The use of a single echo sounder with multiple displays may be required for shared fishing or when exploring the topography of a reservoir. This article provides detailed instructions on how to connect an echo sounder to multiple displays. The connection takes place via a standard Ethernet cable.
The instruction works for models HDS-Live, HDS-Carbon, HDS-PRO, Hds-Gen3, HDS-Gen2, SIMRAD, Elite FS.
Initial setup
First you need to unlock the Lowrance echo sounder if it was purchased in the USA. You will need a Lowrance geofence unlock, otherwise it will not work, and you will be notified about it by an alert on the screen.
After unblocking, multiple displays need to be connected to the same network using an Ethernet cable. Cooperative use does NOT occur automatically, but the device must be configured for continuous sharing. Connecting modules or the NEP-2 expansion port can be used for connection.
Preparing the device:
1. Give each device a clear and unique name. To do this, go to “Settings” and find the “Network” category. Also make sure that all devices have the latest firmware version installed. Otherwise, the old software may not support the functions and protocols that you will need.
2. Configure the devices to work with sensors. First, make sure that the sensors are working correctly. Go to the “Settings” section and select “Sonar”. Find the “Network Echo Sounder” slider and turn it ON. It is also possible to select a data source there.
3. Configure the devices to use sensors from other devices. Select a single data source so that all displays have the same image.
After that, the device will reboot automatically.
How to select multiple echo sounder sources
To do this, follow the instructions:
1. Select the “Sonar” mode that you are going to use, for example, SideScan.
2. The selected mode will open. Go to the menu and open sources. Select the sensor you plan to use.
3. If you need to display data from more than one sensor on the same display, then select scanning options that support multi-window mode. It should be remembered that this is possible only after the geofence unlock Lowrance has been unblocked.
