INTERPRETING THE ON-SCREEN INFORMATION
Figure E shows a typical view you can expect to see on-
water. New sonar information appears on the right side of the
graphic area of the display and moves to the left as new
information is displayed. The Wide Paramount automatically
selects the appropriate depth range to show the depth of
water beneath the transducer. This range is selected so that
the bottom representation is typically shown about 2/3 down
the display.
The graphic depiction of the bottom provides the user with an
effective tool for understanding the composition of the bottom.
The FSTN type display uses 4 discrete levels of gray to
indicate the intensity of the returned sonar signal. The Wide
Paramount can display even the smallest sonar returns with
light gray pixels. Larger returns are displayed with darker shades of gray. If the bottom is hard and
smooth, the bottom depiction is narrow and dense. If the bottom is soft mud or sand, the depiction will be
thick and less dense. This indicates that much of the signal is absorbed by the soft bottom. If the bottom
is rocky or rugged in composition, the depiction is of varying density and textured in appearance.
Wave action also affects the bottom depiction. Remember that the information drawn is a distance
measurement, so if the boat is moving up and down over flat bottom, the bottom depiction often appears
in regular variations which match wave timing.
Structure is defined as any object physically attached to the bottom. The sonar configuration of the Wide
Paramount is optimized to give the most accurate depiction of bottom structure possible. Grass, trees,
stumps, wrecks or other debris are accurately displayed; however, the depiction of these objects varies
with boat speed and direction. The best way to learn to interpret structure is to operate the Wide
Paramount over a variety of known conditions and experiment with user functions to best represent those
conditions on-screen.
Summary of Contents for Wide Paramount
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