Author Topic: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE  (Read 8458 times)

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Offline Fish-N-Fool

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WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« on: November 29, 2015, 04:53:15 AM »
I don't get why Humminbird can't come out with a simple interactive manual that you can learn how to run your DI SI combo units from your PC like Lowrance has. I find the PDF file manual impossible to use and get to the info i need. My old Lowrance unit I downloaded a program that was on my desktop and you open it and it was just like running your Finder in the boat. You could click on things and see that changes it made to the screen. Easily learned my old finder in a few evenings. I've had this damm thing  well over a month and i still don't get it. Nowhere on the net have I seen any good basic tutorials on it either. I tried to figure out how to do a recording while on the water the other day and after screwin with it for 20 min. I gave up. I think Humminbird has really dropped the ball on the product manuals. >:(   ::) That and I HATE the damm verification BS they make you do here for every post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Last Edit: December 04, 2015, 03:38:09 PM by Fish-N-Fool »
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Offline bobcoy

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2015, 08:30:39 AM »
Well Fishn, Have you tried Doug Vahrenberg's YOU TUBE vidios? There are a bunch of em. I found them very informative and they are easy to follow. When I first started with SI I found it a challenge. Along with time on the water and reading the sections on the manual whenever I had an issue with operation. It does take time and patience to take it all in. Keep at it. Bob

Offline N9Phil

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2015, 08:43:40 AM »
There is a ton of info out there that goes over just about everything that you need to know in order to set up and use your unit.  do a search for humminbird on U-tube or just do a Google search and things will pop up.  The new equipment has become very sophisticated compared to older equipment. Every manufacture has equipment that can get you to pull your hair out until you get used to how it works and figure it out.   The biggest problem people have with the new equipment is the learning curve.  I have an extra power cable for my units so that I can run them while on the computer.  It will take you some time before you get the hang of your unit but when you do you will be glad that you made the decision that you did. I had my first side image unit for 2 years before a friend showed me how to set it up and told me about all of the info available on the internet.   Good luck.
Solix 15 SI  Onix10 CI SI - 1198 CSIAccessories:80Terova W/ i-Link -- Transom 360

Offline Fish-N-Fool

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #3 on: November 29, 2015, 06:39:42 PM »
I have been watching some of the Utube vids, but they don't really help at all with what I want and need to learn. Plus there are so many it would take days to watch it all and at the end I don't think I'd be much better off then I am now. Still sadly disappointed in Humminbirds product manuals!!
Wanna Catch Fish? Don't be a Fool!
Tie on a Fish-N-Fool Lure & get bit.
World best soft plastic bass lures
www.fnflures.com

Offline N9Phil

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #4 on: November 29, 2015, 06:44:20 PM »
If you don't put in the time you will never be able to get the best out of your equipment no matter what brand you have.
Solix 15 SI  Onix10 CI SI - 1198 CSIAccessories:80Terova W/ i-Link -- Transom 360

Offline Fish-N-Fool

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #5 on: November 29, 2015, 06:50:03 PM »
I didnt say I wasnt willing to put in the time, your missing the point.  Hummindird should have a easy to use interactive manual that makes using the product a pleasure and NOT a Pain!!! If Lowrance can do this I'm sure Humminbird could as well.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2015, 06:53:00 PM by Fish-N-Fool »
Wanna Catch Fish? Don't be a Fool!
Tie on a Fish-N-Fool Lure & get bit.
World best soft plastic bass lures
www.fnflures.com

Offline Bob B

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2015, 08:25:50 PM »
The search function in PDF reader will be a big time saver ...... We can't change the manual, but we can offer help with what you've got.
One of the best things to do to learn the unit is set up a power supply in the house and operate the unit in simulator mode.
Every product has good and not so good.... and are not the same.  Once you get used to the Humminbird menu system, the product is pretty easy to use.

Maybe put this in the wish list.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2015, 08:28:03 PM by Bob B »
**Looking for the one that makes it all worthwhile**

Offline rnvinc

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #7 on: November 29, 2015, 11:33:15 PM »
To make a recording...

*Insert a SD card into the unit...
*Cycle thru the "Views" button until the "Snapshot and Recording" view is showing on the display..If the "Snapshot and Recording" view is not in the views cycle..it must be made "Visable" under the "Views" tab in the unit Main Menu system....)
*With the "Snapshot and Recording" view on the display...Press "Menu" 1 time to open the Xpress menu...
*Press "Start Recording"...(A popup stating "Recording" should intermittantly show at the top of the screen)...
*Recording "records" all views at the same time...so you can cycle thru the views during recording...
*Recording also records the raw data so changing any settings during recording will not affect the recording...(except changing frequency during recording will actually be recorded as a frequency change)...(and changing SI Range during recording will only allow "playback view" of what SI Range is showing on the SI image display during recording)....
*Keep recording to 30 minutes or less to make file size smaller...(Just record multiple smaller recordings)....
*When finished recording...Press "Menu" 1 time (from any screen)...to open Xpress menu...
*Select "Stop Recording"...
*You can view the recording on the unit...
*Cycle thru the "Views" button until the "Snapshot and Recording" view is visable...
*Use the 4way cursor "up or down" to choose which recording (or snapshot) you want to view...(the arrows above and below and to the right will turn red when selected...
*Use the 4way cursor to the right to start recording (or view snapshot)...
*While viewing a recording or a snapshot on the unit...press the "Menu" button 1 time to open the Xpress menu for controls of that displayed feature....
*Always "Stop Playback" (in any xpress menu) before removing the SD card from the unit....(snapshots do not matter)...
*Remove SD card from unit...
*Insert card into pc's card reader...a window should open showing the files on the card...
*Transfer the folder labeled "RECORD" from the SD card to your pc....
 
____________________________________________________________________________________

The recordings can also be viewed in a third party software called Humviewer….
 
*Download Humviewer here…   (be sure to select the download "bundle" with JAVA...)   HumViewer - Viewer of Humminbird sonar recording files
*When it asks if you want to “run” or “save”…click “save”….
*When it asks where you want to save…navigate for it to download the .exe installer to the new “HB” folder…
*When it is finished downloading the .exe file...click on the .exe file...
*Follow the prompts to install the HV program...
*Open the Humviewer program that has now been installed…(I think version 86 is the latest)…(probably in your "Program" files under START/ALL PROGRAMS....)
*Open the HV program....
 
When Humviewer opens….
 
*Click “Open” in the top left of the screen….
*Navigate to the “HB” folder (that you created on your desktop) ...until you find the "RECORD" folder that you transferred from the SD card….
*Open the "RECORD" folder...
*Select the file that ends in .DAT...this file should enter into the "File Name" at the bottom of the HV open wizard...
*Select the "Open" button at the bottom...
*The recording file should load into Humviewer…(sometimes this takes a few minutes depending on how long a recording you made)….

*You will also need to download the latest version of Google Earth if you want Humviewer to open the "HV program created data" into a Goodle Earth overlay image....
 
Lots more info on Humviewer here… HumViewer - Viewer of humminbird files
 
If you need more help …ask here or pm me….I check in at least once or twice per day ...

Rickie

Offline rnvinc

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #8 on: November 29, 2015, 11:35:01 PM »
And I agree that the pdf manuals are not very user friendly ...

Rickie

Offline Rick72704

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #9 on: December 03, 2015, 06:54:13 AM »
I agree that the manual is very hard to navigate. I also really wish units would come with a actual paper copy of owners manual. Tried to figure how I can look at dvd manual on the water (just kidding).  I took the advice from above, got a deer feeder battery & charger from Cabelas and played with the unit all afternoon yesterday.  Thought I had a problem with the remote as it would not connect in simulator mode, however when I put it in normal mode it connected and worked.  The instructions for the manual shows using the - + to bring up bookmarks/index so you can jump to a section but it did not work for me. This morning actually trying to find how to get humminbirdPC my computer asked me if I wanted to make adobe acrobat reader DC as the primary reader which I did and now the bookmark panel shows up. This makes it so much easier to get around.  Sent in my transducer on exchange program so will have plenty of time to practice before actually going out on water with unit. I plan on getting a spiral 3x5 cards and make cheat sheets on procedures I see myself using so if I have a problem on the water I can lookup until I get familiar with this new Helix 9.

Offline JoeyWelch

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #10 on: December 03, 2015, 07:52:24 AM »
Humminbird is some of the most user friendly equipment made. If you can't watch a YouTube video and learn from their, maybe your just not getting it.

Maybe find another user and get them to tudor you one day?

Offline rbdavis3591

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #11 on: December 03, 2015, 06:54:34 PM »
Not sure about the statement "Humminbird is some of the most user friendly equipment made. If you can't watch a YouTube video and learn from their, maybe your just not getting it." If you have to watch YouTube or have a "tutor" to understand the equipment you purchased then the equipment must not be user friendly and the manual is of limited help.

But I am willing to try learning from YouTube if you can point me to the videos that show the Helix 5 SI in use on a kayak. Right everything I have seen is from a power boat perspective and while some information is valid regardless of the fishing platform there are others that function differently when you paddling a kayak at 1-2 mph.

Offline JoeyWelch

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #12 on: December 03, 2015, 07:17:32 PM »
Not sure about the statement "Humminbird is some of the most user friendly equipment made. If you can't watch a YouTube video and learn from their, maybe your just not getting it." If you have to watch YouTube or have a "tutor" to understand the equipment you purchased then the equipment must not be user friendly and the manual is of limited help.

But I am willing to try learning from YouTube if you can point me to the videos that show the Helix 5 SI in use on a kayak. Right everything I have seen is from a power boat perspective and while some information is valid regardless of the fishing platform there are others that function differently when you paddling a kayak at 1-2 mph.

I simply meant that sometimes its easier to learn with a person showing you because you can interact with them and ask questions. Not meant in a bad way.

As for a kayak only moving at 1-2mph, should work fine. Just turn your helix down to 1 on the screen. I get some great images at  1.5 mph.

Offline Fish-N-Fool

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #13 on: December 06, 2015, 09:00:07 PM »
Humminbird is some of the most user friendly equipment made. If you can't watch a YouTube video and learn from their, maybe your just not getting it.

Maybe find another user and get them to tudor you one day?

 If it was user friendly as you say I wouldn't need to hunt down a u tube video to figure out how to use them. I finally drug a car battery in the house and set it up under my computer desk so I could run the unit and the PDF guide at the same time. Yah, like that's real "USER FREINDLY" LOL but I did figure out most of the basic functions work. After about a week of plying with it.  All this being said.  I still think that Humminbird really dropped the ball on their user manuals. I'm sure that if they were smart enough to invent side scan technology and 360 deg imaging they could come up with a down-loadable PC based interactive manual that you could learn how to run a new unit sitting at your computer desk, similar to the ones Lowrance has used for years. It not only is just like running your unit on the boat, but  it also gives you tips on how to run it better.

 I sent the URL of this thread to Humminbird for them to read hopefully that will show them that that really need to improve their manuals and make learning a new unit easier in the future.
Wanna Catch Fish? Don't be a Fool!
Tie on a Fish-N-Fool Lure & get bit.
World best soft plastic bass lures
www.fnflures.com

Offline Bob B

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #14 on: December 07, 2015, 12:09:42 PM »
You don't need to lug a battery around, you can used something like this  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012BL8LG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

It's also handy to have an extra power cord .... http://www.amazon.com/Humminbird-PC-11-Power-Cable-Side-Imaging/dp/B000G648H4/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1449455503&sr=1-1&keywords=humminbird+pc11

That one has more power than you need, but I like it........It comes in handy for software upgrades and waypoint management also......I always do software upgrades connected to nothing but power.
**Looking for the one that makes it all worthwhile**

Offline f4epilot

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #15 on: January 04, 2016, 04:41:13 PM »
I am attaching a pdf of "Waypoint Management" a little known document that I got from HB after many questions(emails) to support. They are the best at what they do, but the manuals just do not get you there. A note of CAUTION regarding bringing in the unit to run off of a power source. Somewhere in the "quick start" or other guides it states NOT to run the depth finder without a transducer attached. I have looked at many  of the utubes and still find the menus hard to get to without a cheatsheet on the water. What I asked HB to do was provide a library list on the website for all the unique manuals Like the one I attached. A bigger help would be a "per model" outline that would step through the settings in a logical method so the "learning curve" could be shortened. We should not have to pry the info out of HB. Updated manuals on CD should be made available at a nominal cost for those of us who have purchased product. They notify us when there is a new firmware version available, why not for manual updates/corrections?? We have plenty to do on the water as it is. It may be cold here in northern IL., but I have asked the local DNR when the ramps become available so I can get on the water to learn more while there is no boat traffic.
Bob M.

Offline Ohio Archer

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #16 on: January 04, 2016, 07:47:35 PM »
From what I have found, you can run the units without the transducer attached as long as you do not have an extension cable attached to the unit WITHOUT the transducer attached to it.  The newer units (at least my Helix 7) recognizes there is no transducer.  I can then go into Simulator or Normal mode and turn off the Sonar to play with the other features.

I agree that the HB website could be better organized so it is easier to find stuff.  Not sure why it takes them so long after a new product hits the shelves before they get the manuals updated.

Offline Bob B

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Re: WHY IS THE PDF MANUAL SO FIGGGIN HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND USE
« Reply #17 on: January 04, 2016, 09:13:57 PM »
As Ohio Archer stated ...... you can run the units without the transducer attached as long as you do not have an extension cable attached to the unit.

A LOT of us run our units connected to power only or power and GPS only.
**Looking for the one that makes it all worthwhile**


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