Handheld Sonar?

[Big Kusa Time]

I've tried using this thing many times in both active and passive mode, but it just draws a million circling lights around my location and its not useful at all compared to the ship's sonar. I just dont understand it at all. What am I doing wrong?

[Smetrix]

Pretty sure it’s so you can be found and so you can find your way back to the ship.

But presumably if there are a bunch of circles around you, that may mean there are some creepy crawlies stalking you, as active sonar both for the sub and your handheld will attract creatures when active.

[DuckieMcduck]

Passive sonar will return to you the noise that it picks up. Noise can reflect on things.

Active Sonar will make a 360 degree noise and will pick up on surfaces that reflect the noise.

If you have the handheld indoors, the walls will pick up all the noise, so it's only really useful outside.

A Ship's Monitor sonar actually ignores the walls of your ship otherwise the ping would be stuck inside and you'd get a lot of nasty readings.

[The Flaming Pike]

The handheld sonar is most useful when you go outside for long expeditions or go far away from the submarine. Personally, I always bring one with me whenever I go for a swim, because you never know. Maybe you will get lost while trying to find an artifact. Maybe the sub will begin to sink, leaving you behind.

I would guess you may have turned it on right next to something ( like the sub, right after venturing outside ), resulting in what we could call interferences ( the sonar waves are just rebounding right next to something, so it's a bit like getting blinded by a light reflecting in a mirror ). If you are in the middle of nowhere and turn it on, it will act more normally and you will be able to see things nearby, just like when you use the sonar inside the submarine.

I never use it on passive mode. I just equip it, put it on active for a ping or two, then I unequip it.

The sonar beacon ( not to be confused with the handheld sonar of course ) sends signals that can be seen in a handheld or navigation terminal sonar. If you're holding it, it will pinpoint your exact location and your name will appear on everyone's sonar screen, just like any location such as an outpost or a beacon station.

It's useful if you think you may end up in a situation where you will be incapacitated. Turning it on in a ruin before venturing in a room full of dangers can be helpful for a rescue team. If you are dead upon their arrival, they can at least find your body and return the things you brought with you.

[Greb]

Yeah it's mostly used for finding ores and stuff when cave exploring, in my opinion. Whip it out, flick it on, get your bearings, flick it off, stash it back in your pocket. The mineral scanner on it is pretty good.

Great for finding your way back to the submarine if you happen to be in the deep dark open water due to shenanigans. Or abyssal diving sessions. It's also good for (like your headset) spare battery storage in dire situations.

Been mentioned already but yeah sonar pings reflect off of hard objects and stuff like submarines, wrecks, outposts etc are just clusters of hard objects, using a handheld sonar inside them will just bring you back a smorgasbord of readings. Like using a metal detector while standing on an oil rig or something, lol.

It can probably attract monsters to your location, but I've never encountered any problems like that in all my time playing, so I dunno. Its use outstrips its risks if it does attract, anyway. Now if only you could upgrade it with a light component to cast a small light around you, lol.

[Big Kusa Time]

Originally posted by UnluckyDuckie:

Passive sonar will return to you the noise that it picks up. Noise can reflect on things.

Active Sonar will make a 360 degree noise and will pick up on surfaces that reflect the noise.

If you have the handheld indoors, the walls will pick up all the noise, so it's only really useful outside.

A Ship's Monitor sonar actually ignores the walls of your ship otherwise the ping would be stuck inside and you'd get a lot of nasty readings.

So you're saying that it was showing a lot of dots all around me even tho I was outside and there was absolutely nothing around me because I was in range of the Submarine's Active Sonar, and its noise was interfering with the handheld sonar's pings? That's interesting.