1150 Seabed Beacon

1150 Seabed Beacon

Applied Acoustics 1150 Seabed Beacon is an acoustic transponder family for long-term seabed reference points and USBL calibration work. Used with a compatible USBL system, the beacon allows a surface vessel to track the position of the submerged target. It is selected as part of the complete positioning chain, including the vessel transceiver, navigation inputs and the mechanical installation on the target.

Model selection

The Seabed family offers increased battery capacity for deployments where frequent recovery is impractical. It can serve as a reference beacon for positioning operations and calibration. The larger housing and underwater weight must be included in the seabed-frame, attachment and recovery design.

Installation and positioning

Place the acoustic head where the vehicle or mounting frame will not block the signal path. Confirm the selected beacon protocol, channel and interrogation settings against the surface system before mobilisation. Measured offsets, suitable sound-speed information and the vessel heading reference help relate acoustic observations to the project coordinates. For mobile equipment, account for the beacon weight in water when assessing vehicle balance and mounting loads.

Battery planning and deployment

Listening life and active operating duration describe different conditions. Actual endurance depends on interrogation interval, transmit power, battery condition and the selected variant. Check the housing, seals, connectors and battery status before each deployment, then confirm acoustic communication with the intended surface equipment. For longer tasks, plan recovery and charging around the operating cycle rather than relying on the listening-life figure alone. The values below summarise the series; confirm the exact ordered configuration when specifying a survey package.

Technical specifications

Technical product document (PDF)

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