Prototype sidescan broadens the view
A prototype Wideview 3D interferometric sidescan sonar providing high resolution images over a 120° field of view is to be launched later this year by Marine Electronics.
Gordon Collier, director of the Guernsey based company, says it can be supplied as a complete system integrated into a towfish that can include additional options for a forward looking sonar, a downward looking altimeter, pressure sensor and an emergency location beacon.
Designed for shallow water operations and claimed to save time as well as survey costs by reducing the number of passes needed to scan a specific area, versions will be able to operate at one of two frequencies. A 250kHz model will range up to 200m while a 500kHz version will range up to 100m.
The system is one of a number of new developments by Marine Electronics. Others include a pinpoint diver detection sonar and a 3D profiling sonar for capturing high resolution, short range bathymetry data.
