Humminbird Side Imaging Forums
Search and Rescue => Search and Rescue => Topic started by: sonar2000 on January 04, 2012, 03:02:48 PM
-
This was posted in another general topic but I wanted to also put in the Search and Rescue topic.
Sonar for use in search and recovery is very much dependent on the situation and environment.
In SAR there is not a one unit that fits all needs. Every sonar type has it good points and its not so good points. The points determine the usefulness of the unit in play at the particular time.
It is also the operator who determines the usefulness of any given unit. The devices will power up right out of the box but setting up and using with knowledge only comes with experience thru usage.
SAR is demanding on the presence or absence of a target which represents the item of interest.
To run a sonar scan and say there is no target there and then to have the target float thereafter does not do anything for the family or requester of the scan search.
A sonar user has to come away from a mission knowing that they have used appropriate devices that will display the target they are looking for.....and to locate the target or say with a very high degree of experience that the target is not in the area.
Search and sonar are completely different from mapping or fishing.
Budgets for SAR teams often do not allow for high end units and as I said every unit has good and bad points so having a high end does make it the best.
It is the operator who knows what the unit is capable of and once reaching the limits knows when to call for the more capable device and not overlook the important object.
HB makes a good device, Lowrance makes a good device, Garmin makes a good device, MST, JW Fisher, Kongsberg and other highend devices make good devices, sector scan has its capabilities, but each has a place for which it is effective.
Again for SAR we are there to find that which is missing regardless of who the device/user is..or to be able to say with 99% accuracy the target is not within the search area.
So we, the SAR user, must know our units distinct capabilities and also when to call for addition help.
For teams with sonar units get to know your neighbors and what they have. Work on mutual aid agreements
Chuck