The EchoPilot Silver III is a full function Forward Looking Sonar and is designed for the skipper who wants performance without complication. Many thousands of man hours have been spent testing at sea testing and developing sonar and almost as much time listening to customers needs at shows or on the phone. One of the results of the R & D is the EchoPilot Silver III.
FLS Silver II Features
- Sunlight Viewable Monochrome Display
- 150m Forward Range
- Forward Alarm
- Digital Depth
- Speed Option
We have taken great care with our choice of LCD and many days were spent comparing transmissive with transflective, cold cathode lit with electroluminescent, the result is a system which 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.
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'). Four intermediate ranges fill the gaps.
Many of our early customers loved the FLS's display of the seabed ahead, but also asked for the actual depth below too. This we now do, without adding a second vertical transducer. The software will average the left hand third of the screen (most of which is under the bow anyway) and display the mean figure in the bottom left hand corner of the screen in metres or feet.
To add speed just buy our "speed kit" of paddle wheel transducer and thru-hull fitting and a complete log with miles, trip and speed appears in the top right hand corner of the screen.
Many (vertical) depth sounder alarms are a joke, often warning you many seconds after you have gone over a hazard. The EchoPilot system allows you to alarm a section of the screen 2,4,6 or 8 metres below the transducer right up to 150m ahead. If more than a certain number of pixels light up above the alarm line the alarm sounds (on the repeater too, if fitted).
Mounting electronics on a boat can be a worry so we have tried to make it as simple as possible for you. The EchoPilot FLS Silver II is totally waterproof from the front and has a good 1/4" (6mm) flange all round to enable easy flush mounting from the front. Boat builders with routing facilities and panel manufacturers can mount from the rear to for a smart "sub flush" look.
There are two types of transducer, both available with any FLS model. The larger professional transducer has a narrower beam, which gives a more accurate representation of the seabed, although the standard transducer can appear better simply because it is collecting data from a larger area. A thick hull or one with a steep dead rise will usually require the professional transducer as the bronze skin fitting has 3" of usable thread whereas the plastic standard skin fitting has 1" thread.