EchoPilot Sonar - F&B Yachting

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The Forward Looking Sonar

Ecoscandaglio EchoPilot
Some of the most popular vertical sounders show depth with a delay of up to 16 seconds. At just 5 knots this means the indicated depth is the depth 70 metres behind the boat. (at 10 to 15 knots the delay does not bear thinking about!).
At EchoPilot we believed that most boat owners would prefer to see hazardous obstructions in front of them. Several years of intensive research at EchoPilot led to the technical breakthrough which became the FLS - Forward Looking Sonar.

Real time forward looking sonar is unique to EchoPilot, who hold patents on the design. "Real time" means that the FLS does not gradually build up the picture like a phased array sonar, instead the FLS both scans the whole forward view and updates the screen several times a second.

An obstruction ahead of the boat will show on the screen, if the boat turns to another heading with no target ahead then the FLS screen will immediately show clear water ahead.

Echopilot 2D
The FLS displays a two dimensional profile of the sea bed beneath and ahead of the vessel on a high resolution and daylight viewable LCD matrix. Digital depth and shallow alarm setting are also displayed.
It can show the seabed eight to ten times the depth ahead when on a flat muddy bottom (e.g. river or estuary) on our most basic units, however on our new 3d forward sonar we are now often seeing up to twenty times the depth ahead. This ratio increases to higher figures if the seabed shoals upward, and more than this for a large target. Rocky bottoms give especially strong reflections and hard vertical surfaces like quay walls or coral reefs will often be seen at 150m or more.
In the vertical plane the FLS scans through 90 degrees from straight ahead to straight down.
The FLS is not designed to be a fish finder, it is a collision avoidance device. In reality it does pick up larger fish and sometimes shoals of smaller fish.

Dolphins show up well and some owners use the FLS to tell the foredeck crew when the anchor is about to break the surface!
We offer you the following 3 EchoPilot models:

EchoPilot 2D (bidimensionals)

  • EchoPilot FLS 2D Professional
  • EchoPilot FLS Platinum (video)

EchoPilot 3D (tridimensional)
  • EcoPilot FLS 3D (video)

The 2D and 3D "Video" versions are equipped with a video connection that allows the system to be integrated with any display of any brand with composite video or S-video input.
As a result, instead of adding the EchoPilot display to your console, you will be able to use the multifunction displays of electronic systems already on board.

The FLS system scans in a vertical plane 90 degrees in front of the boat. With the transducers we offer, the range of EchoPilot systems is up to 200 meters in front of the boat and 100 meters below the boat. The nominal width of the plane is 15 degrees.
The range extends according to the bottom: higher on rocky bottoms, coral reefs, docks, etc., lower on sandy or muddy bottoms.

In these cases the flow ranges from 3 to 5 times the depth, increasing up to 8 times if the seabed decreases towards the emergence (a coast or a shoal).

The installation of the transducer (two in the 3D version) is easy and similar to that of a traditional system.

Obviously it will have to be carried out in a position where the underwater turbulence will be less present, thus guaranteeing a better reading even at high speeds (motorboats).

In a sailboat the transducer is located along side of the keel, while in a stern-drive powerboat it is located just forward of the marine gear. Finally in a motor boat with a propeller shaft and rudder, just forward of the engine.

The inclination of the transducer (caused by the inclination of the hull) must not exceed 5 degrees: in the negative case compensation wedges are used.

For safety reasons, the transducer is designed to break cleanly in the event of an impact with an object while the body will remain in place and will not allow water to enter.

Although the EchoPilot was designed as a collision avoidance system, it is capable of detecting large fish and schools. Dolphins are clearly spotted and many owners use EchoPilot to check when the anchor is bottoming.
Componenti EchoPilot
Schema installazione EchoPilot Platinum Video
Trasduttore Profesional EchoPilot
EchoPilot is the system that make the most active safety during your coast-sailing
Please, do not confiuse it with imitations....
Practical Boat Owner Verdict Test - March 2016
Click-on to enlarge
EchoPilot Videos
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F&B Yachting SAS
Porto Turistico, 7
16033 Lavagna (GE) - Italy
Tel (+39) 0185 199 0856 - Fax (+39) 0185 199 0925
VAT nr: IT 01479370999
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COPIRIGHT
F&B Yachting SAS
Porto Turistico, 7
16033 Lavagna (GE) - Italy
Tel (+39) 0185 199 0856 - Fax (+39) 0185 199 0925
PI: IT 01479370999
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