Thread: Broadband Transducers

I asked Airmar to explain what a Broadband Transducer is - and this is their reply.

Dear John,

Thank you for contacting AIRMAR Technology Corporation. A broadband echosounder is a sounder that is able to operate over a broad range of frequencies. A broadband transducer is also required to operate over a broad range of frequencies. Traditional sounders and transducers can only operate at specific pre-defined frequencies such as 50kHz and 200kHz.

If a broadband transducer is used with a traditional fixed frequency sounder, there is still some benefit. Even though the sounder may not be able to adjust the frequency, there is still an advantage to using a broadband transducer. The increased bandwidth means faster rise times and faster fall times of the acoustic pulse. The transmitted pulses and resulting echoes are extremely crisp. Put another way, these transducers exhibit minimal ringing. This allows the fishfinder to image schools of fishes as groups of closely-spaced, individual fish. In addition, crisp pulses allow imaging of fishes that are suspended very close to the sea floor. Furthermore, for mostly navigational purposes, these transducers can echo-range in very shallow water.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact back.

Sincerely,

Are these transducers "louder" than the previous generation? Is there any merit in fish being spooked by the sound of the audible "tick, tick"?

Sitting on top of fish and pinging them is a problem, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't work. I think we have all caught fish off the sonar - PlayStation Style!