LinkQuest SoundLink UWM2000 Subsea Acoustic Modem 10130

LinkQuest SoundLink UWM2000 Subsea Acoustic Modem (P/N: 10130)

The LinkQuest SoundLink UWM2000 (MPN: 10130) is a broadband underwater acoustic modem engineered for high-integrity, real-time wireless telemetry in offshore energy, marine construction, oceanographic monitoring, and defense sectors. Utilizing LinkQuest’s proprietary Broadband Acoustic Spread Spectrum (BASS) technology, the UWM2000 suppresses multipath interference, acoustic reflections, and vessel machinery noise in both vertical and shallow-water horizontal acoustic channels.

Rated for water depths up to 2,000 meters (with optional 4,000 m pressure housings), the UWM2000 establishes a bidirectional subsea acoustic link operating across the 26.77 to 44.62 kHz acoustic spectrum. It bridges physical serial sensor strings (CTDs, ADCPs, tide gauges, subsea tree monitors) to topside vessels, surface buoys, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) without umbilical tethering.

Model Details

• Manufacturer: LinkQuest Inc. (San Diego, CA, USA)
• Series: SoundLink Underwater Acoustic Modems
• Base Model: UWM2000
• Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 10130
• Common System Assembly Number: UWM2000-STD-10130 (Standard 2000m Aluminum Anodized Housing)

Technical Specifications

Features

1. High-Speed Bi-Directional Throughput: Delivers up to 9,600 bps RS-232 serial interface throughput with a 17.8 kbps raw acoustic channel rate and an exceptionally low Bit Error Rate.
2. Broadband Acoustic Spread Spectrum (BASS): Advanced digital signal processing mitigates multipath acoustic distortion and engine/thruster ambient noise in complex acoustic environments.
3. Ultra-Low Operating Power Draw: Consumes only 8 mW in passive listening/sleep mode, 0.8 W in continuous receive mode, and 2 W to 8 W during active acoustic transmission.
4. Large Onboard Ingestion Buffer: Equipped with a 900 KB non-volatile serial data buffer to prevent serial buffer overrun during acoustic channel contention or multi-node polling.
5. Dual Transducer Directivity Patterns: Configurable with either a 70° directional narrow-beam transducer (up to 1,500 m range) or a 210° omni-directional transducer (up to 1,200 m range).

Terminal Allocation & Interface Pinout

• Pin 1 — Ground (GND): Power Ground / DC Return (-).
• Pin 2 — DC Power Input (+V): +12 VDC to +24 VDC Supply Rail.
• Pin 3 — RS-232 RxD: Serial Receive Data (Modem Input from external instrument/host).
• Pin 4 — RS-232 TxD: Serial Transmit Data (Modem Output to external instrument/host).
• Pin 5 — RS-232 Common / Signal GND: Isolated Signal Ground reference.
• Pin 6 — External Trigger / Wake-up Control: Hardware pulse line for external wake-up.
• Pin 7 — Chassis / Earth Ground: Connects to main pressure vessel sacrificial path.
• Pin 8 — Auxiliary Signal / Reserved: Factory calibration or alternate RS-485 line (variant dependent).

Equipment Compatibility

• Oceanographic Sensors: Teledyne RDI Workhorse/Sentinel ADCPs, Nortek Aquadopp & Signature series, Sea-Bird Scientific SBE 16plus / SBE 37 MicroCAT CTDs, and Aanderaa SeaGuard recording current meters.
• Acoustic Release & Navigation Systems: LinkQuest TrackLink USBL systems, Kongsberg HiPAP transceivers (via acoustic acoustic gateway), and Sonardyne 6G systems running secondary telemetry channels.
• Subsea Control & Instrumentation: Wellhead control trees, pipeline subsea PLEM/PLET instrumentation units, cathodic protection (CP) measurement probes, and BOP acoustic actuation backup systems.
• Topsides & Autonomy: Marine autonomous platforms (Wave Gliders, Slocum gliders, OceanServer Iver AUVs, survey work-class ROVs) and topside Command & Control Deck Units (LinkQuest Surface Command Unit).

Applications

• Subsea Production Telemetry: Real-time extraction of pressure, temperature, and multi-phase flow data from subsea trees, manifolds, and riser bases without physical jumpers.
• Environmental & Metocean Buoys: Continuous uplink of seafloor ADCP current profiles and CTD salinity strings to moored ocean telemetry buoys.
• AUV/ROV Wireless Control: Real-time vehicle status reporting, navigational updates, and acoustic abort/command telemetry for deep-submergence systems.
• Marine Pipeline Integrity: Cathodic protection status monitoring, acoustic leak detection telemetry, and pipeline vibration logging.
• Offshore Foundation Installation: Pile-driving monitoring, offshore wind turbine jacket leveling verification, and seabed tilt telemetry during heavy lift operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum physical transmission distance of the LinkQuest UWM2000?

Under nominal sea-state conditions, the UWM2000 achieves reliable acoustic telemetry up to 1,500 meters when using the 70-degree narrow-beam directional transducer, and up to 1,200 meters using the 210-degree omni-directional transducer. Working range may vary depending on ambient sea noise, thermoclines, and multipath conditions.

What serial communication protocols does the modem support?

The modem natively supports standard RS-232 serial interfaces (9,600 baud standard, configurable up to 19,200 baud) with 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, and no parity. It features an onboard 900 KB data buffer, allowing it to communicate with any instrument or controller capable of RS-232 ASCII or raw binary data transmission.

How does the modem handle multipath interference in shallow water?

The UWM2000 uses Broadband Acoustic Spread Spectrum (BASS) technology with advanced digital channel equalization. This architecture suppresses reflections from the water surface and seabed, maintaining low bit error rates even in reverberant shallow-water environments.

Is the housing rated for prolonged subsea mooring installations?

Yes. The standard unit is manufactured from 6061-T6 aluminum with a hard-anodized coating and a polyurethane encapsulated transducer face. For permanent or extended long-term subsea installations, units should be mounted in non-conductive Delrin/POM isolator clamps and protected with dedicated zinc or aluminum sacrificial anodes to prevent galvanic corrosion.