Live Training — Webinar Training — Video Training
Two Day On Site Hull Mounted Sonar Live Training
Sonar for SAR & Law Enforcement (16 Credit Hrs) – Train your team as sonar operators with hands-on, in-person training. Our instructor travels to your location to provide instruction in your environment, with your equipment.
This course offers clear guidelines on how to optimize your Humminbird® or other hull-mounted sonar settings, when to use which frequency and how to plan for a successful survey by providing a foundational understanding of how side imaging actually works.
Optimal data gathering is crucial to mission success but equally important is knowing how to interpret your data. We cover how to review and analyze data, both in real-time and in post-processing by teaching participants to recognize the importance of artifacts such as shadows and by using dozens of real-world sonar examples including drowning victims, autos and different bottom types.
There is no better way to learn than through hands on practice so your team spends a day in the field, during which we review lessons learned. The instructor shares best practices how to plan and carry out a survey, and collect and analyze data.
DAY 1 – Gain a deeper understanding of how sonar works, what settings are most effective under which conditions, what factors impact image quality, common pitfalls, detailed image analysis, how to set yourself up for a successful survey and why post-processing can provide an advantage. The instructor will review all the post-processing options and, for SAR HAWK® software users, can provide detailed best practice procedures.
DAY 2 – Practice what you have learned in the field and optimize settings for your environment. Our instructor helps set up relevant practice targets and provides guidance, demonstrates best practices, and shows you how to optimize search settings and identify targets. We also cover survey techniques which yield the highest quality data.
Companion Guides – Each participant receives a full-color booklet (65+ pages) with the images and charts used in the class and ample room for note-taking.
Certificates – A certificate and Black Laser Learning Sonar Operator patch will be sent for each participant who satisfactory completes of the course.
Cost for groups up to 14 participants in the continental US: $5000 ($250 for additional participants up to 18, for larger groups please contact us)
Price covers the cost of the instructor, his/her travel and a Companion Guide for each participant. The hosting organization is kindly requested to provide the classroom venue, including the projector, and the boat and sonar for Day 2. Contact us for details and scheduling options.
Custom Training Courses
Black Laser Learning is happy to customize sonar training to meet your mission requirements. Special users such as the military, Departments of Transportation and universities have special applications and requirements. We have provided custom training, including special tactics designed specifically for their needs, for all the aforementioned groups. Our customers have included US Navy Divers, US Navy UCT, Michigan DOT, University of Delaware, Amsterdam Water Authority, USMC, Stockton University and Estonian EOD Divers.
Please contact us to discuss any special requirements or to schedule training.
Advanced Humminbird® Sonar EMILY Training
The Humminbird® equipped Sonar EMILY poses both advantages and operational procedures specific to this small ASV. Black Laser Learning’s advanced training is designed to be a comprehensive sensor and field operations course providing the user with mission-specific skills. Day 1 of the three-day course will cover details on Humminbird® image analysis, settings, buttonology and data optimization. Data optimization includes mission parameters to improve data quality and search efficiency. On Day 2, teams are sent into the field to practice launching Sonar EMILY and to collet real world data. Day 3 is back in the classroom to focus on advanced data analysis and post-processing utilizing both playback in the system and SAR HAWK® software.
Companion Guides – Each participant receives a full-color booklet with the charts used in the class and ample room for note-taking.
Certificates – A certificate and Black Laser Learning Sonar Operator patch will be sent for each participant who satisfactory completes of the course.
Cost for groups up to 18 participants in the US: $17,950 (For larger groups or other special requirements, please contact us)
Contact us for details and scheduling options.
Focused Sonar Topic Live Webinar Series
These one hour webinars focus on a specific topic, hitting on the difficulties most commonly encountered by Search & Recovery professionals. They are presented by sonar subject matter expert Vince Capone who has been operating side scan sonar systems for over 30 years and is considered a side scan sonar expert by the US Navy and the US Federal Court system. Vince currently trains US Navy UUV operators as well as Law Enforcement and Fire Rescue personnel.
Tune Your SAR Sonar like a Pro (1 Credit Hr)
Whether you’re fishing or searching for a drowning victim, if your display is not properly adjusted, you are losing resolution and missing details. Understand how to adjust the sonar for the best possible image, in which order to adjust brightness and contrast, what is TVG? and much more…
A 1-hour live webinar, designed for the Search and Recovery (SAR) professional or fishing enthusiast who wants to take thier hull mounted sonar systems (Humminbird, Garmin, Simrad or Ray Marine) to the next level.
April 21st, 2pm EDT CLOSED
May 5th, 12:30 pm EDT CLOSED
May 14th, 3:30 pm EDT CLOSED
May 27th, 7:00 pm EDT Click Here to Register
Side Scan/Side Imaging Sonars – What Am I Really Looking At?
Understand how the sonar actually presents data so you can identify targets with confidence. Concepts are explained with animations and dozens of sonar images. Topics include the side scan display, gap under the transducer, data from the water column, when to use down imaging and much more.
A 1-hour live webinar, designed for the Search and Recovery (SAR) professional or fishing enthusiast who utilizes hull mounted sonar systems such as Humminbird, Garmin, Simrad or Ray Marine.
April 27th, 2pm EDT CLOSED
Recognizing Drowning Victims in Side Scan Sonar for SAR Professionals (1 Credit Hr)
What does a drowning victim look like on sonar?
- Strategies for identifying victims under difficult conditions
- Tips on how to make your training manikin look more like a drowning victim
- Includes over a dozen drowning victim sonar images as well as images of training manikins
A 1-hour live webinar, designed for the Search and Recovery (SAR) professional who utilizes side scan sonar for locating drowning victims with special emphasis on hull mounted systems such as Humminbird, Garmin, Simrad or Ray Marine.
Registration is limited in order to allow participants to ask questions.
Digital certificates confirming one hour of training will be provided for each registrant.
April 23rd, 2pm EDT CLOSED
April 29th, 11am EDT CLOSED
May 7th, 2 pm EDT CLOSED
May 12th, 7:30 pm EDT CLOSED
May 21st, 3:30 pm EDT CLOSED
Interactive, Comprehensive, Live Webinar Sonar Training for Both Groups and Individuals
For teams with geographically dispersed participants, or individuals seeking a more economical, but still live, training experience, we offer web-based training. Participants log in, either as a group or as individuals, and interact directly with the instructor.
This course is offered in two half days, typically a week or two apart. (8 Credit Hrs)
Part 1 – Learn how sonar works, what frequencies and settings work best under which conditions, which factors impact image quality, common pitfalls, and how to set yourself up for a successful survey.
Survey Mission – Participants are sent into the field to carry out a survey and asked to send the collected data sets to the instructor.
Part 2 – The instructor covers image analysis techniques and reviews the collected data with participants, offering insights on how the survey plan and data quality might be improved, targets identified, and the images processed. Participants are encouraged to raise questions which arose during their field practice.
For Groups
Schedule a Webinar that works with your team’s calendar. We can customize the training to emphasize various topics based on the experience of your team, your typical search targets and your search environment.
Companion Guides – Each participant receives a full-color booklet with the charts used in the class and ample room for note-taking.
Certificates – A certificate and Black Laser Learning Sonar Operator patch will be sent for each participant who satisfactory completes of the course.
Cost for groups up to 15 participants: $1950 ($50 for each additional participant up to 25, for larger groups please contact us)
Price covers the cost of the instructor, review of two data sets and a Companion Guide for each participant.
Contact us for details and scheduling options.
For Individuals
The same live Webinar training is available for individual professionals and small teams. While we use data and examples from Humminbird® sonars, the course content is applicable to all hull-mounted sonars.
Certificates – A certificate will be sent for each participant who satisfactory completes of the course.
Cost per individual: $195
Cost per group of up to 10 trainees at the same location: $1195
Registrants get free shipping on the purchase of a Companion Guide. Look for the coupon code in your confirmation email.
Next Open Webinar Scheduled for April 9 and April 23, 2020, both days from noon to 4PM Eastern – CLOSED
Can’t make it to our classes? Check out our TRAINING VIDEOS, available at the Black Laser Learning online store.