MarCum Explorer HD L Lithium Underwater Camera User Manual
- June 13, 2024
- MarCum
Table of Contents
MarCum Explorer HD L Lithium Underwater Camera
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing the Explorer HDL underwater viewing system from MarCum Technologies. The Explorer HDL offers several technologies that are the first of their kind, making this system the most technologically advanced underwater viewing system available. Using technology such as an 7″ Solar Intelligent-H2D display will deliver the sharpest, most vivid display, even in bright sunlight. Color Kill technology allows you to switch between a Color or Black and White image on demand, while maintaining crisp screen resolution. Your new Explorer HDL can be used to hunt for underwater treasures, locate the “spot on the spot”, observe fish in their natural habitat or learn how fish react to your lure or bait presentation. The applications are endless, and it’s never been easier or more fun to view.
Features
480v x 800h Solar-Intelligent, H2D LCD monitor. The daylight viewable monitor requires no sunshield while viewing outdoors, though it is recommended that you use the provided visor and turn the monitor away from direct sunlight when using outdoors during the day. The ultra-thin monitor housing is sealed with a rubber gasket and all plug-in connections are potted to protect the internal electronics from the harsh elements. Sony CMOS HD Image Sensor – .01 lux – Sony’s next generation low-light camera. In order to create an ultra-clear, HD picture. This camera offers a 90° angle of view, giving the user a wide coverage area for maximum visibility. The Manta camera design matches the high-quality Sony CMOS HD Image Sensor. This lighting option incorporates MarCum’s exclusive Dark water lighting technology. Darkwater technology greatly reduces particulate reflection and increases viewing distance by positioning the lights above and behind the actual camera lens. For added open water stability or to use as a down view camera, the fin (included) snaps into the rear of the Manta camera housing with ease.
Getting Started
Remove the Explorer HDL from the packaging and place it on a level surface
with the MarCum Technologies logo facing towards you and right side up. Once
opened, loosen the knobs on either side of the monitor by turning each one
counter-clockwise a considerable distance. Then depress both knobs by pushing
inwards and hold in place. This releases the lock on the monitor angle. While
depressing the knobs with the base of your palms use the index fingers of each
hand and gently lift the monitor up to the desired viewing position and
release tension on the gimbal knobs. Gently tighten the knobs until they are
snug. The battery, camera and cable are now accessible behind the monitor.
It’s easiest to remove the hook and loop straps and unzip the soft pack case.
The battery has a wiring harness with “piggyback” terminals attached. The
power cord from the monitor attaches to this; the positive (red) terminal
should already be attached. You should only have to attach the negative
(black) wire to the negative (blue) terminal, and you are ready to go. The
other cord coming from the battery is the port to attach your battery charger,
there is no reason for you to disconnect any of these wires unless you are
going to remove/replace the battery. To turn “on” the Explorer HDL, press the
power key which is located on the keypad on the lower left side on the front
of the monitor. After pressing the power key, a small red LED indicator light
will illuminate. The monitor will now display a picture. The camera can now be
unwrapped from the cable spool and deployed into the water to the desired
depth. The depth of field (distance the camera can see underwater) depends on
the clarity of the water and available light at the depth the camera is used.
In clear water, the depth of field can be many feet but in cloudy, muddy, or
stained water the depth of view can be reduced to only a few inches In clear
water, the depth of field can be many feet but in cloudy, muddy, or stained
water the depth of view can be reduced to only a few inches due to particles
suspended in the water. Dirty or muddy water and/or low light penetration can
detract from the quality of the color picture. Optimum color quality will
result from clear water and adequate light penetration.
NOTE: As far down into the water you can see the camera, is how far out the camera will be able to see.
Adjusting the Monitor and On-Screen Display (OSD) Settings Monitor Screen
Adjustments
The Explorer HDL monitor has four different adjustments that can be made to
enhance the image on the monitor to the user’s preference. (Note: The Explorer
HDL has been pre-set with factory defaults for normal viewing.) To access the
settings menu, press the menu key on the digital keypad. The settings menu
will be displayed on the screen (Note: if you wait too long before selecting
and adjustment, the menu screen will time out and disappear).
To change between on-screen adjustment choices
When adjusting for Brightness, Color Kill, Color, Contrast, Reset and Exit.
Press the menu key to pull up the menu for adjusting these settings. The
selected on-screen adjustment will be highlight-ed on the LCD screen. Once you
have the desired selection highlighted; use the Up and Down arrows to
increase/ decrease or turn on/off the desired selection. To accept the
changes, press the menu button to highlight the Exit and use the up or down
arrow to exit. Otherwise wait for the menu to time out and the setting change
is saved. If the adjustment did not set. Go back to the menu options and
return to the setting that would not adjust and try readjusting it.
Brightness – Increases how bright the individual pixels on your screen will illuminate. Different lighting conditions and water clarity will affect how you may want the brightness to be set. Too much “Brightness” can cause the image to have a washed-out look.
Color – Increasing the color saturation will increase the vividness but can make the picture look darker overall. Decreasing the color saturation will make the colors look washed out and gray.
Contrast – Contrast is the difference in brightness between lightest and
darkest tones in a picture. A picture with too much contrast has highlights
(lighter tones) that are too bright with no detail, and shadow areas that are
too black. A picture with too little contrast
looks dull, with no true blacks and more grayish highlights. Different water
clarities coupled with the amount of light available will affect the contrast.
Adjust the contrast to the desired setting for the best overall picture.
Color-Kill – This feature allows you to switch between color and black and white with the push of a button. To access Color Kill, find in the main menu and select ‘yes’ to activate (turn on black and white). For viewing in low-light, dirty water, or after dark, Black and White viewing is recommended for optimal viewing. Clear or good water clarity and daylight viewing is optimal for viewing in color.
Lighting – The Explorer HDL utilizes super high intensity white LED lights. The Explorer HDL incorporates Darkwater technology which greatly reduces particulate reflection and increases viewing distance by positioning the lights above and behind the actual camera lens.
NOTE: The Color-kill feature will turn on automatically when the camera’s
light sensor does not detect enough light for optimal color viewing. This can
happen in low light conditions, in deep water, or when the ice is very thick
and/or covered with snow.
Utilizing the HD video out jack: On the back of the monitor, there is a HD
video out jack that supports a version 1.4 interface. This can be used to
attach a larger monitor, or an external record-ing device. There are many
compact recording devices available that will work great for capturing video.
ICE FISHING APPLICATION
The Explorer HDL can be used to search for that perfect weed line or locate
the crib or rock pile where fish will generally school, entertain the kids, or
as the perfect tool to enhance your ice fishing experience. To use as a search
tool, drill a series of holes through the ice in the location from hole to
hole. Drop the camera down each hole in search for the best spot or until you
locate fish. Once you’ve located the spot, drill a hole 3- 4 feet away from
the hole you’re actually going to fish in.
Set the Explorer HDL on the ice and lower the camera down the second hole. To
assist in keeping the camera at the desired depth and direction, it is
recommended that an Camera Panner be used. Once you send a lure or bait down
and locate it with the Explorer HDL, you are ready to fish. The Explorer HDL
also includes a down viewing fin that snaps into the back of the Manta camera.
Once the fin is attached, the camera cable can be inserted through the cutout
at the rear of the fin and locked into place. It is recommended that you leave
about six inches of excess cable, forming a loop, before locking the cable
into place. The camera can now be lowered into the hole to view what is
directly below you. This can be very helpful while fishing in shallow water.
OPEN WATER APPLICATION
To locate fish, look for treasure or find that perfect spot, simply turn the camera power ON and drop the Manta camera into the water. If you are drifting with the wind or using a trolling motor with the Explorer HDL, attach the supplied trolling fin to the rear of the Manta Camera for added stability. The internal weight is enough to keep the camera down while the fin assists in keeping the Manta Camera tracking straight through the water. Learn in minutes what would normally take a lifetime to reveal through traditional sonar. Moving along at speeds of 1 mph or less will give the best viewing opportunities. It is a good idea to have a GPS and/or a marker buoy at hand to quickly mark any hot spots for future reference. This is a great way to learn new ice fishing hot spots. Imagine finding a rock pile that no one else on your lake knows about! Always use extra caution when viewing around underwater obstructions like boulders, cribs, or wrecks. If the camera becomes hung up, back up from the direction you were traveling from and slowly try to back the camera out of the snag. DO NOT pull directly upward with force unless all other avenues have been pursued. If you spend a lot of time using your viewing system from your boat, it is inevitable that you will encounter some weather. While your Explorer HDL system is designed to be used in a variety of conditions in the outdoors, it is recommended that anytime you experience precipitation that is more than a light rain, you should immediately turn off and stow your entire viewing system. At no time should the monitor be in direct contact with large amounts of water. Should your viewing system become wet, it is unlikely that any harm will come to it, but make sure you get the entire system completely dried out as soon as possible.
Installing and Using the Visor
Your Explorer HDL includes a visor that was custom designed to fit snugly
around the monitor. This visor will help to shroud the monitor and improve
your viewing during sunny conditions. The visor is easily attached or removed
by using the hook and loop fasteners. It is strongly advised that you install
the hook side of the hook and loop fastener to the monitor while still at
home.
LITHIUM BATTERY CHARGING
Your MarCum Explorer HDL comes with a 3-stage battery charger. This style of charger has proven to be the most effective and easiest to use of all charging systems available. Since this is a 3-stage charger, there is no danger of overcharging your battery. When properly cared for, a LiFePO4 battery will last for 2000 charge cycles. Batteries are made to be used, and they need to be used to make the most of them. The most important thing you can do is to promptly recharge your battery after each use. Not charging your battery immediately after use is the number one thing that leads to battery failure. For safety reasons, it is recommended that you place your system on a flat, hard surface like cement or tile when charging it, away from any flammable materials. Be sure to disconnect the charger from the wall when not in use, and avoid leaving your battery hooked up to the charger for extended periods of time. When you get home from a trip, put your battery on charge right away and leave it there overnight, or for around 4-6 hours. Likewise, on the night before an ice fishing trip, put it on the charger again, just to make sure. Again, there is no danger of overcharging your battery. We often talk to people who hesitate to charge their battery after each use for fear that the battery will develop a “memory” and this will lead to a shortened run time—THIS IS FALSE!!! ALWAYS CHARGE YOUR BATTERY AFTER EVERY USE!!! Only use the charger that came with your underwater viewing system. Using a larger charger, like you would use on a car, truck, RV, or boat is likely to cause damage to the battery.
TO CHARGE YOUR BATTERY:
Your battery has a wiring harness attached to it that has “piggyback”
terminals on it, enabling you to keep the power cord from the unit attached to
the battery always, as well as having the wiring harness with receptacle for
your charger attached always. To charge, simply couple the end of the charger
with the end of the wiring harness. It is normal for a green light to appear
on the charger now if the charger is plugged into the battery only. It is also
normal for the light on the charger to be green if it is just plugged into the
wall. When it is plugged into the wall and battery, you will see a red LED
light appear on the charger. If the light is red, the battery is being
charged. When your battery is fully charged, this red light should change to
green. If it is time to go fishing and the light has not turned green, go fish
and try to allow a longer charging period next time. Batteries are an
expendable item, and must be replaced periodically. The batteries that we use
are the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) variety, they are 12-volt 10-amps.
The more amps the battery has, the longer it will run on a full charge. Your
MarCum can be powered off any battery that is 12 volts, even a large
automotive or deep cycle battery. If you are having difficulty with the
charging process, please see the Charger Troubleshooting section on our
website, www.marcumtech.com/support. If
you need to remove the battery, slide the power cord leads from the battery.
Remove the velcro strap that is holding the battery in place and lift the
battery out. To replace the battery, place a new battery of similar
specifications into the battery compartment and secure it with the Velcro
strap and re-connect the positive and negative terminals.
LiFePO4 Long Term Storage
As the ice fishing season ends many of us find ourselves organizing, cleaning,
and drying out our gegear before packing it up for storage. It is important to
remember the LiFePO4 batteries are chemically different then SLA batteries.
When it comes to the LiFePO4 battery in your system and storage make sure to:
- Deplete your charged battery down to 30-50% charge.
- Remove the battery from the system; wipe dry the contact of the terminals along with the outside of the battery.
- Store in a Cool, Dry Place (i.e., Not your garage)
- A place with ambient temperature between 40-80°F (4-27°C).
- Stored dry and away from sources of moisture to prevent rusting of the terminals.
- Away from heat sources, open flames, and other flammable explosive material (i.e., running furnaces.).
One Year Warranty
MarCum warranties this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase. This warranty applies to customers who properly complete the online product registration form found on the MarCum Technologies Website: www.MarCumtech.com/support. MarCum Technologies will repair or replace any components that fail in normal use. Failures due to abuse, misuse, unauthorized alteration, modification, or repair are not covered. The warranty is valid only for the original owner who purchases the unit from an authorized dealer. An original sales receipt dated within the warranty period is required for all warranty claims. To best serve our customers, MarCum Technologies has set a standardized battery warranty policy. Battery warranty coverage requires a proof of purchase. Please see our website, www.MarCumtech.com/support for full details on warranty coverage.
HOW TO OBTAIN SERVICE
If your system is malfunctioning, check the support section of our website. You may find that the solution to your problem is something you can resolve yourself. If you need to send it in, there is no need to contact our office. Getting repairs made is as simple as going to our website, www.Marcumtech.com clicking the support tab and then filling out the MarCum Warranty Claim. Once you have completed and submitted a warranty claim, package the system as described on the website and ship it to us. If your system is out of warranty, it is a simple as going to our website and filling out a MarCum non-warranty claim. Once you have completed the non-warranty claim, package the system as described on the website and ship it to us. All non-warranty repair pricing is determined after the system is received by us. Some people are more comfortable calling for shipping instructions. During peak ice season, we sometimes receive a high volume of calls, making it impossible to get to all customers who phone in. For this reason, strongly consider using the on-line forms at www.MarCumtech.com/support or the “Live Chat” option.
OUR ADDRESS: MARCUM TECHNOLOGIES ATTN: SERVICE DEPT. 3943 QUEBEC AVE NORTH MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55427
Please send your email inquiries to: service@marcumtech.com If you are unable to use email or internet, you may call us at 763-512-3987. Our office hours are Monday – Friday, 8am – 4pm Central Time. International callers may use 888-778-1208. The customer is responsible for shipping costs associated with returning the system to MarCum Technologies. MarCum will pay for shipping the repaired system back to the customer while it is still under warranty. All out of warranty services will be charged a fee for service and shipping which must be paid in advance. The system should be securely packed and shipped “prepaid freight” and insured to MarCum Technologies. It is the customer’s full responsibility to track their products sent out in the mail or other forms of delivery service. MarCum Technologies will not be liable for packages lost in route to us. Unless specified otherwise, do not include batteries or other accessories when returning the product for repair. MarCum Technologies will not be responsible for lost or damaged accessories. Turnaround time can vary, on average it is about 1 week.
MarCum User Manuals are available for downloads from https://marcumtech.com/manuals 30-1076-82367 2023-0301