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Related Manuals for Starfish 450H
Summary of Contents for Starfish 450H
- Page 1 STARFISH HULL-MOUNT SONAR SYSTEM USER GUIDE...
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Page 2: Table Of Contents
Handling Recommendations ..................23 Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment Statement............ 23 Restriction of Hazardous Substances Statement ............23 Appendix A - How Your StarFish Works............24 Monotonic Sonar Operation ..................24 Chirp Sonar Operation.................... 25 Appendix B – Specifications ................26... -
Page 3: Introduction
With StarFish the seabed is your playground… Simply fix the StarFish side-scan sonar transducer to the hull of a vessel, large or small, to capture real-time digital images of the seafloor below. StarFish is truly 'Plug ®... -
Page 4: Electrical Safety
THER RECAUTIONS For storage and maintenance information, please refer to the section “Care Of Your Starfish” (see page 19). If you have any other safety or operational queries, please contact StarFish technical support (see page 21). -
Page 5: What Your System Contains
HAT YOUR SYSTEM CONTAINS Before proceeding, please check that your StarFish system box contains the following items… StarFish hull-mount sonar transducer head (with supplied cable). StarFish transducer hull mounting bracket. StarFish sonar top-box electronics module. AC to DC universal power adapter (and international plug adaptors). -
Page 6: Setting Up The System
9V and 28V, and will require a supply capable of delivering 5W. Typically this means the StarFish will require just under 500mA at 12V, or just under 250mA at 24V. As DC supplies come in many varieties, several adaptor cables have been included with your StarFish. -
Page 7: Connecting The Components
Having chosen your power source, the next step is to connect up the components of the StarFish system. If this is the first time you’re using the StarFish system, it is recommended you install the “Scanline” software and USB hardware drivers on your laptop/PC before connecting the electronics module to it. -
Page 8: Choosing A Mounting Location
OUNTING OCATION Before you can start using the hull-mounted Starfish Sonar system in the field, you will need to mount the sonar transducer to the hull of you boat. Correct mounting of the sonar is essential in order to achieve the best image results, and as each hull is different you should consider the following points when deciding on a suitable mounting location…... - Page 9 Position in relation to the vessels propeller Ideally the StarFish transducer should be mounted to the vessels hull in front of the vessels propeller, as this introduces small air-bubbles into the water which in-turn act as reflectors of sound and degrade the range and quality of the sonar imagery.
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Page 10: Mounting The Sonar Transducer
If in doubt, please contact the manufacturer of your vessel. The cable length on the transducer may be increased up to a maximum of 20 metres using a “twin, screened, twisted pair” cable. Contact StarFish technical support for details of available extension cables. When routing the transducer cable…... -
Page 11: Operating The Sonar
When the “Scanline” software is running, the “Activity Indicator” will flash to show that the StarFish is scanning and acquiring data. See the following section on interpreting side-scan imagery, for further details on calculating the sonar’s towing depth and altitude from the displayed data. -
Page 12: Understanding Sidescan Imagery
This gives the StarFish the ability to see almost directly below it, to just above the horizontal. However, despite this field of vision, the StarFish cannot determine where a target lies vertically in its beam (i.e. above or below it), as everything is translated to a planar 2D display. -
Page 13: What Does A Side-Scan Sonar Image Look Like
ONAR MAGE The figure below is a real image captured by a StarFish sonar, where each horizontal line is a representation of time versus the intensity of the reflected echoes. The further something is away from the centre line of the display, means the longer it took for the echo to be received. -
Page 14: Calculating The Distance To A Target
ALCULATING ISTANCE ARGET As mentioned earlier, the sonar display shows the recorded echoes over a period of time, and we have seen how we can work out the depth below the sonar from this. However, this also means that the range a target appears to be on the display is not the distance it lies at from the sonar horizontally across the seabed. -
Page 15: Reflected Target Intensity
EFLECTED ARGET NTENSITY To complete our understanding of the basics of sonar imagery, we need to consider the brightness information (intensity of echo) shown on the sonar display. As with a surface reflecting light, different surface textures and materials of targets have different acoustic reflective properties. -
Page 16: Example Side-Scan Sonar Images
XAMPLE ONAR MAGES Lake Bed Scan showing boat moorings at the bottom (concrete blocks in craters of silt). The dark area on the left channel is the shoreline. A boat with wake is visible on the right. At the top of the right channel, it can be seen that the bottom has a rockier texture, and appears brighter than the silt in the rest of... -
Page 17: Gain & Contrast Settings
& C ONTRAST ETTINGS When operating your sonar, the adjustments you will make to the gain and contrast controls are critical in achieving good side-scan imagery. This section examines the function and purpose of these controls… Gain The software gain control is similar to the volume control on a home hi-fi system, or the brightness control on a television. -
Page 18: Tips For Good Imagery
Waves, Wake and Surface Chop As your StarFish is operating close to the surface, its imagery may be distorted by the motion of the boat due to waves and surface chop on the water, or it may receive reflections from these at longer ranges. -
Page 19: Care Of Your Starfish
Do not insert extraneous object (metal or other alien substance) into the unit or any of its connector apertures. TORAGE When storing or shipping the StarFish system, please observe the following… Avoid excessively bending or kinking the cable (below a radius of 30mm), as this could reduce its operational life. -
Page 20: Troubleshooting
StarFish. Image ghosting or This problem may occur if the StarFish is receiving echoes from mirroring the hull or keel of the boat. Try repositioning the transducer so the acoustic beams are not obstructed from the transmitter faces. -
Page 21: Product Support
ECHNICAL UPPORT If your StarFish sonar is not operating properly, we would suggest that your first try the ‘Troubleshooting’ section of this manual and the electronic documentation provided with the product to see if the problem can be easily remedied. -
Page 22: Limited Warranty Policy
IMITED ARRANTY OLICY Tritech International Limited (herein after referred to as TIL) warrants that at the time of shipment all products shall be free from defects in material and workmanship and suitable for the purpose specified in the product literature. The system warranty commences immediately from the date of customer acceptance and runs for a period of 365 days. -
Page 23: Notices
NOTICES ANDLING ECOMMENDATIONS The StarFish system contains sensitive electronic components that may be damaged by an Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) if handled incorrectly. To minimise risk, avoid dismantling the unit, touching any exposed electrical contacts on external connector, or inserting anything other than the recommended cabling into the connectors. -
Page 24: Appendix A - How Your Starfish Works
APPENDIX A - HOW YOUR STARFISH WORKS Your StarFish sonar uses the latest advances in high-speed digital signal processing and “Chirp” (Compressed High Intensity Radar Pulse) techniques at the core of its acoustic engine. This section aims to help you understand the benefits of using Chirp acoustic techniques, by analysing and comparing these with the limitations of using conventional single frequency (monotonic) techniques. -
Page 25: Chirp Sonar Operation
(swept) through the duration of the transmission, from one frequency to another. For example, a StarFish 450 sonar operates at 430KHz at the start of the transmission, and at the end it reaches 470KHz (giving it a 40KHz bandwidth). -
Page 26: Appendix B - Specifications
APPENDIX B – SPECIFICATIONS SONAR HEAD StarFish 450H (5m) StarFish 450H (20m) Part Number BP00082 BP00092 Frequency 450kHz CHIRP Operating Range 100m (328ft) per channel Horizontal Beam Width 1.7° Vertical Beam Width 60° Transducer Angle Tilted Down 30° from Horizontal Length 195mm (7.68”) -
Page 27: Index
INDEX Electrical Safety, 4, 6, 19, Power Consumption, 6 Power Supply, 6 Example Images, 16 Power/Status Indicator, 7 AC Power, 6 External Fuse, 6 Activity Indicator, 11 Aeration. See Cavitation Altitude, 13 Range, 14 Gain, 17 Recycling, 23 Ghosting, 8, 17 Resolution, 24 Bandwidth, 25 Beam Angles, 8, 12... - Page 28 Copyright Notice Copyright © 2010 Tritech International Limited & Blueprint Design Engineering Limited, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of Blueprint Design Engineering Ltd.
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