Phoenix from the ashes!

A little while back we announced that we had the ability to now check out sonar targets using camera systems however the learning curve has been steep from that point on. Ease of operation, deployment and additional boat handling requirements have been the focus and along the way we have crucified some expensive gear, parts for which we are now waiting for. As usual at Deeper Dorset we have been doing a little head scratching and whatever the situation we always learn from it. With that in mind we have now decided to build our own bespoke system using oil industry grade equipment rather than the lighter grade sports equipment we have operated so far. This equipment will be used to not only check out the sonar targets for the Hercules but for other projects we have in the pipeline. Making the best of a bad situation we decided it would be nice if we had better imagery, improved recording and archiving ability, had the capability to adjust lighting from the surface, had a better quality navigation interface, had an umbilical that can carry all the loads rather than an additional load carrying down line, had a system we could swop between boats, take anywhere, in fact the list of wants and improvements went on and on and we appear to have ticked every box. The picture shows the hub and the camera of the new system which can actually do a lot more than we require at present but gives us room to upgrade even further at a later date. All this doesn’t grow on trees and we have had to part with some other equipment to justify the expense, however our future looks firmly set in locating objects on the seabed using sonar and then checking out what they are remotely and to that end we have just upped our capability beyond our wildest dreams. Down side we have to wait 4 weeks but we have plenty of sidescan work to get on with for now.

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