R2Sonic 2026 User manual

SONIC 2026/2024/2022
BROADBAND MULTIBEAM ECHOSOUNDERS
Operation Manual V6.3
Revision 012 (05NOV2022)
Part No. 96000001

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Version
6.3
Rev
r012
Date
05-11-2022
Part No. 96000001

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Version
6.3
Rev
r012
Date
05-11-2022
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Copyright © 2021, R2Sonic LLC. All rights reserved
Ownership of copyright
The copyright in this manual and the material in this manual (including without limitation the text, artwork, photographs,
images, or any other material in this manual) is owned by R2Sonic LLC. The copyright includes both the print and electronic
versions of this manual.
Copyright license
R2Sonic LLC is solely responsible for the content of this manual. Neither this manual nor any part of this manual may be
copied, translated, distributed or modified in any manner without the express written approval of R2Sonic LLC.
Permissions
You may request permission to use the copyright materials in this manual by writing to [e-mail]
Authorship
This manual (Sonic 2026/2024/2022 Operation Manual), and all of the content therein, written by:
R2Sonic LLC
5307 Industrial Oaks Blvd, Suite 120
Austin, Texas 78735
USA
Telephone: [phone]
Version Printing History
•June 2008 Version 1.1/1.2
•July 2008 Version 1.3
•Aug/Sep 2008 Version 1.4
•December 2008 Version 1.5
•June 2009 Version 1.6
•April 2010 Version 2.0
•August 2010 Version 3.0
•April 2011 Version 3.1
•January 2012 Version 4.0
•April 2012 Version 4.1
•February 2014 Version 5.0
•July 2015 Version 6.0 (First version with Sonic 2026)
•June 2016 Version 6.1 (Extended frequency capability and ROBO operation)
•November 2016 Version 6.2 (MultiSpectral Mode™ feature)
•April 2017 Version 6.3 (UHD, MultiMode with PipeTrac™ feature)
R2Sonic LLC reserves the right to amend or edit this manual at any time. R2Sonic LLC offers no implied warranty concerning
the information in this manual. R2Sonic LLC shall not be held liable for any errors within the manual.

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Version
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Rev
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Date
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Part No. 96000001
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Pursuant to the United States Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Export
rules and regulations, under Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) 6A991 and 6A001, a minor
modification has been made in the range and frequencies available in the R2Sonic Multibeam
Echosounder family only for those systems that are submerged to 100 metres depth or greater.
R2Sonic Multibeam Echosounders now come in either a Standard Spectrum (with the restriction) or
a Full Spectrum (no restriction) version.
The Standard Spectrum system will have the restrictions above apply only when submerged to a
depth greater than 100 metres. A Standard Spectrum system, when submerged to depths greater
than 100 metres, will be restricted to operating frequencies of no less than 350 kHz and ranges no
greater than 200 metres. There are no such restrictions for submerged depths of less than 100
metres or for a Full Spectrum system.
All systems with the Ultra High Density (UHD) feature are considered to be under the same export
restrictions as stated for a Standard Spectrum system.
The R2Sonic Multibeam Echosounders Full Spectrum version have no such modifications but are
subject to possible export control restrictions (please see the local R2Sonic representative for a
clarification of the rules and laws that apply to the country of interest).
The rules and regulations, under which this notice applies, are subject to change at any time and without notice.

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Table of Contents
1INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................23
1.1 Outline of Equipment............................................................................................................ 23
1.2 How to use this Manual........................................................................................................ 24
1.2.1 Standard of Measurement ........................................................................................... 24
2SONIC SPECIFICATIONS .......................................................................................................25
2.1 Sonic 2026 System Specification........................................................................................... 25
2.2 Sonic 2024 System Specification........................................................................................... 25
2.3 Sonic 2022 System Specification........................................................................................... 26
2.4 Sonic 2026 Dimensions and Weights.................................................................................... 26
2.5 Sonic 2024 Dimensions and Weights.................................................................................... 26
2.6 Sonic 2022 Dimensions and Weights.................................................................................... 27
2.7 Sonic 2026/2024/Sonic 2022 Electrical Interface................................................................. 27
2.8 Sonic MBES Ping Rates (SV = 1500.00m/sec) ....................................................................... 27
2.9 Acoustic Centre..................................................................................................................... 29
3SONIC MBES SONAR HEAD INSTALLATION – Surface Vessel .................................................33
3.1 Sonic MBES Receive Module Installation.............................................................................. 33
3.1.1 Mounting the Sonic MBES Receive Module ................................................................. 34
3.1.2 Receive Module............................................................................................................ 34
3.1.3 New Deck Lead connector............................................................................................ 35
3.1.4 New Cable Clamping Arrangement .............................................................................. 36
3.1.5 Mounting the Sonic 2024/2022 Projector.................................................................... 41
3.1.6 Mounting the Sonic 2026 Projector ............................................................................. 42
3.1.7 Correct Orientation of the Sonic MBES ........................................................................ 44
3.1.8 Deck Test Before Deployment...................................................................................... 44
3.2 Sonar Head Installation Guidelines ...................................................................................... 46
3.2.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................. 46
3.2.2 Over-the-Side mount.................................................................................................... 46
3.2.3 Moon Pool Mount ........................................................................................................ 46
3.2.4 Hull Mount.................................................................................................................... 46
3.2.5 ROV Mounting .............................................................................................................. 47

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4SONAR INTERFACE MODULE (SIM) INSTALLATION and INTERFACING ...................................49
4.1 Sonar Interface Module (SIM)...............................................................................................49
4.1.1 Physical installation.......................................................................................................49
4.1.2 Electrical and Interfacing ..............................................................................................50
4.1.3 Serial Communication...................................................................................................57
4.1.4 Time and PPS input .......................................................................................................57
4.1.5 Motion Input .................................................................................................................58
4.1.6 SVP input .......................................................................................................................58
5OPERATION OF THE SONIC MBES VIA SONIC CONTROL ........................................................60
5.1 Installing Sonic Control Graphical User Interface .................................................................60
5.2 Hot Keys ................................................................................................................................60
5.3 Settings Menu .......................................................................................................................61
5.4 Network Setup.......................................................................................................................61
5.4.1 Initial Computer setup for Communication ..................................................................61
5.4.2 Discover Function..........................................................................................................62
5.4.3 Configuring Network Communication ..........................................................................64
5.5 Sensor Setup (Serial and Ethernet Interfacing) .....................................................................66
5.5.1 Ethernet Interfacing......................................................................................................66
5.5.2 GPS ................................................................................................................................67
5.5.3 Motion...........................................................................................................................67
5.5.4 Heading .........................................................................................................................67
5.5.5 SVP ................................................................................................................................67
5.5.6 Trigger in / Trigger out ..................................................................................................68
5.6 Sonar Settings (Hotkey: F2)...................................................................................................69
5.6.1 Frequency (kHz) 170 kHz – 450 kHz..............................................................................70
5.6.2 Ping Rate Limit ..............................................................................................................71
5.6.3 Sector Coverage ............................................................................................................71
5.6.4 Sector Rotate ................................................................................................................73
5.6.5 Minimum Range Gate (m).............................................................................................73
5.6.6 Bottom Sampling...........................................................................................................73
5.6.7 Ultra High Density (UHD™) ...........................................................................................75

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5.6.8 Mission Mode............................................................................................................... 77
5.6.9 Imagery......................................................................................................................... 77
5.6.10 Roll Stabilize and Pitch Stabilize ................................................................................... 81
5.6.11 Dual Head Mode (Also see Appendix VII, Section 13.9)............................................... 82
5.6.12 TruePix™, Snippets, Water Column Enable and Intensity Enable ................................ 84
5.6.13 Water Column Data Collection..................................................................................... 85
5.7 MultiMode............................................................................................................................ 86
5.7.1 MultiSpectral Mode™................................................................................................... 86
5.7.2 Pipeline Mode............................................................................................................... 87
5.8 Ocean Setting ....................................................................................................................... 89
5.8.1 Absorption: 0 – 200 dB/km .......................................................................................... 89
5.8.2 Spreading Loss: 0 – 60 dB ............................................................................................. 89
5.8.3 Time Variable Gain ....................................................................................................... 90
5.9 Installation Settings.............................................................................................................. 93
5.9.1 Projector Orientation ................................................................................................... 93
5.9.2 Projector Z Offset (m)................................................................................................... 93
5.9.3 Head Tilt........................................................................................................................ 93
5.10 Status.................................................................................................................................... 94
5.10.1 System Status ............................................................................................................... 94
5.10.2 Saturation Monitor....................................................................................................... 95
5.10.3 TruePix™ Monitor......................................................................................................... 96
5.11 Tools ..................................................................................................................................... 97
5.11.1 Engineering................................................................................................................... 97
5.11.2 Firmware Update.......................................................................................................... 97
5.11.3 Snapshot and Reset Sector Rotate ............................................................................. 100
5.12 Help..................................................................................................................................... 100
5.12.1 Help Topics ................................................................................................................. 100
5.12.2 Options ....................................................................................................................... 100
5.12.3 Remote Assistance ..................................................................................................... 101
5.12.4 About Sonic Control.................................................................................................... 101
5.13 Display settings................................................................................................................... 102

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5.13.1 US Survey Feet Unit (Display Only) .............................................................................102
5.14 Imagery ...............................................................................................................................103
5.14.1 TruePix™ and Water Column ......................................................................................103
5.14.2 Video Capture .............................................................................................................103
5.15 ROBO Automatic Sonar Operation......................................................................................104
5.15.1 Robo Settings ..............................................................................................................105
5.16 Main Operation Parameters ...............................................................................................106
5.16.1 Range: 0 – 1200 metres ..............................................................................................106
5.16.2 RangeTrac™ – Sonic Control automatically sets correct range ..................................108
5.16.3 Power: 191 – 221 dB ...................................................................................................108
5.16.4 Pulse Width: 15µsec – 1115µsec (Sonic 2026 max is 2000µsec)................................108
5.16.5 Gain: 1 – 45 .................................................................................................................109
5.16.6 Depth Gates: GateTrac™.............................................................................................109
5.17 GUI Rec(ord)........................................................................................................................112
5.18 Ruler ....................................................................................................................................112
5.19 Save Settings .......................................................................................................................113
5.19.1 Default setting ini file..................................................................................................113
5.20 Operating Sonic Control on a second computer .................................................................114
5.20.1 Two computer setup...................................................................................................114
5.20.2 Changing back to one computer.................................................................................115
6SONIC MBES THEORY OF OPERATION................................................................................117
6.1 Sonic MBES Sonar Head Block Diagram..............................................................................117
6.2 Sonic MBES Transmit (Normal Operation Mode)................................................................118
6.3 Sonic MBES Receive (Normal Operation Mode)..................................................................119
6.4 Sonic 2024/2022 Sonar Interface Module (SIM) Block Diagram.........................................121
6.4.1 Sonar Interface Module (SIM) Block Diagram.............................................................121
7Appendix I: R2Sonic I2NS Components and Operation .......................................................123
7.1 Components ........................................................................................................................123
7.1.1 Type 82 IMU................................................................................................................124
7.2 Connection diagram............................................................................................................125
7.3 Installation ..........................................................................................................................126

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7.3.1 The IMU and GPS antennas........................................................................................ 126
7.3.2 INS BNC – TNC Connections ....................................................................................... 126
7.3.3 I2NS DB9 Connections ................................................................................................ 127
7.4 Setup in Sonic Control......................................................................................................... 128
7.4.1 Network Setup............................................................................................................ 128
7.4.2 Applanix Group 119 specific to R2Sonic SIMINS ........................................................ 129
7.4.3 Sensor Setup............................................................................................................... 130
7.4.4 INS Monitor (Alt+I) ..................................................................................................... 130
7.5 Measuring IMU Offsets ...................................................................................................... 132
7.5.1 IMU Types................................................................................................................... 134
7.6 I2NS Physical Specifications................................................................................................ 134
7.7 I2NS Drawings .................................................................................................................... 135
7.7.1 I2NS Type 42 IMU....................................................................................................... 135
7.7.2 I2NS Type 82 IMU....................................................................................................... 136
7.7.3 I2NS Sonar Interface Module (SIM)............................................................................ 137
8APPENDIX II: Multibeam Survey Suite Components ........................................................... 139
8.1 Auxiliary Sensors and Components..................................................................................... 139
8.2 Differential Global Positioning System ............................................................................... 139
8.2.1 Installation.................................................................................................................. 139
8.2.2 GPS Calibration ........................................................................................................... 140
8.3 Gyrocompass ...................................................................................................................... 141
8.3.1 Gyrocompass Calibration Methods ............................................................................ 141
8.4 The Motion Sensor.............................................................................................................. 146
8.5 Sound Velocity Probes ........................................................................................................ 147
8.5.1 CTD Probes ................................................................................................................. 148
8.5.2 Time of Flight Probe ................................................................................................... 149
8.5.3 XBT Probes.................................................................................................................. 149
8.6 The sound velocity cast....................................................................................................... 150
8.6.1 Time of Day................................................................................................................. 150
8.6.2 Freshwater influx........................................................................................................ 150
8.6.3 Water Depth............................................................................................................... 150

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8.6.4 Distance.......................................................................................................................150
8.6.5 Deploying and recovering the Sound Velocity Probe .................................................150
9APPENDIX III: Multibeam Surveying .................................................................................. 153
9.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................153
9.2 Survey Design ......................................................................................................................153
9.2.1 Line Spacing.................................................................................................................153
9.2.2 Line Direction ..............................................................................................................153
9.2.3 Line Run-in ..................................................................................................................154
9.3 Record Keeping ...................................................................................................................154
9.3.1 Vessel Record..............................................................................................................154
9.3.2 Daily Survey Log ..........................................................................................................155
10 APPENDIX IV: Offset Measurements..................................................................................159
10.1 Lever Arm Measurement – Offsets .....................................................................................159
10.2 Vessel Reference System.....................................................................................................159
10.3 Measuring Offsets...............................................................................................................160
10.3.1 Sonic MBES Acoustic Centre .......................................................................................160
10.3.2 Horizontal Measurement............................................................................................160
10.3.3 Vertical Measurement ................................................................................................161
11 APPENDIX V: The Patch Test..............................................................................................163
11.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................163
11.2 The orientation of the Sonic MBES Sonar Head ..................................................................163
11.3 Patch Test Criteria...............................................................................................................164
11.3.1 Latency Test ................................................................................................................164
11.3.2 Roll Test.......................................................................................................................165
11.3.3 Pitch Test.....................................................................................................................166
11.3.4 Yaw Test ......................................................................................................................167
11.4 Solving for the Patch Test....................................................................................................168
11.5 History.................................................................................................................................168
11.6 Basic data collection criteria ...............................................................................................169
11.7 Patch Test data collection error areas...............................................................................169
11.7.1
Positioning ..................................................................................................................169