The BASS 600 underwater acoustic communication link

The paper outlines the acoustic and electronic design of the “BASS 600 DPSK” and “BASS 600 FSK” communication links completed at the University of Birmingham. The results of field trials are also discussed and the performances of the two modulation schemes are compared. Communication was achieved at ranges from 25 to 250 m at a transmission frequency of 600 kHz. Data rates to 200 kbit s ^-1 were achieved. Bit error rates ranging from 10^-3 to 10^-6 were observed. The effect of multipath, weather conditions and platform movement are also discussed. The perceived potential, in terms of bit rate and range, for these links is presented and typical application areas are outlined