Pulsar acquires high resolution acoustic images of the seabed by using a rugged tow fish that can be easily operated with a water-protected deck unit and a small cable hand reel. Large areas can be surveyed efficiently, revealing small objects and underwater structures in great detail. It is ideal for search and recovery operations, underwater inspection as well as engineering and scientific surveys.

Pulsar is designed for both simple deployment and intuitive operation. The system can be operated by non-specialist personnel for quickly carrying out effective surveys. Operating within a 550 kHz to 1mHz frequency, both FM and CW pulses can be selected to optimise range and resolution for the survey task.

The system is delivered with a dedicated software package to be run on a laptop computer connected via Ethernet to the deck unit. It allows the user to plan and conduct the survey and acquire sonar data with embedded positioning information. The data can be processed, visualised and interpreted in the software package and exported in industry standard formats to third party packages for further use. It can also be provided with a dedicated version of Chesapeake’s SonarWiz acquisition software.