To configure Fetch ready for deployment, Sonardyne Subsea Array Manager (SAM) software must be used. Once this software is installed on your PC, you can use an iWand as a portable transceiver to enable use of SAM to communicate with Fetch. To work as a transceiver, the iWand needs a connection with the computer running SAM, which can be done (1) via USB, (2) serially via RS232 or (3) by Bluetooth. It is this connection that will enable communication between the SAM software and Fetch.

As a good starting point, if your iWand has one, connect a coax cable with BNC connectors. You have to remove the antenna from the iWand to plug in the connector. You can then clip the antenna onto the Fetch transducer so that you don’t have to hold the iWand up to the transducer all the time.

Alternatively, continuously manually press the iWand antenna onto the Fetch’s transducer to establish the acoustic connection.

Now to connect your iWand to your computer running SAM software. The easiest option to do this is via a USB connection. Simply make the connection using the standard USB-A to USB-B cable, which will charge the iWand at the same time.

To then establish the communications link between SAM and a Fetch instrument via the iWand, select Comms from the main menu at the top of the SAM software window and then click “Comms”. Choose the appropriate COM port for the iWand from the list and click “OK”. To finish, select the Device tab, and click the “Test” button.

You can also connect serially via RS232, perhaps suitable if you’re developing a satellite telemetry system on a buoy or want to interface to a SCADA system.

The iWand has a 9-pin male D connector next to the USB socket, which is wired as a DTE device. This means you should use a null modem cable to connect to the serial port on a computer. A USB-serial adapter can be used if your computer doesn’t have a serial port.

To set up the iWand for this serial connection, select “iWand Setup” from the iWand menu, then “Communications” and choose RS232 (note communications settings will be 9600 baud, 8 data bits and 2 stop bits). With the RS232 setting enabled, you will see a small serial connector icon appear on the top status bar next to the battery level indicator.

The next stage is to make the connection with SAM and this is done in much the same way as was done with the USB connection, by selecting the appropriate COM port and setting a baud rate of 9600.

The final option to connect an iWand to your computer doesn’t require any wires and that’s Bluetooth. On your iWand select “iWand Setup”, then “Communications” and choose Bluetooth. With the Bluetooth setting enabled you will see a small Bluetooth logo icon appear on the top status bar next to the battery level indicator.

Bluetooth requires both ends of the link to agree to talk together, so before you can connect using Bluetooth you must first establish a pairing on your computer; the method differs between different computers, but on Microsoft Windows you need to go to the Bluetooth control panel and choose “add Bluetooth or other device”. A list of available Bluetooth devices should appear, including one like “iWAND U005315″ where 005315 is the UID. Select this item and the connection should be established. Now connect to SAM exactly as before, using the COM port number corresponding to the iWand command input.

Note: any of the above methods (USB, Bluetooth, RS232) can also be used to communicate with the iWand 6G Configurator software, or if the iWand is being used as a portable transceiver to communicate with applicable Sonardyne software other than SAM, e.g. 6G Terminal Lite, for checks and setup of Fetch.

You can find out more detail on how to configure a Fetch using SAM software via the iWand by watching the video below.