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, 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 (1), or, to select an existing profile for editing, click the Edit button (2) within the existing profile row. To delete an existing equipment profile, click the Delete button (2) 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

1. General Import Options

General import options, that apply regardless of data source include a name for this profile and a fixed keel offset that will be applied to imported track logs.

Note that keel offset increases depths by the specified amount, and can be viewed as "transducer depth". This value can also be edited in the track edit window after import.

2. GPS and Humminbird HT Options

Set a fixed track-point interval here if importing from Humminbird HT files. HT files record data points at a fixed time interval, which can be set within the Humminbird unit. ReefMaster needs to know this interval in order to correctly determine the time of each data point. Note that the time of data points is only really necessary when adjusting track point depths using a time-variable tide offset.

Some GPX formats also do not include explicit times for track-points, so the value entered here can be used.

3. Lowrance Options

Some firmware versions on older Lowrance units (in particular the Elite 7) had a bug where the latitude and longitude values were swapped within the sonar log file.

If positions in an imported sonar log look very wrong (e.g. in completely the wrong part of the world), try checking this option and re-importing the file. For the most part, this option should be left unchecked.

4. Humminbird Options

Water salinity and temperature

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 values correctly when importing data for use in the bottom composition or sidescan mosaic modules.

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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

Scale

Multiplier applied to calculated bottom composition values.

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.