New Simrad fishfinders for pros

The new Simrad S2009 and S2016 with Simrad CHIRP technology are “stand alone” fishfinder systems designed to be used as dedicated displays or in conjunction with a Simrad navigation network.  

The units are compatible with a wide range of transducer options and offer flexible frequency selections, adjustable ping speeds, outstanding depth penetration and vertical heave adjustment, according to Simrad.

The Simrad S2009 and S2016 are built to meet the tough working environment of fishing vessels with both tough bracket and flush-mount watertight installation options meeting IPX7 water-resistance from all sides.

The Fishfinders are operated by an integrated keypad and rotary dial with direct-access menu keys located along the side of the display that provide intuitive control of on-screen menu options. The reliable large buttons are suitable for use in rough seas, while travelling at speed and with wet or gloved hands.

The 9” (S2009) has a portrait 480 x 800-pixel display for maximum vertical detail and a high-brightness display ideal for outside installation. Its portrait orientation is well suited to fishing applications, displaying the water column with a high level of vertical detail. 

The 16” (S2016) has a 1366 x 768-pixel high-definition (15.6” diagonal widescreen) landscape display with an HDMI output for mirrored secondary screen. The combination of excellent vertical detail and a lengthy on-screen echosounder history reduces the operator’s need to zoom or scroll, while allowing easy backtracking to promising fishing areas.  

"Our engineers have developed technically advanced CHIRP Fishfinders with large stunning displays while keeping the price point and traditional feature set often requested from our customers. This makes these products both innovative, compelling and competitive," said Jose Herrero, MD Simrad Commercial Division.

Both fishfinders include an integrated single-channel Broadband Sounder module with plug-and-play transducer port, compatible with Simrad and Airmar transducers equipped with blue 7-pin connectors. Adapters are available to allow easy and cost-effective retrofit of existing Simrad, Airmar, and other third-party transducers.

The S2009 and S2016 include CHIRP technology, which utilises frequency-swept sonar pulses to deliver higher resolution, improved target separation, and greater image clarity than traditional sonar at all depth ranges. Simrad technology makes CHIRP available not only on special-purpose CHIRP transducers, but also via traditional single-frequency transducers.

Vessels with a suitable transducer already installed can add CHIRP technology simply by installing an S2000-series Fishfinder, offering an extremely cost-effective way to upgrade their marine technology.

In rough conditions, the vertical heave compensation eliminates the vertical effects of wave action from sonar depth measurements, enhancing the accuracy and consistency of bottom tracking when connected to a compatible NMEA 2000® satellite compass such as the Simrad HS60 or HS70 providing real-time heave data.

Users can also quickly and easily adjust the on-screen image to clearly separate the water column from the bottom with a high-contrast white line, for enhanced bottom visibility. User-selected colours from the Fishfinder image can also be replaced with high-contrast white, highlighting specific sonar echoes corresponding to fish or other targets of interest. Further colour adjustments can eliminate unwanted noise or unimportant features from the display.

The S2009 and S2016 include Ethernet connectivity to share sonar data with other Simrad systems including NSO evo2 and NSS evo2 multifunction displays. They may also be used as a dedicated Fishfinder display for NSS evo2 systems, receiving sonar data from an NSS evo2 display’s built-in Broadband Sounder. Other devices may be networked via the S2009’s NMEA 2000® and NMEA 0183 ports, enabling additional functionality such as waypoint marking and sharing with compatible devices.

The S2009 and S2016 are capable of recording sonar history to a full-sized SD memory card these sonar logs may be used with Insight Genesis to create custom fishing charts, or BioBase GIS software to create detailed aquatic bathymetric and vegetation maps for survey and research purposes.

Systems will begin shipping to customers in late Q1’ 2016 with a recommended retail price of $1399 AUD (including GST) for the S2009, and $3999 AUD for the S2016. More at www.navico.com/commercial.