FarSounder

FarSounder’s dynamic technology is based on a combination of advanced acoustics and signal-processing techniques, proven phased array sonar design, and all combined with our team’s innovative approach to sonar system design. We push the boundaries of what is possible in the exploration of the world’s oceans and waterways. We tackle our work in a fundamentally different way than other sonar technologies have developed. Not all sonars accomplish the level of complexity that the FarSounder Argos Series does. FarSounder's navigation systems are the only products capable of generating a true, 3-dimensional image ahead of a vessel at navigationally significant ranges at each ping of the sonar.

When used as a navigation device in shallow water, other 2D technologies often fall short of being effective navigation tools. These systems are very good at finding the range and bearing to a single target in deep water. However, by definition, there are targets at every range and bearing in shallow water. Those 2D systems cannot distinguish between the safe seafloor and the dangerous in-water obstacle through depth measurement. They must rely on visual cues to guess whether or not the obstacles are located in the water column or on the seafloor. The need for visual cues forces those 2D systems to have a very high horizontal angular resolution. Unfortunately, this causes the systems to require many listening channels and requires a footprint for the receive array or lens aperture that is very long in terms of wavelengths. This long aperture requirement drives the systems to a higher frequency which in turn excludes them from long-range capabilities.