Kongsberg Simrad MST 319/N Mini SSBL Transponder & LAD-219045 Charger

Kongsberg Simrad MST 319/N Mini SSBL Transponder with MST Charger LAD-219045

The Kongsberg Simrad MST 319/N is medium frequency Mini SSBL (Super Short Base Line) Transponder for highly accurate underwater positioning and navigation. The compact acoustic device developed by Kongsberg Maritime is designed for subsea deployment where the minimisation of space and weight constraint is crucial, such as on small Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), Towfishes and underwater instrument arrays.

MST 319/N is a versatile 30 kHz medium-frequency band that interacts effortlessly with industry-standard HiPAP (High Precision Acoustic Positioning) devices and the HPR series surface transceivers. The “/N” signifies the model comes factory configured with a rugged, fast-charging Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) internal battery pack.

This is a turn-key kit with the genuine Kongsberg Simrad LAD-219045 MST Charger Adapter (Type 9920). This charger is designed for universal 100-240VAC input and provides an optimised 30V DC, 1.3A maximum output, to quickly and reliably recharge your batteries between deployments, maximising your vessel’s operating uptime.

Technical Specifications

Download Technical Datasheet Manual

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Applications

• ROV and AU Tracking: Real time acoustic tracking of light-to-medium work class ROVs and AUVs via SSBL.
• Towfish Navigation: Positioning the side-scan sonar towfish for absolute georeferencing of marine survey data.
• Subsea Construction Monitoring High accuracy placement of subsea templates, pipelay tracking and offshore maritime infrastructure installation.
• Oceanographic Research Deployment Secure placing of marine instrumentation landers, environmental monitoring packages and sensory arrays to 1,000 meters.

Our Engineer’s Insight:

When preparing the MST 319/N for deep deployment, your most significant enemies are acoustic boundary interference and poor physical isolation. Because this unit provides you a wide ±90º beam pattern, it is highly sensitive to background noise from thrusters and structural reflections. If you are experiencing positioning jitter on your HiPAP console, it is usually caused by cavitation or mounting the transponder too close to the ROV hull.

Operational Tips:

1. Optimising Acoustic Sensitivity: If you are operating in a noisy marine construction environment (such as near dynamic positioning vessels or piling operations), open the unit and adjust the internal link to decrease receiver sensitivity by 10 dB. This forces the transponder to ignore ambient acoustic noise floor clutter while maintaining lock on the primary vessel interrogation signal.
2. Battery Lifespan Management: While the NiMH chemistry inside the MST 319/N is resilient, it exhibits memory characteristics if neglected. Avoid constantly topping-off brief charges. Ensure the battery pack temperature is stable between 10°C and 40°C before connecting the LAD-219045 charger; charging outside this window halts the fast-charge cycle automatically to protect internal cells.
3. Pigtail and Connector Maintenance: The recessed Subconn 5-pin MCBH5M connector is well protected, but always inspect the locking sleeve and apply a thin layer of high-quality silicone grease (Molykote 44 or equivalent) to the female pins before mating. Never pull or bend the pigtail excessively, as micro-fractures in the internal copper lines will disrupt the hardwired responder trigger line.