Overview & Features
Broadband measurement hydrophone
The AS-1 is designed to provide maximum sensitivity in a small size while also providing a linear response in the bandwidth of the highest-quality commercial digital sound recording interfaces. Response is omnidirectional in the human auditory bandwidth, as well as omnidirectional in the horizontal axis at all frequencies (theoretical). Given these qualities, the AS-1 is well-suited for absolute underwater sound measurements in marine and industrial environments. It can also be used as an omnidirectional reference projector.
Use directly with your scope or DAQ device or use with the optional PA6 preamp and any digital recorder or sound interface for high-quality, low-cost underwater sound analysis.
Fitted, breathable EVA case included with cable lengths of 20 meters or less (longer cable assemblies will not fit in the EVA case and will be bulk shipped in allowable packaging).
AS-1 Options Detail
Weight
No Weight: Hydrophone is close to neutral buoyancy.
Weight installed: 150-gram adjustable cable weight. Secured to cable with compression thumbscrew. Permanently installed, but can be moved up and down the length of cable and locked into desired position. Assists in sinking the hydrophone and dampens vibrations in cable. Low-drag shape. Placing mass on the cable (rather than on the hydrophone) minimizes acoustic reflections and minimizes the likelihood of damage to hydrophone when dropped. Weight can also serve as a point to clamp flooded rubber tube for control of flow noise around hydrophone while towing. Stainless Steel with rubber collet and plastic thumbscrew. OD = 22mm.
Cable Lenth
Cable length is easily modified, 9 meters is the base length and the maximum length that can be ordered is 30 meters. Please note that, with very long cables, output will be attenuated due to loading from cable capacitance. Keep cable length between AS-1 and preamp, such as PA6, to a minimum for best performance. Cable lengths of more than 30 meters not recommended.
Calibration
Standard QC includes: Nominal Sensitivity (+/- 2dB accuracy), capacitance, leak test and listening test.
Calibration services can be provided by the US Navy Underwater Sound Reference Division. Typical calibrations are done in their open tank facility and include 1-200KHz free-field voltage sensitivity and transmit voltage response (1/12th octave resolution), and directional response at 50KHz (horizontal and vertical, 10 degree resolution). Cost for this service must be quoted at the time of your order. Typical calibration as noted above is approximately $1000 for single hydrophones. Cost is reduced when calibrating multiple units.
Many other parameters and services available, including directional response for both transmit and receive, amplitude linearity, low-frequency response and more. Lead time for calibration typically one month. Calibration services are not refundable if order is cancelled or delivery is returned to us.
PA6 Hydrophone Preamplifier
The PA6 is designed to connect passive piezo sensors, used in most
hydrophones, to professional-grade microphone preamplifiers. These
include preamps that are built into digital recorders, high-quality
computer sound interfaces, PA systems, and mixing consoles. The PA6 will
also be useful for many other sensors, such as geophones,
accelerometers, contact microphones, and any device requiring a
low-noise, high-impedance buffer that works within the human auditory
spectrum and above.
Phantom power is required. 48V is the
standard but the PA6 is designed to work with supplies as low as 24V
with negligible performance difference.
Technical Specifications
- Linear range: 1Hz to 100kHz ±2dB
- Receiving Sensitivity: -208dBV re 1μPa (40μV / Pascal)
- Transmitting Sensitivity: 140dB SPL re 1μPa, 1Vrms input at 1meter, 90kHz
- Maximum Input Voltage: 30V p-p (continuous); 150V p-p (<10% duty cycle, <100KHz)
- Horizontal Directivity (20kHz): ±0.2dB
- Horizontal Directivity (100kHz): ±1dB
- Vertical Directivity (20kHz): ±1dB
- Vertical Directivity (100kHz): +6dB -11dB
- Operating depth: 200m
- Survival depth: 350m
- Operating temperature range: -10°C to +80°C
- Nominal capacitance: 5nF +/- 15% (plus cable @ 118pF/m)
- Output connection: BNC (standard)
- Size: 12mm D x 40mm L
- Weight (in air): 8g (plus cable @ 28g/m)
- Cable length: 9 meters standard. Any length on request.
- Cable Jacket: Polyurethane, OD: 4.5mm
- Encapsulant: Polyurethane
What´s Included
- Hydrophone AS-1
- 9 meters Hydrophone Cable
Warranty
Warranty
AFAB Enterprises, LLC is doing business under the registered trade names of Aquarian Audio and Aquarian Scientific, which will be abbreviated below as "Aquarian".
Aquarian General Warranty Statement:
Aquarian warrants hydrophones and other products sold under the Aquarian Audio or Aquarian Scientific brand names from electrical failure or defects in workmanship for a period of one year following the date of purchase, unless otherwise specified or excluded. Warranty claims can be made directly through Aquarian. Aquarian limits its shipping cost liability to one half of the item value during any warranty claim. Corroded output plugs are not covered under warranty. Damaged cables and damage caused to hydrophones and accessories by breach of the cable jacket is not covered under warranty. Major corrosion resulting from electrolysis, non-neutral PH, or similar factors under user control is not covered under warranty, nor is degradation of rubber compounds used in the hydrophone as a result of use in anything other than clean water or seawater, or from prolonged UV exposure. Warranty is not transferable.
Hydrophones are sensitive instruments. We design our products to be as rugged as possible, but by their nature, they are likely to be damaged by rough handling. If Aquarian recognizes signs of abuse in any warranty claim, we will provide evidence of that abuse to the customer and require the customer to pay costs of repair and return shipping. Evidence of abuse may include, but is not limited to: cracked or physically-broken sensors, abrasion or deformation of the hydrophone, arcing or burns to sensors or preamps, torn or cut cables, unusual degree of corrosion to metals or chemical attack to rubbers and plastics. We encourage our customers to experiment with these hydrophones. Regardless of damage, we do not try and profit from repairs.
Please contact Aquarian before returning any items under warranty so that we can assist in troubleshooting issues and avoid needless shipping expenses and delays.
Aquarian tests every product that we make to be sure that we are shipping working units. If you have a problem immediately out of the box, please contact us for technical assistance.
Special Limitations:
Board or sensor-level components (those not fully assembled into a finished plug-and-use product) are tested for functionality and guaranteed to work upon delivery to the customer. Due to the variability of customer assembly, we can not formally offer any warranty period on these products. This exclusion is inclusive of amplifiers or signal conditioners sold as "board only", hydrophones that do not include a fixed cable and output plug, and any replacement part or accessory not installed by Aquarian. If one of these components fails, regardless of cause, Aquarian will offer discounts on replacements when possible.
Resale: Aquarian will honor the sale date to the end user from the reseller as the beginning of the 1-year warranty period only under the following conditions: (1) A receipt for the retail sale is provided by the reseller or end user. (2) Retail sale is made within one year of original shipment from Aquarian. (3) Resale dealership is authorized by Aquarian. Warranty claims should be initiated through the reseller. Aquarian will not pay incoming shipping costs for warranty claims purchased through other businesses.
Multiple failures: Certain damage to hydrophones, such as from mechanical shock, excessive static pressure, input voltage, environmental chemistry and more, is difficult to diagnose. It is assumed that if any customer experiences multiple product failures, there is something about their application or use that is damaging our products. Aquarian Audio may, and typically will, refuse any warranty claim if we have previously repaired or replaced the same item under warranty.
Where several hydrophones are deployed in the same application, environment, network, or as part of a larger hardware system, Aquarian limits its warranty liability to 20% of the items originally purchased, not to exceed 25 like units. Examples: If a customer buys ten hydrophones and we end up replacing two of these under warranty, We will assume complications in the application environment and will ask the user to pay for repairs on additional breakage. If a customer buys 500 hydrophones for a specific application, hardware system, or network, our warranty is limited only to the first 25 units.
OEM orders: Any product made by Aquarian for exclusive distribution under alternate brands will carry no additional warranty unless specified by contractual agreement.
Aquarian strongly recommends that anyone considering our hydrophones for OEM use or otherwise within part of a larger system or network thoroughly evaluate samples for effectiveness and reliability in the proposed application, as the above-noted special conditions apply.Warranty applies only to Aquarian products. Though extremely unlikely that a hydrophone failure could damage equipment to which it is connected, Aquarian limits its warranty liability only to equipment manufactured by us.
Specified terms of sale: Any terms or conditions negotiated at the time of sale and denoted in pre-sale correspondence or on an official quote or invoice supercedes conditions of warranty denoted above.
Accessories sold by, but not manufactured by, Aquarian:
Aquarian does not provide any additional warranty coverage for other brands sold. Warranty claims should be made directly though the product's manufacturer. We will do our best to help our customers through this process.
Out-of-warranty repairs:
We don't like it when our hydrophones break! Thus, it has been our policy to repair out-of-warranty items at discounted rates. Aquarian Audio currently charges a minimum service fee of $35.00. Most repairs can be done for this minimum fee. Otherwise, if a customer's hydrophone has no obvious signs of misuse, and is less than five years old, we charge only the cost of parts plus return shipping for items that are currently in production. We will offer comparable replacements at prorated discounts for obsolete items--50% in the first year out of warranty, 40% the second year, and so on. We will offer this same discount for replacement of defective current-production items upon agreement only. Also, upon agreement, we will offer expedited replacements by selling new hydrophones at full cost, then reimbursing the customer for the discounted amount at the time the defective part is returned (30-day limitation on return from time of replacement sale). Please note: Terms noted above are guidelines only and not guaranteed. We reserve the right to evaluate each out-of-warranty repair or replacement case independently.
