On May 1, 2012 Rhotheta USA, Inc and MetOcean Data Systems announced they have entered into a cooperation agreement to support requirements for recovery of underwater assets and oceanographic equipment. Under the terms of the agreement both companies will combine their know-how and efforts to support customer requirements jointly.
Both Rhotheta and MetOcean are now committed to support projects involving recovery of underwater assets, including technology enhancements and custom modifications as required. Rhotheta’s time-tested RT-500-M series of wideband radio direction finder systems, and MetOcean’s world renowned NOVATECH location and recovery beacons, are particular targets of the agreement between the two companies, whereby RHOTHETA will add the frequencies of operation and modulation parameters of the NOVATECH beacons into their RT-500-M series, while MetOcean will make the necessary changes to guarantee compatibility of the NOVATECH beacons with Rhotheta’s Doppler processing of the beacon’s RF signal.
This agreement delivers significant benefits to oceanographic institutions and programs worldwide, particularly those that currently use or plan to use Rhotheta and MetOcean/NOVATECH technology to rescue underwater assets and equipment. The cooperation was put to the test recently with a special order from a marine system integrator in California, which expressed total satisfaction with the RHOTHETA/MetOcean solution delivered.
“This cooperation brings together the premier brands in location and recovery of underwater assets to deliver an effective and reliable solution” said Ventura Rigol, Vice President, Rhotheta USA. “By offering this combined know-how, Rhotheta and MetOcean will further enhance their relationships with oceanographic institutions and their system providers worldwide, providing an advanced solution for recovering assets.”
Rhotheta/MetOcean solutions are available immediately and will be offered directly by both companies. Upgrades are also available to those who have existing RT-500-M and/or NOVATECH beacons.
How it Works
NOVATECH beacons typically operate on the VHF 150-160 MHz frequency range. They take the pressures of deep ocean deployments up to 7500 psi. Its design isolates the beacons power supply while submerged, and activates the beacon upon surfacing, with either a mechanical pressure switch that activates at approx. 10m from the surface, or an electrical ‘conductivity’ sensing circuit that detects a wet connection to identify if on the surface, or submerged. The RHOTHETA RT-500-M typically scans all VHF-UHF channels programmed in the scan list. When a beacon starts transmitting the RT-500-M automatically detects the active channel, demodulates the radio signal and provides audio and digital alarm signals and makes the alarm event available also in the NMEA protocol via serial data port. With all this information available the crew can proceed to navigate and recover the assets accurately and efficiently.