New Simrad SH90 sets new standards in resolution
Simrad, one of the world’s most recognized brands within professional fishing electronics launched the new SH90 high frequency sonar at the World Fishing exhibition in Vigo, Spain, 16th – 19th September 2009. The SH90 is a tool to help improve catch efficiency as its unrivalled resolution makes difficult targets such as mackerel, tuna and fish close to the bottom far easier to detect than before.
The high frequency SH90 is a complete redesign of the highly regarded, de facto industry standard SH80 and includes new transducer, transceiver and high-power processor, as well as system signal processing software. Sophisticated features of the SH90 include; linear FM transmission, horizontal and vertical views; ‘Tip’ (tilting 180° fan shaped beam); 360° stabilization; dual mode (two sonars in one); recording and a simple, intuitive menu structure.
“In addition to improving on the popular SH80, the SH90 is based on the same platform as the SX90, which has sold over 150 units since its introduction in 2007, so we really have high expectations for it,” says Mads Dahl, Sales & Marketing Director, Simrad. “This is backed-up by positive feedback from two Norwegian fishing vessels, the ‘Sjarmør’ and ‘Magnarson’ that have been testing the SH90 during live fishing since the beginning of 2009 and more recently a successful trial aboard a Spanish tuna vessel.”
The brand new SH90 transducer is manufactured using high grade ceramics, the most efficient material on the market today for this purpose, using a technique pioneered by, and unique to Simrad within the fishing industry. Each of the 480 elements are precision tuned to the sonar’s operation frequency of 114 kHz.
The SH90 transceiver is completely redesigned with all boards coated for protection from humidity and pollution and all components the latest within ‘low power consumption technology’. It is a completely sealed unit, which allows air to circulate inside the transceiver. All of these design aspects were implemented to ensure a longer lifetime for the electronics in the harsh environments found onboard fishing vessels, therefore provide even more value to customers.
“With the launch of the SH90, we are well positioned to accommodate the growing new build market for offshore pelagic fishery. These vessels, as well as all tuna vessels carry both a high and a low frequency sonar and our goal is that a cost effective SX/SH package will become the benchmark solution in the industry for many years to come,” concludes Dahl.
Photo:
In this screen capture a school of herring has detected, and it now evaluated by the skipper. Target tracking is activated, and in the lower left corner the school’s heading, distance from the vessel, and speed is displayed. The 180° vertical view is activated, and can be seen in the lower part of the screen. The school is just lifting from the bottom, and it has a good density. This can be easily investigated due to the extreme resolution found in the Simrad SH90 sonar.
