Sonar simulator
Echolo is a sonar trainer for teams that search for people underwater. You run the boat over the area, tune the image, search the circle around the last known point and mark the mannequin's echo. After the mission you get a debrief and can go back on the water to every mark and every missed target.
What a mission looks like
Every mission starts with a briefing: who went missing, where they were last seen, what the bottom and the water are like. From there, it's up to you.
What it teaches
A simulator can't replace the water, but it lets you practice underwater search as many times as you need, on the same area or a new one every time.
The simulator currently models side-scan sonar. Range, frequency, gain and contrast change the image the way they do on a real unit: a higher frequency gives a sharper image and less range, and in deep water part of the range is taken up by the water column. You see transducer ringing, the nadir gap under the boat and shadows behind objects.
Standard 455/800 kHz · UHD 455/800/1000 kHz · 10-60 m range · 6 palettes
You steer the boat yourself: heading, speed, wind, waves and river current. A parallel-line pattern with recommended line spacing helps you cover the whole LKP circle, and the simulator tracks cross-track error, completed lines and area coverage.
pattern lines · spacing with swath overlap · LKP area coverage
The bottom holds logs, tires, rocks, bicycles, shopping carts, branches, wrecks and cars, and the mannequin may be curled up, upright or partly buried in silt. The “target or not” quiz trains quick decisions, and viewing an object from eight directions shows why an echo is confirmed from another heading.
quiz: 20 images, 5 s per decision
You place a mark on the image and the simulator turns it into a position on the bottom. After the mission each mark is judged: a hit within 5 m of the target, or a false alarm with an explanation of what it was (fish in the water column, debris, noise, another object).
hits · false alarms · mean position error
Learning
A flat, sandy bottom with ten labeled objects along the track line. Run the line with different range, frequency and speed and watch how the image changes.
Mission
A person went into the water from a pier and didn't come up. A 50 m circle, up to 6 m deep, a few obstacles, calm water. This scenario is also the demo mission.
Mission
An 80 m circle, up to 9 m deep, vegetation, lots of trash and schools of fish. Wind pushes the boat, waves rock the transducer, and the target may be partly buried in silt.
Mission
Past the shallows by the pier, the bottom falls away in a steep drop-off to 12-14 m. Match the range to the depth and check the foot of the drop-off from both sides.
Mission
A current of about 2 km/h pushes the boat, so the search area lies downstream of where the person went missing. A bottom with dunes, and rock groynes with scour holes along the bank.
No boat
Twenty images and 5 seconds per decision. A missed mannequin costs two points, a false alarm one, and after the series you see every mistake with a hint.
Every scenario can be played on a clean or overgrown bottom. The area number sets the bottom shape and the position of the mannequin and debris: an instructor can give a group one number and compare the runs afterwards.
After the mission
The result is more than “found” or “not found”. The simulator shows how much of the area went unseen, whether the line spacing was too wide, whether the target lay in the nadir gap under the boat, and lets you go back on the water to see it for yourself.
How it works
For organizations
Invite your people, let everyone train at their own pace, and see how they're doing.
Invite people by email, many at once. One person can belong to several organizations.
Every mission result stays on the account. Admins see members' results and replay their runs to go over them with the team.
Any member can challenge the rest. Everyone sails the same area, which nobody knows beforehand, and gets one attempt.
Places in challenges earn points like in a World Cup. Only members of the organization see the ranking, and it runs in seasons.
Train on your own, at your own pace: the Personal plan gives you every scenario and the quiz. You can join an organization or create your own at any time.
Plans
Your account is free. A plan unlocks every simulator scenario and the quiz for 6 or 12 months.
No plan needed
Free
For one person
For organizations
| Size | 12 months | 6 months |
|---|---|---|
| up to 10 people | €255net | €149net |
| up to 25 people | €489net | €289net |
| up to 50 people | €809net | €489net |
| over 50 people | price on request | |
Prices in euros, excluding VAT. VAT depends on the buyer's country: an EU business with an EU VAT number confirmed in VIES pays the net amount (reverse charge), buyers outside the EU pay no Polish VAT, and other EU buyers, including consumers, pay VAT as described in the Terms (§ 5).
FAQ
Phones and tablets with iOS and Android, and computers in a browser (a current version of Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox).
Yes. Once you create an account you can play one mission, “Search - basic”, free and as many times as you like, with the debrief and the review afterwards. No payment details needed.
Yes, in landscape. The sonar image needs the width, and the helm buttons then sit under your thumbs. It's most comfortable on a screen of 7 inches or more, such as a tablet or a larger phone.
Yes. The result and the run of every mission stay on your account. In an organization the admin sees members' results and runs, and every member sees their own results and the ranking.
Without a plan, 3 people including the admin. The Team plan comes in three sizes: up to 10, up to 25 and up to 50 people; for larger organizations we'll prepare a custom quote.
No. The service has no ads and no third-party analytics, and this page doesn't use cookies. Details are in the privacy policy.
Create an account and train on your phone, tablet or computer, and ask about a plan for your unit when you're ready.