Thousands of Powerboats and Sailboats for sale

RINGWOOD, HAMPSHIRE UK, January 5, 2006 - Electronics manufacturer EchoPilot announced today that its unique line of real time forward looking sonar (FLS) products is now available from leading US retailer West Marine.

The first EchoPilot FLS model was launched in 1992 and there are now thousands in use worldwide. "Real time" means that the FLS does not gradually build up the picture like a phased array sonar, instead the FLS both scans the whole forward view and updates the screen several times a second. An obstruction ahead of the boat will show on the screen, if the boat turns to another heading with no target ahead then the FLS. screen will immediately show clear water ahead. Information displayed is not historical, as is the case with all digital sounders and fish finders, instead it is real time.

The FLS displays a two dimensional profile of the sea bed beneath and ahead of the vessel on a high resolution and daylight viewable LCD matrix. Digital depth and shallow alarm setting are also displayed. The addition of an optional log transducer leads to speed and log data being shown on the screen.

The West Marine catalog and online store feature EchoPilot's Gold, Silver & Bronze FLS units, and the EchoPilot Wreckfinder.

EchoPilot FLS Gold is a result of many years development. The display may be switched to show GPS data (from almost any GPS), including all Waypoint information, forward sonar display or a combination of both. NMEA0183 the world marine industry standard protocol interface allows the instrument to output speed and depth to other instruments or if appropriate to receive and display it. The Gold screen is also the largest that can be fitted in the case. Simple selection of range in use is by pressing the up or down buttons. The shortest range for maximum detail in shallow water is 20m ahead x 10m down (60' x 30') and the longest is 150m ahead x 75m down (450' x 225').

EchoPilot FLS Silver is a full function Forward Looking Sonar designed for the skipper who wants performance without complication. This system is good in sunlight, darkness and (more difficult) badly lit situations. The Silver screen is also the largest that can be fitted in the case. Like the FLS Gold, the shortest range for maximum detail in shallow water is 20m ahead x 10m down (60' x 30') and the longest is 150m ahead x 75m down (450' x 225').

EchoPilot FLS Bronze has all the benefits of real-time forward-looking sonar in a flush-mount waterproof case no larger then an old-fashioned digital flasher sounder. This unit "sees" in a full arc of 90°, from straight ahead to straight down with a right to left cone angle of 18°. Maximum forward range of 300' and a vertical depth capability of 150'.

EchoPilot Wreckfinder works in both forward and sidescan modes, so that at any time the boat is moving it can be searching for wrecks. The presence of a wreck under the boat is shown by a high reading on the confidence bar chart. If the Wreckfinder is interfaced with a GPS then it will automatically store the GPS position of the last 10 wrecks located. The heart of the Wreckfinder is the "classifier", which looks for 10 different features within the echo signal.

For more information about EchoPilot products, please visit http://www.echopilot.com/.