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NEWS

First underwater radio modem goes into commercial production

From "Underwater Electromagnetic Communications First," Wireless Fibre Systems Ltd. press release, 26 September 2006:

"Wireless Fibre Systems Limited (WFS) announces the launch of the world's first production standard Underwater Radio Modem.

"This was unveiled during the 8th Unmanned Underwater Vehicle showcase at The National Oceanographic Centre, Southampton on 27th September 2006.

"The Modem, using electromagnetic techniques, is the first of a series of equipments based on WFS's technology. This unique equipment is designed to transmit data from underwater to above the surface, thus crossing the water/air interface.

"Brendan Hyland, Chairman and CEO of WFS commented: 'Underwater RF technology has long been considered technically challenging so overlooked when new underwater communications solutions were needed. But WFS's team has taken the time to understand the nature of RF propagation in water and through the water/air boundary. We have built a number of experimental systems to test underlying theory and to test our innovative product ideas...'

" 'We are confident underwater RF communications products will prove disruptive in key Offshore, Homeland Security... Defence and Environmental industry applications,' Mark Rhode, Engineering Manager, advised.

" 'With the completion of the S1510 Radio Modem to production standard we are now ready to address the underwater market for this electromagnetic based wireless communication technology. We begin this by unveiling the first equipment at UUVS and also by delivering a paper titled "Electromagnetic Propagation through the Water Column" at the Conference.'

"Applications being investigated by WFS include AUV [autonomous underwater vehicle] real time control, navigation and docking, UUV [unmanned undersea vehicles] data harvesting, underwater wireless networks, Image transmission, diver communications and contactless underwater connectors... WFS has filed 10 patent applications covering underwater RF technology and related applications."
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Interestingly, the modem's spec sheet released by WFS omits basic information like the operating frequency, power output and signal range, although a data-rate of "0-16 kbits/sec" is mentioned. But another one of their products, the Subsea Radio Clock Reference, has an operating frequency of "up to 1kHz," a transmit power of 100mW and a range of 500m. So it is reasonable to suppose the modem also operates in the Very Low or Extremely Low bands, which are unlicensed and unregulated below 9 kHz. See Lloyd Butler's classic "Underwater Radio Communication," originally published in Amateur Radio magazine, April 1987, for an introduction to radio propagation in water and through the air/water boundary.

[Wireless: 5 October 2006]