OHMEX Ltd - Manufacturer of portable hydrographic survey equipment, AIS Tide/Weather systems for Port VTS users and high quality bespoke application software

SonarM8 v3

Installation echo sounder

The SonarM8 is a variant of the SonarMite echo sounder designed for semi-permanent installation in a survey boat. The main differences between the devices being the SonarM8 is smaller and does not contain internal batteries. Internally the SonarM8 includes a regulator that accepts a wide range of DC input voltages ranging from 7 to 32 volts.

In most cases these 'black' boxes are a cut down version of a more conventional instrument without all the features of the full system. The SonarM8 extends this idea of a rugged design and minimalist interface to produce a 'Blue Box' system where the user interface is provided by integrated software running on a portable computer connected via a Bluetooth link. The use of wireless technology enables the instrument to be waterproof and used in a hostile environment while the more sensitive computer features can be located in a more user friendly environment up to 50m away from the instrument.

The SonarM8 instrument uses the same 'Smart' integrated transducer technology used in the SonarMite system, in addition to highly reliable bottom tracking algorithms using DSP techniques the system also outputs a quality value associated with every depth measurement made. Software for the 'front end' of the SonarM8 is available to run on a wide range of devices from Pocket PCs through to the full range of desktop systems running the Windows operating system.