Utilizing Triple Beam Sonar with the Garmin Panoptix PS70

What is Triple Beam Sonar used for?

Triple Beam Sonar is a new Traditional Sonar option introduced by the Panoptix™ PS70 transducer. It is a valuable tool for off-shore fisherman, as it allows greater precision when attempting to determine where fish are located in relation to the vessel.  Compared to Single Beam sonar, Triple Beam Sonar provides a Port, Center, and Starboard view that can be viewed all at once, or as part of a combo that focuses on a specific view.  In addition, each beam incorporates Garmin Rapid Return technology, providing the fastest scroll rate available.  More common sonar settings such as gain, range, and zoom are also available with Triple Beam Sonar and are shared between each beam.

Example:

In this image, Triple Beam Sonar is being utilized to view a Shipwreck.  While the majority of the target falls within the center beam, it’s still wide enough for sections to be picked up on the port and starboard beams.

How to Utilize Triple Beam Sonar

Like other Sonar options, Triple Beam Sonar has a dedicated function tile which is accessed from the Sonar category within the Home Menu of the Garmin chartplotter.  As previously mentioned, it can also be utilized as part of a combo (e.g. Nav. Chart + Triple Beam Port/Center/Starboard).

Beam Angle Adjustment

The Triple Beam Angle setting allows you to manually steer the port and starboard beams to your preference.  This is utilized if you need to angle the beams so that there is coverage at a greater distance port or starboard of the vessel than what the default setting allows, or if you need minimize any gaps created after making manual adjustments to the Triple Beam Width setting.  Note that steering the beams so that they overlap with the center beam does not provide any benefit.

Beam Width Adjustment

The Triple Beam Width setting allows you manually adjust how wide the Port, Center, and Starboard beams are.  Wider beams can provide greater coverage, but this comes at the expense of image quality, as energy is less focused on any given target.  Using thinner beams can improve image quality but the overall coverage is lessened and it’s possible to create gaps in coverage that will require a Beam Angle adjustment to cover.  Like with Beam Angle adjustments, areas of overlap created via this setting do not provide the user any benefit.

While default settings will be optimal for most users, it’s important that users desiring to make manual adjustments understand the pros and cons of each setting.  Striking the right balance between Beam Angle and Beam Width, will be key in achieving the desired results.