Humminbird Side Imaging Forums
Other Interest => DIY - Side Scan Sonar and towfish => Topic started by: Rodondo on February 18, 2014, 09:12:34 PM
-
Hi all, I suppose introductions are in order, I’m Rodondo, first year Naval Architecture student from Southern Australia. Have been wreck hunting for many years, mainly using free-diving, naval charts and dumb luck. However, moving to one of the countries coldest areas, free-diving is out of the question and past a depth it gets dangerous. I’ve been eyeing off SS sonars for a while but lack of funds have prevented me from getting one. Finally this year I looked into how to make one myself, mind you with about as much electrical knowledge as Year-12 Physics permits, so all I know at the moment is that I’m probably need some Piezoelectric drivers and a display. The body of the tow-fish body will be no problem as I have a furniture factory at my disposal. I’m aiming for a beam that has a width of 200-400m and work in at least 40 meters .
-
Hi Rodondo
Welcome to the forum :)
Why build a sonar itself, for the range to you aspire there are enough good finished sonars. Also, there are sometimes affordable used professional equipment in www.
If you really build a sonar build yourself, then let us share it here in the forum.
mvh
Rüdiger
-
Thank you Rüdiger
Affordable being the key word ;) So far I've only found units over the 1/2 thousand AUD mark which is about double what I want to spend. (unless anyone has been hiding the cheap ones or the basic ones of which I have seen none) Hence I figure I could try the piezos myself, my main problem being interpreting that into usable data.
-
Hi Rodondo
There are only a few manufacturers of suitable piezo elements and they sell in general not singly and even not at all for a reasonable price. Here in the forum there are some specialists who would also build a better transducher (longer piezo elemets) but also, they found no piezo elements for a reasonable price.
Sorry, but I think you can build yourself a sonar not cheaper than the known you. ???
mvh
Rüdiger