Mapping Divesites using Single and Multibeam Echosounder - Any one with knowledge?

[Zeke XA3]

So i have a weird little passion of maps, mapping and organising. I have google earth layers for dive sites i know and a little while ago was toying with the idea of buying a little side scan sonar to go shipwreck hunting (Tritech sidescan sonar for $3600 seems a steal!).

Now i am looking at making up some good bathyetric maps. I used this software when i was at Uni Surfer® 12 and have a current version i can use.

I was looking at what sounders i could use to get the raw data to put into this program but i cant remember too much about that side of it at Uni and looking online its not too clear either.

Its seems any sounder that outputs raw data to some sort of ASCII file or similar could be used but none have prices without trying to contact the companies direct.

Does any one have experience with something similar, what sounders did you use, how much were they?

I was looking at this and it seemed perfect for what i want to do
Products | CEESCOPE™ | "ALL IN ONE" complete portable survey solutions

since most depthsounders/fish finders are in fact echo sounders with a little display ie Furuno and Garmin, can any of them be used, do they have outputs?

Any thoughts/advice or just directions on where to find more info is greatly appreciated.

 

[Wookie]

OLEX has a nice little package that will mosiac either your single beam or your multi mean configuration. Way less expensive than hypack at $5400US, but that gets you access to everyone's data.... In the US, a WASSP is known as a poor mans multibeam. About $55k US installed, but they come from New Zealand, so you might do better down under.

 

[Zeke XA3]

They all seem like very high end professional products, but Surfer can do all the mapping i need for $800 compared to the several thousand of all the others (plus i already have it!)! And if i can get a side scan sonar for a few thousand there has to be single beams out there that output to ASCII format for around the same surely?

 

[DennisS]

The Eagle Cuda had two versions, one used to output two NMEA sentences, depth and position, it's been discontinued-it was around $150. I'm looking for a substitute. I can't find an inexpensive dual NMEA output unit out there.

I've made charts by loading the raw NMEA data into Excel. I could strip the NMEA headers, make the depth value a minus and do a plus/minus manipulation on the lat/lon so it wouldn't print out as a mirror image chart and then run the numbers in Surfer. It worked great.

I'm working on a project and I'm still looking for an inexpensive fishfinder/GPS with dual NMEA outputs. There are a lot that just put out depth. You can combine a GPS and a Depth Finder output with something called a multiplexer and then feed it to the serial port but I don't want it that complicated/expensive. There are units with dual output in the $500 range but I don't want to spend that on a project.

http://www.navstore.com/noland-engineering-am43-nmea-0183-hi-speed-multiplexer-usb.html

 

[Wookie]

When you say dual output, what do you mean? The cheapest lowrance has a dozen different output sentences you can use, and if you use NMEA2000, you can pull all of the sentences at once.

 

[DennisS]

When you say dual output, what do you mean? The cheapest lowrance has a dozen different output sentences you can use, and if you use NMEA2000, you can pull all of the sentences at once.

I'm looking for one that can put out a NMEA 0183 depth and position sentences that can go to serial port on a computer. I have some good software that requires I use a serial port and 183. I'll check out the inexpensive lowrance models-thanks

Just found

Lowrance Mark-4 shows a screen for NMEA 183 output and uses the term sentences(plural) I'll have to check it out-$200

 

[Wookie]

Looks like the Elite-4 at $249 MSRP (you can get it for a lot less) plus a transducer is your toy...

---------- Post added August 2nd, 2014 at 05:22 PM ----------

We chose Lowrance, BTW, (even though they were considered the K-Mart of fish finders) because of their ability to communicate with anything, including, in my case, a Klein-3000 sidescan. The sonar must have a DBT sentence so it knows how far below the surface it is flying. I've used numurous multiplexors. I've found that none is the best. I have my NMEA-0183 bus set up as if it's a CanBUS and it works great. I have it going to a Mac computer through a 9-pin to USB adapter for GLL, the sounder, a gyro compass for heading, a radar as a destination, the radios and EPIRB as a destination, a stand alone GPS Garmin about 15 years old, a Garmin chart plotter, the AIS, the NAVTEX receiver and up the partridge in the pear tree's butt. I will be switching it all over this year to NMEA 2000 and put the engine sensors, generators, batteries, fresh water and salt water pressure, etc. on it for monitoring in the wheelhouse.

 

[DennisS]

We used to use the Klein 3000 on the EPA Ship BOLD (decommisioned). It could get expensive if a crab or lobster pot line slid along the transducer.

 

[Wookie]

When was the Bold decommed? It was in Key West last winter and was in Pensacola last spring?

Oh. Looks like she will be a training ship...

 

[DiveNav]

So i have a weird little passion of maps, mapping and organising..... .

Me too.... I have even designed the eDiving scuba diving simulator so divers can "virtual dive" real dive sites from home

....... I used this software when i was at Uni Surfer® 12 and have a current version i can use......

We use Surfer to take a quick look at the data before we process / convert it for use in our eDiving simulator. We have developed our own "converters" so we can use almost any format out there.

....... Any thoughts/advice or just directions on where to find more info is greatly appreciated.

I would be interested to see your data. Maybe we could put a new map in the eDiving underwater world

Alberto (aka eDiver)