New technology these days almost always involves two major contributors -- the hardware people, and the software programmers. I saw a great example of this cooperative synergy today while out on Biscayne Bay with the folks from Navico's Lowrance product line. We got a chance to test the new Broadband Sounder technology that Lowrance has just brought to market and it makes for a pretty picture, indeed.
Our test involved a ride on a new Twin-Vee catamaran center console, a ruggedly built fishing cat that would make a fantastic platform for pelagic pursuit in the waters of the Gulf Stream not far from here. It was outfitted with the new black-box unit that makes up the Broadband Sounder and connected to a NMEA 2000 backbone that fed two 10.4-inch Lowrance displays on the boat's helm console. The Broadband Sounder was mounted on the inside of the center console. It is a small (8.3 by 7.4 inches) waterproof unit and it uses a clever approach to improve the target discrimination capabilities.
The Lowrance engineers have taken a fairly low-power sonar beam, approximately 250 watts, but programmed the transducer to shoot a significantly longer pulse than normal. This gives equivalent performance to a much higher powered unit, but saves energy and wear and tear on the transducer crystal. The helm displays clearly showed the benefits of this beam technology, with the ability to clearly discriminate among various bottom types and draw clear fish echoes anywhere in the water column.
On our test ride, we were able to distinguish various bits of junk and debris along the bottom of one of the channels leading from Miami to Government Cut and the transom-mounted transducer maintained a good picture until our test boat accelerated out beyond 45 miles an hour, at which speed a prudent captain will not be watching a screen but merely checking the digital depth readout – which remained steady – out of the corner of his eye.
This unit also goes deep. Properly confgured, company oficials say they have seen clear imagery to 6,000 feet – And they still don't know what the true limits are. Further testing in deeper water is underway.
You can check out the Lowrance Broadband Sounder at their booth here at the Miami Boat Show, or online at the Lowrance website. It is expected to hit shelves in about two weeks and cost about $600. You can also see a demo on YouTube.
By the way, I thought the boat we tested the electronics on was so cool, I'm going to do a little write-up on that one here shortly. Stay tuned. And check out these pictures of the really neat wiring and mounting installation. You're really going to appreciate working with true NMEA-2000 gear.
TOM TRIPPLowrance Broadband Sounder Shows Channel Boundary
TOM TRIPPLowrance Broadband Sounder at Bottom Left of Picture
TOM TRIPPLowrance Broadband Sounder NMEA 2000 Installation
