Understanding The Sonar Display - Humminbird HELIX 5 SERIES Operation Manual

Real Time Sonar (RTS) Window
A Real Time Sonar (RTS) Window appears on the right side of the display in the Sonar Views only.
The RTS Window always updates at the fastest rate possible for depth conditions and shows only
the returns from the bottom, structure and fish that are within the transducer beam. The RTS Window
plots the depth and intensity of a sonar return. (See Sonar Menu Tab: Real Time Sonar (RTS)
Window).
The Narrow RTS Window
indicates the sonar intensity
through the use of colors.
Red indicates a strong return
and blue indicates a weak
return. The depth of the
sonar return is indicated by
the vertical placement of the
return on the display depth
scale.
What's on the Sonar Display

Understanding the Sonar Display

It is important to understand the significance of the display. The
display does NOT show a literal 3-dimensional representation of
what is under the water. Each vertical band of data received by the
control head and plotted on the display represents something that
was detected by a sonar return at a particular time. As both the
boat and the targets (fish) may be moving, the returns are only
showing a particular segment of time when objects were detected,
not exactly where those objects are in relation to other objects
shown on the display.
The returned sonar echoes are displayed on the screen. As a new
echo is received, the historical data scrolls left across the display.
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The Wide RTS Window
indicates the sonar intensity
through the use of a bar
graph. The length of the
plotted return provides an
indication of whether the
return is weak or strong. The
depth of the sonar return is
indicated by the vertical
placement of the return on
the display depth scale. The
Wide RTS Window does not
use grayscale.