For over 55 years, JW Fishers has specialized in the design and manufacture of underwater search equipment for commercial, military, police, fire and rescue, and search applications worldwide. It is an industry and brand leader in customer support and reliable equipment that it pays to own! Not only is JW Fishers’ equipment reasonably priced but the JWF team works hard with each individual operator to identify the solution that best fits their mission requirements.
JW Fishers’ diverse product line includes diver-held and boat-towed metal detectors, marine magnetometers, underwater camera systems, ROVs, cable trackers, acoustic pingers, a pinger receiver, sector scan sonars and side scan sonars. In particular, JWF’s sonar systems, ROVs and its award-winning hand-held metal detectors are a hit amongst military, police, fire and rescue teams.
In 2023 JW Fishers’ ROV line gets a major upgrade with the SeaLion-3. The newest ROV continues JW Fishers’ heritage of value and innovation with twice as many thrusters for horizontal movement, and is twice as powerful as its predecessor. The four vectored thrusters allow horizontal motion in any direction, and the ability to rotate-in-place. Vertical power is also increased, with three thrusters for diving and lifting. The unique vertical thruster placement also provides the ability to adjust pitch and trim of the ROV. The SeaLion-3 is depth rated to 1000ft with the option of up to 1500ft of tether.
The SeaLion-3 has two full-HD video cameras and recording capability. The front camera is a pan/tilt camera while the auxiliary camera can be manually positioned anyway the operator deems necessary with both being controlled from the convenient USB gamepad controller or the touchscreen monitor. The new topside console has two monitors for viewing and controlling the ROV. The video monitor is a large 15in screen for viewing the 1080p videos from either the front or rear camera, or both using the picture-in-picture functionality. Sensor readings and navigation information can also be displayed on either screen. A semi-translucent graphical overlay, which can be toggled on/off, shows ROV critical operational data, such as heading, depth and water temperature. When using the control monitor the end user has an intuitive user experience with a touch interface, a ‘dashboard’ page for top level telemetry information, dark/light colour themes and a screen that gives an overview of ROV operation, including power information, ROV heading and component status. Either camera can be recorded to the internal storage allowing playback with the option to export to other USB devices. The solid-state internal storage can record over 200 hours of HD video. The SeaLion-3 has a full complement of sensors and attachments: an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a depth and water temperature sensor, front and rear high-intensity LED lighting, altitude sensor, an optional gripper attachment and optional sonar. The advanced IMU and depth sensor on the SeaLion-3 allow for automated ‘hold’ modes of operation, during which the ROV can maintain its own depth or altitude, and magnetic compass heading, without operator control. The operator can concentrate on driving and searching with the ROV, without having to worry about maintaining depth, heading or other navigational concerns.
To fit the varied requirements of military units and public safety agencies, Fishers’ ROVs are available with an extensive list of options which allow it to be tailored to the mission. Options for the system include a manipulator arm, RMD-1 metal detector and sector-scanning sonar (SCAN-650).
The SCAN650 scanning sonar not only works on an ROV but can also be used very effectively as a stand-alone search system. Military units and law enforcement agencies are using scanning sonar in their underwater search operations to find drowning victims, sunken vessels and submerged vehicles. One key advantage of scanning sonar is its ability to produce a ‘picture’ of the underwater environment, even in zero visibility. Using this sonar dramatically reduces the exposure time of divers in sometimes frigid or dangerous waters. One of the reasons for choosing scanning sonar instead of a towed system is its significantly lower cost, although it is not as effective for searching large areas. This can be a powerful argument for small teams working on a limited budget. While the scanning sonar system requires a stationary deployment, this is often an advantage over the larger towed sonar systems.
Fishers’ offers two different towed side scan sonar systems. JW Fishers’ 450/900kHz side-scan sonar system is the next generation in the widely used sonar line introduced in 2022. The system offers the popular CHIRP technology at a fraction of the cost of the competition. Building on over 30 years of sonar experience, Fishers’ CHIRP sonar offers the end user benefits over the conventional sonar such as longer-range operation and increased resolution.
Side scan sonar is one of the most effective tools for underwater exploration because it can search a large area quickly and produce a detailed picture of anything on the bottom or in the water column, regardless of the water clarity. When looking at a side-scan image it appears as if the water ‘has been removed’ and the operator is getting an unobstructed view of the ocean floor, lake bottom, or riverbed. High-resolution images are sent from the towfish to a topside, ruggedized laptop for display and storage. Fishers SONAR VIEW 2 software gives the operator complete control over the side scan’s operating parameters, offering ease of use and added features not previously seen with the original SONAR VIEW software, while still allowing various scan ranges and colour schemes. The updated software offers an easy-to-use interface with enhanced touchscreen functionality. With included GPS positioning hardware, coordinates are automatically captured in the data. All files are stored in the industry-standard XTF format for viewing and playback. The standard system comes with 150ft of Kevlar-reinforced cable, a towfish that easily fits into a watertight case (included), a Microsoft Surface tablet mounted in the control box lid, system control box and newly updated SONAR VIEW 2 software.
The popular JW Fishers SSS-600kHz analogue system is available as a more economical sonar system and will still provide the images that have made this best-selling unit popular for the last decade.
Once a target area is narrowed and a dive team must be deployed, there is no better tool for mission success than one of Fisher’s hand-held metal detectors, either the Pulse 8X or the SAR-1 detector. The Pulse 8X is JW Fishers’ leading underwater metal detector and has been an industry leader for the past 32 years! JW Fishers’ Pulse 8X has been rated the best underwater metal detector by the US Department of Homeland Security’s SAVER programme. The System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) programme was established to assist emergency responders making procurement decisions. Located within the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, the SAVER programme conducts objective assessments and validations on commercial equipment and systems and provides those results along with other relevant equipment information to the emergency responder community. In a comparison of the eight top underwater detectors on the market, Fishers’ Pulse 8X was rated number one! The Pulse 8X comes with everything needed to search both on land and submerged underwater to a max depth of 200ft. The unit comes equipped with a land handle and telescopic extension, an underwater handle, two chargers (AC/DC), a land headset, an underwater ‘bone’ phone and a diver’s belt to hip-mount the unit if desired.
The SAR-1 underwater metal detector was introduced in 2017. This detector was purpose-built for law enforcement, military, commercial and public safety dive teams whose mission sets include locating metallic objects in low-visibility environments. The SAR-1 has a streamlined and snareless design with no external wires or cables. These features make the SAR-1 an ideal tool for work in environments containing hazards. The SAR-1’s ten ultra-bright LEDs and sensory (vibration) target indicators make this unit one of a kind. The unit has identical performance characteristics to Fishers’ popular Pulse 8X detector and necessary tool to have on every dive team.
To learn more checkout www.jwfishers.com, email info@jwfishers.com, or call (800)822-4744.
