Echo Sounder

Lec 3
Dr Arwa Hussein
• Echo sounding is a type of SONAR used to
determine the depth of water by
transmitting sound pulses into water.

• The time interval between emission and

return of a pulse is recorded, which is used to
determine the depth of water along with the
speed of sound in water at the time. 
• Echo sounding can also refer to hydro-acoustic
"echo sounders" defined as active sound in
water (sonar) used to study fish.

• Hydro-acoustic assessments have traditionally

employed mobile surveys from boats to
evaluate fish biomass and spatial distributions.

• Conversely, fixed-location techniques use

stationary transducers to monitor passing fish.
Technique
Modern echo sounders usually offer a choice of two to
three transmitting frequencies, namely:

􀁹 Low frequency - effective for deep water because the

attenuation is lower, but it requires a large
transducer.

􀁹 High frequency - the transducer can be compact but

the range is more limited due to a higher attenuation
Components
A transmitter which generates pulses.

• The transmitter is equipped with a quartz

clock that oscillates in the range of 1-10 MHz,
whose frequency is divided down to obtain
the operating frequency of the transducer.

• The quartz clock is also used to measure time

intervals between the transmission and the
reception of acoustic signals.
A transducer, mounted on the ship's hull, which
converts the electrical power into acoustic
power, sends the acoustic signal into the water,
receives the echo, and converts it into an
electrical signal.

Its functions are:

􀁹 To convert electrical power into acoustic power.
􀁹 To send the acoustic signal into the water.
􀁹 To receive the echo of the acoustic signal.
􀁹 To convert the acoustic signal into an electrical signal.
A T/R (transmitter/receiver) switch which passes the
power to the transducer.

• The T/R switch is used to trigger a pulse with a specific length.

Normally the pulse length varies from 0.1 to 50 ms.

• In shallow water, a single short pulse of length of 0.2 ms is

transmitted and received before the next pulse is transmitted.

• In deep water, many pulses of lengths varying from 1 ms to 40

ms are generated and are in the water at any time. The
variety of pulse length helps to overcome losses due to
attenuation.
A receiver which amplifies the echo signal and sends it to the
recording system.

• The receiver amplifies the returning echo signal and sends it to

the recording system. The receiver is equipped with a time
varying gain (TVG), which is used to reduce the gain of the
receiver immediately after transmission in order to filter out
reverberation.
 

• Receiver gain returns as an exponential function of time. The

receiver bandwidth must be wide enough to accommodate a
Doppler shift if the transducer is not vertical (e.g.,case of a
speed log).
• 􀁹 A recorder which controls the signal
emission, measures the travel time
Errors
 Errors
-Velocity Error - Increase in temperature and salinity of water
increases velocity of sound in water thus giving rise to an error
in the depth displayed.

-Aeration – Presence of air bubbles below the transducer gives

rise to false echoes. Air bubbles are normally caused when a
vessel goes astern.

-Multiple echoes – This is caused in shallow waters with a rocky

bottom due to some of the sound pulses reflecting up and down
between the ship’s keel and the sea bottom before being
recorded on the display. The first echo is the correct reading.
End of lecture