownVü, 

you can select the source to use from the DownVü sonar view.

1

Open the sonar view for which you will change the source.

2

Select 

Menu

 > 

Sonar Setup

 > 

Source

.

3

Select the source for this sonar view.

Renaming a Sonar Source

You can rename a sonar source to easily identify that source. 

For example, you use "Bow" as the name of the transducer on 

the bow of your boat.
The source is renamed for the present view only. For example, 

to rename the DownVü sonar source, you must open the 

DownVü sonar view.

1

From the sonar view, select 

Menu

 > 

Sonar Setup

 > 

Source 

> 

Rename Sonar Source

.

2

Enter the name.

Customizing the Overlay Numbers

You can customize the data shown on the sonar screen of 

some chartplotter models.

NOTE: 

Not all options are available on all models.

1

From a sonar view, select 

Menu

 > 

Sonar Setup

 > 

Overlay 

Numbers

.

2

If necessary, select the numbers to customize.

3

Select the toggle to show or hide each data item.

4

Select 

Back

 to customize more data.

NOTE: 

You can also show or hide the compass tape and 

navigation inset.

5

Select 

Done

.

Adjusting the Level of Detail

You can control the level of detail and noise shown on the sonar 

screen either by adjusting the gain for traditional transducers, or 

by adjusting the brightness for DownVü and SideVü/DownVü 

transducers.
If you want to see the highest intensity signal returns on the 

screen, you can lower the gain or brightness to remove lower 

intensity returns and noise. If you want to see all return 

information, you can increase the gain or brightness to see 

more information on the screen. This also increases noise, and 

can make it more difficult to recognize actual returns.

1

From a sonar view, select 

Menu

.

2

Select 

Gain

 or 

Brightness

.

3

Select an option:
• To increase or decrease the gain or brightness manually, 

select 

Up

 or 

Down

.

• To allow the chartplotter to adjust the gain or brightness 

automatically, select an automatic option.

Adjusting the Color Intensity

You can adjust the intensity of colors and highlight areas of 

interest on the sonar screen by adjusting the color gain for 

traditional transducers or the contrast for DownVü and SideVü/

DownVü transducers. This setting works best after you have 

adjusted the level of detail shown on the screen using the gain 

or brightness settings.
If you want to highlight smaller fish targets or create a higher 

intensity display of a target, you can increase the color gain or 

contrast setting. This causes a loss in the differentiation of the 

high intensity returns at the bottom. If you want to reduce the 

intensity of the return, you can reduce the color gain or contrast.

1

From a sonar view, select 

Menu

.

2

Select an option:
• While in the DownVü or SideVü sonar view, select 

Contrast

.

• While in another sonar view, select 

Sonar Setup

 > 

Advanced

 > 

Color Gain

.

3

Select an option:
• To increase or decrease the color intensity manually, 

select 

Up

 or 

Down

.

• To use the default setting, select 

Default

.

Adjusting the Range of the Depth or Width 

Scale

You can adjust the range of the depth scale traditional and 

DownVü sonar views and the range of the width scale for the 

SideVü sonar view.
Allowing the device to adjust the range automatically keeps the 

bottom within the lower or outer third of the sonar screen, and 

can be useful for tracking a bottom that has minimal or 

moderate terrain changes.
Manually adjusting the range enables you to view a specified 

range, which can be useful for tracking a bottom that has large 

terrain changes, such as a drop-offs or cliffs. The bottom can 

appear on the screen as long as it appears within the range you 

have set.

1

From a sonar view, select 

Menu

 > 

Range

.

2

Select an option:
• To allow the chartplotter to adjust the range automatically, 

select 

Auto

.

• To increase or decrease the range manually, select 

Up

 or 

Down

.

TIP: 

From the sonar screen, you can select   or   to 

manually adjust the range.

Setting the Zoom Level on the Sonar Screen

1

From a sonar view, select 

Menu

 > 

Zoom

.

2

Select an option:
• To zoom in on the sonar data from the bottom depth, 

select 

Bottom Lock

.

NOTE: 

When the bottom lock feature is enabled, the 

Range

 feature changes to 

Span

.

• To set the depth range of the magnified area manually, 

select 

Manual

, select 

View Up

 or 

View Down

 to set the 

depth range of the magnified area, and select 

Zoom In

 or 

Zoom Out

 to increase or decrease the magnification of 

the magnified area.

• To set the depth and zoom automatically, select 

Auto

.

• To cancel the zoom, select 

No Zoom

.

Sonar

15