JW Fishers to Illuminate Underwater Search Equipment in 2016
JW Fishers, USA, is introducing new features for some of its key products for 2016. Fishers' SeaOtter-2 and SeaLion-2 ROVs will now come standard with LED lights on the front and rear of the underwater vehicle. The two front lights have been upgraded from 100 watt quartz halogen bulbs to high-intensity LEDs, each producing 2,200 lumens and representing significantly more illumination than the old-style bulbs.
The intensity of the LED lights can be changed with the push of a button on the surface controller. The lighting system employs a single-source COB (chip on board) LED which emits light from a single plane eliminating problems previously experienced with the multi-LED type light source. The colour temperature of the new lights is 5000 degrees Kelvin; very close to the 5500K of natural daylight, and within the recommended range for shooting underwater video. Colours are illuminated more accurately with the LEDs than with the warm 3500K temperature of quartz halogen lights (see image). The new lighting enhances picture quality and maintains a constant colour temperature throughout the entire range of illumination intensity, something not possible with the halogen lights.
Durable
Another advantage of the LED lights is their lifespan. Quartz halogen lights require regular replacement and can be damaged if the ROV is dropped or takes a hard shock. The LED lights last virtually as long as the ROV, rarely if ever needing replacement. Fishers is also offering an upgrade to new lighting for all existing SeaOtter-2 and SeaLion-2 ROVs. The LEDs will be included on new ROVs and they will be a standard feature on the underwater video systems including the DV-1 drop video, TOV-1 towed video and DHC-1 diver-held video system.
Tablet to Replace Laptop Computer
The other addition to JW Fishers' line is an optional tablet computer for use with their sonar systems and boat-towed detectors. The Microsoft Surface 3 tablet is mounted in the lid of the equipment’s control console eliminating the need for a separate laptop computer to run the system software. Eliminating the external laptop and its connecting cables is a key advantage, another is the tablet’s high resolution and ultra bright display which makes it much easier to see even on sunny days. Having the tablet mounted in the console’s lid provides protection from the elements and makes for a cleaner, sleaker equipment package. The tablet is available with Fishers' Proton 4 magnetometer, Pulse 12 and Pulse 10 boat-towed metal detectors and will run the company’s Tracker software which displays the detector’s readout, GPS position coordinates, and the track of the boat as it moves over the search area.
The tablet can also be used with Fishers' sidescan sonar and SCAN-650 scanning sonar. When used with the sidescan, the tablet runs Fishers' Sonar View software which displays a sonar image of the bottom on each side of the boat as well as the track of the boat as it moves over the search area and the size of the area being scanned. Recorded sonar files can be overlaid onto Google maps and some other mapping programs.
Also coming in 2016 is a website with easier navigation, and lots of additional features including videos showing how to use and operate many of Fishers' underwater search systems.
