SonarBell® Technology

The SonarBell® is very effective at capturing the sound energy produced by a sonar and directing a large proportion of that energy back towards the sonar.  This is important as the more energy the SonarBell® captures and reflects back at the sonar the greater the range and the clearer the target for display by the sonar.
Note, the SonarBell® does not generate energy itself nor does it draw on a power supply, it is simply an effective reflector of the energy put into the water by a sonar.
Effective Range
The Effective Range over which the SonarBell® will be seen is a function of many things including:
-The proportion of energy sent out by the sonar reflected by the SonarBell®  - a function of SonarBell® efficiency
-The overall amount of energy hitting the SonarBell® - a function of SonarBell® size
-The environmental conditions in the water – environmental noise for example
-The total amount of energy put into the water by the sonar
If we consider those aspects of performance directly influenced by the SonarBell® :
Efficiency of the SonarBell®
A typical 200mm SonarBell®  tuned for a single peak response will have a target strength of between -5 and -10db, it therefore reflects between 32% and 10% of the power that hits it depending on the specific frequency of resonance. 
Size of SonarBell®:
The bigger the SonarBell® the more energy it captures, therefore the larger the energy signal sent back to the sonar the larger the range over which it will be seen.  A 100mm SonarBell® will have a range that is about a third to a quarter that of the 200mm SonarBell®.
SonarBell® Response Bands
The response of a SonarBell®  can be tuned in terms of frequency and amplitude to deliver:
Single narrow band resonance
Multiple high strength resonance peaks
Broadband response

The SonarBell® is very effective at capturing the sound energy produced by a sonar and directing a large proportion of that energy back towards the sonar.  This is important as the more energy the SonarBell® captures and reflects back at the sonar, the greater the range and the clearer the target for display by the sonar.

Note, the SonarBell® does not generate energy itself nor does it draw on a power supply, it is simply an effective reflector of the energy put into the water by a sonar.

Effective Range

The Effective Range over which the SonarBell® will be seen is a function of several factors including:

  • The proportion of energy sent out by the sonar reflected by the SonarBell®  (a function of SonarBell® efficiency).
  • The overall amount of energy hitting the SonarBell® (a function of SonarBell® size),
  • The environmental conditions in the water (environmental noise for example),
  • The total amount of energy put into the water by the sonar.

If we consider those aspects of performance directly influenced by the SonarBell® :

Efficiency of the SonarBell®

A typical 200mm SonarBell®  tuned for a single peak response will have a target strength of between -5 and -10db it therefore reflects between 32% and 10% of the power that hits it depending on the specific frequency of resonance. 

Size of the SonarBell®

The bigger the SonarBell® the more energy it captures; thus the larger the energy signal sent back to the sonar the larger the range over which it will be seen.  A 100mm SonarBell® will have a range that is about a third to a quarter that of the 200mm SonarBell®.

SonarBell® Response Bands

The response of a SonarBell®  can be tuned in terms of frequency and amplitude to deliver:

  • Single narrow band resonance
  • Multiple high strength resonance peaks
  • Broadband response