Sonar System

The Geotechnical Laboratory has an MS-1000 Search and Recovery Sonar System manufactured by Kongsberg. The MS-1000 is ideally suited for independent use from a boat, is easy to use, and can be effectively deployed, operated, and recovered by a two-man team.

Unlike side-scan sonar that must be towed to obtain a readable image, scanning sonar is typically tripod-deployed and the operator has the advantage of time to interpret multiple scans of the same target at different scale ranges. Once a likely target is identified, the system can then be used – even in zero visibility – to efficiently guide a diver or ROV to any target of interest. The MS 1000 also supports the input of GPS data and automatically allows the operator to determine the real-world coordinates of any target.