GPS Equipment Profiles

A GPS Equipment Profile holds all of the device-specific parameters that are used during the import of GPS data. Any number of GPS Profiles can be maintained within ReefMaster, making it easy to import assets from different devices by selecting the appropriate profile during the import process.

Adding or Editing an Equipment Profile

From the Global Settings window, select the Edit button (1), next to the Default Equipment drop-down list box. A list of available profiles is shown in a new window.

To add a new profile, click the Add (+) button (2), or, to select an existing profile for editing, click the Edit button (3) within the existing profile row. To delete an existing equipment profile, click the Delete button (3) in the selected equipment profile row.

The Edit Equipment Profile window will open, either showing the existing profile that has been selected for editing, or a new profile populated with default values.

Note that the equipment profile list can also be accessed from the Import GPS Data window.

Edit Equipment Profile Window

The Edit Equipment Profile window is split into three areas, General import options, GPX and Humminbird HT file import options and Sonar log file import options.

1. General Import Options

General import options, that apply regardless of data source.

(1) Profile Name

A user-friendly name for the profile. The name is used to select the profile during the import process, so it is useful to make it descriptive.

(2) Cone Angle

The angle of the sonar beam from within which the depth is determined. This value applies to track logs, and can also be changed after import within the track edit pane.

Use the transducer cone angle specified by the source device as a starting point for this value, although as the GPS device may effectively use a narrower angle when determining depth, experimenting with smaller values may yield better results. If the source device is running multiple frequencies, use the narrower of the two cone angles.

(3) Keel Offset

This setting applies to track logs.

A fixed depth offset that is applied to all track points in the track. This depth represents the depth under the water surface of the transducer mounting position.

(4) Manufacturer

When importing waypoints from GPX files, waypoint symbols are described as text strings. ReefMaster cannot always guess the correct source of the GPX file, which could be from a number of different device manufacturers. Setting the manufacturer here helps ReefMaster translate proprietary waypoint symbol strings to the appropriate ReefMaster waypoint symbol.

This setting is only used when importing waypoints from GPX files and can be safely ignored (and left to undefined) if waypoints are not being sourced from GPX files, or if the waypoint symbol within ReefMaster is not of concern.

(5) Unicode Humminbird waypoint and track names

Check this option if you are using a Japanese of Korean Humminbird unit, which store track and waypoint strings differently to Western language units. Do not check this option if you are not running an Asian Humminbird unit.

2. GPS and Humminbird HT file import options

Regular Trackpoint Interval

This setting only applies to track logs that are imported from GPX or Humminbird™ Track (.HT) files.

Some devices do not record the time offset of each individual track point within a track log, but instead log track points at specific time intervals. Humminbird is an example of a manufacturer who records tracks in this way.

When sourcing track log data from a source that uses regular track point spacing, check the Regular Trackpoint Interval option and enter the known track point spacing, which is configurable on the GPS/Sounder source device. It is important that the correct value is used during import in order to assign the correct relative times to the track points within the track log.

See Importing GPS Data for further discussion on the importance of track point timing and some of the potential difficulties in obtaining correct track point times.

3. Sonar log file import options

Sonar log file import options are applied only when importing Lowrance or Humminbird sonar log files.

(1) Use slg2txt.exe for SL2 and SLG files (Lowrance specific)

By default, ReefMaster imports Lowrance™ SLG and SL2 directly. If ReefMaster fails to import an SL2 or SLG file, set this option to true, so that slg2txt.exe is also used when importing SL2 files. Note that slg2txt.exe can fail to import some SL2 files generated with late model Lowrance™ units.

(2) Using Lowrance™ Elite 7 (Lowrance specific)

SL2 files generated by the Lowrance™ Elite 7 running certain firmware versions have an error whereby latitude and longitude values are reversed. Check this option if imported SL2 tracks contain clearly inaccurate (or missing) latitude and longitude values. This option simply swaps the latitude and longitude values of each track point.

(3) Water salt/fresh and temperature (Humminbird specific)

ReefMaster needs to be able to accurately determine the speed of sound in water in order to locate track-points correctly within the Humminbird sonar view. It is important to correctly select between salt and fresh water, and also that the temperature is reasonably accurate. Within a normal operating temperature range, the salinity of the water makes a bigger difference to the speed of sound than temperature. Results will be acceptable so long as the temperature is set to within a few degrees.

It is important to set these options correctly when importing data for use in the bottom composition module.

(4) Transducer location offset

Sets the position of the transducer relative to the GPS antenna. ReefMaster uses the relative transducer location in conjunction with the current heading in the sonar log to adjust the position of track-points during import. The location can be one of Forward or Aft and Port or Starboard of the GPS antenna. The distance is specified in either metres or feet, depending on the current global units setting. The specified direction and distance is of the transducer relative to the GPS antenna. e.g. if the transducer is behind, and to port of the GPS puck (or GPS unit, if the antenna is internal), the specify aft and port, and enter the appropriate distances into the distance fields.

4. Bottom composition import options

Bottom composition import options apply to tracks imported from sonar log files, when the bottom composition module is installed. See bottom composition.

(1) Scale

Multiplier applied to calculated bottom composition values.

(2) Offset

Offset applied to calculated bottom composition values.

Scale and offset parameters can be useful for calibrating tracks recorded using different sounder units or transducers. If all data is being imported from a single source, then these values should not be changed from their default values of 1.0 and 0.