Bathymetry
Surveyor 240-16 MBESMultibeam Echosounder
The Surveyor 240-16 is a compact 16-channel multibeam echosounder that covers a bathymetric survey more than ten times faster than a single-beam alternative. At 790 g in air and 145 g in water it is light enough for a small uncrewed surface vessel such as the BlueBoat.
At a glance
- Frequency
- 240 kHz
- Cross-track TX beam
- 80°
- Angular resolution
- 1° (angle of arrival)
- Receive elements
- 16
- Max operating depth
- 300 m
Full specification — 16 published figures ↓
Every Surveyor 240-16 MBES Configuration
The same multibeam head. The second build adds a pressure sensor so the sounder has its own depth reference.
- In most situations points are detected up to 50 m slant range from the sensor; in ideal conditions substantially further.
- Even in compromised conditions you can expect reliable performance up to 30 m from the target plane.
- 10–20 points are detected per ping. Point density rises if you slow the vessel or run overlapping passes.
- 20 Hz is the maximum ping rate at close range (about 20 m); the rate must fall as range grows, because of the speed of sound.
- Built-in 9-axis IMU handles pitch and roll compensation. Heading and position come from the vessel.
- Aluminium housing, 300 m rated, external status LED, M4-0.7 mounting holes on top, bottom and sides. It opens for inspection — it is not potted or oil-filled.
- An auxiliary M10 penetrator hole lets you relocate an I²C sensor (such as a BlueROV2 Bar pressure sensor) off the vehicle hull.
Surveyor 240-16 MBES, and what it produces
Cerulean’s own photographs of the hardware, and real output from it — not renders.
Every published figure
16 specifications, as Cerulean publish them. Nothing here is estimated or converted.
| Acoustic frequency | 240 kHz |
| Along-track TX beam width | 4° |
| Cross-track TX beam width | 80° |
| Receive array elements | 16 |
| Cross-track beam width | 7° (conventional beamforming) |
| Cross-track angular resolution | 1° (angle of arrival) |
| Range resolution | up to 1/800th of range setting |
| Maximum suggested range | 100 m |
| Maximum depth rating | 300 m |
| Power supply | 10–30 V, 5 W typical idle, 15 W typical max pinging |
| Data interface | 100BaseT Ethernet |
| Electrical connection | JST GH (4 pos) for data — Blue Robotics connector standard. Tinned wires for power. JST GH to RJ45 adapter included. |
| Weight in air | 790 g |
| Weight in water | 145 g |
| Max bandwidth | 450 kbps |
| Max ping rate | 16 @ 200 range steps · 10 @ 400 · 6 @ 800 |
Published by Cerulean — specification page
What arrives in the box
Cerulean’s own packing list for this product. What you need alongside it is in Before You Order, below.
What’s in the box
- Surveyor 240-16 multibeam head
- JST GH (4 pos) data cable — Blue Robotics connector standard
- Tinned wires for power
- JST GH to RJ45 adapter
Will it fit my vehicle?
Four things decide it — check these against your vehicle, or send us the build and we will check them for you before quoting.
We supply the brackets, hubs, cables and spares alongside the unit — see what fits Surveyor 240-16 MBES → · how to choose between these →
Common questions
Answers Cerulean publish, each linked back to the page it came from.
Does the Surveyor have its own GNSS?
No. It has no GNSS receiver — SonarView takes position from an external source and logs it. On a BlueOS vehicle that is MAVLink2Rest; otherwise a GNSS device with NMEA output. Source
Does it have an IMU?
Yes, a built-in 9-axis IMU used for roll and pitch compensation. Heading comes from the vehicle. There is a compass on board too, but Cerulean recommend using the vehicle's heading. Source
What NMEA messages does it need?
NMEA 2000: 129025 and 127250. NMEA 0183: RMC or GGA, plus HDT. 10 Hz or better. If you have the choice, use NMEA 2000 — converting to 0183 tends to slow gateways down badly. Source
How much data will a survey produce?
Budget about 5 GB per hour at a 20 Hz ping rate. If you are logging to a Raspberry Pi, 128 GB is a good card. Source
Where is the acoustic phase centre?
In the receive elements inside the array module on the front of the unit. Cerulean publish a dimensioned drawing. Source
Surveyor 240-16 MBES on video
Published by Cerulean Sonar on their own channel.
Request a Surveyor 240-16 MBES quote
Tell us the vehicle and the water depth and we will confirm the exact part number — and say so if a different model suits the job better.
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