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Atlas Elektronik ATLAS NORTH AMERCA Marine Sonic Sea Scan ARC Explorer Manual

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Marine Sonic Technology
[A Brand of ATLAS North America]
Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual
V4.2.1
© 2017 Marine Sonic Technology
Doc: 2SFT1-0001

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Summary of Contents for Atlas Elektronik ATLAS NORTH AMERCA Marine Sonic Sea Scan ARC Explorer

  • Page 1 Marine Sonic Technology [A Brand of ATLAS North America] Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual V4.2.1 © 2017 Marine Sonic Technology Doc: 2SFT1-0001...
  • Page 2 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual This product was designed and developed by a team of engineers at ATLAS North America. © 2017 Marine Sonic Technology, All Rights Reserved. ATLAS North America 120 Newsome Drive Suite H PO Box 1309 Yorktown, VA 23692-1309 23183-0730...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Table of Contents Introduction Section 1 1 Advisories ........................... 4 2 Minimium System Requirments ........................... 5 3 Updating Procedures ........................... 6 Introduction to Side Scan Sonar Section 2 1 General Sonar Overview ...........................
  • Page 4 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Variable-Angle Towrail ................................22 Adjustment Procedure ................................. 23 Zeroing Procedure ................................. 24 Tranducers ................................24 Tow Fish Safety Release ................................26 Shear Pin ................................. 26 Tow Fish Accessories ................................

  • Page 5: Introduction

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Introduction Marine Sonic Technology is a well-established and highly-respected resource for individuals and organizations that perform search and recoveries; bottom surveys; ship hull inspections; port and homeland security; bridge, pier, pipeline, and harbor inspections; vertical structure imaging; and environmental surveys and research.

  • Page 6: Minimium System Requirments

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual ® THE SEA SCAN TOWFISH IS BUILT FOR A MARINE ENVIRONMENT, BUT SOME COMPONENTS ARE SENSITIVE TO MOISTURE AND CORROSION. THEREFORE, THE FOLLOWING PRECAUTIONS MUST BE FOLLOWED: · NEVER attach the connectors when the power is on. ·...

  • Page 7: Updating Procedures

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Updating Procedures Marine Sonic Technology engineers continually review and improve upon the company’s hardware, firmware, and software procedures and capabilities. Revisions and updates may be frequent and can significantly streamline operation. Contact Marine Sonic Technology Customer Service to inquire about updates, patches, and notices or visit the Marine Sonic Technology website at www.marinesonic.com.

  • Page 8: Introduction To Side Scan Sonar

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Introduction to Side Scan Sonar General Sonar Overview Sonar is a coined word derived from the phrase, Sound Navigation And Ranging. Sonar generally refers to a system that uses acoustical (sound) energy transmitted through water. At the heart of that system is the transducer, the device that converts electrical energy to sound and vice versa and is responsible for generating the sound pulse.
  • Page 9 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual The system receives the returning echoes from the water column and seafloor shortly after emitting a pulse. Figure 4: The system picks up the returning echoes Sea Scan Survey listens for a short amount of time, which is determined by the range; then it pings again, thus beginning a new cycle.The returning echoes from one pulse are displayed on the sonar window or waterfall as one single line, with dark and light portions of that line representing strong or weak echoes relative to time.

  • Page 10: How To Read Sonar Data

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual 2.2.1 How to Read Sonar Data 2.2.1.1 Sonar Beam Vertical Beam Angle How wide the beam angle is; it is measured from the sea bottom to the top of the sound that was projected from the transducer.

  • Page 11: Prop Wash

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual 2.2.1.3 Prop Wash Prop Wash shows in the waterfall when the churning waves and air bubbles produced by the ship's propellers are picked up in the transducer's beam. Figure 9: The effects of prop wash This problem occurs mainly when a towed system is in shallow water.
  • Page 12 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 11: When viewed from an angle, the rocks produce shadows In Figure 11 left, the shadow area has nothing there to return a sound. Thus a shadow is created. Just as with a sun-created shadow, the height of an object determines the length of the shadow.

  • Page 13: System Quick Start

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual System Quick Start Step by Step ® This is a Quick-Start guide for our Sea Scan ARC Explorer system. This guide is for users who want to get started quickly or for those who have operated the system previously but need a quick refresher.

  • Page 14: Software And Driver Installation

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual 3.1.2 Software and Driver Installation Sea Scan ARC Explorer is a self-contained side-scan sonar system. The software controls the collection of the sonar imagery and navigational input and displays the information on the computer screen.

  • Page 15: Topside Communications Unit (Tcu)

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 14: Towcable Rigged to Towrail & Breakaway Figure 15: Towcable Connected to sonar 3.1.4 Topside Communications Unit (TCU) Figure 16: Topside Communications Unit · Plug the TCU into the computer using the provided Network cable. ·...

  • Page 16: Your First Survey

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Not Connected Connected · Open “Sea Scan Survey,” turn on the TCU, and follow steps a to d to verify that it shows in the software’s sonar Interface Manager: a.

  • Page 17: The Global Position System (Gps)

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual · Move the mouse cursor over the <Sonar Control Window> tab on the left side of the “Sea Scan Survey” software. · If using a dual-frequency sonar, verify that the correct frequency is selected. Keep in mind, however, that higher frequencies have higher resolution but less range, and lower frequencies have lower resolution but more range.

  • Page 18: Packing Up

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual TIP: If you have a dual-frequency towfish, the rub check must be done separately for each frequency 3.1.7 Packing Up 3.1.7.1 Software · In Sea Scan Survey, open the sonar Control Window and turn the power <Off>. ·...

  • Page 19: Front Panel Lights

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 19: Topside Communications Unit (TCU) CAUTION: Do not plug or unplug the tow cable if the power is on to the topside communication unit. TIP: Make sure the connector's O-Rings are in their proper place and that they are free of debris and dirt.

  • Page 20: Connections To The Tcu

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Power Button No Light The power is off. Dim Blue CPU is booting; if it stays dimmed, the TCU power is on, but the TCU's processor is not starting. Even if the TCU is turned off, it still draws power. Bright Blue Power is on.

  • Page 21: Tow Cable

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual The ARC Explorer system is powered by either AC or DC. Each power source has a separate power cable; the cables are provided with the system. · If covered, remove the cover, then plug the power cable into the TCU power connector. ·...

  • Page 22: Connection To A Pc

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual 4.1.3 Connection to a PC 4.1.3.1 Ethernet The TCU connects to the PC by means of an Ethernet connection. Verify that the the connections are clean and clear of debris, and plug the TCU Ethernet cable into the PC. 4.1.3.2 The ARC Explorer system will include a USB connection, but the connector is not used at this time.

  • Page 23: Towcable Connector

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual To remove the assembly, remove the three screws (two on the top and one on the bottom) that are right next to the tail assembly. Then just pull the assembly off. Figure 24: Towfish Tail Assembly Secure Screw 4.2.2 Towcable Connector...

  • Page 24: Adjustment Procedure

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual This new ability to "aim" the sonar beam at vertical structures requires a different approach when operating the towfish. It will also require some advance planning and practice. Figure 27: Towrail in the centered position TIP: Practice using the towfish at the normal angle before attempting a more complex survey.

  • Page 25: Zeroing Procedure

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 28: Towrail adjustment screw · Next, grab both ends of the towrail and slide it left (starboard side) or right (port side). Figure 29: Towrail in an Angled Position ·...
  • Page 26 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual To remove the transducers, simply loosen the rear bolt with the provided wrench. Figure 30: Screw removal to access a transducer Using the thumb grooves, grab the transducer with both hands, lifting the back of the transducer out first and then sliding the front out from under the spacer lip.

  • Page 27: Tow Fish Safety Release

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual To insert the transducer, simply reverse the removal process. TIP: Always use the cover for the transducer connector. 4.2.5 Tow Fish Safety Release An important feature during any operation is the ability to extract the tow fish if it has become snagged in debris or imbedded into the seafloor.

  • Page 28: Tow Fish Accessories

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 34: Worn Shear Pin in Need of Replacement 4.2.6 Tow Fish Accessories The Sea Scan ARC Explorer's modular tow fish was designed with integrated accessory capabilities in mind. These accessories can be purchased with your system or added as they are needed. 4.2.6.1 Depressor Wing The depressor wing will allow you to operate at greater depths without the need to add large...

  • Page 29: Depressor Installation

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 35: Depressor Wing 4.2.6.1.1 Depressor Installation The depressor wing attaches directly to your ARC Explorer tow fish. The depressor wing will replace your existing tow rail. The wing can be easily removed, if needed, and the depressor wing's tow rail can be used without reinstalling the factory tow rail.
  • Page 30 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual · The Tow Fish Safety Release must be removed from the factory tow rail and installed on the depressor tow rail. Using a 5/32" hex key driver and a 7/16" nut driver remove the rear safety release screw.

  • Page 31: Installing The Depressor

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 39: Safety Release Ready to Remove 4.2.6.1.1.3 Installing the Depressor · Install an angle adjustment decal forward of front tow fish angle adjustment groove. Align the decal's center mark with the tow fish top center index mark. Figure 40: Angle Adjustment Decal Installation ·...
  • Page 32 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 41: Tow Rail Nut Aligned with the Tow Fish Angle Adjustment Groove · Using a 3/16" hex key driver tighten the rear tow rail screw. Figure 42: Tighten the Rear Tow Rail Screw ·...
  • Page 33 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual · Lift the back of the depressor wing up, rotating it toward the front of the tow fish until it stops. This will allow access to the forward tow rail screw. Ensure alignment with the front top center index marks and tighten the forward tow rail screw using a 3/16"...

  • Page 34: Depressor Adjustment

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 46: Install the Lower Rear Depressor Wing Tow Rail Screw · Using a 5/32" hex key driver reinstall the removed transducer, for details refer to the Transducers section of the manual.

  • Page 35: Depressor Removal

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 47: Remove the Lower and Upper Rear Depressor Wing Tow Rail Screw · Remove the angle adjustment bracket and replace it with a smaller bracket. Reinstall the lower and upper rear depressor wing tow rail screws using a 5/32"...

  • Page 36: Depressor Operation

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 49: Remove the Depressor Tow Rail Screws · Using a 5/32" hex key driver install the depressor wing handle on the top of the tow rail. Figure 50:Install the Depressor Wing Handle 4.2.6.1.2 Depressor Operation Using the tow fish with the depressor wing will require some changes from the normal methods of operation.

  • Page 37: Keel Weight

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual · Ensure that the boat is adequately rated for the additional load that will be added by the depressor wing. · Ensure that the boat is as stationary as possible during deployment and recovery. Any flow over the depressor will induce an additional load on the cable.
  • Page 38 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual · Tow Fish Shipping Case (This helps hold the tow fish while it is upside down.) Complete the following steps to install your keel weight. · Remove the tow cable protective plug. Figure 52: Remove the Tow Cable Protective Plug ·...
  • Page 39 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 54: Install the Nut on the Screw · Install one tow rail nut in each angle adjustment groove through the openings at the transducers. Slide both nut and screw assemblies to the center of the tow fish. Figure 55: Install the Tow Rail Nut ·...
  • Page 40 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 56: Remove the Screw · Place the keel weight on the tow fish and start to install the screws by hand. You may have to shift the keel around to get the screws started. Figure 57: Place the Keel Weight on the Tow Fish ·...

  • Page 41: Auxiliary Interface Ports

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 58: Center the Keel and Tighten the Screws · Your keel weight is ready to use. Follow the tow fish set up procedures to finish preparing your tow fish for deployment.
  • Page 42 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual · Locate the "PN:7ARC1-x" field on the decal. If the "x" is a number greater than "3" (EX: PN:7ARC1-3) then your tow fish is hardware ready and you may order or install your auxiliary sensor.

  • Page 43: Removing The Auxiliary Port Cover

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual · If the auxiliary port cover is labeled "Auxiliary Port" than the factory hardware upgrade has been completed. If you are still unsure or have questions about the hardware upgrade please feel free to contact us.
  • Page 44 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 63: Auxiliary Port Cover Screw Removal · Thread the supplied 1/4-20 screws into the empty auxiliary port cover screw holes by hand until they just stop. They will not fully seat into the auxiliary port cover. Do not over tighten or damage to the auxiliary port cover sealing surface or tow fish may occur.

  • Page 45: Depth Sensor And Altimeter

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 65: Remove the Auxiliary Port Cover · Inspect o-rings and mating surfaces for contamination, damage or corrosion prior to installing or reinstalling your sensor. Figure 66: Towfish Auxiliary Connection & Auxiliary Sensor Connectors 4.2.6.3.3 Depth Sensor and Altimeter To install the depth sensor or altimeter/depth sensor on your tow fish you will need the following tools and supplies that were supplied with the system and auxiliary sensor.
  • Page 46 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Complete the following steps to install your auxiliary sensor. · Using the 3/32" and 5/32" Hex Key Driver remove the bottom auxiliary port cover. For details refer to the Removing the Auxiliary Port Cover section of the manual. ·...

  • Page 47: Software Operation

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 69: Install the Auxiliary Sensor Screws · Your auxiliary sensor is now ready to use. Refer to the auxiliary port software operation section of this manual for more information. CAUTION: The depth sensor port contains a high resolution pressure sensor that converts water pressure into depth data.
  • Page 48 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Explorer Interface driver. The Depth Sensor will need to be zeroed out each time it is used. This ensures that the depth sensor adjusts for ambient air pressure which can vary from day to day and at different locations due to elevation and the weather.

  • Page 49: Towing Characteristics

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual The data is displayed in the Status Window as Sonar Depth and Altitude. The Water Depth data is from an external echo sounder that is connected to the computer that Sea Scan Survey is running on. Below is a screen shot of the Status Window with the Sonar Depth and Altitude Highlighted.

  • Page 50: Depressor And Keel Weight Towing Characteristics

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual 4.2.7.2 Depressor and Keel Weight Towing Characteristics Tow Fish Configuration: Keel Weight and Depressor Figure 73: Tow Fish Depth vs Speed Per Cable Length 4.2.7.3 Keel Weight Towing Characteristics Tow Fish Configuration: Keel Weight Figure 74: Tow Fish Depth vs Speed Per Cable Length Page: 49...

  • Page 51: Maintenance, Lay-Up And Care

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Maintenance, Lay-up and Care WARNING: The TCU is intended only to be opened by Marine Sonic Technology for servicing. It is not intended to be opened by the customer. To protect the ARC Explorer towfish and ensure its viability every time you require its use, we strongly advise that you follow the cleaning and inspection procedures below before and after every operation.
  • Page 52 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual TIP: The proper approach to power cycling the electronic devices is to unplug the power source for at least 10 seconds. The front lights on the TCU are color coded: POWER NETWORK sonar...
  • Page 53 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual The processor didn't turn on power to the TCU. If the light continues to stay dim, please call ATLAS North America. Power light is bright but no network light: Check the network cable.
  • Page 54 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Turn the TCU back on. Wait for the Network light to turn back on. As previously stated, this can take a few minutes, especially on Windows XP PCs with auto-IP assignment. Start the ARC Explorer sonar Manager in Sea Scan Survey.

  • Page 55: Multimeter

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual b. If one of the above situations is occurring: Make sure you are outside so the GPS has access to the satellites. Common signal obstructions include cloudy conditions and metal enclosures. Another cause may be that the GPS has not been connected in a long time;...

  • Page 56: Power Cable

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual The reading should be close to 0 Ω. If not, replace the power cable. Figure 76: Towcable TCU Connection Pinout Figure 77: Towcable Wet-Mate Connector Pinout 5.1.3.2 Power Cable Set the multimeter on Ω.

  • Page 57: Revision History

    ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Figure 78: Power Cable TCU Connection Pin Out Revision History Version Comments Issue Date · Added Sea Scan Survey 4 Channel Waterfall 4.1.0 November 2015 Information (Master / Slave Views). ·...
  • Page 58 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual acoustic shadow Literally, the shadow an object on the bottom casts to its side in relation to the transducer; the transducer must “see” this entire shadow so that the height of that object can be calculated acoustic signal The fan of sound emitted from the transducer...
  • Page 59 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual new line. A CSV file is a way to collect the data from any table so that it can be conveyed as input to another table- oriented application such as a relational database or spreadsheet application.
  • Page 60 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual layback (LB) The surface distance between the navigation antenna and the towfish longitude The angular distance east or west of the prime meridian that stretches from the North Pole to the South Pole and passes through Greenwich, England lossy medium The physical degradation of an acoustic signal as a result of...
  • Page 61 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual port The left side of an object or ship projector An device that transforms electrical signals into sound waves pulse length The length of time that a sonar unit is transmitting one pulse pulse width The horizontal width of the sonar signal from the...
  • Page 62 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Topside Communications Unit topside processor The control unit an operator uses on the towing vessel to collect and observe the incoming data from the transducers towfish The device that is towed through the water on which the transducers are mounted transducer The projector and hydrophone that make up an active sonar...
  • Page 63 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual Index - B - barges - 0 - - C - 0 position - 1 - Cannot connect to SONAR Cannot Connect to Topside Charts 10% standoff compressed air concave surface - 3 - concave surfaces...
  • Page 64 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual power connector Power light and network light are on - H - Power light is bright but no network light Prop Wash heading propeller turbulence Horizontal Beam Width - R - - I - range delay...
  • Page 65 ATLAS North America Proprietary 1 of 1 Sea Scan® ARC Explorer™ Manual towfish connection towfish connector transducer - U - Understanding NMEA Strings unit housing - V - variable-angle tow point Variable-Angle Towrail 22, 23 vector chart maps Vertical Beam Angle vertical structures vertical surfaces vessel course...

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