Norsk
At the annual fishing exhibition in Iceland, the Icelandic Fisheries Exhibition, FURUNO Norway shared a booth with Brimrúm. There were great expectations for the new trawl sonar TS-337A. The revolutionary TS-337A is a full round-beam sonar. The Omni picture is updated 360 ° in less than 1 second. The underwater unit has no moving parts, which will keep the maintenance costs to a minimum.
In an interview, skipper Larus Grímsson compares innovation of trawl sonar with the revolution we had when we went from scanning sonar to round-beam sonar. He says the following:
"When the old sonar (scanning sonar) was used, it scanned with approx. 5-degree intervals. These sonars used 2-3 minutes to scan around 360 degrees. It could use more time depending on the selected scale. Since this was very time consuming, the fish had often moved when the signal arrived. Most skippers solved this by searching with 45 degrees back and forth on both sides. This proceeding also used its time, which in turn could lead to frustration and annoyance. Naturally it was a revolution when the first Omni sonar was launched; it could cover 360 degrees in one ping. With this, the skipper received a large amount of information, which made it easier to act".
Grímsson continues..." All Icelandic vessels engaged in pelagic trawling per day use a trawl sonar, which is built on the same principle as the old scanning sonars. It can be difficult and frustrating to wait for information when trawling near the bottom and / or om uneven ground, especially where ground conditions are unknown. Now with the new Omni trawl sonar, where you get updated information continually, this will change. The skippers will now see the whole opening of the trawl: head rope, foot rope and the sides. Further, they will get information about the opening of the trawl and whatever passing by. This is a whole new world and a huge advantage!"
The underwater units which are used to day demands a certain amount of maintenance costs. The TS-337As underwater unit has no moving parts, which naturally leads to reduced maintenance costs. It will be fun to watch what changes this innovation leads up to". That was the last words from skipper Larus Grímsson at the Icelandic Fisheries Exhibition.
The exhibition was a great success for the FURUNO Norge and TS-337A. We displayed new recording of TS-337A from the fishing vessel Christina E, they did not need any further explanation! William Þorsteinsson EA-11 is one of the flagships at the Icelandic fleet and it is the fist icelandic vessel to get the TS-337A installed. They already have a trawl sonar, but want to try TS-337A side by side with their existing trawl sonar. "An article about TS-337A was publiched in Iceland's largest newspaper Morgunblaðið, we were interviewed on the radio, and even our competitors visited the stand 1, 2 and 3 times to get a demonstration of the TS-337A. Our understanding is that there are several who whishes for a trawl sonar TS-337A this Christmas, "says sales manager Gunnar's son after the successful exhibition in Reykjavik.