GSSI SIR 3000 User Manual

Copyright© 2003-2015 Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc.
All rights reserved
including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form

Published by Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc.
40 Simon Street
Nashua, New Hampshire 03060-3075 USA

Printed in the United States

SIR, RADAN and UtilityScan are registered trademarks of Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc.

Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. hereinafter referred to as GSSI, warrants that for a period of
24 months from the delivery date to the original purchaser this product will be free from defects
in materials and workmanship. EXCEPT FOR THE FOREGOING LIMITED WARRANTY,
GSSI DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY
WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
GSSI's obligation is limited to repairing or replacing parts or equipment which are returned to
GSSI, transportation and insurance pre-paid, without alteration or further damage, and which in
GSSI's judgment, were defective or became defective during normal use.

GSSI ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL
OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR INJURIES CAUSED BY PROPER OR IMPROPER
OPERATION OF ITS EQUIPMENT, WHETHER OR NOT DEFECTIVE.

Before returning any equipment to GSSI, a Return Material Authorization (RMA) number must
be obtained. Please call the GSSI Customer Service Manager who will assign an RMA number.
Be sure to have the serial number of the unit available

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept
any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Warning: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible
for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial
environment or residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the introduction manual, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is not guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation.

Shielded cables must be used with this unit to ensure compliance with the Class B FCC
limits.

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

Cet appareil numerique de la classe B est conforme a la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause interference, and (2)
this device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the
device.

This manual is designed for both the novice and experienced user of ground penetrating radar. It is
intended as both a reference and a teaching tool and it is recommended that you read the entire manual,
regardless of your level of GPR experience. For information about GPR theory, please see the list of
general geophysics references that can be found in Appendix F.

If you experience operation problems with your system, GSSI Tech Support can be reached Monday­Friday, 9 am - 5 pm EST, at 1-800-524-3011, or at [phone] (International).

Thank you for purchasing a GSSI TerraSIRch SIR® System-3000 (hereafter referred to as SIR 3000). A
packing list is included with your shipment that identifies all of the items that are in your order. You
should check your shipment against the packing list upon receipt of your shipment. If you find an item is
missing or was damaged during the shipment, please call or fax your sales representative immediately so
that we can correct the problem.

Your SIR 3000 system contains the following items:
1- Digital Control Unit (DC-3000) with preloaded operating system.

1 - Transit Case
2 - Batteries
1 - Charger
1 - AC Adaptor
1- Sunshade
1- Operation Manual

Your choice of antenna, cables, and post-processing software is available for an additional purchase.

The SIR 3000 is a lightweight, portable, single-channel ground penetrating radar system that is ideal for a
wide variety of applications. The various components of the SIR 3000 are described below.

The major external features of the control unit are the keypad, color SVGA video screen, connector panel,
battery slot, and indicator lights. The video screen allows you to view data in real time or in playback
mode. It is readable in bright sunlight, although an optional sunshade for the unit is available. Prolonged
exposure to direct sunlight will cause the screen to heat up and may affect screen visibility.

Do not use Windex or other ammonia-based glass cleaner to clean the display screen as this may

damage the coating. Use only a clean, slightly damp cloth to gently clean the screen. Due to the screen’s
special coating for direct sun viewing, it is very susceptible to scratches. Take extreme care not to use any
abrasive materials or any solvents to clean the screen. The only recommended cleaning tool is a camera
quality lens cloth. Screen replacement due to scratching is not covered under the system’s warranty.

The battery slot in the front of the unit accepts the 10.8 V Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery provided.
Survey time with a fully charged battery is approximately 3 hours. Batteries are recharged with the
optional battery charger or by simply leaving the battery in the unit and connecting the unit to a standard
AC source and leaving the system in standby mode. Time to recharge a battery is approximately
4-5 hours. Be sure to keep the battery slot cover on the unit while in use to ensure that no dust or dirt
enters the unit’s interior.

On the back edge of the unit, the SIR 3000 has six connectors and one slot for the memory card. The five
top-row connectors are, from left to right: AC Power, Serial I/O (RS232), Ethernet, USB-B, and USB-A.

Data can be stored on Compact Flash cards, USB key drives (Compact Flash format), or
IBM Microdrives for transfer to PC for processing. These cards are widely available and are the same
type used in other digital devices such as cameras, MP3 players, and camcorders. The amount of system
card memory is totally dependent on your choice of memory card size.

 Since radar profiles can sometimes be several megabytes in size, GSSI recommends that you

purchase a high capacity card.

 If there is no memory card inserted when the system is first turned on, the system will save the

data profile to its internal system memory and data will have to be transferred with the USB
connection or by later inserting a memory card. The internal memory capacity is approximately 1
gigabyte. Please see Chapter 4: Data Transfer and File Maintenance for additional information on
transfer.

The large, protruding 19-pin connector at the back of the system is for the antenna
control cable. You will notice that antenna connection on the SIR 3000 has five notches cut from the
metal. These mate with the five raised nubs on the control cable to ensure that the pins line up properly.

 Screw the cable connector collar onto the SIR 3000 to make proper contact. The cable should

only be hand-tightened. Do not use a wrench to tighten the connection as over-tightening will
result in damage. The cable connector collar should be screwed down far enough to cover the red
line on the SIR 3000 connector.

 The only proper time to attach or detach an antenna is with system power off. Be sure to unplug

any external power and to remove the battery before attaching or detaching antennas. Putting the
SIR 3000 in Sleep Mode is not sufficient.

: Use of a Model 3207 pair (100 MHz) or a Model 3200 Multiple Low Frequency antenna
without a TR fiber optic link will cause damage to the SIR 3000’s transmit circuitry. Always be sure to
use a Model 570 Fiber Optic Transmit Link with the Model 3207 pair and use the fiber optic transmit
cable for the 3200 MLF.

Plug in the supplied universal AC power adaptor to run the system from 110-240 V, 47-63 Hz

power.

This is a standard serial connection that can be used to establish communication
between the SIR 3000 and a GPS. Please see Chapter 7: Using a GPS with your SIR 3000 for additional
information. This port is also used to connect the serial lead from the StructureScan Optical barcode
reader cart to the SIR 3000.

Functionality for this port is not currently available.

These ports are for connection to a variety of USB peripherals, including a keyboard
and memory device.

The keypad on the front of the unit has fifteen (15) buttons and two indicator lights.

This button turns the SIR 3000 on and off. To start up the system, insert a battery or connect AC

power and push the power button.

This grouping of five buttons is located right below the power button. The Enter key

is the one in the center. These buttons allow you to navigate through the menu tree.

 Highlighting a menu item by pushing Up or Down on the menu tree and then pushing the Right

arrow will open any menus that are under that menu choice. Left arrow will collapse those menu
items to refresh the menu tree.

 Pushing the Enter key on some menu items will cause a pop-up menu to appear so you can toggle

between two or more parameter choices.

For example: To setup data collection mode, pushing Enter when COLLECT > RADAR > MODE is
highlighted will bring up a pop-up menu which will allow you to choose from Time (continuous data
collect), Distance (survey wheel), or Point measurement. Highlight your choice and push Enter to see
your choice applied, and then Right arrow to accept and cause the pop-up menu to disappear.

This button is located below the Enter/Arrow Pad. Pushing this button while collecting data

will cause the system to set a User mark in the data.

 User marks are helpful for noting distance traveled if you are not using a survey wheel and for

noting the location of obstacles such as columns, trees, pits, etc.

 User marks will appear as long, dashed, vertical white lines through the data window.

This button is located below the Insert Mark button. Pushing the Run/Stop button in
COLLECT > RUN stops data collection and brings up a set of crosshairs. Clicking this button again
closes a data collection file and causes the system to ask if you want to save that file. Clicking this button
during Setup in modes other than TerraSIRch or Quick 3D will cause the system to re-initialize the gain
and position servos. This will reset the gains to the area under the antenna and could minimize clipping.

This button is located under the Start/Stop button. Pushing the Help button will bring up a menu of
help topics. The onscreen help is only accessible from the TerraSIRch splash screen. Use the Mark
button to highlight links and Enter to jump to a help topic. Pushing the Run/Stop button on the right hand
side of the unit will take you back to the previously viewed screen.

These six (6) buttons are located below the video screen. Pushing one of these from the

initial start screen will cause the SIR 3000 to operate in the desired software module.

Do not use Windex or other ammonia-based glass cleaner to clean the display

screen as this may damage the glare reduction coating. Use only a clean, slightly damp cloth to gently

clean the screen. Due to the screen’s special coating for direct sun viewing, it is very susceptible to

scratches. Take extreme care not to use any abrasive materials or any solvents to clean the screen. The
only recommended cleaning tool is a camera quality lens cloth. Screen replacement due to scratching
is not covered under the system’s warranty

Antennas are not hot-swappable. You

must turn off the SIR 3000 before connecting or disconnecting an antenna. Failure to remove power
may cause damage to the SIR 3000.

The SIR 3000 is weather resistant, but not weather proof. Try to avoid getting

the system wet. If you believe that water has gotten inside of the system, disconnect power, open the
battery compartment and input connector compartment on the back and allow the system to
thoroughly dry.

Use of a Model 3207 pair (100 MHz) or a Model 3200

Multiple Low Frequency antenna without a TR fiber optic link will cause damage to the SIR 3000’s
transmit circuitry. Always be sure to use a Model 570 Fiber Optic Transmit Link with the Model
3207 pair and use the fiber optic transmit cable for the 3200 MLF.

In Chapter 2, you will find instructions for connecting all of the hardware inputs and an introduction to
the different menus and functions that are available to you in TerraSIRch mode. TerraSIRch mode allows
you total control over all collection parameters and is the most versatile data collection method, usable for
all GPR applications. If desired, these 2-D profiles can later be transferred to a PC for processing in
GSSI’s RADAN™ post-processing software.

Hardware setup for the SIR 3000 is very simple. We will assume the 400 MHz (Model 5103) antenna for
this example, but the hardware connections are the same for other GSSI antennas, and the cable
connections are clearly marked. Follow the steps below.

Attach the survey handle between the two vertical mounting plates on the top of the antenna with the

two removable pins, adjust the angle for comfort, and connect the marker cable to the antenna at the
MARK port.

Connect the female end of the antenna control cable to your antenna. Then connect the male end to

the antenna connection on the back of the SIR 3000. Connect the two protective caps together. Attach
the survey wheel to the brackets at the back of the antenna (as shown below) and connect the cable to
the SURVEY port on the top of the antenna. Be sure that the triangular plate protecting the survey
wheel encoder faces down.

Connect power source (battery or AC) to the SIR 3000 and push the power button to turn on the

system.

If you purchased your SIR 3000 with a cart as in the UtilityScan System, or purchased the cart system
separately, please see Appendix C: Mounting your SIR 3000 on a Cart. The cart also incorporates a
survey wheel that is used in place of the survey wheel pictured earlier. If you have a StructureScan™
Standard or StructureScan™ Optical system, please consult the hardware setup instructions in the small,
laminated QuickStart Guides that came with the system.

After the SIR 3000 boots up, you will see the introductory screen. There will be 6 icons positioned over
the Function Keys. The first one is TerraSIRch.

Pushing the Mark button switches your desired units between English and Metric.
TerraSIRch mode gives you complete control over all data collection parameters. Quick Start guides are

available for StructureScan and UtilityScan. The StructureScan Quick Start guide also covers the
ConcreteScan functionality. Push the TerraSIRch button. After a moment, you will see a screen divided
into three windows and there will be a bar running across the bottom with commands above each of the 6
Function Keys.

After entering one of the six data collection modes, you can return to this screen by either clicking the
Power button twice or by removing the battery and AC power and reinserting it to re-boot.

For information on other modes, please see Chapter 6.

On the far right of the screen you will see a window that shows a single radar scan in

an oscilloscope-style (O-scope) depiction. This will show successive single scans as you move your
antenna across an area while in Setup mode.

 Time (depth) increases down the screen.
 At the bottom of the window you will see a color bar. This shows you the distribution of colors

across the range of reflection amplitudes (size of the peaks of the scan to the left and the right of
center). The exact color and distribution depends on your choice of color table and color
transform.

The main data display window in the center shows a radar profile in linescan
format. In this depiction, successive single scans are assigned color values and stacked next to each other
in sequence to form a continuous image.

 The vertical scale on the left of this data display window shows time, depth, or sample number.
 New scans will be placed at the right side of the window and data will scroll from right to left.

The bar across the bottom of the screen is the Command bar and allows you
different toggles and functions depending on whichever system mode you are in at the time. You can
activate these commands by pushing the function key right below the wording. These commands are each
explained in more detail later on when the different system modes are discussed.

To the left of the main data display window is the parameter selection tree
window. This window is where you will navigate through the various commands, set system parameters,
and enter file name information. The tree is similar to the basic folder and file browser seen in many
Windows-based applications. Upon setup, you will see three choices that indicate the three modes of the
SIR 3000, COLLECT, PLAYBACK, and OUTPUT, as well as the SYSTEM menu used to change
system parameters.

The SIR 3000 has four main system menus, Collect, Playback, Output, and System. We will first look
briefly at the System menu.

If you are using your SIR 3000 for the first time or if you need to change
some system parameters, you should enter this menu first. Highlighting
SYSTEM and pushing the Right arrow will bring out seven additional
menu choices:

 UNITS (page 11)
 SETUP (page 11)
 PATH (page 11)
 BACKLIGHT (page 11)
 DATE/TIME (page 12)
 BATTERY (page 12)
 LANGUAGE (page 12)
 VERSION (page 12)

You can select appropriate units for DEPTH and DISTANCE, as well as the appropriate scale. For
example, if you are using a very high frequency antenna to scan 18 inches into concrete, you may choose
to display depth in inches and distance in feet. Under VSCALE, you can choose to display in depth, time,
or height. Time is measured in units of nanoseconds (ns). When set to time, the vertical scale displays two
way travel time (TWTT). If you set to depth, then the SIR 3000 will perform a time to depth conversion
based on the dielectric value that you have set in COLLECT > SCAN. It will then display the vertical
scale in depth. Height will invert the screen so that time-zero is at the bottom. This can be a useful display
if you are scanning upside-down.

This allows you to either save the current list of data collection parameters (hereafter called a setup),
recall saved setup, or a factory loaded one.

 Factory setups cannot be overwritten, but the system has 16 slots where single user setups can be

saved.

 After choosing your antenna under the COLLECT mode, you will have to find the correct setup

for that antenna and recall it.

 These are named SETUP01 to SETUP16. SETUP00 is a default setup that contains the

parameters the system was collecting the last time that it was used.

Think of this as the location in which your files are stored on the SIR 3000. There are two basic types of
paths: Common and User-defined.

 Each file in the Common path will be named with the word FILE and then a number. For

example, the first data file will be FILE001, then FILE002, and so on.

 The user-defined path allows you to change the root name (instead of FILE) and the location of

your data. This is useful if you are surveying multiple areas or if you prefer to name your files
during collection with a site name instead of doing it later after download.

 To create a user-defined path, select NEW from the Path menu. This will bring up a window with

six letters and an Up/Down arrow. Enter the new name by scrolling through the letters with the
Up/Down arrow. You can advance to the next ‘digit’ by using the Enter button. Once you are
finished, click the Right arrow.

 To delete a Path you must first delete all of the data files. Then select TRANSFER > DELETE

again, the Remove Files window will pop-up, and you will see an option to REMOVE PATH.
Click Enter to put a check in that box and then Right Arrow to accept. The path will be removed
and the system will default to the Common path.

This controls screen brightness. The scale runs from 1 to 4 with 4 being the brightest. The darker the
screen is, the longer the battery will last because powering the screen is a large draw on the power supply.

Use this selection to set the system’s internal clock to the current date and local time. The SIR 3000 will
attach this information to each radar profile you collect. This information is saved and will not be lost
each time you turn the system off or remove the battery.

This selection allows you to check the remaining charge on the battery. The value here is rough
estimation of the remaining time until the battery is too low to power the SIR 3000. If you have external
power connected, the window will say External Power Supply.

This allows you to change the display language of the SIR 3000 to a number of pre-loaded language
packs. If your native language is not available, check the GSSI website periodically to see if the language
patch is available for download.

This allows you to check the current version of the TerraSIRch operating software. You should check the
GSSI website for updates to the Graphical User Interface (GUI) software. The GUI is listed at the bottom
of the Version pop-up window. Note which GUI version you have, then go to the GSSI Technical Support
website at , and click on the SIR 3000 Updates tab. You should also
download the instructions for the download. You will need a USB cable to link your SIR 3000 to your
PC, and you will also need a password and username for the secure section of GSSI’s website. You may
register for a password on the Technical Support section of the website.

The COLLECT menu is similar to the Collect Setup mode on the older GSSI SIR 2 and SIR 2000. If you
are familiar with those systems, you will notice a lot of similarities here. Under COLLECT, there are five
main sub-menus that can each be accessed by pushing the Down arrow to highlight the sub-menu, then
the Right arrow to see additional menus inside the sub-menu. These are:

 SCAN (page 14)
 GAIN (page 16)
 POSITION (page 17)
 FILTERS (page 17)

This sub-menu has four main choices: Antenna, T_RATE, MODE, and GPS.

Under this menu, you will be able to enter the center frequency of the particular

antenna you are using. This will allow the SIR 3000 to perform the auto-surface operation.

The T_RATE is the antenna transmit rate in KHz. This rate is capped at 100 KHz. A higher
transmit rate equals faster data collection ability. Some older antennas however, are not capable of
transmitting at high speeds and setting them at a high transmit rate may cause error. Please consult your
antenna documentation or call GSSI Tech Support if you have any question about transmit rate. All GSSI
5100 and 52000 series antennas (2.6 GHz, 2.0 GHz Palm, 1.6 GHz, 1.5 GHz, 1.0 GHz, 400 MHz, 270
MHz, 200 MHz) can be driven at 100 KHz. If you are using another GSSI antenna, consult Appendix E
for the proper transmit rate.

If your SIR 3000 beeps repeatedly with an older/high power antenna, you may have your T_RATE

set too high. This beeping is a high-voltage overload warning. A prolonged overload could damage your
system. Lower your T_RATE until the beeping stops.

The MODE selection allows you to collect data as point, distance, or time based. Point data
collection is commonly selected only for very deep applications or very difficult terrain. The system will
record one scan every time the external marker or Run/Stop button is pressed. The antenna is then moved
to the next location and the next scan is taken. In time based data collection, the system is recording a
certain amount of scans per second. The data density over an area depends on the speed that the antenna is
moved over the ground. The rate (scans/second) is set in the SCAN submenu. Distance-based collection is
performed with a survey wheel. The system records a certain number of scans per unit of distance. This is
the most accurate data collection method and it is strongly recommended that you collect data in this
mode if possible. Distance-based data is required for 3D files

This selection allows you to toggle the GPS capability on and off. Connect the GPS to the serial
port, and toggle this either to G30L if you are using the GPS receiver obtained from GSSI, or to
CUSTOM if you are using another GPS receiver.

If you are using the Acumen SDR Data Bridge/Logger purchased from GSSI, attach the serial lead from
the GPS to the Data port and attach the lead from the SIR 3000 to the Config port, and then select SDR
from the list under RADAR > GPS.

Consult Chapter 7 of this manual for additional instructions and setting up the GPS and working with it.
GSSI publishes information about GPS integration as Technical Notes that are available on the GSSI
Technical Support website at .

Scan contains six additional menus: SAMPLES, FORMAT, RANGE, DIEL, RATE, and SCN/UNIT.

Each scan curve is made up of a set number of individual data points, called Samples. The

more samples you collect, the smoother the scan curve and the better your vertical resolution will be.

 You can choose from a preset list of 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, or 8192 samples per scan. FIR

filters should not be used with 4096 or 8192 samples per scan.

 Note that as sample number increases, maximum scan rate drops and file size increases.
 GSSI recommends sampling at 512 or 1024 samples per scan for most applications. More

samples will be required for deep geologic or polar ice thickness applications.

Data can be collected in either 8-bit or 16-bit format. 16-bit data is recommended for most
applications because it has a greater dynamic range, meaning there is more information in the data. If you
are only collecting data to be viewed on the screen (no processing), or are collecting very high
samples/scan data, you should set this to 8-bit data. 16-bit data profiles are twice as large in terms of
computer storage.

RANGE is the time window in nanoseconds (ns) that the SIR 3000 will record reflections. The
time range is proportional to depth viewed because a longer range will allow more time for energy to
penetrate deeper and give reflections from deeper down.

 It is important to remember that the range is two-way travel time, so that a range of 50 ns means

that the deepest reflector is 25 ns deep.

 Bear in mind that you still have a set number of samples to draw a curve and a very long range

may require a greater number of samples. The range can be set from 5-8000 ns.

 Please see Appendix B for a list of common ranges for individual antennas.

DIEL refers to the dielectric constant of a material. Basically it reflects the velocity that radar

energy moves through a material.

 If you know the dielectric value of the material that you are surveying through, you can enter it

here and get an in-field time to depth calculation.

 Higher dielectric values mean slower travel time and shallower penetration.
 Generally speaking, water raises a material’s dielectric constant, and surveys should be performed

on dry material whenever possible.

 Please see Appendix D for a chart of dielectric values of common materials and a deeper

discussion of dielectrics. Possible values are 1-81.

Example: In air, which has a dielectric constant of 1, radar energy will travel at 12 inches per ns. Since
the time range is two-way travel time, 1 ns on the vertical scale translates to 6 inches if the DIEL is set to

1. The distance traveled per ns is reduced by the square root of the dielectric constant. The dielectric
constant of water is 81, so that water slows down the radar wave by a factor of 9 (√81=9). The range in
water is thus 6/9 inches per ns.

The next selection is scan RATE. This value is the number of scans the system will record in its

RAM memory per second.

 If you are collecting data based on time, this is the number of scans that will be saved each

second.

 If you are collecting data based on distance with a survey wheel, this number should be set very

high.

If you tell the system that you want to collect 60 scans a foot, and you move more than one foot per
second, the system is going to look for scans which aren’t available. This is called dropping a scan.
Assuming your T_RATE is 100 KHz, this setting should be at 120 whenever you are collecting with a
survey wheel and are collecting a max of 512 samp/scan.

If you set this value higher than possible given the 100 KHz T_RATE and the number of samples/scan,
the SIR 3000 will automatically lower it to the maximum possible.

The last choice is SCN/UNIT, or scans per unit of horizontal distance. This parameter is the

scan spacing when you are collecting with the survey wheel.

 Having a smaller scan spacing produces higher resolution data, but larger file sizes. The number

here is the number of scans that the system will collect per unit of distance. So for example, if
you see a 12 here and the system is set to English feet, rather than Metric units, you will collect
12 scans per foot, or 1 per inch.

 The StructureScan setting for shallow structural features in concrete is 60 scans/foot or

5 scans/inch. The StructureScan setting also allows you to set to 7.5 and 10 scans/inch. Ten per
inch is the densest recommended scan spacing, and it is only meant for the 1.5/1.6 GHz, 2.0 GHz
Palm and the 2.6 GHz antennas.

 Lower frequency antennas, like the 400 MHz will require coarser scan densities

(12-24 scans/foot).

This value is for display purposes. It will apply a display gain to the data that may make the data

easier to view while collecting. This will not be saved with the data file.

Gain is the artificial addition of signal in order to counteract the natural effects of attenuation. As a radar
scan travels into the ground, some of the scan is reflected, some of it is absorbed, and some of it keeps
traveling down. As the scan gets deeper, it becomes weaker. We apply gain to the scan to make the subtle
variations in weaker data more visible. The two choices under the gain menu are a MANUAL/AUTO
toggle and a listing of point numbers.

 Setting the GAIN to MANUAL will allow you to change the number of gain points and to add

strength to the signal at your own discretion. This is not recommended for inexperienced users as
it is possible to ‘create’ features in the data by over-gaining areas.

 Setting the gain back to Auto will cause the system to re-initialize and adjust its gains to the area

under the antenna. This is useful if you find that your data is clipped (over-gained) over a
particular section of your survey area. Just place the antenna on the area where the data is clipped
area and toggle the gain to Manual, and then back to Auto. This will cause the system to reset the
gains to a lower level, and prevent clipping.

 Gain is applied at a number of evenly spaced points throughout the data scan. You can select up

to 5 gain points, and then manually add or subtract gain values from individual points.

 The gain curve is visually represented by a red line in the O-Scope window on the Setup screen.

Values increase from left to right and the location of gain points is shown by a change in the
slope of the curve.

 Use caution not to add too much gain to a single point because you may create what will look like

a layer in the data. The software will automatically adjust lower gain points to be equal to or
greater than higher points. This is done to avoid a negative gain slope.

The SIR 3000 is only displaying about 25% of the amplitude range. This means that even if your

data appears slightly clipped, the SIR 3000 is likely still recording the full amplitude range of the
reflection. If you use a –12 dB display gain, you will see an accurate representation of the recorded scan.
This also means that when you view your data in RADAN, it will appear under-gained and you will need
to add some display gain.

This menu controls the position of Time-Zero. Time-Zero is the location of the beginning of the time
range, and thus the beginning of the scan. Typically, having the system auto locate itself is enough to
adequately set the position. If however, you need to manually adjust the location of Time-Zero, this is the
place to do it. Position contains three additional menus: MANUAL/AUTO, OFFSET, and SURFACE.

The MANUAL/AUTO toggle will allow you to make adjustments in manual mode
and cause the system to re-servo (just like in the gain menu) when switched back to auto. GSSI
recommends that inexperienced users keep the position set to Auto. This choice is automatically set to
MANUAL if you are using sample densities of 4098 or 8192.

This is an internal system parameter that describes the time lag (in ns) from the SIR 3000
triggering the pulse inside of the control unit until we consider it to have transmitted from the antenna
itself. Since there is no way to accurately measure the exact moment the pulse leaves the antenna, we use
the antenna’s direct coupling to figure out the appropriate point to set the offset (and thus the transmit
pulse). The direct coupling is the pulse that travels inside of the antenna housing, directly from the
transmitter to the receiver, and it is generally considered to be the first response in the data.

As long as the antenna dipoles are not very far apart, as is the case with a separated bistatic antenna pair,
the direct coupling happens before any reflections from the ground. So if we make sure that we have the
direct coupling visible in the data, we can be sure that we have 100% of our data and most importantly,
the ground surface to perform a depth calculation. The number here is nanoseconds from trigger pulse
inside the SIR 3000. If you need to adjust this parameter, use caution not to lose that direct coupling
wave.

SURFACE, is a useful display

option and is new to the SIR 3000. This

allows you to visually ‘cut out’ the flat part

of the scan and the direct wave, and show
the scan from the first reflected target,
which should be the ground surface. The
other information is still collected and
saved, but not displayed. This allows you
to set the display to show an in-field time
to depth calculation. For simplicity, the
value is set as a percentage of the total
vertical window. The SIR 3000 will
examine the offset and the antenna type
you entered under RADAR to find the
proper surface automatically. It will set
near to the first positive peak of the direct coupling. In the image at the right, the antenna was moved up
and down over the ground surface. Notice how the surface reflection moves up to join the direct wave.

This menu allows you to set data collection filters to either remove interference or smooth noise. Many of
these are antenna-specific, especially the High and Low Pass filters. In ConcreteScan, StructureScan,
UtilityScan, and GeologyScan, these will be automatically set when you choose your antenna under the
RADAR menu. In order to set factory values for the filters you must recall a factory setup for the
antenna you are using under SYSTEM > SETUP > RECALL. There are six menu selections here:

 LP_IIR
 HP_IIR
 LP_FIR
 HP_FIR
 STACKING
 BGR_REMOVAL

The first four are frequency filters and the values are all expressed in

MHz.
The two types of filters that we are using are the Finite Impulse Response (FIR), and Infinite Impulse

Response (IIR). We are using these to downplay external interference, and thus clean up the signal. The
FIR filter does this without altering the phase of the signal. For some antennas we also use a very low IIR
filter to clean certain characteristics of that antenna’s signal. These filters are antenna-specific and are set
automatically when you recall the proper setup for your antenna.

FIR filters should not be used with 4096 or 8192 samples per scan.

 LP stands for low-pass, which means that any frequency lower than the one entered here will be

allowed to pass by and be recorded by the system.

 HP stands for high pass, which means that any frequency higher than the one entered here will be

allowed to pass by and be recorded by the system.

 By setting these at different ends of the antenna’s bandwidth, you are determining the range of

frequencies that the antenna is filtering out.

 The default values will be adequate in almost all situations.

After the frequency filters, the next choice is Stacking. Stacking is a high-frequency noise
reduction technique. It is an IIR filter which operates in the horizontal direction. Each new scan has a 1/n
influence in the data, so this filter has a tendency to smooth high frequency targets and accentuate low
frequency horizontal features, such as layers. As the number of scans you stack (n) increases, the
influence of each new scan drops. If you put in a very high number, you will filter out high frequency
targets in your data. This might lead to missing real targets in your data.

 High frequency noise generally has a ‘snowy’ appearance.
 The larger the number you put in here, the smoother the data will be. It is possible to over smooth

and ‘smudge’ out real data.

 A larger number also means that the system is performing a great deal of extra calculations and

data collection speed will then be reduced.

The Background Removal filter is a horizontal high pass (remove low frequency

noise) operation meant to remove flat-lying noise associated with antenna ringing.
The input number here is scans, so in order to use this filter, find the length in scans of the feature that

you want to remove and put that number into the system. Features of this size or larger will be removed
from the data.

 Also please note that this filter will remove your direct coupling, making positive identification of

Time Zero difficult. To preserve data integrity it is best to collect data without this filter and then
apply it in playback or post-processing if needed.

If you want to review the data you just collected or access any of the Playback functions, push the Down
arrow to highlight the particular menu choice.

If you would like to review a previously collected file, pushing the Playback function key will bring up a
window that lists stored data files.

If you select a single file, it will cycle through that one, or you can choose multiple files and the system
will play them back in sequence.

The playback menu has two sub-menus:

 SCAN (page 19)
 PROCESS (page 19)

The scan sub-menu contains two parameters: DIEL, and SURFACE.

Surface operates just like the surface item in the Position sub-menu of Collect menu, and it
has been duplicated here for convenience. Once again, this input is percentage based. Changing the
surface position here will not permanently eliminate any data.

The Diel parameter allows you to input the dielectric constant so that the system can do a time to
depth calculation. Once again, for convenience, this parameter is duplicated from the Scan sub-menu of
the Collect menu. Possible values are 1-81.

This menu allows you to apply different filters and mathematical operations to the data in order to remove
noise or make subtle features more visible. These functions do not permanently alter the data, but are only
for display purposes.

Stacking in Playback Mode differs from the Stacking function in Collect Mode. The
Playback Stacking is also a horizontal, high-frequency noise reduction technique, but here it is an FIR
filter with a boxcar shape.

The Background Removal filter is a horizontal high pass (removes low frequency

noise) operation meant to remove flat-lying noise associated with antenna ringing.

The input number here is scans, so in order to use this filter, find the length in scans of the feature that
you want to remove and put that number into the system. Features of this size or larger will be removed
from the data.

AGC stands for Automatic Gain Control. AGC lets you choose a set number of gain points (2, 3, or

5) distributed evenly through the vertical scale. The object of AGC is to normalize (make even-looking)
the scan by reducing the gain for areas where the signal is very strong (usually near the surface), but
adding gain with increasing attenuation (usually with depth). This dramatically slows the scroll speed of
the data, especially if 5 points are used. A faster option is Display Gain, located under the Display sub­menu in Output.

This menu controls the data display, printing, and file
maintenance. There are two sub-menus to the Output menu:

 DISPLAY (page 20)
 TRANSFER (page 21)

This sub-menu controls the ‘look and feel’ of the data
displayed on the screen. Here is where you can change the mode of display, color table and distribution
(transform), and add screen gain. There are four parameter inputs here: Mode (LINE/SCOPE),
C_TABLE, C_XFORM, and GAIN(dB).

This is really the Mode option which allows you to toggle between Linescan and Scope display
modes. Linescan is the conventional way of looking at GPR data with each scan stacked next to its
neighbor and amplitude values along that scan assigned a color value. Scope, or oscilloscope, mode
shows you the waveform of the individual scan.

This option lets you choose which of the pre-loaded color tables to use to view your data. In
addition to grayscale, there are several full color tables. It is sometimes useful to examine your data in a
number of different palettes because altering the colors may help you to see different aspects of your data.
There are 5 tables to choose from.

Once you have the data displayed in the proper color table, you may alter the distribution of
color shades across your data by changing the color transform under the C_XFORM option. This will
spread out your color shades over different sections of the scan’s amplitude range. You would do this to
show more color shades over the extremes or the mid-range values, or just a simple black to white.
Stretching more colors over a particular value ranges allows you to see more subtle variations in the data.
Bear in mind that not every transform is available for every color table. There are up to 4 different
transforms available.

: The final display option is GAIN. This is often referred to as display gain, because it basically just
increases the amplitude of your data by multiplying every sample throughout your scan by a constant
value. The result is that you will be able to better see weaker reflections, but those already strong
reflections will be over-gained. This function is useful for a quick viewing of data that is attenuated or
otherwise under-gained to guarantee that it was not clipped.

This sub-menu allows you to perform file maintenance. The four options for this sub-menu are: PC,
FLASH, HD (hard drive), and DELETE. PC, HD, and FLASH allow you to move data from the internal
system memory to an external device, such as a PC, flash card, Microdrive, or an external USB keychain
drive. Transfer to a PC will be controlled by the external computer through Microsoft ActiveSync, while
transfer to the removable Flash card can be done using the SIR 3000’s buttons. For detailed instructions
on data transfer, please see Chapter 5: Data Transfer and File Maintenance.

The six keys across the bottom of the data display window have different functions depending on whether
you are in Setup (3 display windows) mode or in Run (1 display window) mode.

You are in Setup mode if you can see 3 display windows with the parameter selection tree at the left. If
you only see a single data screen (and no parameter selection tree), you are in Run mode.

***You can only collect data in Run mode. ***
In Setup mode, the Command Bar will look like this:

This button stops the transmitter. The green light to the right of the Run/Stop button will
turn off. If you are in Setup mode (3 display windows), this will stop data from continuously scrolling
across the screen. If you are in RUN mode (a single display window), this will stop the data collection
and bring up crosshairs. You can then use the arrow keys to move the crosshairs over your data. You will
see two sets of numbers at the bottom-right of the screen. These give the location of the crosshairs. The
first number is the distance from the beginning of the profile, and the second is depth. Pushing this button
again will bring up the Save File window. After selecting YES or NO, you will automatically begin
collecting the next profile. The Run/Stop button under the marker button on the right hand side of the
system has the same function as this key.

This button has three main functions. The first is to toggle between the Collect and Playback
modes. You will know which mode you are in by looking at the top-left corner of the screen. It will say
either COLLECT or PLAYBACK, then the File that you are on.

The second function is only in Collect Setup mode. From Collect Setup (3 display windows), pushing this
button will cause the transmitter to momentarily turn off, then back on. This dumps the display buffer and
restarts the data scroll.

The third function is during the Collect Run mode (1 data window). Pushing this button while collecting
data stops data collection, brings up the Save File dialog, then immediately opens another data file
collection.

: Pushing this button from the Collect Setup mode (3 display windows, COLLECT in the top­left corner), brings up the File Open window. This window shows stored data files that are in the current
directory on the memory card. Highlight a data file with the arrow keys and push Enter to put a check in
the box next to it. Click the Right arrow to enter and accept. The data will start to scroll across the screen.
Make any necessary changes under the Process menu and then click Run/Setup to toggle to the Playback
Run screen (1 display window). The whole data profile will scroll across the screen. When it has finished
scrolling, it will stop and crosshairs will come up. This will allow you to check distance and depth of
targets and to scroll back and forth through your data.

This button toggles between Run mode (1 window) and Setup mode
(3 windows). Pushing this while in Collect Setup begins data collection. The TerraSIRch will beep twice,
then switch to Run mode. It will then beep twice again, and then it is ready to accept data. Pushing this
while collecting data will cause it to beep twice again and bring up the Save File dialog. It will then go to
Setup (3 windows) mode.

Pushing this while in Playback Setup will open the Playback Run mode (1 window). The data file you
selected in the Open File window will scroll to the end, then stop. Crosshairs will come up. Pushing this
again will take you back to the Playback Setup (3 windows).

Pushing this key will allow you to scroll through the 5 available color tables. The
TerraSIRch will redraw the data from the beginning of the display buffer in that new color. You can also
change the color table under the OUTPUT > DISPLAY menu. This function is only available in Setup
Mode.

This button allows you to scroll through the different color transforms available for
some of the color tables. A color transform is a different spread of the same colors over the amplitude
range of the scan. You might use a transform that has a lot of colors spread over the middle if you want to
highlight variation in weak targets. Only 3 of the 5 color tables have transforms available. The
red/white/blue and one of the grayscales are linear color tables and cannot be transformed. You can also
change the color transform under the OUTPUT > DISPLAY menu. This function is only available in
Setup Mode.

This is what the Command Bar will look like if you are in Collect Run mode. You are in Collect Run
mode if you can see 1 display window. If you see 3 data display windows and the parameter selection
tree), you are in Setup mode.

***You can only collect data in Run mode. ***
In Run mode, the Command Bar will look like this:

Pushing this button in Collect mode will stop data collection and bring up crosshairs.
Pushing this again will close the data file, bring up the Save File window, then start a new data file
collection.

Pushing this in Playback mode will toggle the system from Stop to Run and the selected file will scroll
across the screen to the end and bring up crosshairs. Clicking the button after the file has stopped will
cause it to scroll through again.

Clicking this button in Collect Run will stop the current data and bring up the File Save
dialog. After saving the file, the system will immediately begin collecting the next file. This command is
unavailable in Playback Mode.

Clicking this button in Playback Run will bring up the Open File dialog so that you
can select another file to view. Clicking this in Collect Run will close the current collection, ask you to
save the data, and open the Open File window so you can choose a file to view. Clicking this in Playback
Mode will bring up the playback file selection box.

Pushing this in Collect mode will cause the Save File window to come up and close the
current data file. You will then toggle to Setup Mode (3 windows). In Playback mode this key toggles
between Run and Setup.

Pushing this key toggles between a linescan data display and a single scan O-scope style

display. The function is the same in Collect or Playback.

This button allows you to calibrate the system to a target with known depth. This will update the
vertical scale and the dielectric and give you a more accurate depth calculation than simply guessing
dielectric or soil type.

Scan over your area and find a target. Once you do, do not stop data collection, but just move the

system away from that area.

Drill or dig down and measure the depth.
Back at the system, click Run/Stop to bring up crosshairs.
After the crosshairs come up, target them on the first positive peak of that target if it is metal, and the

first negative peak if it is air. Positive peaks stick out to the right (white in a grayscale color table),
and negative peaks stick out to the left (black in a grayscale color table). Push DEPTH and scroll to
the correct depth. Click right to take effect.

If you are on dirt, the dielectric value may only be an approximation.

If you are on a homogenous material, like concrete, this calibration is good for all like material. If you are
on soils, know that the dielectric of the soils can change dramatically with depth and across an area, so
this is only an approximation.

Calibrating the depth in TerraSIRch mode updates the dielectric constant but keeps the fixed time range.
This function in ConcreteScan, StructureScan, UtilityScan, and GeologyScan keeps the entered depth
(under scan) but updates the time range required to scan to that depth given the new dielectric. After
calibrating in one of these four programs (not TerraSIRch) click Run/Stop twice to reinitialize the gains.

This is what the Command Bar will look like in Playback Run mode. This mode is accessible from the
Playback Setup screen by clicking Run/Setup. After clicking Run/Setup the data file will scroll out to the
end and a set of crosshairs will appear. You can use the arrow keys on the keypad to scroll left and right
to view long data files. The functions here operate very similarly to Collect Setup with two main
differences. These differences are in Run/Stop and Save Image.

This button functions as a screen refresh in Playback Run. Pressing this will cause the data

file to re-scroll from the beginning.

This function will take a screen shot of the data file and save it as a bitmap (.bmp) in your
working directory. Although bitmaps cannot be viewed on the SIR 3000, you can transfer them to a PC
and view, email, or print them later. Bitmaps do not require any special software to view on the PC and
anyone with a PC or Mac will be able to view them. They are automatically transferred when you transfer
a data file and are automatically deleted when you delete that data file. The filename of the bitmap is
similar to the radar data file name. For example, if you are playing back FILE____020.DZT and want to

save an image, then the bitmap will be called FILE____020A.BMP. The “A” tag is there if you want to
take multiple images of the same file. The next bitmap will be called “B”. The Save Image function will

only take a view of the current screen, so if you have a very long data file, then multiple image saves will
be required.