Power, Pulse Width and Gain are the main controls that determine the quality of data.
Power is the source level, in dB, or amplitude of the transmit pulse. The Sonic 2022, 2024 and 2026 have a range from 191dB-221dB. The Sonic 2020 range is 177dB-207dB.
Pulse Width is the period of time that the pulse is transmitted. Pulse width and Power work together to create the total power envelope that is transmitted into the water. Although the pulse width can be set to 15μsec, we recommend a minimum pulse width of 20μsec.
Gain sets the sensitivity of the receiver. Much like a volume control, Gain ranges from 1-45, each step representing 2dB of gain.
The key is to have sufficient power going into the water so that the gain can be kept low so as not to amplify noise in the water. However, too much power or too long a pulse width can overdrive the receiver and cause poor data quality. It’s a balancing act between sufficient power, but not too much, and low gain.