Surveys

Long
Baseline
Systems

LBL has already been used for over three

decades, mainly in the offshore
construction business, where ROV and
structure positioning requirements are
often too strict, for example, for vesselmounted ultra-short baseline positioning.
With LBL, the reference frame is placed on
the seabed, thus providing a depthindependent positioning accuracy.
By measuring the ranges to at least four
acoustic beacons on known locations on

the seabed, a 3D position of a transducer

can be calculated by means of the intersection principle. Such ranges are
determined by measuring the time of
flight of the acoustic signal. The network of
known transponders is usually called an
array and the baselines in such an array
can be several kilometres long, depending
on the frequency in use.
Technical development of LBL has been
relatively slow, until recently, when spread-

spectrum signalling was introduced in

underwater acoustics. This significantly
improved the ranging accuracy and
increased the maximum baud rates for
acoustic data telemetry. Most manufacturers now provide spread spectrum on
their systems.
Hydro International is greatly indebted to
all manufacturers who contributed to this
product survey.

With the offshore oil and gas industry shifting

its attention to increasingly deeper waters,
the request for accurate subsea positioning
systems is also rising. Long Baseline (LBL)
systems can provide an accuracy that is
virtually independent of water depth.

Manufacturer

LinkQuest Inc.

LinkQuest Inc.

Nautronix

Sonardyne International

General specifications
Name of Product
Year of initial development

PinPoint 1500
2004

PinPoint 10000
2004

NASNet
2000

Fusion Wideband LBL

2004

26-45KHz

7.5-10KHz

omni
26-45KHz

omni
7.5-10KHz

26-45KHz
Y
32
Broadband Spread Spectrum
19KHz

7.5-10KHz
Y
32
Broadband Spread Spectrum
5KHz

10KHz
Surface
210 deg
10KHz with 3KHz spread
176 - 202
Proprietary
SNR < 1
10KHz with 3KHz spread
Automatic
Unlimited
Acoustic Digital Spread Spectrum
Not disclosed
n/a

1 cm
0.05 m
1000 meters
Y
Y
Broadband Spread Spectrum
18-28 V DC
1.5 / 6
RS422/232
Proprietary
Y

5 cm
0.3 m
10000 meters
Y
Y
Broadband Spread Spectrum
18-28 V DC
6 / 50
RS422/232
Proprietary
Y

Not disclosed
< 0.5 m
5 km (3.1 miles)

As required, typically GGA

Y

18-36KHz
Both
Omni-directional
19-36KHz
185-195
Variable
90dB-120dB
18-36kHz
Y
14
Wideband spread spectrum
Variable
Y
Y
1.5mm
0.01m
3000m / 4800m
Y
Y
PPT, FSK, Broadband
24-48V
6W/30-50W
Serial RS232/RS485
Proprietory
Fusion LBL Software

27-45KHz
27-45KHz
1500 or 4000 m

7.5-10KHz
7.5-10KHz
2000, 4000 or 7000 m

10KHz with 3KHz spread

10KHz with 3KHz spread
3.000

(MF) 18-36kHz
(MF) 18-36kHz
3000 / 5000 / 7000m

No852

Acoustic Processing Tranceiver

Operating frequency range
Model (Surface/Subsea)
Acoustic interrogator / Tranceiver beam pattern
Transmit Frequency Band (kHz-kHz)
Acoustic source level (dB re.(1Pa@1metre)
Transmit pulse width (ms)
Receiver Sensitivity / MDS (1) (dB re.(1Pa)
Receive frequency Band (kHz-kHz)
AGC /TVG capability (Y/N)
Number of simultaneous receive channels
Signal technique (Tonal,Chirp,Wide Spread Spectrum)
Receiver bandwidth (kHz)
Multiple Range detection per channel
Distance Time gating filter per receiving channel
Range resolution at 1500 m/s sound velocity
Range accuracy at 1 [m] @20db SNR, in receiver bandwith
Typical/Proven Range Capabilities
Telemetry/Telecommand Transmitter Functionality
Telemetry Receiver Functionality
Telemetry principle (PPT,FSK,PSK) (2)
Operating power voltage
Average/Transmit Electrical power consumption (Watts)
Control communication port
Data Output Format
Front panel Display /Graphic User Interface

| January/February 2008 | Hydro international

Transponder series
Receiving Frequency Range (kHz-kHz)
Transmit Frequency Range (kHz-kHz)
Depth rating (m)

Proprietary
220 V
Proprietary

Hydro international |January/February 2008 |

Surveys

LinkQuest Inc.

LinkQuest Inc.

Nautronix

Sonardyne International

Transducer Beampattern
Acoustic Source Level (dB re.(1Pa@1metre)
Transmit pulse width (ms)
Receive Sensitivity MDS(1) (dB re.(1Pa)
Telemetry/Telecommand principle (PPT,FSK,PSK) (2)
Number of Configurable Interrogator Channels
Number of Configurable Reply Channels
Internal battery type
Listening life

omni

omni

Broadband Spread Spectrum

32
32
Alkaline
2 years

Broadband Spread Spectrum

32
32
Alkaline
2 years

Omni Directional & Directional variants

186-202
Variable
80dB
PPT,FSK,Wideband
210
210
Alkaline or Lithium
Alk 2.2years or Li 3.8years

Number of transmit repliers

112 hours

140 hours

210 deg
175-196
Proprietary
SNR < 1
Proprietary
31 unique IDs
31 unique IDs
Alkaline or Lithium
2-9 years
Continuous rangepulsing for 324 days (at 180 dBPa
with a 6 second ping rate and Alkaline battery)
Y
Y
Y
UI runs on Windows
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y

Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y

Windows XP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y (Industry standard)
Y (Fusion / Ranger USBL)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y

Multi Vessel Field Development including Drilling,

ROV positioning, Construction and flowline Installation. Please note NASNet is a flexible positioning
tool and is applicable-all subsea positioning tasks.

Sonardyne Wideband is the leading high accuracy

deep water survey LBL system. It is used widely for
a variety of applications due-its flexibility, scaleble
architecture and USBL compatibility.

Acoustic Release Mechanism (Y/N)

Depth Telemetry (Y/N)
Optional Temperature/Sondvelocity Sensor (Y/N)

LBL Software and User Interface

Operating System for navigation Computer
Planning and Configuration Functionality
Self/Auto Calibration functionality (Y/N)
Absolute Georeferenced Calibration (Y/N)
Relative Calibration functionality (Y/N)
Interactive calibration Data Processing (Y/N)
Tracking Navigation functionality (Y/N)
Remote transponder tracking functionality (Y/N)
Compensation for Sound velocity and ray-bending (Y/N)
Multi User LBL functionality (Y/N)
Compatibility with Inertial navigation sensor (Y/N)
Compatibility with DVL Navigation sensor (Y/N)
Data Output Telegrams
Compatible with USBL systems (Y/N)
Geodesy functionality (Y/N)
Multisensor input (GPOS,Gyro,MRU) (Y/N)
Configurable user interface (Y/N)
Access-all logged data (Y/N)
Configurable survey QC reports (Y/N)
Remote sensor monitoring (depth, temp) (Y/N)

Optional
Y

Optional
Y

Windows
Y
Y

Windows
Y
Y

Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y

Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y

Y
Y
Y
Y
Y

Y
Y
Y
Y
Y

Navigation and tracking of AUVs, ROVs, manned

subersibles, divers and towed systems

Navigation and tracking of AUVs, ROVs, manned

subersibles, divers and towed systems

Alk 8 Million or Li 13.6 Million

Y
Y
Y

Application Notes

Typical application

(1) MDS= Minimum Detectable Signal

(2) PPT= Pulse Position Telemetry
FSK=Frequency Shift Keying
PSK=Phase Shift Keying

| January/February 2008 | Hydro international

Hydro international |January/February 2008 |