Development of underwater binaural communications equipment

Development of a microminiature self-contained underwater binaural communications set for the military diver has been completed at the Naval Ship Research and Development Laboratory, Panama City, Florida (NAVSHIPRANDLAB, Panama City). The primary objectives were high intelligibility, reliability, and ease of operation. The equipment features voice operated transmission (to free the diver´s hands), automatic gain control, binaural reception, and microminiature state-of-the-art electronic components. Results achieved include a range of 2000 yards, phonetically balanced (PB) word intelligibility of 90 percent, and a localization accuracy of approximately 10 degrees. This equipment is mounted entirely on the diver´s head and, for the first time, provides the diver with truly unencumbered communications.