Configuring the Echo Sounder

You need to configure the echo sounder settings so that they correspond to the fishing conditions.

About this task

The sounding orientation of the channels changes depending on if the sensor application is down looking or up looking.
Application Picture Transducer's channel Orientation
Trident Down Looking

C Fore
A Down
B Up
D Starboard
E Port
Trident Up Looking

C Fore
A Up
B Down
D Port
E Starboard
Important: Ping Level, Ping Frequency, Pulse Type and TVG are important settings for the calibration of the sensor. A new calibration is mandatory whenever one of these settings is changed.

Procedure

  1. Go to the Echo Sounder page, then click in Sounding Mode.
  2. Select a Mode:
    • Trident Down Looking application:
      • Down only sends three echograms of the area below the sensor.
        Note: You must select this mode to use the Automatic Range feature.
      • Down + Up sends 3 echograms of the area below and 1 above the sensor.
    • Trident Up Looking application:
      • Up only sends three echograms of the area above the sensor.
      • Down + Up sends 3 echograms of the area above and 1 below the sensor.
    Note: Down + Up: Note that the data will have a slower update rate because the pings are distributed between the two directions.
  3. You can activate the Automatic Range mode to have better quality echograms during bottom trawling. See About the Automatic Range Mode for details.
  4. If using the Automatic Range mode, enter a Trawl Opening:
    • lower than 19 meters to be able to switch to a 20 meter-range.
    • lower than 9 meters to be able to switch to a 10 meter-range.
  5. Ping Level is the strength of the echogram signal. Default is High, but you can lower the level to Medium or Low if you notice that the sensor interferes with other equipment on the vessel.
  6. Click to save the changes.
  7. On the Echo Sounder page, click next to a sounding direction.
  8. Set a Frequency (Hz): it must be the same for all the sounding channels. Default is 100 kHz.
  9. The Range (m) of the sounding is the maximum distance at which targets and bottom can be detected.
    Tip: We recommend to set the maximum range value when using the automatic range in order to see the sea bottom as soon as possible.
  10. Select a Pulse Type to have an appropriate length of pulse according to the distance to the bottom:
    • Short: shallow waters (100 μs)
    • Medium: moderate depth (300 μs)
    • Long: deep waters (500 μs)
  11. Select a TVG setting to compensate the signal loss in water and have targets or sea bottom displayed in the same color on the echogram, whatever the distance from the sensor:
    • 20 log: focus on bottom or school of fish.
    • 40 log: focus on individual targets.
    • 30 log: compromise between the two above settings.
  12. Do not change the other echo sounder settings.