Commissioning
After one of FarSounder's sonars is installed on the customer's vessel, it must be commissioned.
Commissioning Checklist
FarSounder provides a commissioning checklist to dealers and technicians to follow. It should be printed out for each system commissioning and includes a page for the customer’s representative to sign off at the completion of the commissioning. The filled out checklist serves as a record of the specific settings and configuration for that vessel’s sonar and it must be submitted to FarSounder at the end of commissioning to ensure warranty coverage.
Customer Hardware Acceptance Test (CHAT)
The commissioning process begins with a Customer Hardware Acceptance Test (CHAT) which should be performed upon arrival of the equipment, before installation. This ensures that if anything was damaged in transit, the issue can be resolved quickly and early in the process.
After physical installation, commissioning continues with a second CHAT of the installed equipment. This ensures that nothing was damaged during the installation. A CHAT can be repeated at anytime after the physical installation to ensure the equipment has not sustained any damage after installation. If the equipment is to be installed long before the vessel is floated, we strongly recommend repeating the CHAT before entering the water. This serves as a quick check to confirm that it was not damaged by other work in the yard while it was left unattended.
Harbor Acceptance Test (HAT)
The commissioning culminates with our Harbor Acceptance Test (HAT). When completing the HAT, the vessel must be in the water. However, it does not require a sea trial and can be performed alongside a pier, on a mooring, or at anchor.
Warranty Coverage
To qualify for warranty coverage, commissioning must be performed by a Certified FarSounder Technician and a copy of the signed Commissioning Checklist but be submitted to FarSounder.
Dealer technicians can become an Certified FarSounder Technician by completing our online technician training program If needed, FarSounder can provide factory technicians for commissioning.
In order to ensure the best possible experience, we periodically release software updates for our products. Providing vessel contact information in the online registration form allows us to notify end users of update availability.
End User Training
Separate from commissioning the equipment, we strongly feel that End User Training is a critical component in ensuring a happy customer. We've found that even 1 hour of focused training makes a big difference to customer satisfaction. Being able to provide this training obviously requires having experience using the sonar at sea. This is the main focus of our Technician Training Class and a requirement for certifying technicians.
End users are also invited to enroll in our comprehensive online End User Training Class which is complimentary for all participants.