Jw fishers Sss-100k pc User manual

SIDE SCAN PC

OPERATION MANUAL

JW FISHERS MFG INC

rev 071211 USB

JW FISHERS MFG INC

1953 COUNTY ST.

E. TAUNTON, MA 02718 USA

(508) 822-7330; (800) 822-4744; FAX (508) 880-8949

Email: [email protected] WEB: www.jwfishers.com

SSS-100K PC

SSS-600K PC

SSS-100K/600K PC

SIDE SCAN SONAR

OPERATION

AND

MAINTENANCE

MANUAL

1953 COUNTY STREET

EAST TAUNTON, MA 02718

JW FISHERS MFG INC

• DO'S AND DON'T .....................................................................................................4

• SPECIFICATIONS ....................................................................................................5

• OPTIONS ..................................................................................................................5

• MINIMUMSYSTEMREQUIREMENTS(ifyouaresupplyingyourownPC) .............................. 6

• DETECTIONRANGESFORTARGETS....................................................................7

• SONAR BASICS.......................................................................................................8

• SIDE SCAN SONAR BASICS...................................................................................9

• JW FISHERS SIDE SCAN SONAR........................................................................12

• JWFISHERSSIDESCANSONARTHEORYOFOPERATION...............................14

• OPERATORSWITCHESANDCONTROLS ...........................................................25

• INSTALLINGHARDWAREANDSOFTWARE ........................................................40

• CABLINGTHESYSTEM .........................................................................................47

• OPERATION ...........................................................................................................49

• SAMPLE PLAYBACK.............................................................................................50

• SAMPLERECORDING...........................................................................................52

• FAQs ......................................................................................................................56

• TROUBLESHOOTING.............................................................................................57

• APPENDIXA (configuring GPS) .............................................................................59

• APPENDIX B (USB to Serial Adaptor) ....................................................................60

• MAPPINGOPTION..................................................................................................62

• ADJUSTABLETRANSDUCEROPTION.................................................................72

• MAINTENANCE ......................................................................................................74

• WARRANTY............................................................................................................74

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DO NOT

• Do not bend tow line around cleat or bend tow line sharply.

• Do not let Fish, Sonar Processor or PC sit in hot sun for prolonged periods.

• Do not pile tow cable on top of fish while fish is on-deck.

• DonotpowerupSonarProcessoruntilComputerhasbooted-up(Computerwillnotboot-upproperly).

•DonotplugSonar Processor into any voltage other than12vdc(12vbattery).If the available voltage supply is120vac

or 220 vac, then use a wall mount power supply with an output of 12 vdc at 1,500 ma or more. The correct wall mount

powersupply isavailablefromJWFishers. DO

• Alwaysturn off the power switch on theSonar Processor before unplugging the power cord.

•To reduce outside electrical interference (noise on thesonarimage),connectawirefromthe“Water Ground” terminal

on the Sonar Processor panel directly to a piece of metal that goes into the water.

• Loosenthe thumbscrew(nexttohandle)oneturntopreventpressurebuildup insidetheSonar Processorhousing.

• Protect fish fins when fish is out of water. Insure lower fins are protected.

• Pile tow cable on-deck and sit fish on top of tow cable pile.

• Protect cable end connectors, keep them dry and out of water.

• For the best image, the Fish should be towed 10 - 15% of the Range Switch setting off the bottom (if operating in the

75 m range, the Fish should be towed 7.5-11 m off the bottom).

• Boat passes must be in a straight line or target printout will be distorted (curved).

• After searching an area in one direction, repeat the search pattern with a 90 deg shift in directions.

• Onceatargetisdetected,verifyimage.Makeseveralstraightpassesatdifferentapproaches(differentangles).

Area 1, first search Area 1, second search

SPECIFICATIONS

TOWFISH:

•Frequency SSS-100K................................................................................................... 100 Khz.

SSS-600K.................................................................................................... 600 Khz

SSS-100K/600KDualFrequency ...........................100Khz/600KhzUserSelectable

•BeamwidthHor/vert ..................................................................1deg/40deg,tilted10degdownward.

• Pulse length........................................................................................................................... .1 ms.

•PowerOutput..................................................................................................... 1000 wperchannel.

• Max range 100Khz ................................................................... 1800 ft per channel / 3600 ft tot.

................................................................................550 m per channel / 1100 m tot.

600Khz ......................................................................200 ft. per channel / 400 ft. tot.

................................................................................... 75 m per channel / 150 m tot.

- Max depth.................................................................................................................500ft (150 m).

-Towspeed .........................................................................................................................1-5mph.

DIMENSIONS/WEIGHT:

• Sonar Processor ........................................ 13"Wx10"Hx6"D.....................................................8 lbs.

•Cable .......................................................... .75"x150'-500' ............................................... 25/85 lbs.

• Fish ............................................................... 4"D x 62"L .......................................................35 lbs.

• Shipping boxes

- Sonar Processor .................................................

- Fish 150-1,000 ft ............................... 67"Lx16-25"Dx19-24"H ..................................... 150-445lbs.

MATERIALS/COLOR:

• Sonar Processor ..................................................... High impact plastic case , PVC, stainless/black.

• Fish ................................................................................. High impact PVC, epoxy, stainless/yellow.

•Cable ....................................................................................... 10conductorinpolypropylene/yellow.

OPTIONS

• Extra cable up to 1,000 ft.

• 120 vac to 12 vdc wall power supply

•220vactransformer(Europe).Usedwithwallpowersupplyabove

•Splashproof“UltraBright”PCandKeyboard

File Size per hour of Recording

Range:

5m ......................................................... 455mb

10m ......................................................... 380mb

25m ......................................................... 182mb

50m ......................................................... 92mb

75m ......................................................... 65mb

100m ......................................................... 46mb

200m ......................................................... 24mb

300m ......................................................... 16mb

400m ......................................................... 12mb

500m ......................................................... 9mb

600m .......................................................... 2mb

SONAR VIEW is a high performance software package designed specifically for JW Fishers side

scan sonars. The software can be loaded onto either a notebook or desktop PC.

SONAR VIEW MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

If a computer was not purchased with the SONAR VIEW software, your computer

must meet the following minimum requirements:

CPU: Intel or AMD. 600MHz

System memory: 128 Mb RAM

256 Mb Ram (minimum recommended for Windows XP)

Video Card capable of:

32 Mb Video memory

16 bit color

Minimum Screen Area of 800 x 600 pixels (1024 x 768 recommended)

One available USB port

Windows 98 or later

40 Mb of free disk space for program installation

Disk space for file recording:

SONAR VIEW uses up to 500 Mb per hour when recording highest quality

images in short ranges.

Optional:

CD or DVD burner for archiving files

Note: For the fastest scanning capability, shut down all other programs (including

virus scan).

DETECTION RANGE CHART

RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDED

NORMAL MAXIMUM

"RANGE" "RANGE"

TARGET SIZE SETTING FOR SEARCHING SETTING FOR SEARCHING

(you can always a use shorter range)

Body ............................................................... 5 m. (16 ft)............................................... 10 m. (32 ft)

Lobster trap .................................................... 5 m. (16 ft)............................................... 10 m. (32 ft)

55 gal drum................................................... 10 m. (32 ft) ............................................... 25 m. (80 ft)

2 ft channel buoy and mooring ...................... 50 m. (160 ft) ............................................ 75 m (245 ft)

12 ft aluminum canoe ................................... 50 m. (160 ft) ............................................ 75 m (245 ft)

Large Prop (6' dia) ......................................... 50 m. (160 ft) ............................................ 75 m (245 ft)

Large anchor ................................................. 50 m. (160 ft) ............................................ 75 m (245 ft)

17 ft boat ...................................................... 75 m. (245 ft) ........................................... 100 m (320 ft)

30 ft boat .................................................... 100 m. (320 ft) ......................................... 200 m. (650 ft)

Small plane................................................. 100 m. (320 ft)......................................... 200 m. (650 ft)

Helicopter ................................................... 100 m. (320 ft) ......................................... 200 m. (650 ft)

Small barge ................................................ 200 m. (650 ft) ........................................... 300 m (975 ft)

Tugboat ...................................................... 200 m. (650 ft) ...........................................300 m (975 ft)

75 ft boat .................................................... 200 m. (650 ft) ........................................... 300 m (975 ft)

Submarine (WWll) ....................................... 200 m. (650 ft) ........................................... 300 m (975 ft)

Destroyer .................................................... 300 m. (975 ft) ......................................... 400 m (1300 ft)

Battleship ................................................... 400 m. (1300 ft) ....................................... 500 m (1625 ft)

Queen Mary ................................................ 500 m. (1625 ft) ....................................... 600 m (1950 ft)

• Recommended boat speed of 1-3 kts for above chart.

• The distance shown is for one transducer.

• To determine actual swath coverage multiply range times two.

• The same chart is used for 100 or 600Khz, but the maximum range for 600Khz is about 75 m.

The above chart shows the recommended Range settings for different size targets when doing a general search. Once

a target is detected, the Range setting would be reduced and closer passes to the target would be made and at different

angles. The closer passes, at shorter Range settings, produce the best pictures. More detail is shown on the computer

screen when operating in the short ranges.

The above recommended ranges are conservative. A 75' boat (recommended range 200 m) could be picked-up at 300

m. But if you were on the 300 m range, and the boat was being seen from an end view, and the boat was laying on its

side, it is very possible that the resultant image would not be recognizable as a boat.

CHART EXAMPLE:

If the target you are looking for is similar in size to a 30 ft boat, you would search in the 100 m range (or less). Each

pass would cover a 200 m (1,300 ft) swath. Once an area is covered, it is recommended that it be recovered at a 90 deg

angle to the first set of passes. This is to insure the target is not missed due to poor target orientation on the first set

of passes. Once the target is picked-up, the Range should be set to 50 m. The search boat would make passes

approximately 25 m from the target. The target would be printed in the center of the screen for the appropriate channel.

The passes should be made at different angles in an attempt to get the best image. All passes must be made in a straight

line to insure printout is not distorted.

GENERAL

Sonar is the bouncing of a acoustic signal off a target and then measuring the time it takes to return - thus giving

distance- and measuring the size or amplitude of the returned signal, thus showing hardness of the target.

Since the speed of sound in water is 4800 ft per second it is easy to determine the distance to a target by simply

measuring the time it takes to make the round-trip and dividing by two. If we examine the size of the returned

signal (amplitude) we can determine if the sonar signal hit a soft object (mud bottom) or a hard object (rocky

bottom). The muddy bottom will absorb much of the signal with very little signal (echo) being returned. The rocky

bottom will absorb very little of the signal and will reflect most of the signal back to the receiver. The rocky bottom

produces a large echo which is called a hard return.

The acoustic signal is produced by a transducer. In actual operation, the transmitter generates an electrical pulse

which is applied to the transducer. The transducer converts this pulse to a mechanical vibration which produces

an oscillating pressure wave in the water thus forming a sound pulse. The pulse then travels away from the

transducer until it strikes an object at which point some portion of the pulse is reflected back to the transducer

as an echo.

When the echo returns to the transducer, the transducer is mechanically excited by the sound pressure wave

and converts the vibration into an electrical signal. This signal is then detected and amplified by the receiver.

The control/display unit regulates the precise timing between the transmitter, receiver and display elements.

DEPTH SOUNDER

Depth sounders are a simple form of sonar. They send out a conical shape energy pulse toward the bottom, listen

for the return , calculate the time it took, and display the answer in feet (of depth). If your depth sounder has a

display or a printout, a line will be drawn representing the bottom. Because the beam is so wide (15 to 30 deg)

the beam will be on the object for a long time as you pass over it. As a result, even small objects appear to be

quite large on the printout. Fish show up as large arcs on the display.

SCANNING SONAR

Scanning sonar refines the process by decreasing the beam width and then sweeps the beam back and forth

across the bottom to paint the picture; a big improvement over the depth sounder printout for bottom detail. The

problem is that the transducer is mounted on the bottom of the boat and it is subject to the pitch and roll of the

boat. Even the smallest movement of the boat results in the transmitted signal hitting in a different area than the

previous scan. The printed results reflect this "jumping around" movement and make interpretation difficult on

all but the most obvious targets.

SONAR BASICS

Displayed

TRANSDUCER TRANSMITTER/RECEIVER CONTROL/DISPL AY

SIDE SCAN SONAR

The main features that distinguish side scan sonars from other forms of sonar are: sideways looking, narrow

beam, two channels, and towed transducers.

Sideways look:

Originally, sonars 'looked' straight down and were used to measure bottom depth or locate large objects

resting on the bottom. During the 1950's researchers turned the transducers on their sides and begin

looking at the series of echoes that returned from the bottom rather than a single echo from a discrete

target. The problem was that the beam was so wide that resolution was very poor.

Narrow Beam:

A narrow horizontal beam angle is required to obtain a high resolution picture of the sea floor.

Two Channels:

Side scan sonars look to both sides of the survey vessel. Not only does this double the effective coverage

area, but there are economic gains to be had as both channels can share a common controller, tow fish

etc.

TowedTransducer:

The narrow beam angle makes control of the beam direction very important which would be difficult in

rough sea if the transducer were mounted to the survey vessel. Thus the transducer is towed behind the

boat where the effects of boat pitch, roll, etc. are minimized. Further, the towed body allows the sonar

to be operated in any water depth so it can be close to the target, which produces the most detail.

PC Monitor:

A side scan sonar display builds up its image by laying down successive scans of the sonar image

producing a composite image.

To achieve high-resolution, side scan reduces the beam width to a narrow 1 to 2 deg, and the transducer is

mounted on a towed fish designed for stability. Waves and a rocking boat have very little impact on the resultant

printout. The result of the narrow beam, a rock stable transducer, and a display, is a high-resolution image with

surprising details of the bottom.

Operating frequencies of SSS are generally 50 Khz, 100 Kkz, or 600 Khz (higher frequencies are available, but

they have very limited range). The 50 Khz units have excellent long range (2000 ft+), but not very good resolution.

The 100 Khz units have good long range (1800 ft), and good resolution. The 600 Khz units have limited range

(400 ft), but excellent resolution. The 100 Khz side scan sonar is the best overall general purpose unit, and the

most popular in use today. The SSS-100K is a 100 Khz system. The SSS-600K is a 600Khz system that offers

significant increased resolution and is ideal for Police and Rescue Units (ideal for body recovery). The SSS-

100K/600K is a dual frequency system that allows the operator to choose the best frequency for each application.

SIDE SCAN SONAR BASICS

Acoustic Wave

(1-2 deg thick)

Top View of Acoustic Wave Path

Fish

100 m

10 m

Target #1 Target #2

Acoustic Wave 100 m Range Switch

Side scans operate by transmitting a short, high energy, narrow width acoustic wave out each side of the fish.

This high energy acoustic wave hits directly below the fish first (as shown below)

As the pulse continues to sweep across the bottom, away from the fish, echoes continuously return to the

transducer (see below). The Sonar Processor takes evenly spaced samples of the echo returns (for each side)

which are processed and displayed.

The larger the amplitude of the return (echo), the greater change of color on the display. The harder the object

(rocks, metal, etc ), the larger the returned echo. The angle of the bottom surface and target angles also impact

the amplitude of the return signal. The left side of target #1 and #2 will produce a larger (harder) return echo than

the top area. When the acoustic wave hits the top of the target, some of the echo is reflected away from the

fish. When the bottom slopes away and down from the fish, only light echo's return from the bottom. When the

bottom slopes upward, medium echo returns are received. If a hard target is positioned on a down or on a up-

sloping bottom, a hard return will result from the target.

If a target is up "off the bottom", as is target #1 and #2, then there will be an area directly behind the target that

will be blocked from the acoustic wave. No echo returns will be received from that area by the fish. When

displaying this area, the display will show a no signal color. This area on the display is called the target's

"shadow".

Each displayed line (one pulse out of the transducer) is 1/2 the screen width wide. The amplitude of the returned

echo samples, during one line, determines the color for each point along the line. When the line is completed

on the display, the display point moves to the next position and the transducer sends out another pulse.

10m

#1 #2

100 m Range Switch

Returning Echos

Fish

Acoustic

Wave

100 m

Hard Return No Return Echos (Shadow) Light Return Medium Return Hard Return

A look at returning echoes

As the fish is towed through the water it sends out an acoustic wave and listens for returned waves. How often

it sends out a acoustic wave depends on the Range setting. The figure below shows a top view of a series of

12 waves sent out from a passing fish (arrow). Since the Range and boat speed is known, the distances can

easily be figured.

In the figure below, we doubled the Range Switch setting from 25 m to 50 m. The boat speed stayed the same.

We are now covering twice the scan distance (left to right), which requires twice the time for each acoustic wave.

The distance between each acoustic wave is doubled, which results in less samples of the target and therefore

less resolution. The target will be displayed at one-half the vertical height.

In the figure below, we left the Range Switch setting at 50 m, but cut the boat speed in half. The result is that

we get the same resolution as the top figure while covering twice the scan distance.

Boat speed is important, slower boat speeds produce the highest resolution images.

Note: Ideal towing speed is 1 knot. Sonar View software offers manual and automatic boat speed correction to

compensate, but not with out loss of overall resolution, for faster than ideal boat speeds. Sonar View will display

properly proportioned images for boat speed of 1 to 5 knots with manual correction or 1/2 to 5 knots using the

automatic setting. Faster tow speeds will result in images that are vertically compressed. Slower tow speeds

will result in images that are vertically stretched.

Tow Fish:

The tow fish is constructed of high impact PVC. The fish is 62" long and 4 1/2" in dia. The fish weighs 35 lbs.

The nose cone is lead impregnated epoxy for negative ballast. The tail cone is epoxy without lead. The fins are

PVC and are glued and screwed in-place (field replaceable ). There are slots on each side of the fish for the

transducers. The front area of the fish contains a removable waterproof compartment which houses the

electronics for the transducers. The cable from the surface connects to the top of the tow arm. The cable is

connected to the side of the tow-arm and enters the fish and connects to the waterproof compartment.

The function of the fish is to carry the transducers and the underwater electronics through the water. It is critical,

for good printouts, that the fish tows stable through the water (stable, not perfectly straight). If the fish is towed

cross-current (across a river) the fish will actually tow pointed slightly upstream. This is due to the water-flow

pushing against the fins. This will not cause a problem with the printout. The printout is effected when the fish

is not stable while under tow.

Pre-Amp Left Transducer Windows

600Khz

100Khz

INTRODUCTION

Fishers basic Side Scan PC system consists of :

• Tow fish with two 100Khz, 1 deg by 40 deg transducers (if SSS-100K).

• Tow fish with two 600Khz, 1 deg by 40 deg transducers (if SSS-600K)

• Tow fish with two 100Khz and two 600Khz, 1 deg by 40 deg transducers (if SSS-100K/600K)

• 150 ft to 500 ft tow cable.

• Sonar Processor.

• Laptop or optional Ultra Bright Splashproof Computer.

JW FISHERS SIDE SCAN SONAR

Fish

Sonar

Processor

150 to 500’

Cable Interface

Board

Laptop

Tow Cable:

The tow cable consists of three electrical cables inside of a hollow-core polypropylene rope. It is tough, durable, and

highly abrasion resistant. Cable is available in 150 to 500' lengths.

Sonar Processor:

The Sonar Processor provides an interface between the Fish and the computer. It receives signals from the Fish,

amplifies them, and sends them to the computer using an integrated PC interface board. The Sonar Processor also

receives the latest GPS data from the boat’s GPS receiver and forwards the data to the computer so that the data from

the Fish is matched to a GPS position for later reference.

The Sonar Processor contains two sets of operator amplifier adjustments, the Left and Right Channel TVG, to allow

precise control of the signals from the Fish.

Computer:

The Sonar Processor has an integrated interface board that converts the analog signals to digital, and inputs the signal

to the computer. The computer takes the digital signal, displays it, and stores it for future reference. The software has

numerous Tool Bars and Pull Down menus for controlling the display. There is also communications from the Computer

to the Fish which allow the operator to control different functions within the Fish.

To get the proper prospective of the information being displayed on the screen; picture the fish in the center, and at the

top of the screen. The transmitted beam is traveling from the center of the screen out to each edge of the display. The

distance covered from the center of the page to the edge is dependent on the Range setting (5m, 10m, 25m, 50m, etc).

After each transmit pulse, all the information on the screen moves down one line and the new information is displayed

in the top line (the oldest line, at the bottom, drops off the screen). The process is repeated indefinitely.

123456789012345678901

2345678901234567890

123456789012345678901

2345678901234567890

123456789012345678901

12345678901234567890

123456789012345678901

LeftChannel RightChannel Latest Line ofInfo

OldestLineof Info

Fish

PC Display

Cable from

boat’s

GPS

Cable

from Fish SP to PC Interface

(USB Cable)

to computer

Sonar Processor

Left Channel

TVG Right Channel

TVG

Input

Power Cable

(12 vdc)

Power On

Switch and

LED

Water

Ground

Fish

100 m

10 m

Target #1 Target #2

Acoustic Wave 100 m Range Switch

Fish

preamps

Transducer

Drivers

JW FISHERS SIDE SCAN SONAR THEORY OF OPERATION

BLOCK DIAGRAM

The key to side scan operation is to understand how the side scan works. We will begin with an overall block

diagram and then discuss the individual components.

When Record is selected, the computer ( Central Processor Unit or CPU ) scans the operator selected settings and sends

a transmit pulse to the transmit electronics in the fish. A short duration 1000 watt pulse is generated to both transducers.

Each transducer produces its own 100Khz or 600Khz sound wave that travels out away from each side of the fish. The

pre-amps in the fish listen to the same transducers for returning echoes. As the sound wave sweeps out across the

bottom, echoes are continuously received by the transducers and amplified by the pre-amps in the fish. The first echo

to be received is the reflection off the bottom directly below the fish. We will only discuss one channel, but what

follows applies to both channels.

The Fish preamps send the amplified echo signals up the cable to the "time variable gain" (TVG) amplifiers in the Sonar

Processor. The TVG amps increase their gain over time to compensate for signal loss which occurs when the signal

travels through the water. If TVG circuits were not used, then target #1 would display dark, but target #2 would display

very light. Figures below shows the signal with and without the TVG circuits.

123456789012345678901

2345678901234567890

123456789012345678901

2345678901234567890

123456789012345678901

12345678901234567890

LeftChannel RightChannel

Computer

Sonar

ProcessorFish

Interface

board

CPU

transmitPulse

Transmit pulse 8" Next transmit pulse

Shadow

Signal without TVG

eNext transmit pulseTransmit pulse

#1 #2

Shadow Shadow

Signal with TVG

SP to PC Interface

(USB Cable)

TVG

Amplifiers

After the transmit pulse, the CPU generates a short delay* (to allow the transducers to settle ) and after the delay, it looks

at the output of the TVG circuit, and takes evenly spaced samples of the signal. The spacing between each sample pulse

is determined by the Range selected. The CPU sends the pieces of information to the display where each sample is

displayed on the screen. It is the amplitude of the samples of the received signal that determines the color displayed.

Targets # 1 and 2 above would display as a dark** color whereas the normal bottom return would print a light color on

the display. After displaying the line, all lines on the screen move down one to allow room for the next line.

While the above displaying took place, the CPU sent another transmit pulse to the fish. This sequence repeats itself for

as long as the side scan is turned on.

Each transmit pulse results in one line being displayed in each channel. Both channels are displayed simultaneously.

How often we transmit depends on the Range selected.

* This delay can be extended, by the operator, for water column removal (covered later).

** For ease of explanation, we will assume that the operator has selected “gray scale” for display colors. A soft

(low amplitude) return would display light gray and a hard (high amplitude) return would display a dark gray

(black).

eNext transmit pulseTransmit pulse

#1 #2

Shadow Shadow

Delay

1624 Samples

TRANSDUCERS

The fish contains two transducers (four transducers if SSS-100K/600K model).

Cables To

Transmit And

Pre-amp

Circuits

In Fish

The transducers are hit with a short duration 1000 watt pulse which causes a highly focused sound wave to be

generated from the side face (window) of the transducer. If the transducers are out of water, you can hear the

transducers "snap" as they react to being hit with the high power pulse. If you touch the window, you can feel

the pulse.

The main center beam is extremely narrow (aprox 1 deg wide ) and has a tremendous amount of power. It is this

main beam that sweeps across the bottom (away from the fish ) at 4800 ft per sec; which makes for high resolution

pictures. Close to the transducer, is a very broad beam which is the result of side lobes. All side scan transducers

have side lobes. Top quality transducers, such as those used in the JW FISHERS Side Scan Sonar, have very

short side lobes which extend a very short distance. Poor quality transducers have long side lobes extending

20-30 % of the total beam length.

The impact of side lobes is that the printed picture will be distorted if the transducer passes very close to a target

(a few feet ). The printout for the above equally sized targets is shown below. The distortion of target #1 is due

to it being in the beams path much longer than it should have been. Target #1 was in the beams path much longer

than the other two targets.

Right Main Beam (horizontal/top view)

4800 fps

Target #2

Target #1 Target #3

Transducers

Window

Print Head - Right Channel

Target #2

Target #1

Target #3

Right Channel Display

All of the targets shown above will be picked up and displayed as shown below. Drawing assumes targets are

in a straight line (water column factor not included - covered later).

The transducers horizontal beam is 1 degree wide.

To insure complete bottom coverage, out away from the fish, the vertical part of the narrow beam must be very

wide. The vertical part of the beam is 40 deg wide. The transducer is tilted (pointed) 10 deg down to insure that

the main impact of the beam will sweep across the bottom. The main power of the beam is in the dark shaded

area. The lightly shaded area shows the secondary area of the beam. It lacks the power of the main part of the

beam, but is part of the overall vertical beam pattern and does detect targets.

Right Main Beam (horizontal/top view)

4800 fps

Fish

Tail

Target #1 Target #3Target #2

Main Beam

Total

Beam

Print Head - Right Channel

Target #2 Target #3Target #1

RightChannelDisplay

Some part of the main beam and the secondary component go above the fish. When operating in water depths of 50+

ft, with the fish near the bottom, the upper sound wave does not effect the display. However, with the fish within 20 ft

of the surface, the water surface and targets on the surface will effect the display. If the water surface is fairly calm, there

will be little effect on the display. If the water is very rough (choppy), and the fish is close to the surface, the echo

reflections from the waves will be visible on the display. The drawings below show the effect of surface targets when

the fish is close to the surface.

All of the targets shown above will be picked up and displayed as shown below. Drawing assumes targets are

in a straight line (water column factor not included - covered later). The displayed position of target #4 is not an

error; #4 is much closer to the transducer than #2.

Target #5

Fish

Tail

Target #1

Target #4

Target #3

Target #2

WaterSurface

Print Head - Right Channel

Target #1 Target #2 Target #3Target #4 Target #5

RightChannelDisplay

TOW CABLE

The 150' to 500' tow cable is a hollow core polypropylene rope with three electrical cables in the center. One cable is a

six conductor cable which is used for sending the transmit pulse and voltages to the fish. The other two cables are coax's

which are used to send the return echoes, from the preamps in the fish, to the left and right channel TVG circuits in the

Sonar Processor.

The returning echoes strike the transducer which produce the return electrical signals. The signals are amplified by the

preamp and sent up the tow cable to be processed by the "time variable gain" (TVG) circuit in the Sonar Processor.

Signals continue to be received and amplified until the next transmit pulse. The sequence is then repeated.

Transmit pulse 8" Next transmit pulse

Shadow

Signal to Sonar Processor

Wires To Surface Control Box

Transmit

Circuitry

Pre-Amp

Transmit Pulse

From control box

Signals To

Control Box

Transducer

Sonar Processor

FISH ELECTRONICS

The fish contains a underwater housing that contains the electronics to generate the 1000 watt power pulse to each

transducer; and preamps to amplify the returning echoes received by the transducers. The amplified signals are then

sent to the surface Sonar Processor where they are processed.

10m

#1 #2

100 m Range Switch

Returning Echos

Fish

Acoustic

Wave

100 m

Hard Return No Return Echos (Shadow) Light Return Medium Return Hard Return

The transmit pulse is generated by the Computer. The signal is sent down the tow cable where it triggers the

transmit circuitry in the fish. The transmit circuitry generates the 1000 watt power pulse to each transducer. The

transducer generates the narrow sound beam that travels out away from the side of the fish. Echoes immediately

begin returning from the bottom as the wave continuous to sweep across the bottom.

TIME VARIABLE GAIN (TVG)

The sonar Processor contains a TVG circuit on the PC board that receives the echo signals from the fish preamplifier

boards. The TVG circuit amplifies and makes time variable gain adjustments to the signal to make up for signal losses

which occur when the echoes are traveling through the water. Each channel has its own TVG circuit. Each TVG circuit

has its own set of operator controls which are located of the Sonar Processor’s top panel.

Sonar Processor PC Board

Transmit pulse 8" Next transmit pulse

Shadow

Signal to Sonar Processor

Print Head - Right Channel

Target #1 Target #2

Display (ifno TVG)

Fish

100 m

10 m

Target #1 Target #2

Acoustic Wave 100 m Range Switch

The signal return (shown below) to the Sonar Processor is the signal that we would expect to see at the output of the

fish preamps. The amplitude of the signal that reaches the Computer determines the color of the image. If the TVG circuit

did not modify the signal shown below (Fig 2), then the display would start out good, but the bottom return

would quickly turn to a color indicating no return (Fig 3). If the return from target #2 was real strong, it might

"pop out" of the light background and print a light image as shown below.

Left Output

to CPU Board

Left Input

From Fish

TVG Board

Left Channel TVG Circuit

Right Channel TVG Circuit

Right Input

From Fish Right Output

to CPU Board

to Interface

Board

to Interface

Board

Fig 1

Fig 2

Fig 3

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