On September 7, 2018, the 170-foot steel-hull Ice Angel was cruising the waters of Prince Christian Sound off Greenland’s southern coast. Its speed was 14.5 knots when it struck an uncharted underwater rock. The yacht’s four guests and 15 crew were safe, but the yacht sustained significant damage, leaking oil into the pristine waters.

If the available hydrographic information—Greenland Chart 1103—had detailed this feature, the accident likely never would have happened. But believe it or not, Chart 1103 was made in 1927. It is considered to be of “reconnaissance nature,” meaning that its white areas—those without detailed soundings—cannot be trusted for safe passage.

Unfortunately, Chart 1103 isn’t unique. Humanity has piloted unmanned vehicles on Mars, but we’ve only mapped about a quarter of the world’s seafloor. The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, with help from international partners, aims to change this via community-generated bathymetric data. The partners range from government agencies (including official hydrographic offices) to nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations, and universities. They also include private companies such as FarSounder, the Rhode Island-based manufacturer of 3D forward-looking sonar.

Seabed 2030 was founded in 2017 as a collaboration between The Nippon Foundation, a Tokyo-based international nonprofit organization, and GEBCO (that’s General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans), a joint program of the International Hydrographic Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

Back then, just 6 percent of the world’s oceans had been mapped to what Seabed 2030 terms “adequate” resolution. Seven years on, this metric approaches 25 percent.

“The primary mission is to deliver the first global map of the entire seafloor,” says Jamie McMichael-Phillips, Seabed 2030’s project director. He says that in some cases, this new data is replacing soundings that were collected using lead lines and sextants. “Without accurate maps of the global seabed, a full understanding of the ocean’s physical, biogeochemical and geological parameters is impossible to achieve.”

Seabed 2030’s 3D gridded bathymetric maps will help to further scientific understanding of complex natural processes, including ocean circulation and sediment transportation. The maps and data will also enable better weather forecasts, and more accurate climate models and tsunami warnings.

“Tsunami height is strongly determined by the shape of the seafloor in the run-up to landfall,” McMichael-Phillips says.

Seabed 2030’s map also promises to help businesses in areas such as natural-resources management (say, fisheries) and transoceanic communications and pipelines.

“Seabed 2030 receives generous donations of data from a growing global community of seafarers, nation-states, industry, academic researchers, philanthropic explorers and volunteers,” McMichael-Phillips says. He adds that while most bathymetric data is derived from sonar logs, Seabed 2030 accepts data collected via aircraft, unmanned vessels and satellites.

Anyone can contribute data, but Seabed 2030 maintains a group of partners—including FarSounder—that share a higher level of trust. Matthew Zimmerman, FarSounder’s CEO, says the company has been contributing bathymetric data to the International Hydrographic Organization since 2018 and became a Seabed 2030 partner last fall.

“I’m not a scientist. I’m an engineer,” he says. “I really like being able to enable science with the tools that my team and I develop.”

While any echo sounder can measure distance, not all information is created equally, he adds: “The sensor isn’t the problem, but the metadata is. It’s really hard to make charting decisions based on poor metadata.”

FarSounder documents the exact locations to within a few centimeters of a forward-looking sonar transducer, a third-party echo-sounder transducer, and GPS antenna(s) of every vessel where FarSounder equipment is installed.

“The metadata quality of our contributions is far superior to most crowdsourced contributions,” Zimmerman says.

In addition to becoming a Seabed 2030 partner, FarSounder recently won a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. FarSounder is using these funds to create a cloud-sharing service for sharing anonymous bathymetric data (read: depth at a location in time) from participating FarSounder customers with Seabed 2030. If the data meets the project’s technical requirements and needs, Seabed 2030 can stitch it into the GEBCO world map.

Notably, Seabed 2030’s definition of “adequate” bathymetric resolution hinges on water depth. For depths down to 4,921 feet, Seabed 2030 aims for “100-meter resolution,” meaning at least one sounding in an area that measures 328-by-328 feet. For depths from 4,921 feet to 9,843 feet, this will be 200-meter resolution; for the nearly 73 percent of the seafloor that measures between 9,843 and 18,865 feet down, resolution requirements dip to 400-meter resolution. And for the deepest soundings—say, the 2.7 percent of the seafloor between 18,865 and 36,090 feet—the metric drops to 800-meter resolution.

It’s also important to understand that Seabed 2030 is creating a macro-level seafloor map, not cartography.

“One-hundred-meter resolution isn’t that helpful from a navigational point of view,” Zimmerman says. “It’s certainly helpful for understanding our world from a global science point of view, but it’s not navigation-quality information.”

FarSounder’s systems provide real-time sonar imagery forward of a vessel’s bow. They also build and store a high-resolution bathymetry map of everywhere the vessel has sailed. This local history map resides on the vessel’s FarSounder bridge computer, but it can be shared anonymously with the FarSounder community via the company’s optional fleet-sharing program whenever connectivity exists.

This is where things get interesting for participating FarSounder customers who opt in. “We needed to find a way to motivate our users to contribute, as well as being able to pass this on to the [Seabed 2030] community,” Zimmerman says. The solution was to create two classes of data for customers who opt into the company’s fleet-sharing program.

“Our customers get the full-resolution data as part of the service, but we’re contributing a slightly lower-resolution data [to Seabed 2030],” Zimmerman says. “The high-res maps from the FarSounder sonar, the highest resolution, that’s staying just with the FarSounder customers who are part of this fleet-sharing service.”

Given that FarSounder customers often buy this equipment to ply seldom-seen waters, participation confers membership into a kind of sonic explorers club. “We have pretty good coverage in areas that don’t have good chart data,” Zimmerman says. “We really want to encourage our customers to contribute so that they can also reap the benefit.”

FarSounder might someday monetize this data, but this isn’t the current model. “FarSounder is in the business of selling sonars,” Zimmerman says. “We’re in a unique position where we can participate, we can make contributions, and we don’t need to worry about supporting our company financially through the data transactions because we do that through our hardware sales.”

The net result is a win-win-win: Seabed 2030 receives high-quality data from a trusted partner, the general public and scientific community benefit from the free and downloadable GEBCO world map, and participating FarSounder customers get higher-resolution data.

Still, scale and time emerge as question marks.

“Even with everybody doing all of the mapping they possibly could, we’re not going to meet the Seabed 2030 goals of mapping the world’s oceans, certainly not by 2030, likely not even in the next 70 years,” Zimmerman says.

Seabed 2030’s team acknowledges this, but with a caveat: “A combination of a large fleet of conventionally crewed vessels and robot boats in larger numbers would be a game-changer,” McMichael-Phillips says.

In the meantime, Seabed 2030 is already providing the world with higher-resolution, large-scale seafloor bathymetric data than has ever existed. As for Chart 1103, Seabed 2030 will eventually help fill in the white areas. Cruisers everywhere are encouraged to consider joining FarSounder’s participating community.

Seafloor Scans

FarSounder’s Expedition Sourced Ocean Data Collection Program provides external USB drives that collect raw sonar data. This project requires significant back-end processing work for FarSounder. It’s run on an invitation-only basis, based on sailing itineraries. This high-quality data contributes to FarSounder’s fleet-sharing program.

The post Mapping The World’s Oceans appeared first on Yachting.

Lowrance has unveiled a new fishfinder/chart plotter called Eagle, with features that include high-definition enhanced sonar, FishReveal technology, and C-Map charting with Genesis Live.

The Eagle fishfinder is an entry-level product with prices starting at $119. Display sizes are 4 inch, 5 inch, 7 inch and 9 inch, making Eagle usable aboard yacht tenders and toys, in addition to smaller boats that are part of an owner’s fleet.

“Eagle brings Lowrance’s high-definition sonar to our most easy-to-use fishfinder, providing the ultimate tool for weekend anglers,” Jeremiah Clark, vice president and general manager of fishing systems at Navico Group, stated in a press release. “Developed to make fishing simpler and more enjoyable, Eagle is quick to install—whether on a boat or kayak—and features enhanced autotuning sonar and comprehensive C-Map charts.”

Eagle has newly designed TripleShot HD and SplitShot HD that Lowrance says allow for improved clarity, depth performance and sensitivity, resulting in excellent performance under the surface. FishReveal on DownScan helps anglers identify fish separately from weeds and structures, making it easier to see what they’re trying to catch versus what they don’t want to snag on the hook.

Autotuning sonar is designed to optimize the device settings from the start, eliminating the hassle of anglers needing to constantly configure settings (that’s good news: more time for actual fishing). An improved twist-locking connector should allow for easier installation and removal, making Eagle a portable solution for any type of fishing. Boaters can simply connect and cast, Lowrance says.

Eagle also has a new, rugged design with an IPS screen for improved resolution, clarity and visibility in the marine environment, including with the types of polarized sunglasses boaters often wear in direct sunlight. Lowrance says the new range of imaging color palettes also allows anglers to adapt the display for changing conditions, so as sun and clouds shift in the sky, the images can adjust on the screen.

High-resolution C-Map inland charts for the United States are pre-loaded, with coverage of more than 17,000 American lakes and a range of coastal charting bundles. Eagle also lets users create custom half-foot contour maps of local lakes or unchartered water—in real time—with Genesis Live.

Is there an SD card slot on the Eagle model from Lowrance? Yes. This SD card slot can be used for software updates, Genesis Live recording and charting add-ons.

Take the next step: click over to lowrance.com

The post Lowrance Unveils the Eagle appeared first on Yachting.

The SS Pacific, a 223-foot side-wheel steamer, departed Victoria, British Columbia, on November 4, 1875, bound for San Francisco. Its cargo included gold and coal, the latter from a mine operated by the ship’s owners, as well as 275-plus passengers and 50-plus crewmembers.

Pacific encountered heavy weather as it steamed west out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and then south past Washington’s Cape Flattery.

The crew aboard the northbound Orpheus, a 200-foot square-rigger, mistook Pacific’s masthead light for the Cape Flattery Lighthouse. The ships collided, damaging Orpheus’ rigging and—it’s believed—opening planks on Pacific’s hull. Frigid seawater likely swamped the hot boilers, triggering an explosion.

Some 325 souls were lost on that storm-tossed night. Only two people survived, making it one of the West Coast’s worst maritime disasters. Also, because Orpheus was navigationally blind, Pacific’s final resting spot was unknown.

In 1980, Jeff Hummel, then a student at the University of Washington, and Matt McCauley, Hummel’s high school buddy, recovered a World War II-era warplane from Seattle’s Lake Washington. They were sued, but they won the case and all salvage rights.

This is when Hummel heard about another group that was searching for Pacific, which he had known about, piquing his interest. “They eventually quit,” he says, adding that he thought it was a good project. “I just kept doing it.”

A marine-industry career—Nobeltec (now TimeZero), then Rose Point Navigation Systems—followed, but Hummel’s interest in the long-lost Pacific endured. In 2004, he purchased SeaBlazer, an 80-foot Desco trawler that he refitted to search for Pacific, and he again partnered with McCauley. The two founded the nonprofit Northwest Shipwreck Alliance and Rockfish Inc., their for-profit commercial salvage operation.

While numerous expeditions had searched for Pacific since 1985, Hummel says that Rockfish’s approach hinged on careful use of technology—including expertise in modifying off-the-shelf sonar equipment and building remotely operated vehicles—and key pieces of physical evidence.

Generations of commercial fishermen have scoured the waters off Cape Flattery, and they occasionally net artifacts, including chamber pots and coal. “The coal was really the key,” Hummel says, adding that because Pacific’s owners also operated a coal mine, he was able to send a sample to a laboratory to test against coal from the mine.

They matched.

The Rockfish team leveraged this information, coupled with fishermen’s GPS data, to reduce the search area from 338 square miles to just 2 square miles. While this was a huge reduction, technical sonar-imaging work remained. “It was an area that was difficult to search,” Hummel says.

That’s where technology, including their custom-built sonar, came into the picture.

“We made our own transducers,” Hummel says, explaining that the team purchased off-the-shelf Simrad StructureScan transducers, chemically dissolved their potted encapsulating material, removed the piezoceramic elements and microprocessors, and then rebuilt them using “magic concrete” as the replacement encapsulating material. The result, he says, is transducers that can withstand far greater water-depth pressures than the originals.

The next step involved fitting these bespoke transducers into a towfish, which the team flew about 35 feet above the seafloor.

“We also developed our own robotics equipment,” Hummel says. This included two remotely operated vehicles—dubbed Falkor and Draco—that are equipped with Blueprint Subsea-built Oculus multibeam imaging sonars and that are capable of operating at depths down to 3,240 feet. “It’s kind of like having a radar on the robot,” Hummel says, adding that the ROVs were designed around these instruments. “We can find a beer bottle 100 feet away and drive the robot straight to it.”

The team also built a camera sled, which provides seafloor optics and collects artifacts via its rake.

The team leveraged ReefMaster software, plus SeaBlazer’s Garmin echo sounder, to create their own bathymetric charts. Critically, this software also allowed the team to create a points-of-interest database in real time as they scanned the bottom, so they could later revisit and evaluate.

This is how, after 12 search expeditions between 2017 and 2022, the Rockfish team identified their sunken needle in July 2022.

The first job was to comb the search area for points of interest using the towed sonar array. “It took a lot of convincing,” Hummel says of their first look at the wreck. “It wasn’t obvious at all.”

The image that convinced them that they had located their needle was of two circular seafloor depressions. These indents matched the 24-foot diameters of Pacific’s paddle wheels. “You’re not going to find two identical things on the bottom of the ocean,” Hummel says. “It has to be man-made.”

The team returned to the site aboard SeaBlazer, this time with two camera sleds and the ROVs. Once they ensured that the area was free of ROV-threatening snags, they dispatched Falkor to reimage the wreck with its Oculus sonar and to measure the hull’s timber spacing. “That matched up exactly to the timber spacing on Pacific,” Hummel says.

Finally, the team employed Falkor’s grabber arm to retrieve a piece of worm-eaten hull wood, and the camera sled’s rake to collect a chunk of a firebrick.

The team presented their findings and were granted salvage rights in November. Weather permitting, they’re planning numerous salvage expeditions this year.

Finding a long-lost ship isn’t a cheap venture, even if the incentives for finding it—including the gold that’s believed to have been aboard—are handsome. “So far, we have spent $2.1 million,” Hummel says. “We believe it will be a profitable venture. … The value of the wreck is substantial.”

Precious cargo will be sold, with funding being shared among Rockfish’s owners and Pacific’s underwriters. All salvaged cultural artifacts and personal belongings will be donated to a museum that the Northwest Shipwreck Alliance hopes to build in the Puget Sound area.

While Hummel may point to Rockfish’s use of digital and analog evidence as keys to finding Pacific, ultimately, the discovery also required a 40-plus-year friendship between two high school buddies who refused to give up.  

The post Using Innovative Electronics to Find ‘Pacific’ appeared first on Yachting.

Raymarine has unveiled new products, including the Axiom 2 Pro and Axiom 2 XL multifunction displays, a new suite of sonar products and an advanced marine camera system.

The Axiom 2 Pro is the most powerful all-in-one Axiom system ever developed, according to Raymarine. It has a fast six-core processor and an intuitive LightHouse 4 operating system. It’s available in 9-, 12- and 16-inch sizes in two variations.

The Axiom 2 Pro S includes embedded high-chirp sonar for premium cruising and sailing vessels, while the Axiom 2 Pro RVM is engineered for anglers.

Axiom 2 Pro RVM models come standard with new RealVision MAX 3D sonar, which combines chirp DownVision, SideVision and RealVision MAX 3D channels. The high-frequency chirp sonar channel also has 600 watts of output power, significantly expanding the depth range to 1,200 feet and greatly improving the clarity of fish targets detected throughout the water column.

The flagship Axiom 2 XL is designed for sportfishing yachts, offshore battlewagons and luxury cruisers, and is available in 16-, 19-, 22- and 24-inch sizes, with enhanced networking and extended multimedia capabilities. Features include HDMI input and output, and touchscreen pass-through. Axiom 2 XL screens are also built on the new six-core platform with LightHouse 4 operating system.

“Whether you are a professional offshore angler or a long-distance cruiser, Axiom 2 Pro promises the clearest sonar pictures at the greatest ranges in a display that is built to withstand the harshest conditions thrown at you,” Grégoire Outters, general manager of Raymarine, stated in a press release.

What else is new at Raymarine? The company also added the new CAM300 Marine Camera, which is slightly larger than a golf ball, with high-definition resolution and a 160-degree field of view.

Where to learn more: go to raymarine.com

The post New Product Lines from Raymarine appeared first on Yachting.

The first time a sonar really impressed me occurred at the 2015 Miami International Boat Show, when Dave Dunn, Garmin’s senior director of marine sales, and I escaped the mayhem for an on-the-water demo of Garmin’s Panoptix PS31 forward-looking sonar.

Dunn cast a line, and in close to real time, the lure appeared onscreen. The drama climaxed when a tarpon swam by, but it chose not to consummate the affair.

The fish’s mouth stayed shut, but mine swung ajar: Unlike previous-generation single- or dual-frequency transducers, which produce standard two-dimensional views, the Panoptix PS31 produced three-dimensional imagery. Better still, the system gave us the choice of multiple viewing angles.

Since then, Garmin’s engineers have been busy making the system even better.

Anglers first started embracing fish finders in 1957, following Darrell Lowrance’s invention of the Fish-Lo-K-Tor. Since then, fish finders have become far more powerful, including phased-array multibeam sonar that yields 3D imagery of everything—both stationary and swimming—below the keel.

Garmin replaced its Panoptix sonars in 2018 with the company’s next-generation LiveScope. While multibeam sonars with higher transmit power and greater screen resolution are available, Garmin’s latest LiveScope Plus and LiveScope XR are the only systems that allow users to change their transducer’s angle of attack to yield three different live viewing angles: forward mode, down mode and perspective mode. Each delivers unique situational and fish-striking awareness.

Early 2022 saw the addition of LiveScope Plus ($1,700), and by midyear, there was LiveScope XR ($3,000). While LiveScope Plus has improved onscreen target separation, LiveScope XR offers enhanced range. All three systems use the same GLS 10 sonar black-box module, which transmits at 500 watts, but they use different transducers. The result is that LiveScope and LiveScope Plus have ranges of 200 feet (down and forward) in both freshwater and saltwater, while LiveScope XR yields a maximum range (down and forward) of 500 feet in fresh water and 350 feet in seawater.

While the systems are similar—users can switch from LiveScope Plus to LiveScope XR, or vice versa, by swapping transducers—LiveScope XR is the premium product. Its packing list is simple: one GLS 10 black box, one LiveScope XR LVS62 transducer, a perspective mount, a barrel mount for a trolling motor, a shaft mount, power and data cables, a network-adapter cable and product documentation.

While all bits and pieces are important, LiveScope XR’s LVS62 transducer is the star. It operates on a frequency of 265 to 550 kHz and can separate targets that are spaced by at least 22 inches at a range of up to 100 feet. Dunn says Garmin accomplished this target separation by using a sonar array that’s 2.5 inches larger than the first two LiveScope systems and arranged in an X-shaped pattern.

The LVS62 mounts to a trolling motor or a pole mount, and users adjust from forward, down and perspective modes by physically changing the transducer’s angle of attack. Anglers just click the LVS62 from one pre-configured position to the next using the mounts.

While Garmin sells pole mounts and trolling motors, readers are encouraged to build DIY designs.

As with all Garmin’s high-end transducers, the LVS62 was designed in Olathe, Kansas, and is built at Garmin’s Taiwan manufacturing plant.

Once installed, LiveScope XR yields a huge amount of below-keel information that’s displayed on a Garmin-built fish finder or multifunction display in a user’s choice of seven color palettes.

“It’s an open-water product,” Dunn says. “Some anglers are less concerned with resolution and more about range.” Given that LiveScope XR’s multibeam sonar can peer downward and outward to 350 feet (or 500 feet in freshwater), this equates to vast water-column imagery.

Unlike typical fish finders, LiveScope XR works when the boat is stationary. “With a 50/200 kHz transducer or Chirp fish finder, if the boat’s not moving, you won’t get a proper read.”

As each of the three live-view perspectives’ monikers imply, forward mode depicts what’s in front of the bow, down mode shows everything under both sides of the keel, and perspective view delivers a forward-looking, cone-like view of what’s happening across 150 degrees of underwater azimuth. The data yielded by each of these views and, more impressively, across all three creates what Dunn terms a “game changer” for anglers. “You can see where the fish are in that moment,” he says. “You can put the bait on their nose if you want to.”

Data-hungry anglers can get a higher level of split-screen awareness by installing dual GLS 10 black boxes and transducers while simultaneously displaying two sonar perspectives. (Tip: One transducer can be LiveScope XR’s LVS62, while the other can be LiveScope Plus’ LVS34.)

LiveScope XR, Dunn says, is designed for any vessel with a trolling motor. Given that the system is an open-water product, Dunn suggests that this setup is a great fit for center consoles or coastal boats, but he is quick to add that many search-and-rescue teams have gravitated toward LiveScope XR.

“It’s designed for anglers, but search and rescue has been one of our biggest, nontraditional customers,” he says.

Most important, Dunn says, is that LiveScope XR is designed for people who want to find fish and aren’t concerned with locating every tree stump or coral head. “They’re not looking for structure; they just want to know if there are fish,” he says. “Other times, they’re looking for bait.”

So, if you’re interested in a cost-effective way to find fish while seeing a whole lot more of the water column and the seafloor, LiveScope XR could be your ticket.

While the odds are good that your jaw will lower when you see the real-time underwater imagery, getting fish to consummate their end of the bargain remains part of the art of the reel.

Flexible Fish finder

For boaters who enjoy hard-water fishing, Garmin has the LiveScope Plus Ice Fishing Bundle LI. The system ($3,249) delivers 35 percent better resolution than Garmin’s previous iteration, and it provides 200 feet of range in all directions. The plotter and LiveScope Plus transducer also work for soft-water fishing.

The post Underwater Vision with Garmin’s LiveScope XR Multibeam Sonar appeared first on Yachting.

The year was 2015. I was with Dave Dunn, Garmin’s senior director of marine sales, aboard Capt. Mike Flowers’ SeaHunter 24 Ruff-n-Uff, slowly approaching Miami’s MacArthur Causeway. Flowers tapped his Garmin multifunction display, and it presented imagery from the Garmin Panoptix PS31 forward-looking sonar.

Dunn cast a lure and, moments later, a tarpon appeared. A dance unfurled, and the target wisely dodged a root canal.

Watching this episode on screen, I was gobsmacked by Panoptix’s LiveVu and RealVu perspectives, which combined information from the forward-looking transducer, multibeam sonar and phased-array technology to produce live, video-type imagery.

Mostly, I was amazed that ceramic bits could yield this kind of water-column awareness.

Darrell Lowrance helped introduce this technology to boaters in 1957 with his Fish-Lo-K-Tor, which provided depth information and detected objects in the water column. Products available today have far better capabilities and onscreen imagery than equipment from just a decade ago.

“Transducers are the key part of the fish finder’s performance: The frequency and power rating of the ceramic determines depth capabilities, coverage under the boat and the ability to see fish in the water column,” says Craig Cushman, Airmar Technology Corp.’s director of marketing. Transducers, he adds, rely on precision timing, much like radars. “The transducer sends acoustic energy throughout the water column and then listens for returning signals. The fish finder then interprets the echo to display what is below the boat.”

Like radars, transducers spend roughly 1 percent of their time transmitting and 99 percent listening for echoes. Transducers are seldom seen, but they take high-voltage electrical pulses (from their networked fish finder, multifunction display or sonar) and convert them to outgoing sound waves that propagate downward and outward in a cone-type shape. Today’s transducers are sensitive enough to discern echoes that are just a few hundredths of a single volt.

Transducers are built like nesting dolls but with piezoceramic elements at their cores. These ceramic elements are made from polarized barium titanate or lead zirconate titanate, look like metal, and can be fabricated into shapes of various complexity. A basic ceramic element might be shaped like a hockey puck, while a more sophisticated element might be formed into a bar, oval, ring or tube.

These ceramic elements are separated from the water on one side by an “acoustic window,” while the rest of the element is encased in a sound-absorbing material that helps direct the sound waves out of, and back through, the acoustically neutral window. The encapsulating material (typically urethane or epoxy) is then encased in the physical housing (usually bronze, molded plastic, stainless steel or urethane). Depending on the transducer, miniaturized printed circuit boards are sometimes embedded in the encapsulating layer that allows the fish finder to automatically adapt to the connected transducer. A pipestem houses electrically shielded cables that run from the yacht’s fish finder or multifunction display to the PCBs and elements.

“The ceramics inside can dramatically change the cost of a transducer,” says Jim McGowan, Raymarine’s Americas marketing manager.

Some entry-level transducers might employ a single piezoceramic element, while high-end transducers might involve 16 to 18 elements. Transducers can be manufactured to “resonate” at a specific frequency (say, 50 kHz), dual frequencies (50/200 kHz) or over a sweep of frequencies.

“You can only play so many songs with two keys on the piano,” Dunn says, adding that chirp transducers transmit over a sweep of frequencies, like having a music scale’s worth of notes, but in this case with better target separation and resolution as the result.

According to McGowan, a single-frequency transducer sounds like a ticking watch. “Chirp would sound like a police siren, increasing in pitch,” he says. “The first returns are the first transmissions, so the system has a reference, allowing it to overlap the original pulse with the echo, giving [onscreen] detail.”

Multibeam sonar systems typically employ an array of ceramic elements. These elements can be electronically steered by the transducer’s controlling microprocessors to ring at specific or sequenced times to scan the seafloor, or they can all ring simultaneously. Today’s multibeam and ultrawide-beam systems can also yield high-resolution information about what’s on each side of the keel (sometimes called side-scanning sonar) or, as Dunn and I saw in 2015, forward-looking imagery.

While McGowan says the sport-fishing crowd drives transducer development, the computer-electronics market enables innovation. “We have the advantage of components,” says Cushman, pointing to today’s dime-size PCBs. They’ve “become smaller and cheaper, which lets us put different things inside.”

As with all markets, there are high-end, mid-level and entry-level transducers. When it comes to the high end of the market, Airmar is the undisputed leader. While most of the bigger marine-electronics manufacturers make transducers in-house, they typically build less-complex, high-volume sounders—or, in some cases, highly specialized, high-end transducers (for example, Garmin builds its Panoptix transducers).

According to Cushman, Airmar manufactures roughly 80 to 90 percent of all transducers that operate on at least 600 watts of transmitting power. Airmar-built transducers are sometimes sold with an Airmar badge; other times, they carry third-party branding.

This relationship frees the Big Four (Furuno, Garmin, Navico and Raymarine) to innovate new fish-finding and sonar technologies and specifications, rather than developing transducers, and it allows Airmar to amass the capability and expertise to manufacture at scale and to high industrial standards.

Customers can order Airmar-built transducers that ship with plug-and-play cable connections, and owners can often use existing transducers with other third-party fish finders or multifunction displays. Airmar’s distribution company, Gemeco Marine Accessories, can help customers determine if an existing transducer will work with other equipment. If an existing transducer is compatible, Gemeco can provide the wiring diagram and splice kit to rewire it for use with a new fish finder. Changing out through-hull transducers, however, requires a haulout and a plan.

“Know what you want to do with the system,” McGowan says. “Transducers are fundamental to the performance of the system, and you get what you pay for.”

After all, without good acoustics, how else will you be able to spin a credible onscreen yarn about a big one that got away?

Fitting Considerations

Transducers can be hung from a transom-mounted bracket, or they can be in-hull or through-hull mounted. While each setup has its advantages, through-hulls are best for power cruising and sport fishing yachts. “Airmar has certified installers who have been trained on the best installation practices,” says Airmar’s Craig Cushman.

The post Transducer Technology Improving Underwater Tools appeared first on Yachting.

Welcome to the inaugural Best Elex Awards, which honors standout marine electronics products that have been reviewed and approved by the editorial team behind the four leading titles in marine media: Boating, Yachting, Cruising World and Salt Water Sportsman. Over the course of two months, the nominees were evaluated by our team of eight judges, including the editors-in-chief and electronics editors of the aforementioned brands. In the end, seven products set themselves apart. And the winners are:

• Editors’ Choice: Raymarine Axiom+
• Leading Edge Technology: Furuno NavNet TZTouch3 9F
• Best Integrated System: Garmin GPSMAP 1243xsv
• Most Innovative for Sailing: Airmar DST 810
• Best in Entertainment: Rockford Fosgate 12-inch Color Optix M2 Subwoofers
• Most Innovative for Power: Dometic Optimus Outboard Electric Steering Actuator
• Best in Communication: Standard Horizon GX2400 Matrix

Editors’ Choice: Raymarine Axiom+

Raymarine’s Axiom+ multifunction displays replace the company’s original Axiom line in 7-, 9-, and 12-inch-display models. The plus units integrate a quad-core processor, multi-channel sonar views (including RealVision 3D), and augmented-reality navigation, and include up to 16 GB of onboard data storage. All displays employ in-plane switching for better, brighter viewing along with the company’s HydroTough treatment to repel water and oils. Axiom+ models start at $749.

What the judges said: “These units have more memory than your mother-in-law. They run a multitude of apps, using an intuitive GUI ripped from a smart TV, and, thanks to WiFi, no pulling radar cable through pipework. What’s not to like?”

Leading Edge Technology: Furuno NavNet TZTouch3 9F

Furuno responded to customer requests for a smaller version of its TZTouch3 technology, introduced last February, by delivering the 9F, a 9-inch IPS display for tighter helms and second stations. The hybrid-control TZT9F features a quad-core processor, 256 GB memory card built into the system, a built-in 1kW, single-channel TruEcho CHIRP Fish Finder, and a traditional 50/200kHz RezBoost Fish Finder. The MFD comes with a PIN-code lock feature and is also compatible with a wide array of Furuno peripherals, including radar, autopilot, VHF, and black-box sonars. The TZT9F costs $2,995.

What the judges said: “This smaller version of the TZTouch3 delivers so many of the best features of its bigger brothers. The edge-swiping interface, in particular, puts all of your most-important functions within quick reach. The built-in 1 kW chirp that’s frequency agile is a big plus for anglers, as is the ability to lock the MFD with a passcode.”

Best Integrated System: Garmin GPSMAP 1243xsv

Garmin’s new GPSMAP 1243xsv multifunction display surpasses its predecessor, the 1242, with edge-to-edge glass, an IPS display, higher resolution, better scanning sonar and more. Garmin says it has now brought those premium features—indicative of its 8600 series—to mid-level consumers. The 1kW chirp unit incorporates all of Garmin’s sonar capabilities such as LiveScope, SideVu, and ClearVu. The 1243 can be flush-mounted in the same space as a 1242 with a retrofit kit. The 1243xsv costs $2,899.

What the judges said: “Garmin’s new 1243xsv combines popular, SideVu, ClearVu and chirp sonar all in one device with no black boxes. In addition, they’ve upgraded the screen for brighter, sharper resolution and made the device networkable to integrate with NMEA 2000 connected engines and all other Garmin products.”

Most Innovative for Sailing: Airmar DST 810

Airmar’s DST810 Smart Multisensor makes calibrating accurate speed a simple process. The unit features an integrated attitude sensor, as well, for logging heel and trim data. With the free CAST app, boaters won’t need expensive PC software to provide heel-compensated speed across multiple heel angles and speed ranges. The 5 Hz output delivers unrivaled speed for making quick decisions on the water. The sensor, which also measures depth and water temperature—to a tenth of a degree—accommodates hull angles of up to 22 degrees and costs $399.

What the judges said: “Airmar sensors are used extensively by sailing instruments, which means the new sensor can easily replace older ones. The ability to self-calibrate and ‘see’ down to the bottom when measuring depth is a great benefit, especially for sailboats that often have curved hull forms. The ability to correct for heel and calibrate speed accordingly is of great value to racing sailors, but also to navigation, since speed through the water is used to calculate current, true wind speed and other critical sailing data.”

Best in Entertainment: Rockford Fosgate 12-inch Color Optix M2 Subwoofers

Rockford Fosgate has introduced 12-inch Color Optix Subwoofers for its M2 line of Element Ready sound technology. The subwoofers come in two types — infinite baffle, which provides more strength in the cone — and sealed options for smaller enclosures. Available in black, white, black with stainless insert or white with stainless insert, the subs can be customized by connecting an optional Color Optix Controller and RF Connect App that allows selection of various light colors and patterns. The 12-inch M2s cost $449.

What the judges said: “The M2 subwoofer’s customizable LED colors let users personalize their audio experience. With the ability to pump out up to 1600 watts of power, a lack of volume should never be an issue.”

Most Innovative for Power: Dometic Optimus Outboard Electric Steering Actuator

Dometic’s Optimus Outboard Electric Steering Actuator delivers full power-steering functionality with auto-adjustable parameters to any conventional outboard. The actuator, electronic helm display and harness install quickly without the need for hoses, oil or purging. The system also integrates with joystick control, SeaStation (position hold), SeaWays (Dometic autopilot), and third-party autopilots. This actuator employs a compact brushless DC motor and a unique roller screw that produces enough power to push even the heaviest outboards. Two engines require two actuators; triple- or quad-outboard setups also employ two actuators with additional tie-bars. Price for a single-engine system is $5,700, about 15 percent higher than equivalent electro-hydraulic systems.

What the judges said: “The new Optimus electric steering system brings marine-steering technology into the 21st century.”

Best in Communication: Standard Horizon GX2400 Matrix

Standard Horizon’s GX2400 Matrix VHF radio replaces earlier GX220 products; it offers an internal, 66-channel WAAS GPS receiver; NMEA 2000 networkability; a wireless (or wired) full-functioning, second-station RAM mic; and an AIS receiver. Anglers can employ the voice scrambler to send encrypted messages to fishing buddies. The fixed-mount radio costs $449.99.

Read Next: More Top Marine Electronics for Yachting

What the judges said: “Standard Horizon’s GX2400 is a feature-heavy VHF base-station radio that delivers mic expandability and NMEA 2000 compatibility at a budget-conscious price point.”

The post Best Electronics Awards 2021 appeared first on Yachting.

The Argos 350 forward-looking sonar guides yachts safely through unknown waters and risky environments. Yachting Editor-in-Chief Patrick Sciacca sits down with FarSounder to discuss the technology and how it can benefit yacht owners.

The Argos 350 Forward Looking Sonar system is the ideal solution for mid-sized vessels ranging from 18 – 40+ meters (60 – 130+ feet).

Specifications include:

• More compact and lighter transducer
• Ability to detect objects in water column up to 350 meters ahead
• Operational speeds up to 18 knots
• Two installation types – easy fixed installation or hoist installation in 10-inch diameter sea chest

To learn more about the Argos 350 forward-looking sonar, visit FarSounder’s website.

The post Virtual Q&A: FarSounder Argos 350 Forward-Looking Sonar appeared first on Yachting.

FLIR has unveiled a new series of navigation displays called Raymarine Element S, promising all-weather performance, best-in-class speed and straightforward operation for yacht owners who want GPS navigation without sophisticated sonar.

Element S is available in 7-, 9-, and 12-inch models. There’s a 64-bit quad-core processor for speed, a built-in 10Hz GPS sensor, and support for charts from Raymarine’s LightHouseTM NC2, Navionics and C-Map.

Element S can be purchased with an optional Raymarine Quantum wireless chirp radar or an AIS receiver. There is NMEA 2000 connectivity for autopilot and VHF DSC integration, along with the display of sailing instruments, engine data and fuel tank level information. Element S allows storage of up to 5,000 waypoints in 200 groups, plus 50 routes and 15 tracks.

When will Element S be available? Raymarine dealers reportedly had it starting in mid-June, at a suggested retail price of $449.

Learn more about Element S: raymarine.com

The post New Series of Navigation Displays: Raymarine Element S appeared first on Yachting.

Raymarine’s Element Series of combination sonar and GPS displays is promising lifelike sonar imaging for coastal boaters and anglers.

Each display includes Raymarine RealVision 3D and the manufacturer’s new HyperVision sonar technology. RealVision 3D provides bottom imagery and more precise location of fish targets, while HyperVision enhances the DownVision, SideVision and RealVision 3D sonar, allowing anglers to see structure, vegetation and fish with lifelike detail.

The displays run on a new LightHouse Sport operating system and incorporate Raymarine’s RealBathy real-time sonar map generator capability.

“With the new Raymarine Element series, we are making our most advanced sonar technology and intuitive user experience available to a larger audience of recreational boaters,” Jim Cannon, president and CEO at FLIR Systems, stated in a press release.

How big are the displays? The Element series comes in 7-, 9-, and 12-inch models. Look for them to be available in early 2019.

The post Raymarine Element Series Promises Lifelike Sonar Imaging appeared first on Yachting.