Single beam echo sounders

Any Boat, Anywhere

CEE HydroSystems single beam echo sounders (SBES) combine survey-grade sonar performance with maximum convenience in compact, rugged, waterproof packages. Modern processors mean a survey echo sounder no longer has to be large to be accurate – so less time goes on cables, configuration and setup, and more on surveying.

From a kayak or personal watercraft to a USV or dedicated survey launch, CEE echo sounders are relied on worldwide in some of the most remote and harsh survey environments.

Choose Your Echo Sounder

Every CEE echo sounder is dual frequency capable, tracks the bottom into very shallow water, and delivers survey-grade ping rates of up to 20–30 Hz.

CEE-LINE™ HD – The smallest and lightest survey-grade echo sounder, dual frequency (200 / 33 kHz) as standard. Powered and read over a single USB cable, it plugs straight into your GNSS data collector, tablet or laptop – no batteries, no charging.

CEE ECHO™ – The perfect partner for your survey GNSS. An internal battery, 128 GB data logger and touchscreen in one IP67 case, recording a full water column echogram at up to 30 Hz with your GNSS position merged and time-stamped inside the unit.

CEESCOPE™ – The “all in one” survey system. Everything in the CEE ECHO™ plus a built-in Hemisphere, Trimble or NovAtel GNSS receiver – from submeter to centimetre RTK – with 30 Hz position and sounding data in one waterproof case.

CEESCOPE LITE™ – The CEESCOPE™ echo sounder, RTK GNSS receiver and data logger in a slim 9.2 cm IP67 enclosure, built for USVs and remote-controlled survey boats.

Data Acquisition and Software

CEE echo sounders work with all industry-standard hydrographic acquisition packages, including HYPACK®, QPS Qinsy, Beamworx and Eye4Software Hydromagic. Drivers are available to display and record the high definition full water column echogram from the CEE ECHO™ and CEESCOPE™. The CEE-LINE™ also connects to GNSS field software such as Trimble Access, Carlson SurvCE, Leica Captivate and Topcon MAGNET Field.

What Makes a Survey-Grade Single Beam Echo Sounder?

A single beam echo sounder (SBES) measures depth from the travel time of a short sonar pulse, or “ping”, sent from a transducer just below the water surface. But the sound reflects off anything in its path – fish, debris, aquatic vegetation and suspended sediment – not just the bottom.

A survey-grade echo sounder separates the true bottom from these spurious returns, and records a digital water column echogram so the surveyor can see – and prove – that every sounding is right. A basic depth sounder gives you only a number.

Frequency – 200 kHz is the standard for shallow water. Lower frequencies (24–33 kHz) travel further and penetrate loose, resuspended sediment, so a dual frequency transducer can measure the soft top layer and the undisturbed hard bottom beneath – essential on dredging surveys.

Beam width – A narrower beam ensonifies a smaller footprint, giving a more precise depth at a discrete point under the boat. Low frequency transducers have wider beams, and inexpensive depth sounders often use very wide beams that limit accuracy.

Why single beam? Compared with multibeam systems, single beam echo sounders cost far less, excel in very shallow water under 5–10 m, are quicker to edit, and can be operated by less experienced crews.

Legacy CEEDUCER™, CEEDUCER PRO™ and CEESTAR™

The CEEDUCER™, CEEDUCER PRO™ and CEESTAR™ echo sounders supplied worldwide by Bruttour International have been replaced by the current CEE HydroSystems range, for support please contact support@ceehydrosystems.com.