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How to work with SCS900 and an OHMEX Sonarmite echosounder 

07-11-2018 16:47

This document produced by Ohmex - the supplier of the Sonarmite Echosounder, describes how to use SCS900 and th Sonarmite software together to do surveys of near shore and inland water bodies. I have also just sent an email response (copied here) for your benefit to explain how to use the SCS900 data with BC-HCE and other 3rd party software applications - I hope that you find this useful

 

Thanks

 

Alan Sharp

 

Notes sent by email to a customer

You can suck the SCS900 SPJ file into our BC-HCE application (drag and drop into a project) and that builds the Points, Lines and Surfaces as per the measured survey. You can do everything in BC-HCE or export to any one of 100 different file formats as needed. The free version of BC-HCE can be downloaded from our website - I can give you a quick show and tell on that to show you how SCS900 data can be used and transferred to other formats or be taken to Plots, Contours, Cross Sections, Profiles 3D Views, Annotated Plans as needed. You can export at any stage from BC-HCE. The free version does a lot of these things at no cost to the user.

Here is the link to the BC-HCE downloads page
Let me know if you need a Show and Tell
What I do know about the interface is that the GPS is mounted on a pole to which the Sonar is attached at the other end. The elevation difference between the GPS Head and the SOnar needs to be entered as a Target Height in SCS900. Then the Sonar measures the Depth of Water to the Sea / Lake / Riverbed - The depth is computed and stored as the SCS900 point Elevation. The Calculation is GPS Height - Target Height - Sonar Measurement = Height. Because the GPS is attached to the Boat, if there is Tidal Change, it is automatically compensated for by the GPS (no need for tide gauge etc.). SCS900 stores the data in a Work Order file which is in a folder system on the device (\Trimble SCS900 Data\ Project \ Work Orders\ Work Order Name and has a file extension .SPJ (old versions have a .GCJ). This is a proprietary Trimble File Type and can only be read by the BC-HCE application. As Steve says the SPJ / GCJ can be converted on the device to a DXF (Points and Lines) to a CSV (Points only with Code and Point Number) or to a 3D Surface Model (a .TTM) which is a Trimble Terrain Model. DXF and CSV are able to be read universally. TTm has some support in Autodesk and Bentley products as well as trimble products. the SPJ is unique to Trimble.
Importing the SPJ file into BC-HCE creates the Points, the Lines, the Boundaries etc that you have surveyed and also a 3D surface Model. The surface can be edited and contoured etc in BC-HCE.,
In SCS900 you typically run the software in "Walking Mode" or "Vehicle Mode"  - the software then asks you how often you want to record data - in the older versions of the software we supported distance moved or elevation changed settings to trigger measurement - ie on large flat areas where no elevation changes are happening - the distance moved setting would control the point recording - when you hit undulating or sloped terrain - the elevation changed kicks in to pick up the height variations. I believe that Steve and the team also implemented time as a third setting ass well. As you move the software records points automatically and when using the Sonar the Elevations as Steve says are corrected for the Depth measurements at the time of recording. If you want to record extra shots there is a record button that you can press at any time to record extra shots (over the automatic ones). All points are numbered and coded - if you want you can measure "Run Lines" and then the points are linked with 3d lines that follow the run - you would start a run at one side of the lake / harbor etc and then stop it manually at the other side, a second run is started automatiaclly with the same name and a new string number (eg RL01 RL02 etc. When you import those into BC they are 3D lines, they can be viewed in Plan or 3D and also you can view as Profiles. Data spikes can be edited out in BC-HCE as needed.
What I cannot tell you myself is how the specific installation should look and how the two programs need to be fired off when working together. What I do know is that you control and configure the sonar using Teds Sonarmite software and you control the GPS and Data Recording using the SCS900 software. There is a bit of config to do to connect the two applications together, and to connect the GPS and Sonar over Bluetooth to the controller - that I believe is captured in Teds document (enclosed) - that is on his website for download I believe. 
Hope this is helpful - sorry I cannot help on the Config side - it has been a while since I was involved on that

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Uploaded - 11-18-2020

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