Scientific echo sounders and current profilers (ADCP)

Single beam systems

Recently, the EK system has been used for a wider range of oceanographic applications, with the addition of ADCP functionality completing the picture.
All EK echo sounders share some common features such as built-in calibration and split beam capabilities with full beam compensation for accurate TS measurements. The focus when designing the EK echo sounders is that you
should be in full control of all sounder parameters. That is why there are no automated settings in the acquisition SW. A skipper might want optimal settings displayed at all times to get a good picture of the fish, but a sudden change in ping rate or duration might corrupt a survey, with data no longer comparable.

Transceivers

The Wideband Transceiver is designed for applications where performance is the top priority. The WBT has four 500 W channels that can either work independently with single beam transducers or together with a split-beam transducer. The WBT is available in a WBT Tube (for underwater installations) and WBT Mini (more compact size) and as a WBT for installation in cabinets or similar.

Mission planner

The EK80 Mission Planner is, as the name implies, software used to plan a mission from deployment to recovery. All details regarding when the sounder should wake up, how long it should transmit, and when it should go to sleep can be set before deployment. In the Mission Planner, the user can set as many phases as the survey requires. This could be helpful if you want the transmission scheme to change throughout the deployment. You might want to do CW most of the time while doing chirp in shorter periods to look at the frequency response of targets.

EK80 ADCP

Currents play an important role in an aquatic ecosystem, carrying nutrients and biology or transporting heat.
Scattering from particles in the water will produce doppler effects when moving, which can be measured and turned into a profile of vertical and horizontal velocity over time.
With the introduction of the very first combined split beam echo sounder and ADCP
(Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) the EK80 system manifests its position as the most complete instrument for ecosystem assessments.

The acoustic doppler current profi ler (ADCP) and narrow split-beam functionality off ered by the Simrad EK80 is based on the EC150-3C transducer. The EC150-3C is a phased array transducer resulting from decades of experience building acoustic instruments. The transducer combines composite technology with built-in electronics, allowing for a compact and easy installation. By combining wideband
elements, the transducer allows for both narrowband (CW) or wideband (FM) signals to be used based on user requirements. The phased array also allows for a very narrow, split beam, echo sounder beam to be created by the same transducer.