Simrad SX90 - REFERENCE MANUAL REV D, SX90 Reference Manual

Reference manual

Simrad SX90

Fish nding sonar

T E C H N O L O G Y F O R S U S T A I N A B L E F I S H E R I E S

www.simrad.com

SimradSX90

Referencemanual

Thismanualprovidesyouwithreferenceinformation
requiredtooperateandfullyunderstandthecommands,
menus,operationalmodesandoptionsprovidedbythe
SimradSX90Fishndingsonar.Foruserinformationin
brief,refertotheSimradSX90Operatormanual.

WARNING:TheSimradSX90sonarmustneverbe
poweredupwhentheshipisindrydock.Thetransducer
willbedamagedifittransmitsinopenair .T oprevent
inadvertentuseofthesonar,pulloutthemainsplugon
theProcessorUnitwheneverthevesselisindrydock.

307670/D

22January2009

Documenthistory

Documentnumber:307670/ISBN:978-82-8066-090-9

Rev.A25May2007

SW1.4.0.Firstversionofmanual.

Rev.B

19October2007

SW1.6.0.Newoperationalprocedurescreated.Misprints
corrected.Nonewfunctionalityimplementedonthesonar.

Rev.C

10April2008

SW1.6.4.New“NoiseFilter”addedtotheHorizontalmenu.
Smallchangestothecolourpresentations.Operationalstability
improved.

Rev.D

22January2009

SW1.6.5.Audiooutputfunctionalityimplemented.

Copyright

©2009KongsbergMaritimeAS
TheinformationcontainedinthisdocumentremainsthesolepropertyofKongsbergMaritimeAS.Nopart
ofthisdocumentmaybecopiedorreproducedinanyformorbyanymeans,andtheinformationcontained
withinitisnottobecommunicatedtoathirdparty,withoutthepriorwrittenconsentofKongsberg
MaritimeAS.Thedocument,oranypartofit,maynotbetranslatedtoanyotherlanguagewithoutthe
writtenapprovalfromKongsbergMaritimeAS.

Disclaimer

KongsbergMaritimeASendeavourstoensurethatallinformationinthisdocumentiscorrectandfairly
stated,butdoesnotacceptliabilityforanyerrorsoromissions.

Warning

Theequipmenttowhichthismanualappliesmustonlybeusedforthepurposeforwhichitwas
designed.Improperuseormaintenancemaycausedamagetotheequipmentand/orinjuryto
personnel.Theusermustbefamiliarwiththecontentsoftheappropriatemanualsbeforeattempting
toinstall,operateorworkontheequipment.
KongsbergMaritimeASdisclaimsanyresponsibilityfordamageorinjurycausedbyimproper
installation,useormaintenanceoftheequipment.

Support

IfyourequiremaintenanceonyourSimradproductcontactyourlocaldealer.Y oucanalsocontactususing
thefollowingaddress:s

i m r a d . s u p p o r t @ s i m r a d . c o m .Ifyouneedinformationaboutourotherproducts,

visitw

w w . s i m r a d . c o m .Onourwebsiteyouwillalsondalistofourdealersanddistributors.

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Referencemanual

Tableofcontents

ABOUTTHISMANUAL.......................................................9

SIMRADSX90FISHFINDINGSONAR..............................10

Importantmatters...................................................................................................10

Basicinformation...................................................................................................11

Mainunits...............................................................................................................11

Wheelhouseunits........................................................................................12

Sonarroomunits.........................................................................................13

Systemdiagram......................................................................................................14

Basicfunctionality..................................................................................................14

Omnibeam.................................................................................................15

Multiplefrequencyoperation.......................................................................17

Stabilisationsystem....................................................................................17

Reception...................................................................................................18

Transmission..............................................................................................19

Optionalfunctionality.............................................................................................19

Scienticoutput..........................................................................................20

Extendedrange...........................................................................................20

Peripheralequipment..............................................................................................21

GETTINGSTARTED..........................................................22

Poweron/offprocedures.........................................................................................22

Howtoperformbasicoperations...........................................................................24

Echopresentationandmenu........................................................................24

Temporarymenu.........................................................................................25

Themenustructure.....................................................................................26

Controlthecursor.......................................................................................27

Menubuttons..............................................................................................27

Changingaparametervalue.........................................................................27

Visualaids..............................................................................................................29

Commoninformationonthedisplay............................................................29

Movingtheboundarylines..........................................................................29

Cosmetics...............................................................................................................30

On-linehelp............................................................................................................32

OPERATIONALPROCEDURES..........................................34

Poweron/offprocedures.........................................................................................34

Menuprocedures....................................................................................................36

Howtohidethemenu.................................................................................36

Howtosimplifythemenu...........................................................................37

Gainadjustmentprocedures...................................................................................37

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Howtoadjustthegain.................................................................................37

HowtoadjusttheAGC...............................................................................38

HowtoadjusttheRCG...............................................................................38

HowtoadjusttheTVG...............................................................................39

Howtoadjustthedisplaygain.....................................................................39

Modeprocedures....................................................................................................39

Howtoselectoperationalmode...................................................................40

HowtodenethefunctionoftheModebuttons............................................40

Howtosorttheoperationalmodes...............................................................40

Markersandsymbolsprocedures...........................................................................41

Howtoaddtargetandcirclemarkers...........................................................41

Howtoaddanownshipsymbol..................................................................42

Howtoaddagearsymbol...........................................................................42

Howtoinvestigatemarkerandsymbolinformation.......................................44

Howtodeleteamarkerorsymbol................................................................44

Storageprocedures.................................................................................................45

Howtostoresonarimages...........................................................................45

Howtorecallsonarimages..........................................................................46

Howtokeepsonarimages...........................................................................47

Howtodeletesonarimages.........................................................................47

Howtorenamesonarimages.......................................................................48

Howtoprintsonarimages...........................................................................48

HowtoburnsonarimagesonaCD..............................................................49

HowtocopysonarimagestoaUSBmemorystick.......................................49

Automaticsearchandtrackingprocedures............................................................50

Howtostartthehorizontalsearchprogram...................................................50

Howtostarttheverticalsearchprogram.......................................................51

Howtoenablepositiontrack.......................................................................51

Howtoenabletargettrack...........................................................................52

Howtoaddatargettrackingline..................................................................53

Usersettingprocedures..........................................................................................53

Howtosavethecurrentusersetting.............................................................53

Howtoloadausersetting...........................................................................54

Howtorenameausersetting.......................................................................54

Howtodeleteausersetting.........................................................................55

Howtoloadthefactorysettings...................................................................55

Installationofoptions.............................................................................................56

DISPLAYMODES.............................................................58

Choosingadisplaymode.......................................................................................58

Bowup...................................................................................................................60

Bowup/Audio........................................................................................................61

Bowup/Vertical......................................................................................................62

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Bowup/DualVertical.............................................................................................63

Bowup/180°Vertical.............................................................................................64

Truemotion............................................................................................................65

Truemotion/V ertical...............................................................................................66

Northup..................................................................................................................67

Dual1.....................................................................................................................68

Dual2.....................................................................................................................69

270°/Vertical...........................................................................................................70

OPERATINGPANEL.........................................................71

’Mainswitch’eld.................................................................................................72

’Symbol’eld.........................................................................................................73

’Mode’eld............................................................................................................75

’Gain’eld.............................................................................................................75

’Range’eld...........................................................................................................76

’Cursor’eld..........................................................................................................76

’Train’eld.............................................................................................................77

’Tilt’eld................................................................................................................79

’Various’eld.........................................................................................................80

MENUDESCRIPTIONS.....................................................82

Aboutthemenus.....................................................................................................82

Activemenus..........................................................................................................83

Horizontalmenu.........................................................................................83

Verticalmenu.............................................................................................85

Vertical180menu.......................................................................................86

Displaymenu.............................................................................................88

Setupmenu................................................................................................89

Objectsmenu..............................................................................................91

Temporarymenus...................................................................................................92

Cosmeticsmenu.........................................................................................93

Store/Recallmenu.......................................................................................94

SystemTestmenu.......................................................................................95

SortModesmenu........................................................................................97

Pop-upmenus.........................................................................................................97

Viewpop-upmenu......................................................................................97

CatchViewpop-upmenu............................................................................98

Objectpop-upmenu....................................................................................99

Viewmenus..........................................................................................................100

GeoViewmenu.........................................................................................101

VerticalViewmenu....................................................................................102

CatchViewmenu......................................................................................103

Messages..............................................................................................................103

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Warningsmenu.........................................................................................104

OperatorAlarmsmenu..............................................................................105

SystemAlarmsmenu................................................................................106

Errorsmenu..............................................................................................107

PARAMETERS................................................................108

Abouttheparameterdialogs.................................................................................109

Alphabeticallistofparameters.............................................................................110

Parameterdescriptions.........................................................................................111

About........................................................................................................111

AGC.........................................................................................................112

AudioV olume...........................................................................................113

Beam........................................................................................................114

Bearing(Display)......................................................................................115

Bearing(Horizontal)..................................................................................116

Bearing(V ertical)......................................................................................117

ColourThreshold.......................................................................................118

Colours.....................................................................................................119

DataSource..............................................................................................120

Dateandtimeproperties............................................................................121

DeadReckoning.......................................................................................122

DefaultSetting.........................................................................................123

DirectionIndicator....................................................................................124

DisplayGain............................................................................................125

EditGear(Purse)......................................................................................126

EditGear(Trawl)......................................................................................127

EditSchool...............................................................................................128

ExternalSynchronisation...........................................................................129

FishAlarm...............................................................................................130

Frequency................................................................................................131

Gain.........................................................................................................132

Gear.........................................................................................................133

Heading...................................................................................................134

InspectObject...........................................................................................135

Language.................................................................................................136

Menu.......................................................................................................137

MessageBar.............................................................................................138

MiddlePos...............................................................................................139

Mode.......................................................................................................140

ModeButtons...........................................................................................141

Movements..............................................................................................142

NoiseFilter..............................................................................................143

Palette......................................................................................................144

PanelBacklight........................................................................................145

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PPFilter...................................................................................................146

PulseForm...............................................................................................147

Range......................................................................................................149

Range(CatchView)...................................................................................150

RCG........................................................................................................151

Recall......................................................................................................152

RecallMode.............................................................................................153

Ruler........................................................................................................154

Scale........................................................................................................155

SchoolData..............................................................................................156

ScienticOutput.......................................................................................157

SearchSector............................................................................................158

SearchStep..............................................................................................159

Sector......................................................................................................160

SlantRange..............................................................................................161

Speed.......................................................................................................162

Stabilizer..................................................................................................163

Status.......................................................................................................164

Store........................................................................................................165

StoreMode...............................................................................................166

TargetTrack.............................................................................................167

Tilt...........................................................................................................168

Tip...........................................................................................................169

TrackHistory...........................................................................................170

TrackWindow..........................................................................................171

Transducer...............................................................................................172

TRUOn/Off.............................................................................................173

TrueRange...............................................................................................175

TVG........................................................................................................176

TXPower.................................................................................................177

Units........................................................................................................178

UserSetting..............................................................................................179

WindDirection.........................................................................................180

Zoom.......................................................................................................181

ZoomScale..............................................................................................182

BASICTHEORY..............................................................183

Settings.................................................................................................................183

WhatisTVG?..........................................................................................183

WhatisAGC?..........................................................................................184

WhatisthePPFilter?................................................................................184

Aboutpulseformandlength......................................................................184

Aboutbeamwidths...................................................................................185

AboutGain...............................................................................................185

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WhatisRCG?..........................................................................................186

Aboutsearchsectors.................................................................................186

Abouttilt..................................................................................................187

Noiseandreverberation........................................................................................187

Cavitation.................................................................................................188

Reverberation...........................................................................................188

Blocking..................................................................................................189

Checkthenoiseyourself!..........................................................................189

Layersanddeections..........................................................................................190

Temperatureandsalinitylayers..................................................................190

Deections...............................................................................................190

ON-BOARDMAINTENANCE............................................192

Preventivemaintenanceschedule.........................................................................192

Wheelhouseunitsmaintenance............................................................................193

Colourdisplay..........................................................................................193

MC80ProcessorUnit................................................................................194

BeamformerUnit......................................................................................195

InterfaceUnit...........................................................................................195

OperatingPanel........................................................................................195

TransceiverUnitmaintenance..............................................................................195

Ambienttemperatureandhumidity............................................................195

TransceiverUnitcleaning..........................................................................195

Fuses.......................................................................................................196

HullUnitmaintenance..........................................................................................196

Hullunitfamiliarization............................................................................197

MotorControlUnitfamiliarization.............................................................198

Fuses.......................................................................................................198

Hoistingandloweringfromthesonarroom................................................199

Motoroverloadswitch..............................................................................203

Dockingthevessel....................................................................................203

Cleaningthetransducer.............................................................................205

Airbleeding.............................................................................................207

Hullunitlubrication..................................................................................208

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Aboutthismanual

ABOUTTHISMANUAL

Purpose

Thepurposeofthisreferencemanualistoprovidethe
descriptions,proceduresanddetailedparameterexplanations
requiredtoallowforsafeandefcientuseoftheSimradSX90
Fishndingsonarsystem,aswellasathoroughunderstanding
ofthesystemparametersandadjustments.Athorough
understandingofsystemfunctionsandcontrolsisnecessaryto
optimizeoverallperformance.Sonarconditionsvary,sometimes
drastically,anditisnotpossibletoidentifysettingsthatwill
providethebestdataatalltimes.Carefulstudyoftheinformation
inthismanualishighlyrecommended,preferablywhileexploring
thesonar’svariousfunctions.Systemoperationisadynamic
activityrequiringregularadjustmentsandnetuningtoachieve
thebestpossibleresultsundervaryingenvironmentalconditions.

Softwareversion

Thismanualcompliestosoftwareversion1.6.5

Note

WindowsNT,Windows2000,WindowsXP ,WindowsV ista
andWindowsareeitherregisteredtrademarksortrademarks
ofMicrosoftCorporationintheUnitedStatesand/orother
countries.

References

Refertothefollowingmanualsforadditionalinformation
abouttheSimradSX90sonarsystem.Ordernumbersin
brackets.Alldocumentscanbedownloadedfromourwebsite

h

t t p : / / w w w . s i m r a d . c o m .

•SimradSX90InstallationManual,English[307531]

•SimradSX90OperatorManual,English[307672]

•SimradSX90OperatorManual,Norwegian[315143]

•SimradSX90ReferenceManual,English[307670]

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9

SimradSX90

SIMRADSX90FISHFINDINGSONAR

StudythischaptertofamiliarizeyourselfwiththeSimradSX90
Fishndingsonarsystem.

Topics

•Importantmattersonpage10

•Basicinformationonpage11

•Mainunitsonpage11

•Systemdiagramonpage14

•Basicfunctionalityonpage14

•Optionalfunctionalityonpage19

•Peripheralequipmentonpage21

Importantmatters

Aswithalladvancedinstruments,thereareafewimportant
mattersabouttheSX90thatyoumustremember.

Beforeyouswitchonthesonar

Whenyoupowerupthesonar,thetransducerislowereddown
belowthevessel’shull.Makesurethatyouhavesufcientwater
depthbeforeyoudothis!

Whenthesonarisnotinuse

Toprotectthesonarwhenitisnotinuse,westronglyadviceyou
tohoistthetransducer,eventhoughyoumaynotswitchoffthe
power.Innarroworshallowwatersthisisveryimportant,since
youmay-inworstcase-runthetransducerintothebottom.
Thiswilldamagethetransducerandthetransducershaft,and
extensiverepairisrequired.

Whenyoudockthevessel

Itisveryimportantthatthesonarsystemremainss

w i t c h e d o f f
whenthevesselisindrydock.Ifthetransducerissubjected
totransmitpowerwhenitisinopenair,itwillbedamaged.
Asasafeguardingmeasure,youcanremovethepowerfuses
onthesonarsystembeforethevesselisdocked.Asanextra
safeguardingmeasure,thesonarisbydefaultpoweredupwith
thetransmitpowerswitchedoff.

Ifsomethingbreaksdown

Ifyouthinkthatsomethinghasbeendamagedonthesonar,
contactyourlocaldealerforadvice.

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SimradSX90Fishndingsonar

Basicinformation

TheSimradSX90Fishndingsonarisalongrange
omnidirectionallowfrequencysonar.Itisdesignedformedium
andlargesizedshingvessels,preferablyforpurseseiners,butit
isalsowellsuitablefortrawlers.Thesonarallowsyoutochoose
anoperationalfrequencybetween20to30kHz(in1kHzsteps),
andthebeamcanbeelectronicallytiltedfrom+10to–60degrees.

Greatemphasishasbeenplacedongivingthebestpossible
presentationsonahighresolutioncolourdisplay.TheProcessor
UnitiscontrolledbyMicrosoft’sWindowsXP®operating
system,whichresultinaexiblechoiceofdisplaymodesfora
largerangeofuserapplications.

Thesignalprocessingandbeamformingisperformedinafast
digitalsignalprocessingsystemusingthefulldynamicrange
ofthesignals.Inadditiontothetraditionalsinglefrequency
transceiversystem,theSimradSX90Fishndingsonarcontains
anadvancedfrequencymodulatedltersystem(FM).

Thecylindricalmulti-elementtransducerallowsthe
omnidirectionalsonarbeamtobetiltedelectronicallydownto

-60degrees.Thisallowsyoutoautomaticallytrackschoolsof
sh,andtoobservethewholewatervolumearoundthevessel.
Astabilisingsystemisincludedforelectronicpitchandroll
compensation.

Mainunits

TheSimradSX90Fishndingsonarconsistsofthefollowing
units:

•Normallyinstalledinthewheelhouse:

–Displaymonitor

–OperatingPanel

–ProcessorUnit

–BeamformerUnit

–InterfaceUnit

–Amplierandloudspeakers(option)

•Normallyinstalledinthesonarroom:

–TransceiverUnit

–HullUnit

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SimradSX90

Wheelhouseunits

DisplayMonitor

TheDisplayMonitorisahigh-resolutioncolourLCD(Liquid
CrystalDisplay).Inadditiontothesonarpicture,themonitorcan
alsodisplaytheusermenufortheinteractiveoperation.Inorder
toeasethesituationcomprehension,certaincolourshavebeen
chosentobetterthedistinctionbetweenthevariouselementsin
thescene.

OperatingPanel

TheOperatingPanelcontainsallnecessarycontrolfunctions
foroperatingthesonar.Thecontrolsarearrangedinfunction
groups,whichgivesaclearandeasyoperation.Notethatall
sonaroperationalsomaybemadefromthetrackball,orfroman
optionalstandardmouse.

ProcessorUnit

TheProcessorUnitisamarinecomputer,whichrunsthe
MicrosoftWindowsXP®operatingsystem.Thesoftwareand
hardwarehasbeenmodiedbySimradtosuittheSX90sonar
requirements.Thepurposeofthiscomputeristoallowyou
tocontrolthesonar.Itprovidesthegraphicpresentationof
thesonarmodesandtheimagescreated,itholdsthemenu
system,itcommunicateswiththeOperatingPanel,andreads
informationfromperipheralunitsbymeansoftheInterfaceUnit.
Thecomputerholdsaread/writeCDunittobeusedforfuture
softwareupgrades.

BeamformerUnit

TheBeamformerUnitisamarinecomputer,whichrunsthe
MicrosoftWindowsXP®operatingsystem.Thesoftwareand
hardwarehasbeenmodiedbySimradtosuittheSX90sonar
requirements.Thepurposeofthiscomputeristoperformthe
advancedsignalprocessingrequiredtopresenttheinformation
ontheProcessorUnit.Thecomputerholdsaread/writeCDunit
tobeusedforfuturesoftwareupgrades.TheBeamformerUnit
communicateswiththeTransceiverUnitinthesonarroomusing
asingleethernetcable.

InterfaceUnit

TheInterfaceUnitprovidesinterfaceforallauxiliaryequipment;
log,gyro,GPS,echosounder,trawlsystems,purseseinesystems
etc.

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SimradSX90Fishndingsonar

Amplierandloudspeakers

Anamplierwithoneortwoloudspeakersmaybeconnectedto
theBeamformerUnittoprovidetheaudiooutput.Theseoptional
itemsaren

o t providedwiththesonardelivery.

Sonarroomunits

TransceiverUnit

TheTransceiverUnitislocatedinthesonarroom,closeto
theHullUnit.OneEthernetcableisusedforcommunication
withtheBeamformerUnitinthewheelhouse.Thetransceiver
performsthetransmissionandreceptioncontrolofthe256
transmittersand256receiverchannels,whicharelocatedonthe
eightidenticaltransceiverboards.

HullUnit

ThestandardSX92HullUnitisdesignedtobelowered1.2meters
belowtheship’shull,whileanoptionalhullunitwilllowerthe
transducerto1,6metersbelowthehull.Thetransducercanalso
beloweredtoanyselectedmiddleposition.Notethatincaseof
voltagefailure,theHullUnitcanbemanuallyraisedorlowered
bymeansofahandcrank.

Transducerarray

ThecylindricalT ransducerarrayallowsthesonarbeamtogive
full360degreescoverageofthewatervolumedownto-60
degrees.Thesensorfortheelectronicstabilizationofthesonar
beamsishousedintheMotorControlUnit,whichismounted
ontheHullUnit.

WARNING

Ifthetransducerhitslargerobjectsorbottom,
thetransducershaftmaybebent,orinworstcase
itcanbebrokenoff.Abrokentransducershaft
willcausewaterleakageinthetopoftheshaft.
Topreventlargerleakagesinsuchacase,donot
raisethetransducershafttotheupperposition.
Topreventseriousdamagesitisthereforeofgreat
importancetohaveagoodpumpandwarning
systeminthesonarroom.

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SimradSX90

Systemdiagram

Figure1SX90Systemdiagram

SX90Items

AProcessorUnit

BBeamformerUnit

CColourdisplay

DOperatingPanel

EInterfaceUnit

FTransceiverUnit

GMotorControlUnit

HHullUnit

ITransducer

Basicfunctionality

ThebasicprinciplesoftheSimradSX90Fishndingsonarare
uniquebecauseofthe256separatetransmitterandreceiver
channelswiththeirtransducerelementsspreadaroundonthe
cylindricaltransducerarray.

Thetransmission,receptionanddataprocessingareunder
computercontrol,andthepowerfulcapabilitiesofthesonarare
theresultsofsophisticateddigitalsignalprocessingsoftware
andstateofthearthardware.

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SimradSX90Fishndingsonar

Omnibeam

WhentheOmnibeamistilted,thetotalbeampicturecanbe
comparedwithfoldinganumbrella,whichmeansthatallbeams
in360degreesaroundthevesselhavethesametiltangle.

Figure2Omnibeamprinciple

Thebeamcanbetiltedfrom+10upto-60degreesdown.

Inadditiontoseeingthetargetfromabove,itisalsopossible
toseethetargetfromtheside,byusingtheverticalslice
presentation.Inthiscasethebeamcoversacontinuousvertical
beamfrom0to-60degreesinonetransmission.

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SimradSX90

Figure360degreesverticalslice

Thisverticalslice,whichispresentedbythewhiteaudioline
inthehorizontalpicture,canbeselectedtoanybearingbythe
manualtrainingcontrol.ThecombinationoftheOmnimode
andtheverticalslicewillgiveanoptimalvisualizationofthe
catchsituation.

Figure4Omni/verticalcombination

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SimradSX90Fishndingsonar

InadditiontotheOmnipicture,theverticalsliceisespecially
usefulforvisualizingtheverticaldistributionofaschoolof
sh.Inthatway,itisnotnecessarytogooverthetargettosee
thedistributionontheechosounder,whichoftenresultsina
spreadingoftheschool.

Multiplefrequencyoperation

Inadditiontothestandard26kHzfrequency,youcanselectany
operationalfrequencyfrom20to30kHzin1kHzsteps.

Thisisaveryusefulfunctionwhenitisnecessarytosuppress
interferencefromothersonars.

Stabilisationsystem

TheSimradSX90Fishndingsonarisprovidedwitha
stabilisationsystem.

Whenthebeamstabilizerisactivated,bothhorizontaland
verticalbeamswillbestabilizedelectronicallyforrollandpitch
movementsupto±20degrees.Thebeamdirectionwillthen
changecontinuouslyaccordingtothevessel’smovements,and
secureanoptimalcontactwiththetargetseveninroughseas.

Figure5Stabilizationsystem

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SimradSX90

Reception

Agreatefforthasbeenmadetoreduceunwantednoisetogeta
cleanandstableechopresentation.Toachievethisgoalthesonar
receiverhasthefollowinglteringpossibilities:

•FMCorrelationlter

•Frequencyselection(Option)

•AGC(AutomaticGainControl)

•RCG(ReverberationControlledGain)

•PPFilter

•TVG(TimeV ariableGain)

FMCorrelationlter

Inadditiontothetraditionalsinglefrequencytransmitting
method,theSimradSX90Fishndingsonarisequippedwith
anFMcorrelationmode.

InFMmodeeachtransmissionpulsecontainsuptoeight
differentfrequencies,andthereceivermakesaspectrumanalysis
andcomparesthereceivedechoeswiththetransmittedfrequency
code.Thisprovidesalteringeffect,whichefcientlyreduces
interference,noiseandreverberation.Inadditiontogiving
acleanandstableechopresentation,thiswillnormallyalso
increasesthesonar’sdetectionrange.

Frequencyselection

Theoptionaltriple-andmultiplefrequencyselectionscanbe
usedforsuppressionofinterferencefromothersonars.

However,thesoundabsorptioninsaltwaterincreaseswiththe
frequency,thusgivingthelowerfrequenciesalongerdetection
range.

AGC(AutomaticGainControl)

Thiscontrolwillautomaticallyadjustthegaininthepreampliers
dependingonthestrengthoftheincomingechosignals.The
strengthoftheltercanbeselectedinthemenu.

NotethattheAGCsensestheechostrengthinvexed
directions,andusethisasabasisforadjustingallthereceiver
beams.

RCG(ReverberationControlledGain)

TheRCGltersensesthenoiselevel(reverberation,propeller
noise,etc.),andadjuststhegainindividuallyforeachofthe64
receiverbeamsinordertoeliminatenoiseonthedisplay.The
strengthoftheltercanbeselectedinthemenu.Withmaximum
strenghtisselected,theRCGwilleffectivelyreducethebottomin
shallowwater,whilevariationsonthebottomwillbedisplayed.

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SimradSX90Fishndingsonar

Notethatscatteredshcanbeperceivedasreverberation.The
RCGltermustthereforebeusedwithcareifscatteredschools
aretobedetected.

Ping-to-pinglter

TheeSimradSX90Fishndingsonarisequippedwitha
ping-to-pinglter(PPFilter)toprovideacleanandsteady
presentationbyreducingtheinterferenceandnoise.Thislter
comparestheechoesfromaselectedamountoftransmissions
(pings),andanechohastobepresentintheselectedamountof
pingsinordertobepresentedonthedisplay.

Notethatinroughseas,whenthebeameasilycanmissthetarget
inseveralpings,thePPFiltermustbeusedwithcare.

TVG(TimeVariableGain)

TheTVGfunctioncontrolsthegainofthereceiversothat
aschoolwithagivensizeanddensityispresentedwith
approximatelythesamestrengthonthedisplay,insidethe
regulatedTVGrange.Thiscanalsobeseenasalter,becauseit
reducesthenoiseclosetothevessel.

TheregulatedstrengthoftheTVGcanbeselectedinthemenu.

Transmission

Thetransmittingiscontrolledbythesignalprocessorinthe
TransceiverUnit.Theparametersyouhavechosenareused.

Thereare256separatetransmittersintheunitdistributedon
eighttransceivercircuitboards.Eachtransmitterisindividually
addressedandcontrolledfromthesignalprocessor.The
controlledparametersincludepoweroutputandtimedelayfor
eachtransducerelementinordertoformabeamwiththeselected
tiltangle.

Whenthestabilisingsystemisactive,thetiltangleforeachbeam
willautomaticallybecorrectedrelativetothevessel’spitchand
rollmovements.

Optionalfunctionality

ThestandardSimradSX90Fishndingsonarisamultiple
frequencysonarwithmaximum4500metersrange,andwith
beamstabilising.

Theoptionsdescribedbelowarepreprogrammedintothe
standardsoftwareversion,andacodewordisrequiredtomake
theactualoptionavailable.Simradoffersa1monthfreetest
periodforcertainoptions.TheScienticOutputfunctionisnot

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19

SimradSX90

availableforsuchatestperiod.Forapermanentinstallationof
achosenoption,anewcodewordwillbereleasedfromSimrad
whentheoptionisordered.

Scienticoutput

TheScienticOutputisdesignedforresearchpurposes.When
activated,thefollowingdataareavailableonanEthernet(LAN)
output:

•Beamdata

•Targetdata

•Ownshipdata

•Geardata

Thescienticoutputoptionmayalsoincludesoftwarefora
ScienticDataLogger.Notethatthisoptionisnotavailablefor
afreetestperiod.

Extendedrange

TheSimradSX90isprovidedwithamaximumrangeof4500
meters.Thisisarangelimitdenedbynationalregulations.The
sonarcanbeprovidedwithanextendedrangeofupto8000
meters.Inordertoinstalltheextendedrangeoption,clientsin
certaincountriesmustprovideSimradwithapplicableenduser
certication,asthisallowsustoapplyforanexportlicence.

20

307670/D

SimradSX90Fishndingsonar

Peripheralequipment

TheSimradSX90Fishndingsonarrequiresconnectiontoa
speedlogandacoursegyro.Aninaccuratelogorgyroinputwill
causeinaccurateindicationofthevesselandtargetmovements.

Inadditiontologandgyro,thefollowingperipheralequipment
canbeconnectedtothesonar:

•A(D)GPSmaybeconnectedtotheSP70sonartoestablish

thevesselspositionandprovidecursorandmarkerlatitude
andlongitude.

•Simradechosounders(EQ,ESandEKSeries)providesa

bottomplotonthecatchdatapage.

•SimradPI32,PI44andPI54CatchMonitoringsystems

providethenetdepthindigitsandbarsonthecatchdata
presentation.

•Simradtrawlinstrumentation;FS900,FS3300,FS70orITI

–FS70,FS900andFS3300:Thetrawlwillbedisplayedin

correctdepth.

–ITI:Thetrawlwillbedisplayedincorrectsize,depth,

distanceandbearing.

•Acurrentmetersystemwillindicatethecurrentspeedand

directionforuptothreedifferentdepthsinthesonarpicture.

•Aradiobuoysystem(GPStype)willprovidethegeographical

positionofthebuoy(s)inthesonarpicture.

Forconnectionofanyofthisperipheralequipment,contactyour
localdealer.

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21

SimradSX90

GETTINGSTARTED

Pleasendthebasicinformationrequiredtogetyoustartedup.

Topics

•Poweron/offproceduresonpage22

•Howtoperformbasicoperationsonpage24

•Visualaidsonpage29

•Cosmeticsonpage30

•On-linehelponpage32

Poweron/offprocedures

Theseproceduresexplainhowtoswitchthesonarsystemon
andoff.

Howtoswitchonthesonar

1PressthePowerbuttononthecolourdisplaymonitor.

2PressthePowerbuttonontheOperatingPanel,andkeepit

depressedforapproximatelytwoseconds.

POWER

•Thegreenlampontherightsideofthebuttonwillash
toindicatedthatthepowerhasbeenswitchedon,andthat
thecomputerisstartingup.

•AfterafewsecondstheProcessorUnitstartsup.Once
upandrunning,itautomaticallystartstheBeamformer
Unit.Y oucanobservetheprogressontheTRUOn/Off
dialogboxesthatappear.

•Afterashortperiod(approximately2minutes)youwill
seethesonarpictureonthedisplay.

3Checkthatthewaterdepthbeneaththekeelissufcientto

lowerthetransducer.

4PresstheDownbuttononthecontrolpaneltolowerthe

transducer.

Down

•Thegreenlampnexttothebuttonwillash,andan
audiblesignalindicatesthatthetransducermoves
downwards.

22

307670/D

Gettingstarted

•Whenthebottompositionhasbeenreached,thelamp
willbelitcontinuously,theaudiblesignalstops,and
thetopbuttonintheStatusparameterdialogshows

Transducer:Down.

•Bydefaultthetransmitpowerisdisabledwhenthe
sonarispoweredup.Thisisforsafetyreasons.Onthe

Horizontalmenu,youwillseethattheTXpowerbutton

ashestoremindyouofthis.

5ClicktheTXpowertoselectFull.

6Pleasenote:

•IfthesonarsystemhasbeendisconnectedfromAC
power,theProcessorandBeamformerUnitsmustbe
startedmanually .Removetheprotectivepanelsonthe
frontpanels(abovethefans),andusetheon/offswitch.

•Thesonarwillstartupevenifcircuitboardsinthe
TransceiverUnitismalfunctioning.Thesonarwillthen
needmoretimetoperformthestart-upprocedure,and
ashortmessagewillbeprovidedabovetheprogress
bar:Systemreadyforping,butwithreducednumberof
TRX32.Afterthesonarhasstartedup,theTRUOn/Off
dialogcanbeopenedbyclickingtheTRUOn/Offbutton
ontheT estmenu.ClicktheAdvancedbuttontoobtain
moreinformation.

Howtoswitchoffthesonar

1PresstheUpbuttonontheOperatingPanel.

Up

•Thegreenlampnexttothebuttonwillash,andan
audiblesignalindicatesthatthetransducerishoisted.

•Whentheupperpositionhasbeenreached,thelampwill
illuminatecontinuously,theaudiblesignalstops,andthe
upperbuttonintheStatusmenushowsT ransducer:UP.

2PressthePowerbuttonontheOperatingPanel,andkeepit

depressedforapproximatelytwoseconds.

POWER

•Thesonarisswitchedoff.Notethatyoumustn o t usethe
on/offswitchontheProcessorandBeamformerUnits,
onlythisPowerbuttonontheOperatingPanel.

3Switchoffthedisplaymonitor.

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23

SimradSX90

4Pleasenote:

•Ifthesonarisswitchedoffuncontrolledwiththe
transducerinitsloweredposition,thetransducermustbe
raisedmanuallybymeansofthehoist/lowerswitchinthe
MotorControlUnit,orwiththehandcrankprovided.

Howtoperformbasicoperations

Observethisbriefproceduretofamiliarizeyourselfwiththe
basicoperationswithechopresentationsandmenuoperations.

Echopresentationandmenu

1Oncethesonarsystemisupandrunning,observethelayout

ofthedisplaypresentation:

•Onther

i g h t side,observethemenusystem(A).

•Onthel

e f t side,observethesonarechopresentation(B).

2OntheOperatingPanel,presstheMenubutton(located

abovethelargetrackball).

3Onthedisplay ,observethatthemenudisappears.

4OntheOperatingPanel,presstheMenubuttononemore

time,andobservethatthemenureappears.

Figure6Basicmenu(A)andechopresentation(B)

(CD015008A)

A

B

Whenthemenuisremovedtheechopresentationisextendedto
covertheentiredisplay.

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307670/D

Gettingstarted

Temporarymenu

1OntheOperatingPanel,presstheMenubuttontoremove

themenu.

2Onthedisplay ,observethatthemenudisappears.

3Usethetrackball,andmovethecursorovertotheleftside

ofthedisplay.

4Observethatthemenureappearsonthelefthandside,and

thattheremainingechopresentationareaisn

o t re-scaled.

5Movethecursortowardstherightsideofthedisplayagain,

andobservethatthetemporarymenudisappears.

6OntheOperatingPanel,presstheMenubuttononemore

time,andobservethatthemenureappearsontherighthand
side.

Figure7Temporarymenu(A)appearance

(CD015008C)

A

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25

SimradSX90

Themenustructure

Themenuontherighthandsideofthesonardisplaycontains
severaldifferentbuttons,tabsandparameterdialogs.

(CD015009A)

C

D

E

F

A

B

Thefollowingelementsareinuseonthemenu:

ASonartype:Thiseldsimplystatesthe

nameofthesonar.

BMode:Clickheretochangedisplaymode.

Ifyouclickonthemiddleofthebutton
youwillopenadedicatedmenuformode
selection.Ifyouclickontherightorleft
sideofthebuttonyoucanscrollthrough
theavailablemodes.

CTab:Clickonatabtobringforwardthe

menu.Inthisexample,whenyouclickon
theDisplaytab,youwillopentheDisplay
menu.

DMenu:Thisisthebodyofthemenu.Each

menuholdsoneormorebuttons.

EButton:Clickonabuttontochangethe

applicableparameter.Ifyouclickonthe
middleofthebuttonyouwillnormally
openadedicatedparameterdialogfor
parameterselection.Ifyouclickonthe
rightorleftsideofthebuttonyoucan
scrollthroughtheavailablechoices.

FParameterdialog:Whenyouclickabutton,

therelevantparameterdialogopensat
thebottomofthemenu.Eachparameter
dialogholdsoneormorebuttonsormenus.
Tocloseaparameterdialog,clickthe

Closebutton.MostdialogsprovideaHelp

buttonforaccesstotheon-linehelp.In
thisexampleyoucanseetheStatusdialog,
whichisreplacedwhenaparameterdialog
isopened.

26

307670/D

Gettingstarted

Controlthecursor

CURSOR

SONAROPERA TINGPANEL

Menu

Select

View

Object

(CD015022L)

A

B

Operatethetrackball(A)ontheOperating
Panel.

Observethatthecursormovesonthesonar
display,andthatitchangesitsformdepending
onitslocation.

ObservethelocationoftheSelectbutton(B).
Pressthisbuttontomakeaselection.

TheViewandObjectbuttonsabovethetrackball
areusedtoopenspecicmenus.

Menubuttons

Eachmenucontainsseveralbuttons.Eachbuttonshowsboththe
functionandthecurrentparameter.Themajorityofthebuttons
ineachmenueldhavethreefunctions:

•Youcanselectalowerparametervalue.

•Youcanselectahigherparametervalue.

•Youcanopentheapplicableparameterdialog.

(C )D015010A

+

-

BA

C

(A)Clickheretodecrease
theparametervalue

(B)Clickheretoincrease
theparametervalue

(C)Clickheretoopenthe
parameterdialog.

UsethetrackballontheOperatingPanel,andpositionthe
cursoroverthel

e f t sideofthebutton(A).Observethat
theshapeofthecursorchangestoa“minus”sign.This
meansthatthevalueoftheparameterwilldecreasewhen
youpresstheSelectbuttonontheOperatingPanel.

Positionthecursoroverther

i g h t sideofthebutton(B).
Observethattheshapeofthecursorchangestoa“plus”
sign.Thismeansthatthevalueoftheparameterwill
increasewhenyoupresstheSelectbutton.

Positionthecursoronthecentreofthemenubutton(C).
Observethattheshapeofthecursorchangestoa“menu”
symbol.Thismeansthattheapplicableparameterdialog
willopenwhenyoupresstheSelectbutton.Thedialog
appearsinthelowerpartofthemenueld.

Changingaparametervalue

Observethisgenericproceduretochangeaparametervalue.
Onceyouhavegainedmoreexperience,andhavebecomemore
familiarwiththeavailableoptions,youwillselecttheparameters
directlyfromthebuttons.

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27

SimradSX90

Figure8Changingaparametervalue

(C )D015010B

B

C

D

A

1Movethecursortothemiddleofthemenubutton(A).

Observethatthecursorchangesitsshapetoamenusymbol.

2PresstheSelectbuttonontheOperatingPanel.

3Observethatthecorrespondingparameterdialog(B)opens

atthebottomofthemenu.

4Movethecursordowntothedialog,positionthecursor

overtherequestedparametervalue(C),andpresstheSelect
buttonagain.

5Observethatthechangeyouhaverequestedtakesimmediate

effectonthesonar.

•Thismakesiteasytotesttheeffectofeachparameter
setting.Notehoweverthattransceiverrelatedparameters
willrstbeoperationalinthenextping.

6MovethecursordowntotheClosebutton(D),andpress

theSelectbuttonagain.

7Observethattheparameterdialogcloses.

Note

Inthismanual,thephrase“Clickthebutton”meansthatyou
shallpositionthecursoroverthemenubutton,andthenpress
theSelectbuttonontheOperatingPanel.

Certainparametersettingsareidentiedwithanasterisk(*).This
symbolindicatesthedefaultsettingknowntoperformwellunder
normalconditions.Ifyouget“lost“intheparametersettings,the

Defaultsettingsfunctionwillbringupthesenormalparameters.

TheDefaultsettingfunctionisavailableontheSetupmenu,anda
dedicatedparameterdialogisused.

IntheSimradSX90sonar,allparametersarestored.This
functionwillcausethesonartorememberalltheselected
parametersettings,evenwhenthesonarisswitchedoff.

28

307670/D