SounderSuite Software FAQ

Below is list of frequently asked questions about our SounderSuite Software Package. If you have a question and you do not see it answered here, please contact us.

  1. What is the SounderSuite software package?
  2. What are the system requirements for the SounderSuite package?
  3. Do I need software to control a 320B Series Echosounder?
  4. What kind of files will a 320 Series echosounder record?
  5. How do I display and print the data I have recorded?
  6. What is the format of the ASCII data files?
  7. What is the format of the binary echogram files produced by EchoControl?
  8. Why does the SCSI record include the entire echogram?
  9. Why SCSI?
  10. How do I configure the serial ports?
  11. What is the SerialControl program?
  12. What is the SerialUpgrade program?
  13. Can I configure the COM3 serial output?
  14. Can I control and operate the echosounder through COM3 instead of SCSI?
  15. How is GPS data recorded?
  16. Can raw input strings from GPS, heave, NMEA or other sensors be recorded as received?
  17. How is heave data recorded?

1. What is the SounderSuite software package?

Knudsen SounderSuite is the free software provided for controlling and recording the data from Knudsen 320 series echosounders. It includes EchoControl for sounder control, data display and data recording as well as PostSurvey for viewing and printing of data after your survey. All 320B Series echosounder come standard with the full SounderSuite software package. 320M and 320MP users receive the "lite" version, which includes only SerialControl and SerialUpgrade, but may purchase the 320M SCSI upgrade which includes a SCSI adapter, updated firmware and the full SounderSuite package.

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2. What are the system requirements for the SounderSuite software package?

The system requirements for the SounderSuite software package is as follows:

Operating System: Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows 98
Windows 98 SE
Windows NT 4.0
Windows Millennium Edition (ME)
Computer: Pentium 233 MHz (or greater)
128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended)
20 MB Free Disc Space (Programs Only, Data Extra)
SCSI Adapter (Included)
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3. Do I need software to control the 320B?

Yes. The 320B series echosounders come with SounderSuite, a software package of programs for control and recording of data files. These programs communicate with the echosounder through a SCSI-2 interface (EchoControl) or a RS232 interface (SerialControl, SerialUpgrade). PostSurvey, the program for displaying and printing recorded data, does not need an echosounder or SCSI adapter to be installed on the system. The EchoControl program provides access to all of the normal echosounder control functions (such as gain, power, range and phase etc.) through a graphical user interface familiar to Windows users. EchoControl also provides a scrolling, real-time echogram image presentation similar to the printed record on conventional echosounders.

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4. What kind of files will a 320 Series echosounder record?

The EchoControl program, used to control the echosounder, will record files in Binary "echogram" files (.keb) and fully configurable ASCII data files (.kea). SEG-Y and XTF recording is also available on request for most frequencies. The EchoControl program can record all 4 data file types simultaneously allowing the user a wide range of options for interacting with third party survey software.

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5. How do I display and print the data I have recorded?

The PostSurvey program will read echogram data from .keb files, .sgy files and .xtf files recorded by EchoControl. PostSurvey also allows users to print the data to any Windows printer including ink-jet printers and laser printers.

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6. What is the format of the ASCII data files?

The ASCII file format is user configurable. One record is written to disk for each ping. Each record is an ASCII character string consisting of comma-delimited data fields. Each record is terminated with CR, LF. The EchoControl program includes a control box which permits the user to select the data fields to be included in this record, from a list of more than 20 choices. These include typical data such as the digitized depth values for both frequencies, latitude and longitude (if the echosounder is connected to a GPS receiver), heave (if a heave sensor is connected) and time. Other choices include a user-defined preamble string, record number, sound speed, and draft. For more information, please see the Serial Output Descriptor document in our downloads section.

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7. What is the format of the binary echogram files produced by Echo Control?

The binary echogram files contain the raw SCSI data records as transferred from the echosounder. The EchoControl program transfers one SCSI data record with each ping. Each record contains a complete echogram (the 3200-byte envelope of the received acoustic signal) for each frequency, plus several dozen bytes of additional information, including digitized depth values, control settings, latitude and longitude, time, and heave, up to a possible maximum of 67?? bytes/ping. The details of this format are available to users. This format can be stored in a compressed format if storage space is limited. Compression can cut the overall record size by 1/3 or more.

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8. Why does the SCSI record include the entire echogram?

For two reasons. First, it permits EchoControl to present a scrolling echogram image, in a Window, which is functionally equivalent to the printed record of a conventional echosounder. Second, it gives the user the option of recording the echogram data to disk, so that a hard-copy record can be printed later.

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9. Why SCSI ?

Serial RS232 cannot support the data rate required for the echogram data at high ping rates.

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10. How do I configure the serial ports?

Two alternatives. The EchoControl (SCSI interface) program permits the user to assign devices (i.e., heave sensors, GPS receivers, etc.) to serial ports (COM1, COM2 and COM4) and to set baud rates and communications parameters. The second alternative is to use the SerialControl program.

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11. What is the SerialControl program?

SerialControl is a program which provides a small subset of the functions of the EchoControl program (i.e., the serial port configuration functions), but which differs from EchoControl in that it communicates with the echosounder via RS232 instead of SCSI. One of the PC's serial ports must be connected to COM3 of the echosounder in order to use the SerialControl program. The SCSI port does not need to be connected to use SerialControl.

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12. What is the SerialUpgrade program?

SerialUpgrade is a program included with all Knudsen echosounders which allows a user to install firmware upgrades through a serial (COM) interface. These upgrades can be sent via the web, email or CD-ROM. These upgrades can also be performed with EchoControl.

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13. Can I configure the COM3 serial output?

Yes. The same ASCII record formatting capability described in question 5 above is available for the COM3 output data. The record format can be configured with EchoControl (through the SCSI port) or with SerialControl through COM3 itself.

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14. Can I control and operate the echosounder through COM3 instead of SCSI?

Yes, but the utility is currently limited to controlling the sounder; it cannot support depth logging in any form. In fact, the depth logging output on COM3 should be disabled to ensure proper communications while using the SerialControl as a controlling application.

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15. How is GPS data recorded?

All GPS latitude and longitude values received by the echosounder are converted to 64-bit double precision floating point values upon receipt, and are stored internally in this form. Binary envelope records include latitude and longitude in this 64-bit format. ASCII data files may also include latitude and longitude fields (if selected by the operator), in the form of ASCII strings denoting degrees, minutes, and fractions of minutes to six decimal places.

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16. Can raw input strings from GPS, heave, NMEA or other sensors be recorded as received?

No and yes. The EchoControl program does not have this capability at present, although it will probably be added at some point in the not too distant future. The COM3 serial output can be programmed to retransmit properly terminated ASCII strings received on other COM ports (Loop through). These strings are interleaved with the serial output data strings produced by the echosounder, on a first come, first serve basis.

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17. How is the heave data recorded?

Heave (using the TSS sign convention) is one of the parameters included with each ping in the SCSI data record, and recorded to disk as binary envelope data. It is also one of the parameters available for incorporation into the ASCII data records and the COM3 serial output data.

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