Sonar Design

My father first attempted creating his own side scan sonar transducer when I was in high school. By the time I was in college he had developed his own electronics for a paper chart recording system. My first contribution was an MCU based design to display the output of his analog section on a bubble-jet printer.

Starting in 1998, I became serious about sonar design and incorporated Quest Electronics to develop and sell low cost side scan sonar systems optimized for shipwreck hunting. With lots of help from family and friends, the company was funded, and we achieved our goal of a shipwreck hunting sonar. By 2004, it was clear that there were not enough shipwreck hunters to justify a business. As my family grew along with my responsibilities at my day-job, the dream of running my own business was put on hold. The sonars that we manufactured in 2003 are still running strong and have been instrumental in the location of several shipwrecks.