Simrad SX90 Sonar update adds audio output

20 February 2009

A new software update for Simrad’s flagship SX90 Sonar introduces audio output, enhanced noise filtering and a number of minor software fixes. The new software is flagged as an important update by Simrad and is available free of charge from Simrad dealers. Once installed, users need only to connect a pair of powered speakers to the SX90 computer to take full advantage of the new audio functionality.

The Simrad SX90 is a low frequency, high-definition, long range sonar. It uses two high-end computers to process data from the transducer, making it the most powerful Simrad sonar ever released. It is also the most powerful professional commercial sonar on the market today, which is reflected in the fact that over 110 SX90s have been sold in the past year. Though an excellent performer at shorter range, the Simrad SX90 sonar is specially designed for vessels where long range detection is important, so the addition of audio output will enable skippers and crew to listen for echo returns as opposed to constantly keeping watch on the sonar screen.

“We had audio output on the Simrad SP60, SP70 and SP90 sonars so users who have upgraded to SX90 to benefit from the enhanced performance of the new model have eagerly been awaiting this functionality,” comments Mads Dahl, Sales Director, Simrad. “The audio in a sonar contains as much information as the visual depiction, so for experienced users the addition of sound to the SX90 adds a whole level of detail that will help improve catch efficiency.”

The new SX90 software update also enhances the noise filter functionality by adding a post integrator, which improves the clarity of the on-screen images. With the update applied, noise filtering will take place on each individual receiver channel (as before) and also after beam forming. The noise filter offers three settings; weak, which does not effect targets, medium, which is suitable for detecting schools of fish and strong, which is recommended for users experiencing a problem with noise.

Find out more about the SX90 and Simrad’s range of sonar, echosounder and catch monitoring solutions at simrad.com.