Page 1
Quick Start Guide Simrad SX90 Fish finding sonar TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES www.simrad.com...
Page 3
Simrad SX90. Caution You must never start SX90 transmissions (pinging) when the ship is in dry dock. The transducers may be damaged if they transmit in open air. All end-user manuals provided for operation and installation of your Simrad SX90 can be downloaded from our website.
Page 4
Support information If you require maintenance or repair, contact your local dealer. You can also contact us using the following address: simrad.support@simrad.com. If you need information about our other products, visit https: //www.simrad.com.
GETTING STARTED ..............14 Operating Panel description....................15 Starting normal operation ..................... 18 Turning on the SX90 for normal use ................18 Getting to know the user interface ................20 Getting to know presentation modes and views ............22 Selecting Normal mode to start "pinging"..............26 Adjusting the radius of the search area ...............
Page 6
Simrad SX90 Visual Objects menu ......................60 Cosmetics menu ........................63 Shortcut menus ........................65 386619/C...
Target audience This manual is intended for all inexperienced and new users of the Simrad SX90. We assume that you are familiar with the basic acoustic principles of sound in water. We also expect that you have some experience with sonar operation.
Before you turn on the SX90, make sure that you have sufficient water depth to lower the transducer! Caution You must never turn on the SX90 when the ship is in dry dock. The transducer may be damaged if it transmits in open air. 386619/C...
Page 9
Note If you turn off the SX90 by means of the on/off switch on the Processor Unit you may damage the software and the interface settings used to communicate with external devices. Manual operation of the hull unit In the event of improper operation, the powerful electric motor on the hull unit may cause serious damage to the equipment and/or injury to personnel.
Page 10
Simrad SX90 Quick Start Guide Rules for transducer handling A transducer must always be handled as a delicate instrument. Incorrect actions may damage the transducer beyond repair. A physical blow to the transducer face may easily damage one or more elements. Observe these transducer handling rules: •...
Simrad SX90 System description The Simrad SX90is a long range omnidirectional low frequency sonar. The SX90 is designed for medium and large sized fishing vessels.It was originally developed for purse seiners, but experience has proven that it is also well suitable for trawlers.
Safety is important. The safety precautions must be followed at all times during installation and maintenance work. WARNING The SX90 operates on 115 VAC and/or 230 VAC at 50/60 Hz. This voltage is lethal! You must never work alone on high-voltage equipment! The hull unit is powered by a 3-phase high voltage.
Simrad SX90 Support information If you need technical support for your Simrad SX90 you must contact your local dealer, or one of our support departments. A list of all our offices and dealers is provided on our website. You can also contact our main support office in Norway.
Page 14
Simrad SX90 Quick Start Guide • : Kongsberg Underwater Technology Inc / Simrad Fisheries Company name • : 19210 33rd Ave W, Suite A, Lynnwood, WA 98036, USA Address • : +1 425 712 1136 Telephone • : +1 425 712 1193 Telefax •...
Page 15
Simrad SX90 China • : Kongsberg Maritime China Ltd Company name • : 555 Chuanqiao Road, China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, 201206, China Address • : +86-21-3127-9888 Telephone • : +86-21-3127-9555 Telefax • https://www.simrad.com Website • simrad.china@simrad.com E-mail address...
• Before you turn on the SX90, make sure that you have sufficient water depth to lower the transducer! • You must never turn on the SX90 when the ship is in dry dock. The transducer may be damaged if it transmits in open air.
Page 18
Button Options function to each button on the Operating Panel. : Press this button to make a copy of the current SX90 presentation. You Screen Capture can choose either a single screen capture or a sequence with multiple screen captures.
Page 19
Trackball Note The SX90 supports two different operating panels. These are referred to as "Mk1" and "Mk2". In this publication all descriptions and references are related to "Mk2". Before you can change the settings related to a view, you must click inside the view to activate it.
Turning off the SX90, page 35 Turning on the SX90 for normal use In order to use the SX90, you must first turn it on. To turn on the SX90 use the Power button on the Operating Panel. The SX90 program starts automatically when the Processor Unit is turned on.
Page 21
Main Operation The icon is flashing to indicate that even if the SX90 is turned on, "pinging" is disabled. The SX90 is in Normal mode, but is set to Off to prevent transmissions. TX Power This is for safety reasons.
By default, the SX90 presentation covers the entire screen. Context All echoes offered by the SX90 are shown in rectangular views. Each view has a specific purpose, and it can be set up with independent operational settings. Combinations of these views are organized in presentation modes, which you can select on the bottom bar.
Page 23
Move the cursor to the top bar, and investigate the functions provided. The SX90 top bar is located at the top of the display presentation and stretches from the far left to the far right. The top bar gives you fast access to key functionality and navigational information.
Move the cursor to the bottom of the SX90 presentation. The bottom bar is located at the bottom of the SX90 presentation and stretches from the far left to the far right. It allows you to choose presentation mode (view combinations).
Page 25
• Catch • Echogram • Plane With the various beams provided by the SX90, it may be difficult to understand the concept. How do these beams "behave" in the water? By means of a graphic presentation, the Beam dialog box attempts to give you a better understanding of how the acoustic Visualization beams are transmitted into the water.
Page 26
Cosmetics At the bottom of the SX90 presentation, select a suitable presentation mode, and activate the Vertical view. The view shows you a "vertical slice" of the echo data. The slice is made at the current bearing.
Page 27
Fishing Gear Setup side to Port or Starboard. At the bottom of the SX90 presentation, select a suitable presentation mode, and activate the Catch view. Use the information in the Catch view to monitor the progress of the purse seine operation.
Related topics Starting normal operation, page 18 Selecting Normal mode to start "pinging" In order to transmit ("ping") you must set the SX90 to Normal operating mode. This is the default mode when the SX90 is turned on. Context function controls the operating mode of the SX90. You can set it to Normal, Operation Replay or Inactive.
Page 29
Getting started Caution You must never start SX90 transmissions (pinging) when the ship is in dry dock. The transducer may be damaged if it transmits in open air. Once started, the SX90 transmissions are controlled by the Transmission Mode functions.
On the SX90, this is referred to as range. Context setting defines how "far" you wish the SX90 to detect echoes. In other words, you Range specify the horizontal or vertical distance from the vessel to the outer edge of the search area.
Adjusting the echo sensitivity Some echoes are weak while others are stronger. To compensate for this it is often necessary to adjust the sensitivity of the SX90. This adjustment is commonly referred to as gain. Context You can compare this gain setting with the volume control on your car radio. When the gain is increased, the echoes will appear stronger.
Page 32
Each switch can be assigned a function related to range, gain or bearing. Investigate the functionality provided on the page. This page Operating Panel is located in the dialog box. Installation Optionally: Observe the menu. Main Its default location is on the right side of the SX90 presentation. 386619/C...
Release the mouse button when requested value is shown. Select the middle of the button to open it. If you have a keyboard connected to the SX90, you can type the requested value. Open the button and select...
Page 34
Once again you can activate the RCG function to improve the reading. With the various beams provided by the SX90, it may be difficult to understand the concept. How do these beams "behave" in the water? By means of a graphic presentation, the...
Starting normal operation, page 18 Adjusting the horizontal direction of the sonar beam The Horizontal view in the SX90 presentation covers the entire 360° omnidirectional sector For the other views you must define the horizontal direction of the beam. Context In the Horizontal view the current bearing is shown with a continuous line pointing out from the vessel position.
Page 36
In a Horizontal view, select the bearing line and drag it sideways. Optionally: Observe the menu. Main Its default location is on the right side of the SX90 presentation. Select Bearing Make the necessary adjustment. Select [+] or [-] to choose the requested setting.
Power Off Power the Operating Panel. You must never turn off the SX90 by means of the on/off switch on the Processor Unit. Context When you do not use the SX90, turn off the display and the Processor Unit.
Context With a few exceptions, the chosen language will also be used for all other text on the SX90. The SX90 help may not be available for the language you choose. If your language is not supported, the English help is provided.
We recommend that you do this test twice. First, do the test with all other hydroacoustic systems (echo sounders, ADCP, sonars) turned off. Second, do the test with normal operating conditions. This allows you to see how the other hydroacoustic systems affect the SX90 operation. Procedure On the...
To hide the menu, select on the top bar. Menu When the menu is hidden, it is temporarily shown on the left or right side of the SX90 presentation if you move the cursor to that position. To retrieve the menu, select one more time.
Getting started Saving single or sequential screen captures While using the SX90 you may wish to make a screen capture to save an instantaneous copy of the current presentation. Each screen capture you make is saved in format on the .jpg...
Basic operating procedures, page 36 Saving the current user settings When you have spent some time working with the SX90, you are probably using specific settings that you know are efficient for your purpose. It is a good idea to save these settings.
Getting started Defining the ping (transmission) modes You can easily control how often the SX90 shall transmit acoustic energy (a ping) into the water. You can disable the transmission altogether, set it to operate as fast as possible, or select a time interval.
Page 44
Drag the cursor sideways to increase or decrease the value. Release the mouse button when requested value is shown. to Single Ping. Transmission Mode The SX90 transmits (pings) only when you select the symbol on the right side of the button. Related topics Basic operating procedures, page 36...
Menu system Menu system Topics About the menus and menu buttons, page 44 Using the “smart” menu buttons, page 44 Main menu, page 45 Operation menu, page 47 Display menu, page 49 Setup menu, page 51 Active menu, page 53 Objects menu, page 56 Visual Objects menu, page 60 Cosmetics menu, page 63...
When the menu is hidden, it is temporarily shown on the Menu left or right side of the SX90 presentation if you move the cursor to that position. Using the “smart” menu buttons Each menu provided by the SX90 contains several menu buttons. Each button shows the purpose of the button.
It offers the most common Main functions for efficient use of the SX90. Unless you hide the entire menu system, the Main menu is visible at all times, even if you close the secondary menus.
Page 48
SX90 presentations. Gain By adjusting the gain you can control how much amplification the SX90 applies to the received echoes. The setting is by default only applied to currently selected echogram. It is identified with a thick border.
The icon is flashing to indicate Operation that even if the SX90 is turned on, "pinging" is disabled. When the SX90 is turned on, is by default set to Off. This is a safety precautions to prevent inadvertent Tx Power transmissions when the vessel is in dry dock.
Page 50
Simrad SX90 Quick Start Guide • Audio Select to turn the audio output on or off. The audio information is generated based Audio on the echoes retrieved from the bearing defined by the bearing line. If you need to adjust the volume use the controls on the audio equipment you use.
"cosmetic" elements in the SX90 Cosmetics presentation on or off. The majority of the functions are on/off buttons to enable or disable "cosmetic" elements in the SX90 presentation. This function is not available in all the views. Cosmetics menu, page 63...
Page 52
This will provide a filtering effect that removes the weakest echoes. • Screen Brightness The intensity of the light given off by the SX90 presentation can be adjusted. You can use this function to increase or decrease the light from the screen to match the ambient light. •...
An invisible area - the tracking area - is created as an acquisition area. In order for the SX90 to find and lock on the intended target, it needs to be kept within this tracking area. If the intended target falls outside the area, the tracking can not be started.
Page 54
• Language You may prefer to use the SX90 with a user interface in your own language. A selection of languages is provided. The function allows you to select the language to be Language used in the SX90 presentations, menus and dialog boxes.
(Time Variable Gain) compensates for the loss of acoustic energy due to geometric spread and absorption. • Ping-Ping Filter analyses the historical information from previous consecutive pings Ping-Ping Filter in order to remove unwanted noise and false echoes from the SX90 presentation. 386619/C...
Page 56
Plane and Inspection views. • Vertical TX Sector The SX90 transmits in a swath with maximum vertical opening angle 90°. By means of function, you can change this opening angle to N/A. The function is Vertical Tx Sector only available in the Vertical and Navigation views.
Page 57
Menu system • Noise Filter removes unwanted acoustic noise from the SX90 presentation. It reduces Noise Filter the interference from other acoustic systems (sonars and echo sounders), as well as the noise from the propellers. • Horizontal Scroll function controls how fast the echo presentation shall move from Horizontal Scroll right towards left in the Echogram view.
- in spite of its name and location - not a menu at all. This "menu" opens Objects a small view to monitor and control the objects you have defined in the SX90 presentation. Each object is identified with a visual marker.
Page 59
Delete Select to delete all the markers you have selected in the objects list. Each Delete marker is removed both from the list and from the SX90 presentation. Select to add a new marker manually. The dialog box opens to New Marker accept position and depth information.
Page 60
Simrad SX90 Quick Start Guide Control buttons In the object list, select the object line to activate the control buttons for that particular object. Priority One marker can be given priority status to identify the object as the most important target or position.
Page 61
Menu system Comment A text field at the bottom of the menu allows you to type comments. You can Objects only do this if you have computer keyboard connected to your Processor Unit. Insert Relative Position Select to insert object information into the comment field. The Insert Relative Position information is inserted as a text string that contains the following information: •...
Page 62
Only specific functions of particular interest are explained with brief descriptions. The choices in the this menu depends on which view in the SX90 presentation that is currently "active". The menu may therefore change from one view to another. The screen capture may not show you all the menu choices.
Page 63
Minute Markers In order to maintain a visual presentation of your vessel’s previous movements, you can draw these with a line. This line is drawn after the vessel symbol in the SX90 presentation, and visualizes your past movements. The function adds Minute Markers markers to the line to indicate the travelled distance for each minute.
Page 64
The length of the line reflects its speed. For this function to work, a sea current meter must be connected to the SX90. The use of an ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) is recommended.
Page 65
The majority of the choices provided by this menu are self-explanatory. Only specific functions of particular interest are explained with brief descriptions. The choices in the this menu depends on which view in the SX90 presentation that is currently "active". The menu may therefore change from one view to another. The screen capture may not show you all the menu choices.
Page 66
Simrad SX90 Quick Start Guide • Compass Cards Activate to place evenly spaced compass markers on the outer range ring Compass Cards in horizontal views. The compass markers rotate based in the inputs from a navigation sensor. An update takes place when the vessel heading changes more than 1 degree.
Page 67
If relevant, you can further classify the object as a target. The phrase target is used to identify an echo in the SX90 presentation that you wish to act upon. The echo may be from a material item, a shallow, reef or rock, or from fish, fish schools or mammals.
Page 68
Place Own Ship Marker in the SX90 presentation. The own ship marker is now regarded as an object. All information about the object is shown in the menu listed as "OSM".
Page 69
Menu system • Place Ruler Place the cursor over the first echo. Right-click to open the shortcut menu, then select . The ruler starts wherever you place the cursor, and ends when you release Place Ruler the button. The length and relative bearing of the ruler is displayed next to it. Once a ruler has been established you can not make changes to it.
Page 70
Simrad SX90 Quick Start Guide Index Delete Marker function description ..........66 about Delete Own Ship Marker function comments ............. 5 description ..........66 constructive criticism........5 Delete Ruler function document downloads ........5 description ..........67 feedback............5 description online information ...........
Page 71
Index download help documents from website ........5 support offices ..........11 www.simrad.com ..........5 hide menu system..........45 hiding menu system..........38 high voltage echo sensitivity safety rules..........10 adjusting ............ 30 hoist Erase Echoes function transducer manually ......... 7 description ..........
Page 72
Simrad SX90 Quick Start Guide introduction important reminders ......... 6 Operating Panel ..........15 support if something breaks down......7 when the system not in use ......... 7 when you are docking your vessel......7 when you wish to switch off ....... 7 Kongsberg Maritime support ............11...
Page 73
..........65 how to open..........65 range Show Gear Symbol function adjusting ............ 28 description ..........66 adjusting the radius of the search area ....28 Simrad reader registered trademark......... 5 this manual............ 5 support ............11 registered trademarks........... 5 SIMRAD reminder registered trademark.........
Page 74
Simrad SX90 Quick Start Guide system not in use important reminder .......... 7 target audience this manual............ 5 technical support offices............11 this manual purpose ............5 target audience ..........5 Track History function description ..........61 Tracks function description ..........61 trademarks registered............