Sonardyne’s Ranger 2 upgrade for US research vessel

Sonardyne’s Ranger 2 Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) underwater tracking technology is to support to critical oceanographic work from the research vessel Atlantis, including science expeditions in the human occupied submersible Alvin. The most updated version of Ranger 2 replaces the vessel’s existing Ranger 1 system, and provides greater precision, speed and range tracking and.

Additional upgrades include a new 10,000 m rated AvTrak tracking and telemetry instrument for Alvin, needed to support the increased depth rating of the submersible, from 4,500 m to 6,500 m. The Ranger 2 system will support the Atlantis’ work by enabling science teams to precisely position submersibles and other underwater platforms deployed from vessel, as well as tracking instruments, towed sleds and dredges, in all water depths.

The team on the Atlantis will also be able to use Ranger 2 to communicate with scientists onboard the Alvin via the AvTrak, which can also act as a relocation beacon for the Alvin, as well as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) deployed by the Atlantis. The Atlantis, which is owned by the US Office of Naval Research and operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for the benefit of the US oceanographic community, is also upgrading its through-hull transceiver from a High Performance Transceiver (HPT) 5000 to a Gyro USBL 7000, complete with a new gate valve, flanges and sea chest.

For more information, please visit: www.sonardyne.com