New Kongsberg multibeam sounder
Kongsberg Maritime has announced development of an advanced Mk 2 version of its widely-adopted EM710 multibeam sounder which it says will set new standards for seabed surveys by increasing range and swathe coverage possible with the earlier model by up to 40%.
The new version has a maximum range of approximately 2800m while swathe coverage has increased to 3000m from 2000m. This, the company says, will reduce survey times for users and has been made possible by increasing the frequency band used when transmitting from 40 to 100kHz. Users of original EM710 systems will be able to upgrade to the enhanced Mk2 model by replacing some hardware as well as software in the transceiver unit, which facilitates the use of lower frequencies; hardware changes are simple enough to be carried out by users without any assistance from Kongsberg Maritime.
By David Goodfellow
