I bought a new Lowrance HDS 5. My First depth finder I have owned. My partner and I have read and tried to figure it out. All we seem to get is the Simulation Mode. The guys at the marina here can't figure it out either. Is there anyone , hopefully a Guide,  down South,  Tenn, Missouri, Kentucky,anywhere down south, That can teach me how to use it?  I want to come down South and and hire a Guide to show me some tricks for mostly Pan fish, Bluegill and Crappie fishing.  But not without the use of the depth finder. I would deeply appreciate any  help.

Thanks,

Sincerely,
Steven Glass

I'm sorry I missed this for so long. Have you had your unit hooked up and in the water? None of my Lowrance sonars will work unless there is a transducer attached. I have the predecessor unit to the HDS 5, an LMS525c. I know it is a pain, but I found it very helpful to read the manual from cover to cover a couple of times. Lowrance also has a free download for a sim program that will allow you to practice on a home computer. Check their web site! There is also a free program to let you read recorded logs off the MMC card you can load into your unit. Tom

I just love you that much Tom. I just bought my hds 5 and was curious of that very same question and thank god someone answered it. Thanks again Nang

Glad I could be of some small help. I got caught by bad timing- I bought a LMS525c-DF just before they were discontinued. I guess that explains the bonus FHS map chip that was a mail in rebate! Enjoy the HD unit. Tom

I just had a thought that may help anyone who is new to sonar/GPS etc. Find someone, a guide if neccessary, who uses the same brand of electronics you have and spend some time on the water with them if possible. Seeing the unit being used and asking questions can really shorten the learning curve. I was fortunate to start years ago with a much simpler system and had the basics down before things like color screens and side/down imaging came along. One other thing- learn to read the screen without the fish ID feature. If you trust it many times you will be trying to get a submerged tree to bite! Tom