Page 68: of Marine Technology Magazine (July 2019)

MTR 100 hydrophones, the Kayak, which provides the features of the more than 20 years, supplying hydrophones and sound pro- company’s established range of icListen Smart Hydrophones jectors to a range of customers in the marine and oceanog- in a smaller, low-power, and scalable way with a bandwidth raphy sectors, as well as providing consultancy services on covering 10 Hz to 200 kHz in 24-bit resolution, thus offering acoustic systems integration and test procedures. End-user very high sensitivity based on built-in processing. The ver- sectors include defense and homeland security, oil & gas, satile, modular 0.2 W, 23 mm diameter icListen Kayak can and environmental services. As well as standard products, be connected via USB, serial or Ethernet connectors and can GeoSpectrum can also provide customized products and is be custom-integrated or mounted on users’ vehicles or plat- particularly recognized as a leading provider of systems for forms, as well as used to create large arrays with simpli? ed the marine mammal monitoring and ocean observation sec- cabling and an uncomplicated user interface for recording tors. Components designed and manufactured by the com- data or real-time listening. pany are tested with a range of on-site equipment to ensure

Ocean Sonics hydrophones operate based on the compa- these meet customer requirements: this equipment includes ny’s Lucy software, the newest version of which, Lucy II, pressure and environmental chambers and NIST-traceable being designed to simplify processing and make understand- calibration equipment, and the company has a production ing real-time, waterfall and time-series data easier. Acoustic facility capable of manufacturing more than 1,000 hydro- events can be detected using epoch triggers and advanced phones a day. GeoSpectrum’s wide-band omnidirectional

SEL settings and impulse detection ensure regulatory com- hydrophones include an integral, low-noise voltage- or cur- pliance. In addition, multiple hydrophones can be viewed on rent-signaling preampli? er and can be con? gured to operate a single screen, as Lucy II is optimized for handling arrays, over customer-de? ned bandwidths with required sensitivity the system also being compatible with Windows, Linux, or and also allow for customizable gain. In addition, the depth

Mac OSX devices for simplifed acoustic data processing. rating for each hydrophone can be tailored to meet speci? c

Ocean Sonics Smart Hydrophones can be turned into wi? requirements to meet shallow- to deep-water requirements.

devices quickly and easily with the company’s Launch Box In addition to hydrophones, the company designs and which makes projects portable as there is no need for a cable manufactures electrodynamic sound projectors and has re- to directly connect to the device and data can be streamed in cently introduced its C-BASS family of very-low-frequency real time directly to a PC, tablet or smartphone. Also avail- projectors. These are less expensive and smaller, lighter and able is the PAMGuard Plug-in for marine mammal monitor- designed to be more ef? cient than standard products. With ing. By downloading the new plug-in and adding an Ocean their broad bandwidth, they can be used in a variety of ap-

Sonics’ icListen hydrophone as a sound source, researchers plications where sound projectors could not previously be can listen to marine mammals in real time. The PAMGuard employed. The C-BASS systems may be used omnidirec- plug-in also enables simultaneous control of multiple hydro- tionally or in arrays to produce high-power sources with or phones. without directivity and applications include their use as diver www.oceansonics.com deterrents to protect marine assets; as VLF ASW systems; as a VLF calibration source; in AUV-based target emulation; for underwater navigation/GPS applications by providing

Specialist acoustic equipment a network of beacons; for acoustic and health monitoring

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia-based acoustics specialist compa- purposes; and in VLF communication systems with a range ny GeoSpectrum Technologies Inc, a producer of underwater exceeding 1,000 kilometers.

acoustic transducers and systems, has been in operation for www.geospectrum.ca

Smart hydrophones for ocean research Specialist acoustic equipment

Photo: GeoSpectrum Technologies

Photo: Ocean Sonics

July/August 2019 68

MTR

MTR #6 (66-79).indd 68 7/23/2019 9:39:54 AM