I have removed the compact flash card from my instrument, can I get data off using my PC?

Yes. The PC will not recognise the format but you can use the Data Recovery Tool in downloads to recover the data

Why does it take so long to format?

Unlike a PC the formatting sets the entire card to known values to ensure data is not overritten in the field

I am seeing vertical stripes in my data what is the cause?

The likely cause is radio frequency interfernce in the lab or an ADCP in the field. Try operating the system on the battery, if the problem appears to be the power supply this can be replaced?

In my tank I see horizontal stripes in the data which are not the bottom

These may be sidelobe reflections from the tank or caused by multiple bounces when the profile rate is too high. With more sediment in the tank these will go away.

When I look at the realtime line plot the 4Mhz shows a cyclic noise pattern

If you are using the supplied lab power supply then try running on battery. It has been found in some circumstances the Stontronics T3173ST supply is very noisy. It is possble to replace this by splicing in another supply. See the downloads for the latest Power Supply Cable