The promise is big and sounds good: the devices in the test are supposed to show how deep the water is in front of your boat. Some conventional echo sounders try to do this from time to time, but only determine a tendency from the bottom they have already travelled over - they don't know what is really ahead. Here, on the other hand, it is a question of really measuring the depth far in front of the bow, long before you are actually standing over the possible shallows.
Three manufacturers currently offer advance measurement. Although the technology for this is not new, it has not exactly enjoyed the best reputation when used in typical German waters. Nevertheless, Garmin and Navico have recently added forward-looking echo sounders to their range of plotter accessories. We have investigated where the boundary between reality and advertising promises lies with this technology.
