Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Portable Hydrophone NHT With Paravane Rigging: Installation Guide
Portable Hydrophone NHT With Paravane Rigging: Installation Guide
Portable Hydrophone
NHT
with Paravane Rigging
Installation Guide
Portable Hydrophone with Paravant Rigging Installation Guide
10.0 Marport Portable Hydrophone with Paravane Overview
Marport’s portable hydrophone detects signals sent from Marport sensors found in a seine or
trawl net configuration.
There are two (2) typical deployments for Marport’s portable hydrophone – over the side, and
in a paravane. In both options, support and deployment ropes are provided by the vessel.
10.1 Deployment over the Side
Like permanently mounted hydrophones, the portable hydrophone has a directional
beamwidth. The portable hydrophone can therefore be lowered below the level of high
underwater noise and air bubbles generated by the main propeller as well as bow/stern
thrusters which can block the reception of hull mounted units.
When Seine fishing, if the seine net is located forward of the starboard beamwidth when
pursing, the following information should be taken into consideration:
1 The portable hydrophone is to be deployed over the port side of the vessel, amidships,
as far away from bow or stern thruster(s) as possible.
2 When pursing to starboard the hydrophone is typically lowered over on the port side of
the vessel.
This is opposite to that of a permanently mounted unit.
3 The hydrophone cable should be made fast to the vessel’s bulwark.
10.2 Paravane Arrangement and Rigging
Marport’s portable hydrophone has a broad coverage area and so its orientation in regard to
the sensors mounted on the net is not critical. Weighing approximately 700 grams (in salt
water), it can be mounted on a towed paravane with a weight attached. This arrangement is
suitable for smaller vessels and is designed to draw the hydrophone down approximately ten
(10) to fifteen (15) metres deep while being towed at a moderate speed (four [4] knots
maximum).
30
Portable Hydrophone with Paravant Rigging Installation Guide
Figure 16 ‐ Paravane
Figure 17 ‐ Paravane – Rigging example Figure 18 ‐ Paravane – Side View with rigging
10.3 Paravane Deployment
Paravane installations require a boom or gantry capable of towing the hydrophone a minimum
of four (4) to five (5) metres outboard of the vessel. This distance is important to avoid
interference caused by main propeller turbulence. Should a portable hydrophone be towed in
the wake of a vessel, its range will be severely reduced due to main propeller wash, which is
saturated with air bubbles. Net Monitoring Systems incorporating hydrophones towed in the
wake of a vessel can be expected to function poorly.
Figure 19 displays a paravane as it is viewed from the vessel stern. Figure 20 displays a towed
hydrophone mounted in a paravane.
31
Portable Hydrophone with Paravant Rigging Installation Guide
Figure 19 – Paravane view from stern Figure 20 ‐ Portable Hydrophone mounted in
paravane
Figure 21 is an illustration of a vessel towing a portable hydrophone in a paravane. It can be
seen that the depth of the paravane keeps the hydrophone below the turbulence.
Figure 21 – Vessel towing a portable hydrophone in a paravane
10.4 Portable Hydrophone Storage
Marport’s portable hydrophone and cable must never be left on the deck unattended when not
in use. When storing, observe the following precautions:
1 Clean the hydrophone (and paravane) with fresh water after each use.
2 Examine the hydrophone cable for indications of chafe after each use.
3 Avoid sharp edges which could damage the hydrophone cable.
4 Never knot, twist or kink the hydrophone cable.
32