​UAM-08160H Performance Test in Good Hydrological Conditions

Overview

High-speed data throughput and low bit error rates are key requirements for underwater acoustic telemetry in ocean engineering, environmental monitoring, and subsea vehicle operations. This report covers a point-to-point (P2P) acoustic communication field trial for the UAM-08160H High-Speed Underwater Acoustic Modem, evaluating transmission stability and received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) over a 6.174 km direct line-of-sight (LOS) path under favorable hydrological conditions.

Even at partial transmit power, the modem sustained a 6 kbps transmission rate over the 6.174 km range, recording a 0% Bit Error Rate (BER) and 0% Packet Loss Rate (PLR).

1. Test Setup and Environmental Conditions

Testing was conducted in a deep freshwater reservoir. The environment provided a uniform sound velocity profile with minimal boundary reflections and multipath interference, mirroring propagation conditions found in deep lakes and calm coastal areas.

• Modem Model: UAM-08160H High-Speed Underwater Acoustic Modem
• Hardware Units: C01-6 and C01-5 Underwater Acoustic Terminals
• Operation Mode: Point-to-Point (P2P) Full-Duplex / Half-Duplex
• Test Site: Xianghongdian Reservoir, Lu'an City, Anhui Province, China
• Baseline Distance: 6.174 km

GPS Coordinates

The acoustic modems were lowered from two test vessels anchored at fixed positions across the reservoir:

2. Methodology

The test evaluated data throughput, frame synchronization, and noise tolerance across various transmit power levels and data rates over the 6.174 km link.

1. Payload: Continuous test packets containing the ASCII character string "U".
2. Validation: A transmission was counted as successful once the receiving node completed frame synchronization and verified packet integrity.
3. Logged Parameters: Effective Packet Loss Rate (PLR), Bit Error Rate (BER), Transmit Power Level (1–16), Receive Gain Level (1–12), and Average Received SNR.

3. Raw Field Data

The trial consisted of three test groups designed to analyze the trade-off between power consumption and data rate over the 6.174 km path:

Field Test Summary

4. Performance Analysis

1. High-Speed Telemetry (Group 1)

Operating over 6.174 km at Transmit Power Level 7 (less than 50% of maximum output), the UAM-08160H ran at 6 kbps with 0% PLR and 0% BER. Average received SNR reached 65.37 dB, showing clear link margin and clean decoding at mid-power levels.

2. Reduced-Power Operation (Group 2)

Dropping transmit power to Level 3 simulated energy-limited platforms such as AUVs or battery-powered subsea nodes. Over 624 continuous packets at 6.174 km, average received SNR was 33.08 dB. The link logged a 2.25% BER and a 5.76% PLR, keeping packet drop low despite low power output.

3. Minimum Power Baseline (Group 3)

At Transmit Power Level 1, lowering the data rate to 3 kbps recovered full link integrity (0% BER, 0% PLR) with an average received SNR of 44.36 dB. This mode matches requirements for long-term underwater monitoring where power conservation is the main constraint.

5. Target Applications

Field results support the UAM-08160H for deployment in:

• AUV / UUV Telemetry & Command: Long-range control links and high-speed payload data transfer beyond 6 km.
• Subsea Observatory Networks: Long-term seabed data logging with strict power budgets.
• Inland Water & Reservoir Hydrography: High-speed data links for inland survey operations.
• Acoustic Positioning & Transponders: Communication channels for underwater positioning systems and transponders.