Odom Echotrac Plugin (SBT or DBT protocol)

The Odom Echotrac plugin can be used to retrieve (dual frequency) depth data from your Odom Echotrac echo sounder.
Since the Odom Echotrac serial output protocol has been adapted by various echo sounder manufacturers,
you can use this plugin for any other echo sounder supporting the Odom DBT or SBT protocol.

The Odom Echotrac plugin supports the following Odom echo sounders. Not listed are echo sounder from other brands which utilize the Odom DBT or SBT protocol:

• Odom Echotrac MK3;
• Odom Echotrac CV100;
• Odom Echotrac CV200;
• Odom Echotrac CV300;
• Odom Echotrac CVM;
• Odom Echotrac E20;
• Odom Hydrotrac II;

This plugin can only be used when the sounder is connected to the computer via a serial (RS232) connection. When your Odom Echotrac echo sounder connects to your computer via an Ethernet cable, you should use the "Odom Ethernet plugin" instead.

Odom Echotrac DBT protocol

DBT stands for "Dual Bottom Tracking" and can be used to transfer both single and dual frequency echo sounder data to the computer over a serial (RS232) connection. The string contains an error and a fix mark flag, a frequency indicator and the depth value.

 ET H 00016
 ET H 00016
 ET H 00017
 ET H 00016

 et B 00572 00576
 et B 00577 00641
 et B 00588 00645
 et B 00580 00591
 et B 00577 00592
 et B 00574 00605

Odom Echotrac SBT protocol

DBS stands for "Single Bottom Tracking" and can be used to transfer both single frequency echo sounder data to the computer over a serial (RS232) connection. The string contains an error and a fix mark flag, a frequency indicator and the depth value.

 et  00572
 et  00577
 et  00588
 et  00580
 et  00577
 et  00574

Loading the Odom Echotrac plugin

To load this plugin, open the preferences window by selecting "Preferences..." from the "Options" menu. In the window that appears, select the "Devices" tab. Next, click the 'Add...' button.

A list of available plugins will be displayed. In this list, select "Odom Echotrac SBT/DBT plugin for Hydromagic" plugin and click "OK" to load and display the plugins configuration dialog.

Configuring the Odom Echotrac plugin

When the plugin loads, a dialog with some required settings will appear first. In order to get the plugin to work correctly, you have to configure the protocol and communication settings.

Communication settings

Since the echo sounder is most likely to be connected via a serial port, you have to select the serial port and its operating speed first. When using an USB-to-Serial adapter cable, a virtual serial port will be created in Windows and you have to select this serial port.

The drop down box will be populated with all serial ports detected on the system. To get more information on the ports available, please refer to the device manager. The device manager can be found via the Control Panel in Windows.

Selecting the protocol

Select the correct protocol depends on your sounder's configurations. In most cases the Echotrac DBT protocol will be used. You can determine the protocol used by looking at the incoming data in the device monitor and compare it with the examples above.

Starting the plugin

When the required settings have been configured, click the "OK" button to save the settings and start the plugin. After a few seconds, there should be a green icon in front of the plugin, indicating data is coming in successfully.

Testing the sounder

When data is received, you should be able to see the depth and position information in the data window. To have a look at the echogram data, select "Echogram(Hi)" or "Echogram(Lo") from the View menu.

Unloading the Odom Echotrac plugin

To unload the Odom Echotrac plugin, open the preferences window by selecting "Preferences..." from the "Options" menu. In the window that appears, select the "Devices" tab. Next right-click the "Odom Echotrac SBT/DBT plugin for Hydromagic" plugin and select the "Remove Device..." option from the popup menu.