Sonasoft™ Manual User Interface Software for the FS-3 and FS-3DT Sonar Systems F31552 Rev

SonaSoft™ Manual User Interface Software for the FS-3 and FS-3DT Sonar Systems F31552 Rev. (1.7.2)

FarSounder is committed to providing the best quality and performance possible with our products. As part of this policy, all information herein is subject to change as new and improved versions of our software and hardware are released.

FarSounder, the FarSounder logo, Power Module, Transducer Module, and SonaSoft are trademarks of FarSounder, Inc.

Maptech, the Maptech logo and Maptech ChartKit are trademarks of Maptech, Inc.

Table of Contents

1. SonaSoft™ User Interface Computer Requirements ...... 1 Overview ...... 1 Requirements ...... 1 2. The User Interface Workspace ...... 2 Overview ...... 2 Managing the Sidebar Workspace ...... 2 Dragging the Sidebar ...... 3 Resizing Sidebar Windows ...... 3 Reordering Sidebar Windows ...... 3 Roll Up/Roll Down Sidebar Windows ...... 3 Swapping Sidebar and Main Workspace Displays ...... 4 Using The Application Toolbar ...... 4 Configuration Manager ...... 4 Color Themes ...... 5 SonaSoft™ Help ...... 5 Status Indicator ...... 5 Show/Hide Sidebar Workspace Button ...... 7 Shutdown ...... 7 3. 3D Sonar Display ...... 8 Overview ...... 8 3D Volumetric/Standard View ...... 9 Profile View ...... 9 Forward Looking Alarm Use ...... 9 Alarm Configuration ...... 10 Alarm Operation ...... 11 Menu Bar Controls ...... 12 Standard/3D View ...... 12 Profile View ...... 12 Color Scale ...... 12 Activate Alarm ...... 12 Show Minimum Depth ...... 12 Map Color to Depth/Target Strength ...... 13 Mouse Controls ...... 13 Mouse Drag Left Button (Any Direction in 3D View) ...... 13 Mouse Drag Right Button (Up and Down) ...... 13 Mouse Hover Over Color Scale (When Shown) ...... 13 Mouse Hover Over Color Scale Extent Numbers ...... 13 Keyboard Controls ...... 13 Plus and Right Arrow keys ...... 13 Minus and Left Arrow Keys ...... 13 3D Sonar Processing Options ...... 13 Detect Bottom Check Box ...... 14 Processing Mode Drop Down Selector ...... 14 Bottom and In-water Squelch Controls ...... 15 Manage Profiles Button ...... 16 “Defaults” Button ...... 16 Control Settings Examples ...... 16 4. Chart Display ...... 21 Overview ...... 21 Menu Bar Controls ...... 21 Open ...... 21

iv SonaSoft™ Manual

Auto Center ...... 21 Zoom In ...... 22 Zoom Out ...... 22 Show Scale ...... 22 Mouse Controls ...... 22 Left Button Mouse Drag ...... 22 Right Button Mouse Drag ...... 22 Mouse Scroll Wheel ...... 22 Configuration Manager Options ...... 22 Color Scheme ...... 23 History Length ...... 23 Show Heading ...... 23 Show Lat/Long of Cursor ...... 23 5. Nav Info Display ...... 24 Overview ...... 24 Configuration Manager Options ...... 24 6. Connecting NMEA Devices ...... 26 Overview ...... 26 COM Port Configuration ...... 27 COM Port Check Box ...... 27 Baud Rate Drop Down Box ...... 27 Show Trace Button ...... 27 Re-Scan for Available Ports Button ...... 27 NMEA Message Selection ...... 27 7. System Settings Options ...... 29 Overview ...... 29 System Depth Units ...... 29 System Range Units ...... 29 Set Vessel Draft ...... 29 Advanced Settings ...... 30

v List of Figures

2.1. The user interface workspace ...... 2 2.2. Left Click and Drag to resize the sidebar workspace ...... 3 2.3. The Configuration Manager Menu ...... 4 2.4. System Status display window ...... 6 3.1. The 3D Sonar Display ...... 8 3.2. Standard Mode ...... 9 3.3. Alarm Volume shown in red ...... 10 3.4. Alarm configuration settings ...... 11 3.5. Alarm acknowledge button ...... 12 3.6. Processor Configuration Window ...... 14 3.7. Bridge piling used in control setting images ...... 17 3.8. A sea floor and a single piling target with "good" settings ...... 18 3.9. Color mapped to signal strength with "poor" settings ...... 19 3.10. Color mapped to signal strength with "somewhat poor" settings ...... 20 4.1. SonaSoft Chart Display ...... 21 4.2. Chart Display Configuration Manager Options ...... 23 5.1. The Nav Info Display ...... 24 6.1. COM Port NMEA configuration options ...... 26 7.1. System Settings dialog box ...... 29

vi Chapter 1. SonaSoft™ User Interface Computer Requirements Overview

The SonaSoft™ software package has significant hardware resource requirements. Performance may be affected if SonaSoft™ is run on a platform that does not meet these requirements. It is recommended that no other software applications are run during SonaSoft™ operation. As with any shipboard electronic systems, it is highly recommended that both the user interface computer and the FarSounder Power Module be powered through a UPS. Requirements

• Processor Type: Core2 Duo

• Processor Speed: 2.6 GHz minimum

• Front Side Bus: 800 MHz

• Memory size: 1 GB minimum

• Memory Speed: 533 MHz Dual Channel

• Video Card: Fully OpenGL compatible (ATI and nVidia works well*)

• Video Card Size: 128 MB minimum

• Video Card Resolution: 1280 x 1024 minimum

• NIC:100 Mb/s minimum

• Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Pro (US Version)

• Serial: RS-232 or NMEA interface port

• Optical Drive: CD-ROM required

• Keyboard: yes

• Mouse/Trackball/HID: yes

• Recommended video cards: - ATI x1300Pro - ATI HD 2400 Pro Also tested with: - NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 - NVIDIA Quadro NVS 285 Note

If using nVidia, be certain to use a card that supports version 7x divers. Note that version 8x drivers have a known bug that may make your computer crash occasionally. nVidia is aware of this bug and is working to fix it.

1 Chapter 2. The User Interface Workspace Overview

Figure 2.1. The user interface workspace

The SonaSoft™ user interface is divided vertically into two main sections called workspaces. On the left there is the "main workspace", and on the right there is the "sidebar workspace". These workspaces contain display windows for the different types of information displayed by SonaSoft. The user can move a view from one workspace to the other at any time. In the main workspace, only one view is visible at a time. In the sidebar workspace, several windows are visible at a time, but they are much smaller.

The user can interact with the workspace through the following actions:

• Managing the Sidebar Workspace

• Resizing the Sidebar

• Using the Application Toolbar Managing the Sidebar Workspace

Window views in the sidebar have borders, a titlebar, and two buttons. They behave slightly differently than windows found in other programs running in Windows XP. The sidebar windows can be resized, reordered, rolled up/rolled down, and moved from the sidebar workspace to the main workspace.

2 The User Interface Workspace

Dragging the Sidebar

Figure 2.2. Left Click and Drag to resize the sidebar workspace

Between the two workspaces there is a thin vertical bar called the sidebar resize splitter. The user can drag the splitter with the mouse to resize the sidebar. To hide the sidebar (and all the windows it contains), there is a button above the splitter called the Show/Hide Sidebar Workspace Button. This button will jump to the right side of the screen when the sidebar is hidden. It can be clicked again to show the sidebar. Resizing Sidebar Windows

The sidebar window views always take up the full width of the sidebar. As a result, the only border that can be used to resize the window is the bottom border. To resize a sidebar window, click on the bottom border and drag with the mouse while holding down the left mouse button. If there are too many windows in the sidebar workspace than can be displayed on the screen at once, then a standard Windows elevator control appears and allows the user to scroll the entire sidebar workspace up and down. Reordering Sidebar Windows

The order of the sidebar workspace windows can be changed by the user. To reorder a sidebar window, click on the window's titlebar and drag with the mouse while holding down the left mouse button. The user can move a window up or down. When the user releases the mouse button, the windows will be reordered to position the window in its new location. Roll Up/Roll Down Sidebar Windows

The Roll Up/Roll Down Button shrinks the window view vertically until it is just the height of a titlebar. The user may wish to do this in order to hide window views which they are not currently using. Some window views display a different caption in their titlebars when they are rolled up. For example, the NMEA viewers (heading, speed, latitude/longitude, and depth) display their NMEA data in their title bar when rolled up. When rolled up, a window may not be resized by its bottom border. However, it can still be

3 The User Interface Workspace

moved to the main workspace. Clicking the Roll Up Button again will unroll a rolled up window. The icon is pointed up when the window can be rolled up, and the icon is pointed down when the window can be rolled down. Swapping Sidebar and Main Workspace Displays

The Swap-with-Main-Workspace Button moves a display from the sidebar workspace and places it in the main workspace. The view previously displayed in the main workspace is moved to the location sidebar where the new display in the main workspace was previously located. Using The Application Toolbar

At the very top of SonaSoft™, above the two workspaces, is a thin striped line called the application toolbar. In this toolbar are several icons. These icons are used to access menus and options for advanced features. Configuration Manager

The configuration manager button is shaped like a gear. Clicking this button displays the configuration manager menu. This menu provides access to configuration options for various components in the system as well as the system status display. Information about the particular configuration options available for each component is described in the individual component help descriptions.

Figure 2.3. The Configuration Manager Menu

4 The User Interface Workspace

Color Themes

The color themes button is shaped like three vertical rectangles. Clicking this button opens a simple menu which lists the available color themes. Each theme is a set of colors that facilitates the use of the software in various lighting conditions. Currently, the software supports Day, Dusk, Night, and Red color themes. A theme may be selected by clicking on a theme from the list. SonaSoft™ Help

The help button is shaped like a question mark in front of a book. Clicking this button brings up a menu from which the user can choose to view either the online help manual or the SonaSoft™ About box (which contains the SonaSoft™ version and copyright information). Status Indicator

The status indicator is a round shape which looks like an indicator light. The status indicator gives a sum- mary indication of the system's status through its color selection. Green indicates all systems are functioning properly. Yellow indicates there is a system warning. Red indicates there is a serious problem with part of the system. Many parts of the system can provide status notifications and messages. All notifications are shown in pop-up balloons which originate from the Status Indicator.

The System Status display window contains real-time status information produced by various components of SonaSoft™. Some components include a status indicator icon. This icon is a circle colored either Green, Yellow, or Red. Green indicates all systems are functioning properly. Yellow indicates there is a system warning. Red indicates there is a serious problem with part of the system. The Status Indicator in the Ap- plication Toolbar is colored the most severe color shown in the System Status Viewer. The status parameter is the parameter that is being monitored. The status value is the value or state of the monitored parameter.

5 The User Interface Workspace

Figure 2.4. System Status display window

Figure 2.4, “System Status display window” shows the System Status display with three indicators and a hydrophone (receiver) waveform display. The first indicator shows that the Sonar Processor is properly configured and is in the middle of processing a ping.

The second indicator shows that the software is listening for NMEA messages over the serial port. The status of that component shows that it is listening on COM1 at 9600 baud. If more than one serial port is enabled, multiple ports would be listed here and the baud at which they are connected. These ports are configured under the Configuration Manager's NMEA Settings menu.

The third indicator shows that SonaSoft is currently connected to the Sonar and is awaiting data from the sensor. It also indicates the sonar's current roll and pitch orientation relative to the earth in degrees. This indicator may display a yellow or red status if there are problem connecting to the Transducer Module.

The Hydrophone Data display is somewhat different. It is a graphical display of hydrophone data. This display is very useful for debugging purposes and to confirm the presence of echo sounder interference. In this display, the waveform of a single receiver channel is shown on the left with the start of the echo's timeseries at the far left. On the right portion of this display is a graphic of the receiver's transducer array. Each box represents the spatial location of an individual hydrophone. Clicking on one of the boxes, selects that channel for the waveform display. Note that the four corner channels are always blank.

6 The User Interface Workspace

Show/Hide Sidebar Workspace Button

The show/hide sidebar workspace button is shaped like an arrow on the right-hand side of the application toolbar. Clicking on the arrow toggles between the shown and hidden state of the sidebar workspace. The direction of the arrow button changes based on the state of the workspace. Shutdown

The shutdown button is circular with an X-shape through the center. Clicking this button will shut down SonaSoft™.

7 Chapter 3. 3D Sonar Display Overview

The 3D Sonar Display is the window where FarSounder's 3D Forward-Looking Sonar information is shown. In this view, the user is given a 3-dimensional picture of the sea floor ahead of the vessel along with in-water targets. FarSounder's processing algorithms employ spatial classification techniques which are used to differentiate between the sea floor and in-water targets. The sea floor is displayed as a smooth continuous surface while in-water targets are displayed as small spheres, also known as voxels, which represent the target's 3D location. Both the FS-3 and FS-3DT sonars are specified as 8 water depth sonars. This means that they can map the sea floor out to a distance of at least 8 times the depth of water in which the sonar is operating. Beyond their water depth capabilities, the two products can still detect in-water targets out to the full range of the system.

The user can select between various display modes such as the 3D volumetric display, which allows the user to rotate the 3D image with real-time perspective, and the standard display, which shows the 3D information in a look-down display (much like a radar view, except below the water).

The Sonar View consists of four main components. They are: the 3D volumetric/standard views, the profile view, the menu bar, and the color scale. These are shown in the figure below. Additionally, the user can set an alarm, display 2D depth profiles ahead of the vessel at a user selected bearing, and configure other advanced options in the display. This display also has various options in the Configuration Manager.

Figure 3.1. The 3D Sonar Display

8 3D Sonar Display

3D Volumetric/Standard View

This view shows the data in either 3D Volumetric or Standard modes. To switch between these modes, click the mode button in the menu bar.

In the 3D volumetric mode (as shown above), the data is shown with shading and perspective on. Color is mapped to depth, where blue is deep and red is shallow as defined in the color scale. Any mouse movement while clicking and holding the left mouse button will rotate the 3D entire volume of data. Any mouse movement while clicking and holding the right mouse button will zoom the data in and out.

Figure 3.2. Standard Mode

In standard mode, the data is shown with perspective turned off (orthographic projection) with the user looking down on the data. This looks much like a common radar display. However, where radar gives a picture of what is above the water, FarSounder’s sonar displays a picture of what is below the water. As with the 3D volumetric mode, the standard mode has color mapped to depth and zoom capabilities.

In both modes, a white line (or plane) is shown. This is the Profile Selector. The Profile Selector denotes the angle along which a 2D depth profile ahead of the vessel is shown in the Profile View. The number at the end of the profile selector denotes the bearing of the profile selector relative to the vessel's bow or the actual compass heading. This option is configured in the 3D sonar view's configuration options. The depth profile slice specified with the Profile Selector is shown in the Profile View. Profile View

The Profile View shows the depth profile (bathymetry) ahead of the vessel at the bearing selected by the Profile Selector in either the 3D Volumetric or Standard View. The bearing angle of the Profile Selector and the depth profile currently selected is shown in the lower left corner of the Profile View. In the Con- figuration Manager options, the user can select between displaying the Profile Selector bearing relative to either the vessel or the absolute heading. Forward Looking Alarm Use

The user can define an alarm which will automatically notify the user of potentially hazardous obstacles. The user can define the area of surveillance for the alarm by depth, minimum range, maximum range, and

9 3D Sonar Display

field-of-view angle width. The user is notified by both visual and audible notifications. Additionally, the user can specify the number of hits before the alarm is triggered.

Figure 3.3. Alarm Volume shown in red Alarm Configuration

The user definable alarm is configured under the Configuration Manager's 3D Sonar Display tab. When configuring the alarm, the user can define the volume of water within which targets will trigger the alarm. The trigger area is defined to be the volume of water bounded by 4 thresholds: Max Depth, Min Range, Max Range and Field-of-View (FOV) angle.

10 3D Sonar Display

Figure 3.4. Alarm configuration settings

The FOV setting specifies the sector width of the alarm trigger volume in degrees. For example 40° means that only targets within 20° to either side of the bow will be able to trigger the alarm. The Max Depth setting specifies the maximum depth of the alarm trigger volume. The Min Range setting specifies the minimum range extent of the alarm trigger volume. The Max Range setting specifies the maximum range extent of the alarm trigger volume. The Max Depth, Min Range, and Max Range settings are displayed using the unit of measure defined in the Configuration Manager's System Settings.

The next configuration option for the alarm is the hit number specification. This number specifies the number of pings in a row that a target must be detected within the alarm volume to trigger the alarm. Like any marine sensor (radar, echo sounder, etc) the FS-3 and FS-3DT sonar systems may detect spurious noises. These “noises” include reflections from bubbles in the water column and small bits of debris in the water. By specifying a number higher than 1 for the hit number, the false detections can be reduced.

The last configuration option is check box called “Blink Screen On Alarm”. When checked, the 3D Sonar Display screen will blink if the alarm is triggered. If not, the display will not blink. This setting does not affect the audible alarm notification. Alarm Operation

Once configured, the alarm is simple to use. The alarm can be turned on by clicking the “Alarm” button in the Menu Bar at the top of the 3D Sonar Display window. Once active, the alarm conditions will take effect. The alarm will ONLY be triggered if the button is set to active. When active, the alarm button is depressed.

11 3D Sonar Display

Figure 3.5. Alarm acknowledge button

Should the alarm be triggered, a warning will sound, the 3D Sonar Display window will blink blue, and an alarm acknowledge message box will appear in the lower left corner of the sonar viewer window. Simply click the “acknowledge alarm” message box to acknowledge and temporarily silence the alarm. For example, the vessel may be passing by a shallow area which triggers the alarm. After the user acknowledges the alarm, it will not sound again even if alarm conditions are met until the alarm acknowledge time has passed. If alarm conditions still exist after the alarm acknowledge time has passed, the alarm will sound again. Menu Bar Controls Standard/3D View

Click this button to toggle between standard mode and 3D mode. By default, both of these modes map the color of sonar targets to depth, where blue is deep and red is shallow. The user can define these values with the Color Bar. Additionally, for advanced applications, the color map can be changed so that color indicates the strength of the received signals from a particular target. In this mode, red is “loud” and blue is “quiet”. Profile View

When depressed, the 3D Sonar Display will show the profile view in the bottom of the window. The user can select the bearing of the profile selector with the white profile selector. When the 3D Sonar Display is the active window, the left and right arrow keys can be used to select the Profile Slice bearing. Color Scale

When Depressed, the color scale is shown on the right hand side of the 3D/Standard view. The user can define the shallow (red) value and deep (blue) value by clicking with the mouse on the color scale's shallow or deep value, and then entering a new depth setting (followed by “enter”). The new settings will be active on the next ping. Activate Alarm

When depressed, the alarm is active, and will be triggered by objects in the alarm volume. Show Minimum Depth

When depressed, the minimum depth display is activated. This display shows a single numerical value in the upper left corner of the 3D sonar view window. This number is the depth of the shallowest point ahead of the vessel within a user defined strip width. The strip width is shown in green in the sonar view.

12 3D Sonar Display

Map Color to Depth/Target Strength

Toggles between color mapped to target strength and color mapped to depth. The color scale will be changed to the user’s last color extent values for the color map currently being shown. The user can set the loud (red) and quiet (blue) settings with the color bar. Mouse Controls Mouse Drag Left Button (Any Direction in 3D View)

This action will rotate the display when in 3D mode. It has no effect when in standard mode. Mouse Drag Right Button (Up and Down)

In the 3D view, this action will zoom in and out, enlarging the data (up) and shrinking the data (down). This control is valid in both 3D Mode and Standard Mode.

In the Profile View, this action changes the aspect ratio of the profile view. Note: The angular line extend- ing downwards from the boat icon represents a 45 degree angle from horizontal. Mouse Hover Over Color Scale (When Shown)

This action shows the depth or target strength for a given color on the color scale. Mouse Hover Over Color Scale Extent Numbers

This action shows an edit box that can be used to enter new color scale extent values. Note: The enter key MUST be pressed to save newly entered values. Keyboard Controls Plus and Right Arrow keys

Pressing these keys moves the profile selector to the starboard side. Note: These keys only work when the 3D/Standard view is the active window. Minus and Left Arrow Keys

Pressing these keys moves the profile selector to the port side. Note: These keys only work when the 3D/Standard view is the active window. 3D Sonar Processing Options

Like other marine electronics sensors, there are processing control settings for the FS-3 and FS-3DT sonars. FarSounder has developed autonomous processing algorithms that intelligently control various stages of the processing routines, and automatically remove most of the “noise” in the image without user interaction. The few controls that require user interaction are found in the sidebar's Processor Configuration

13 3D Sonar Display

(figure 6). Working from left to right and top to bottom, this window has the following controls: Detect Bottom Check Box, Processing Mode Drop Down Selector, Bottom Squelch, In-Water Squelch, Manage Profiles Button, and “defaults” Button.

Figure 3.6. Processor Configuration Window Detect Bottom Check Box

If this check box is checked, then the processor will attempt to detect the bottom so that it may be drawn as a surface in the 3D Sonar Display. If this check box is not checked, then there will be no surface drawn in the 3D Sonar View. This feature is useful when operating in water depths beyond 160 feet (approximately 50 meters) deep. If “Detect Bottom” is checked in deep water conditions, the processing software may falsely interpret in-water targets as the bottom and create some strange images. Note: If this check box is not checked and there is a bottom, then that bottom will show up as a large number of targets. Processing Mode Drop Down Selector

The processing mode selection drop down sets the system's range and field of view while pinging. Note: At least one ping must be processed before this value can be changed.

• 90° x 110m (360 ft)

• 90° x 220m (720 ft)

• 90° x 330m (1080 ft)

14 3D Sonar Display

• 60° x 440m (1440 ft) FS3-DT only

• Alternating between 90° x 330m (1080 ft) and 60° x 440m (1440 ft) FS3-DT only Bottom and In-water Squelch Controls

The 3D sonar processing technology that FarSounder has developed and integrated into the FS-3 and FS-3DT utilizes spatial classification and correlation techniques to identify particular targets as either part of the sea floor/river bed or as an in-water target. The classification of targets into distinct target categories is an important part of FarSounder's signal processing and image display chain. Different target categories are processed differently utilizing a priori information pertaining to the target category type. For example, the sea floor is generally comprised of many small reflectors as part of one larger continuous surface, while in-water targets are typically comprised of fewer target points and often have many angles and surfaces which face the sonar. By exploiting these and other differences, FarSounder's products are able to operate effectively in shallow water and at navigationally significant ranges.

To produce the most complete pictures, some parameters of the processing controls may need to be modified to suit the environment. These parameters are controlled by the Bottom Squelch and In-water Squelch sliders. These controls can fine-tune the processing system in the event that too few targets are displayed, or too many targets are making the view difficult to understand.

To effectively use the Bottom Squelch and In-water Squelch it is important to understand how different sonar targets reflect sound waves. The reflections from different targets are detected by the system as a signal with some energy level relative to the energy level of the ambient noise in the water and the electronics. This relationship between the signal level and the noise level is called the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR). The larger the SNR, the better the system will detect a target and separate it from the noise.

SNR is generally controlled by two metrics: the acoustic reflectivity of a target and the range of the target. Targets that are physically larger, have a large gas content, have large surfaces facing the sonar, or are very hard will generally be more reflective than targets that are physically small, have high water contents, have surfaces not facing the sonar, or are very soft; the higher the reflectivity of the target, the higher the SNR from the reflected signal. Additionally, a target at close range will have a higher SNR than the same target at far range.

Because of these two controlling metrics, the system must filter out targets that have low signal levels at varying ranges. These signals may be from targets that are too far away or physically too small to detect. Larger, more reflective targets will be detected at longer ranges than smaller, less reflective targets.

Note that when changing any of the processor settings (ie. Squelch levels, processing ranges, etc.) changes will not take effect until the next complete processing cycle. This typically means 2 pings after adjusting the control, you will see the change, since generally when you see an image that needs adjusting there is already another ping processing with those same settings internal to the software. Changes will be applied to the next "fresh" ping. Bottom Squelch Control Slider

As described previously, the SNR for a particular target decreases as the range of the target increases. This means that very small targets at close range may have the same SNR levels as large targets at long range. Therefore, in order to keep very small (less reflective) targets at very close ranges from cluttering the display, potential targets must also be filtered based on their reflectivity. This equates to filtering the signal levels after they have been normalized based on their range.

The Bottom Squelch Slider controls the target size (reflectivity) cutoff. This level is used to filter out targets that are very small and have low reflectivity. The level set by this control specifies how large a

15 3D Sonar Display

target's range-normalized signal must be before it is accepted as a possible target (rather than just noise from debris and small bubbles).

In general, when this control is set to a lower level, the bottom will become fuller. However, the cost of this is some smaller in-water targets may be caught as part of the bottom. A value of 145-155 is typical for most conditions.

When making Bottom Squelch adjustments, typically a change of a few dB is all that is needed. Remember that changes generally take 2 pings to become visable. In-Water Squelch Control Slider

Variations in target characteristics also have effects on how “noise” is related to in-water targets. Generally, in-water targets are “louder” (more reflective) targets than the sea floor, and require a different target size (reflectivity) cutoff. The In-Water Squelch slider controls the target size cutoff for in-water targets. The value of this slider control operates independantly from the Bottom Squelch control. In general, setting this control to a lower level will detect smaller, less reflective in-water targets.

For best operation, the user should typically set the Bottom Squelch control at a place where the bottom is detected well, and then adjust the In-Water Squelch until clutter from in-water debris is filtered effectively. A value of 165-175 is typical for most conditions. Like with radar, it is recommended that the squelch be set so that occasional false alarms are detected. This will help to ensure that real targets are not missed due to squelch levels set too high.

When making In-Water Squelch adjustments, typically a change of a few dB is all that is needed. Remem- ber that changes generally take 2 pings to become visable. Manage Profiles Button

Pushing this button opens a pop-up window which allows you to save your current Processor Settings as a Processor Profile. A processor profile contains settings for Bottom Squelch, In-Water Squelch, Detect Bottom Check box, and Processor Mode. Clicking on the Manage Profiles button in the Processor Settings Window will show a pop-up window with options to save your current processor settings as a new profile. When you select the save current settings button, you will be prompted to enter a name for the profile. You can also delete or rename existing profiles from the primary pop-up. Click the X at the top right of the box when you are done. For each profile you create, a button will appear at the bottom of the Processor Settings Window. Please note that this window may not be large enough to show all the buttons. If this is the case, use your mouse to drag the bottom of that window and make it larger. Simply click on one of the profile buttons to switch between previously saved profiles. Once you click on a button, you can still manually change the Processor Settings. Please note, that in this case, the profile's original settings do not update. “Defaults” Button

By clicking the “defaults” button, the user can revert the processing settings back to the factory installed defaults. This is useful if the settings have been adjusted beyond “good” values and the user wants to revert back to a simple starting place. This button works like any other Processor Profile. However, this default profile cannot be deleted or renamed. Control Settings Examples

Often there is a disconnect between reading about control settings and actually using them. The following discussion will use an example ping of a bridge piling in deep water in an effort to illustrate the afore-

16 3D Sonar Display mentioned controls. For this discussion, a single ping of a deep water bridge piling Figure 3.7, “Bridge piling used in control setting images” is processed with various control settings. This environment was used because of the simple sea floor and simple in-water target environment. When learning to use the sonar, it may be useful to practice adjusting the settings in a simple environment where you have a good idea of what is actually under the water. Like any navigation tool, you should practice using the tool and get comfortable with the display and data representation in good weather and in good conditions so that when you find yourself in situations where you really need the sonar, you will be comfortable and well versed in its operation. Note that once the sonar's settings are set appropriately, it will generally not be necessary to frequently change the settings unless the water environment changes drastically.

Figure 3.7. Bridge piling used in control setting images

Figure 3.8, “A sea floor and a single piling target with "good" settings” shows a 3-dimensional image generated from a single ping of a deep water bridge piling. The piling is clearly detected ahead of the vessel at about 170 meters (560 feet) range. In this image, color is mapped to depth, and appropriate control settings have been used. The control settings used to generate this image are shown in the bottom right hand corner of the screen shot. In this image, all the settings are well within the suggested range; Bottom Squelch: 155, In-Water Squelch: 186. Let us now discuss how it was determined that these are “good” settings.

17 3D Sonar Display

Figure 3.8. A sea floor and a single piling target with "good" settings

Hint: When adjusting the Processor Control Settings, try imaging a simple environment.

Begin by setting the controls to values within their suggested range. Try Bottom Squelch: 150 and In-Water Squelch: 175. When setting these values it is important to try and find good settings for the sea floor before concentrating on displaying in-water targets. The control which will affect sea floor detection is Bottom Squelch. If you are unhappy with the sea floor image, try lowing the Bottom Squelch value just a little. Remember that the sonar is an 8 water depth sonar. This means that the sea floor can be mapped out to 8 times the depth of water below the transducer. Sometimes you may find slightly less coverage at the edge. Often, you will find much better that 8 water depth performance. The lower the Bottom Squelch, the more erratic the sea floor becomes. Generally you do not want or need to change this setting. If it is set too low, noise in the raw sonar data may be mistaken as the sea floor. This noise comes from electrical noise spikes and acoustic reflection from small bits of debris or bubbles in the water column. These noise levels should be filtered out with the proper setting of this control. Some signs that this value is set too low may include:

1. Random humps in the sea floor that are not present for more than one ping. These may cause drastic irregularities in the bottom contours.

2. Extremely long range bottoms that end up going very deep at the longest ranges.

Note that in very soft, silty bottom environments, the bottom may not be detected well or at extended water depths. Even in this case though, in-water targets will be well detected. Large rocks, pilings or other “hard” targets sitting in the silt will also be detected well. These targets may be shown as in-water targets rather than the sea floor.

Generally, if the Bottom Squelch is set too low, there will be bottom spikes indicating very shallow water at or near the surface and at VERY close range. Additionally, if the bottom has narrow but tall lumps, this is also a sign that the Bottom level is set too low. You may find that there is a range of values for the Bottom level setting that look good and have very little effect on the bottom.

Figure 3.9, “Color mapped to signal strength with "poor" settings” shows the same ping with “poor” processor settings. In this image, color has been mapped to signal strength. Red shows that a target is highly

18 3D Sonar Display reflective, where blue shows that a target is less reflective. One can clearly see that there is a nice regular looking sea floor, but there is a lot of in-water target clutter. In this test case, we know that there should be a single in-water target that is a strong reflector; the piling. In the figure, one can clearly see that there is a single very reflective in-water target (the red blip). Its position corresponds precisely to where the piling was visually sighted. All of the other in-water targets are most likely noise blips caused by poor settings. Certainly, there may be other legitimate in-water targets that are in the water column and not visible to the eye above the water. However, they would likely be much louder than the sea floor, and nearer to the signal level of the piling.

After finding settings for the sea floor, the In-Water Squelch should be adjusted in order to remove false in-water targets and clutter. As mentioned previously, in-water targets are typically much more reflective than the sea floor. Because of this a separate, higher level cutoff is needed for in-water targets to avoid showing clutter and detecting false targets.

Figure 3.9. Color mapped to signal strength with "poor" settings

Noise blips are spurious and are not generally consistent from ping to ping. If an in-water target is detected on multiple pings, even if it is of a lower signal strength, it is probably a legitimate target. Before changing the settings too much, look at multiple pings for consistent, low signal strength targets.

Hint: Map color to signal strength in order to identify a single target against noise blips

From this single image, it is clear that the in-water target cutoff needs to be increased. Note in the settings used for this ping, that although the In-Water Squelch is set rather high, the Bottom Squelch is set rather low. This means that the in-water target cutoff is low even if the sea floor target cutoff is sufficient. Notice, however, that the sea floor is somewhat choppy. In reality, it could be like this if there are a lot of underwater rocks or reefs, but this could be a sign that the Bottom Squelch is set too low. This is most likely the case, particularly since the Bottom Squelch setting is so far below the recommended settings of 140-155. To improve the image, the Bottom Squelch should be increased.

In Figure 3.10, “Color mapped to signal strength with "somewhat poor" settings”, the Bottom Squelch has been raised to the recommended values, and the In-Water Squelch has been reduced. There are less

19 3D Sonar Display in-water blips than Figure 3.10, “Color mapped to signal strength with "somewhat poor" settings”, but still there is much more than just the single piling shown. It is likely that the In-Water Squelch is too low. Notice that many of the in-water targets are very close in signal strength to the sea floor, and that they appear to be truncated by the surface of the sea floor itself. These two characteristics are indications of noise blips rather than less reflective, legitimate targets. The original image generated in Figure 3.8, “A sea floor and a single piling target with "good" settings” utilized a slightly higher In-Water level setting. This slight increase was enough to raise the in-water target cutoff slightly and clean up the image. During the rest of the cruise, these settings did not need to change.

Figure 3.10. Color mapped to signal strength with "somewhat poor" settings

20 Chapter 4. Chart Display Overview

FarSounder's Chart Display provides SonaSoft™ with basic chart plotting capabilities. The Chart Display supports any BSB standard digital chart. BSB charts can be downloaded free from NOAA for all U.S. waters. Charts for other waters can be downloaded from other agencies. For convenience, Maptech™ sells BSB chart and photographic image collections for most of the world's waters which can be loaded by the Chart Display. The Chart Display window provides various chart plotting functionalities, such as showing the position of the vessel on the chart, zooming in an out on the chart, generating a dynamic range scale, measuring distance between two points on the chart, showing vessel heading, and showing Lat/Long coordinates of the cursor position. Figure 4.1, “SonaSoft Chart Display” shows a screen shot of SonaSoft's chart display. The various features and controls are explained below.

Figure 4.1. SonaSoft Chart Display Menu Bar Controls Open

The Open button will display an open file dialog from which the user can select chart file to open. The last chart opened will automatically be loaded the next time SonaSoft is restarted. Auto Center

When depressed, the map and the vessel graphic will be centered in the window with any new GPS information received by the Maptech™ Digital Chart Viewer. Otherwise, the vessel will move across the map with each latitude/longitude position update.

21 Chart Display

Zoom In

Clicking this button will zoom in on the scale of the chart. If auto center is depressed, then the boat will be at the center of the newly zoomed view. If auto center is not checked, then the zooming will be centered on the position of the cursor. Zoom Out

Clicking this button will zoom out on the scale of the chart. If auto center is depressed, then the boat will be at the center of the newly zoomed view. If auto center is not checked, then the zooming will be centered on the position of the cursor. Show Scale

When depressed, a range scale showing distances in the current system units will be displayed on the left hand side of the chart as shown in Figure 4.1, “SonaSoft Chart Display”. The units of this scale are displayed in the system units selected in the Configuration Manager's System Settings tab. Note: the scale is adjusted for the current zoom level. Mouse Controls Left Button Mouse Drag

Dragging the mouse with the left mouse button down will pan the chart image. Right Button Mouse Drag

Dragging the mouse with the right mouse button down will draw an orange range line from the initial mouse position when first depressed to the final mouse position when released. While the button is depressed, the length of the line specified in system units will be drawn near the mouse. Once released, the distance will be displayed along the orange line. Mouse Scroll Wheel

The scroll wheel will zoom the map in (scroll up) or out (scroll down) depending on the direction scrolled. The newly zoomed position will be centered on the mouse cursor’s position on the map. Configuration Manager Options

In order for this component to work properly, NMEA compatible heading and location sensors must be connected to the SonaSoft User Interface computer. These sensors include: gps, loran, compass, etc. More information on NMEA connections can be found in the chapter entitled Chapter 6, Connecting NMEA Devices. Under the the Configuration Manager's Chart Display tab, the user can specify the type of NMEA message to use. The user can select between RMC (recommended minimum Specific GNSS data), GGA (Global Positioning System Fix Information), HDG (Heading, Deviation, and Variation) and HDT (Head- ing True) where appropriate

22 Chart Display

Figure 4.2. Chart Display Configuration Manager Options Color Scheme

Some charts include alternate color schemes which can be useful in bright sunlight or dark nighttime environments. If other color choices are available, the drop down box will include additional options besides default. History Length

Every time a new latitude and longitude position is received by the system, the vessel's position is updated on the chart. A blue dot is placed on the chart at previous locations. The number of most recent locations noted is defined by the History Length setting. A setting of 0 removes all history markings from the chart. Show Heading

If this option is selected, the vessel's heading as received from the selected NMEA message is displayed as text on the chart next to the vessel's icon. Show Lat/Long of Cursor

If this option is selected, the latitude and longitude at the cursor's position is shown in the lower left hand corner of the chart. If the cursor moves off the chart, the text “no lat/long info” is displayed. In Figure 4.1, “SonaSoft Chart Display”, the cursor was not over the chart when the screen shot was made. Therefore, the no info message is displayed.

23 Chapter 5. Nav Info Display Overview

The Nav Info Display provides basic conning information (Depth, Heading, Position, and Speed) to the user in a text format when external NMEA sensors are connected to the SonaSoft user interface computer.

Figure 5.1. The Nav Info Display

When available, the most recently received conning information is shown in this display. If a particular sensor is not available, that portion of the Nav Info Display will contain dashes to reflect the missing information. If the user knows that there is no data available for a particular type of conning info, he/she may un-check the "Listen" option in the Configuration Manager's NMEA Settings menu to supress that type from being displayed as dashes this display. Please see the section called “NMEA Message Selection” for more details. Configuration Manager Options

In order for this component to work properly, NMEA compatible depth, heading, gps, and speed sensors must be connected to the SonaSoft User Interface computer. These sensors include: echo sounder, gps, gyro-compass, doppler speed log, paddle wheel transducer, etc. More information on NMEA connections can be found in the chapter entitled Chapter 6, Connecting NMEA Devices. Under the the Configuration Manager's NMEA Settings menu, the user can specify the type of NMEA message to use.

For echo sounder depth, the user can select from the following NMEA messages:

• DBT: Depth below transducer.

24 Nav Info Display

• DPT: Depth below the transducer with reference to keel or surface.

For vessel heading, the user can select from the following NMEA messages:

• HDG: Heading, Deviation, and Variation.

• HDT: Heading True.

• RMC: Recommended minimum Specific GNSS data.

• VHW: Water Speed and Heading.

• VTG: Course over ground and ground speed.

Due to the sensor type the data provided may be either heading or course. For example, some gps units may output a message that is intended as heading yet the instrument fills the particular values with course data. You should consult your sensor's documentation to be sure of the information type displayed in SonaSoft's Vessel Heading Display. Some messages provide heading in either sensor heading/course values, magnetic heading/course values, or true heading/course values. When available, the user can select the values they prefer.

For vessel position, the user can select from the following NMEA messages:

• GGA: Global Positioning System Fix Data.

• RMC: Recommended minimum Specific GNSS data.

For vessel speed, the user can select from the following NMEA messages:

• RMC: Recommended minimum Specific GNSS data.

• VHW: Water Speed and Heading.

• VTG: Course over ground and ground speed.

Some messages provide speed in either knots or km/h. When available, the user can select the units they prefer.

25 Chapter 6. Connecting NMEA Devices Overview

The SonaSoft user interface software has been designed to interface with external navigation sensors via standard NMEA 0183 interface sentences. It is highly recommended that a GPS, echo sounder, and heading sensor (if available) be connected to the SonaSoft computer. For vessel speeds up to 10 knots, FarSounder's 3D sonar display capability does not require any external NMEA sensors. However, future upgrades for speeds beyond 10 knots will require external sensor input.

Figure 6.1. COM Port NMEA configuration options

However, in order to take full advantage of SonaSoft's navigation display capabilities, external sensors are needed for features such as:

• plotting the ship's location on top of a digital chart

• showing the Depth Profile angle in absolute heading

• displaying vessel speed

• displaying vessel heading

• displaying vessel position

26 Connecting NMEA Devices

• displaying echo sounder information

The SonaSoft software has been designed to accept information from external sensors via standard NMEA- 0183 sentences. SonaSoft connects to these NMEA sensors via the host computer's COM ports. SonaSoft can listen to and process the following sentences: RMC, VHW, VTG, HDG, HDT, DBT, DPT.

In most cases, the host computer's COM ports will be basic serial ports (RS-232). However, some marine computers come equipped with true NMEA-0183 hardware ports (opto-isolated RS-422). In all cases, these COM port settings can be configured under the Configuration Manager's COM Port NMEA tab. If the host computer has multiple COM ports, the software can be configured to listen on multiple ports to multiple sensors. Additionally, a standard NMEA multiplexer can be used to connect multiple sensors to a single COM port. COM Port Configuration

Upon viewing the Configuration Manager tab, a list of all available COM ports on which SonaSoft™ can listen will be generated. Each row in the list contains a check box, a COM port number, a baud rate selection drop down box, and a Show Trace button. SonaSoft can read all standard NMEA-0183 messages on any COM port in the list. COM Port Check Box

The check boxes indicate on which COM ports the SonaSoft should listen (an empty box indicates that the port is not being used, a red check indicates that the port is in use). When the checkbox is checked, the show trace button will be active. Baud Rate Drop Down Box

The baud rate for each COM port is selected with this drop down selection box. Show Trace Button

Pressing the Show Trace button will pop up a window where the user can see all of the COM port data being read off the port. Re-Scan for Available Ports Button

This button will re-scan to find any available COM ports for SonaSoft to listen on. Available COM ports will be listed in the COM port list. NMEA Message Selection

At the bottom of this window, there are four rows of dop-down selectors where the NMEA messages to be used for Depth, Heading, Position, and Speed can be selected. The Heading and Speed selections also have a second drop-down selector for configuring options specific to certain messages. SonaSoft will only listen to the messages selected for each data type.

Each message type (Depth, Heading, Position, and Speed) also has a "Listen" check box option. When "Listen" is unchecked, SonaSoft will not listen for any messages of that type. For example, if there are no Depth messages available on any of the COM ports selected, then the "Listen" checkbox for Depth messages can be unchecked.

27 Connecting NMEA Devices

NOTE: Message selection is independant of COM port selection. This means that if a particular message is selected for a given data type, it does not matter on which COM port it is received.

28 Chapter 7. System Settings Options Overview

There are a number of System Settings inside SonaSoft. These settings are general configuration options which are used throughout the software. These settings are found under the Configuration Manager's Sys- tem Settings tab.

Figure 7.1. System Settings dialog box System Depth Units

The units selected from this drop down box are used for depth measurements throughout various displays and setting controls within SonaSoft. The following units are supported: feet, meters, fathoms. System Range Units

The units selected from this drop down box are used for range measurements throughout various displays and setting controls within SonaSoft. The following units are supported: feet, yards, meters, kilometers, miles (statute), miles (nautical), cables. Set Vessel Draft

The value entered here is used for all calculations within SonaSoft which require knowing the draft of the vessel. For large vessels that frequently load and discharge cargo or fuel, this value may need to be updated frequently. Smaller vessels may never need to update this value. Note: To ensure that all displayed depths are correct, it is REQUIRED that this value is correctly updated.

29 System Settings Options

Advanced Settings

The current version of SonaSoft has a single advanced setting. This setting is the transducer depth relative to the vessel's keel or deepest draft location on the hull. This value is REQUIRED for setting all depth information relative to the surface or the keel. Positive values indicate that the transducer is above the keel. Negative values indicate the transducer is below the keel. This value is generally set once at installation, and does not need to be updated unless the installation is modified.