The following is a compilation of hydrophone manufacturers or providers.
MARMAM editors
Web-sites - compilations and reviews
http://dsg.sbs.nus.edu.sg/datahy.html
http://members.aol.com/jblue46498/hydrphns.htm
(from http://dsg.sbs.nus.edu.sg/datahy.html - the National University of Singapore's Dolphin Study Group website..)
Utility-Grade Hydrophone Manufacturers:
BIOACOUSTICS, 3 noyes Avenue, Mattapoisett, MA 02739, USA. Phone: (508) 758-4270
BURNS ELECTRONICS PTY LTD AUSTRALIA, Email: robcallin@ozemail.com.au; URL: http://www.ozemail.com.au/~robcallin/hydrophone.htm
CETACEAN RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY, Joseph R. Olson, 7309 26th Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98117, USA. Tel: (206) 297 1310; Email: info@cetaceanresearch.com; URL: http://www.cetaceanresearch.com
DOLPHINEAR, Jackie Butler, jackie@dolphinear.com Arretec, PB 3098 Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK2 2AD, UNITED KINGDOM; U.S. TEL/FAX 1-415-704-3134 (San Francisco); International: FAX: +44 20 7681 3734 -or- +1-415-704-3134; Email: info@dolphinear.com
OFFSHORE ACOUSTICS, 5454 Indian River Drive, North Vancouver, B.C., Canada V7G IL3; Phone: (604) 929 0440; Fax: (604) 929 0440; Email: jkford@interchange.ubc.ca
SENSOR TECHNOLOGIES, P. O. Box 97, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada L9Y 3Z4. Phone: (705) 444 1440; Fax: (705) 444 6787
SONATECH, Inc., 879 Ward Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93111-2920, USA. Phone: (805) 683 1431 ext. 353; Fax: (805) 683 4862; Email: norris@sona8.sonatech.com
SPECIALTY ENGINEERING, 3155 North Porter St., Soquel, CA 95073-2217 USA. Phone: (408) 465 9000; Fax: (408) 465 9001; Email: selfridge@ultrasonic.com; URL: http://www.ultrasonic.com/Products/hydros.htm
VEMCO, 100 Osprey Drive, Shad Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada B3T 2C1; Phone: (902) 852 3047; Fax: (902) 852 4000; E-mail: support@vemco.com; URL: http://www.vemco.com
Professional hydrophone manufacturers:
BENTHOS, 49, Edgerton Drive, North Falmouth, MA 02556-2826, USA. Phone: (508) 563 1000 / 1 800 446 1222; Fax: (508) 563-6444. Email: info@benthos.com; URL: http://www.benthos.com
BRUEL & KJAER Head-office: Brüel & Kjær Danmark A/S, Skodsborgvej 307, DK-2850 Nærum; Phone: +45 4580 0500; Fax: +45 4580 1405; Email: info@bk.dk URL: http://www.bksv.com; USA: Phone: 1 800 332 2040; Fax: (770) 808 7818; E-mail: info@bksv.com;
EDO ACOUSTIC PRODUCTS, 2645 South 300 West, Salt Lake City, Utah 84115-2968, USA. Phone: (801) 486 7481; Fax: (801) 484 3301; E-Mail: sales@edoipd.com; URL: http://www.edocorp.com/indust/acoustic/products/acouprod.html
ENGINEERING ACOUSTICS, Engineering Acoustics, Inc., 1490 Gene Street, Winter Park, FL 32789, USA; Phone: (407) 645 5444; Fax: (407) 645 4910; E-mail: ensign@eaiinfo.com; URL: http://www.eaiinfo.com
GEC MARCONI, Faraday Park, Railway Road, Meadowbank NSW, 2114 Australia Sonar and Underwater Division Sensors Unit, Phone: 612 809 9777; Fax: 612 809 9751; Email: ajdeac@gecms.com.au
GEO SPACE, 7334 N. Gessner, Houston, Texas 77040, USA. Phone: (713) 939 7093; Fax: (713) 937 8012; Email: geospace@worldnet.att.net
GRAS, Scan Tec: Phone: (301) 495 7738; Fax: (301) 495 7739
HIGH TECH, INC., 1390 29th Avenue, Gulfport, Mississippi 39501, Phone: (601) 868-6632; Fax: (601) 868-6645; Email: hightechinc@worldnet.att.net
ITC, 869 Ward Drive, Santa Barbara, California 93111, USA. Phone: (805) 683 2575; Fax: (805) 967 8199
RESON, Reson, Inc., 601, Firestone Road, Goleta, CA 93117, USA. Phone: (805) 964 6260; Fax: (805) 964 7537; E-mail: sales@reson.com; URL: http://www.reson.com
SONIC TECHNOLOGIES, 2935 Byberry Rd., Hatboro, Pa. 19040, USA. Phone: (215) 957 2352 / 1 800 761 2828; Fax: (215) 957 2355 E-Mail: Webmaster@sonictech.com; URL: http://www.sonictech.com/st/index.html
USRD (Underwater Sound Reference Division), These standard hydrophones are available for a service fee (rent) form the Underwater Sound Reference Division (USRD) of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) which has been relocated from Orlando, Florida to Newport, Rhode Island. These hydrophones may seem to be expensive but they will be recalibrated annually and replaced should they fail or be inadvertedly damaged during the length of the service fee agreement. Also, if you need a hydrophone in a hurry, USRD can usually supply one within a week. If you intend to publish quantitative acoustic data in a refereed journal, these hydrophones provide an excellent link in the traceability of your measurements to the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST). Phone: (401) 841 43 36 Fax: (401) 841 49 89 Email: jenneke@am.npt.nuwc.navy.mil
The following are some comments from MARMAM subscribers:
CETACEAN RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY; From: "Joseph R. Olson" ..You may notice that I've added a new hydrophone (model C20b). It is 4dB
more sensitive than the C20a and has a bandwidth of 22kHz. This model,
with additional headphone driver, will soon be available in retail marine
supply stores. The price should be in the US$425 range.
As demands on my time increase with more hydrophone orders, I have less
time to work at my consulting job. Earnings from consulting have
subsidized the cost of building hydrophones. Consequently, the hydrophone
prices will increase slightly beginning 1 November 1997. Nonetheless, I
will continue to offer discounts to research, educational, and nonprofit
organizations. The only exception could be with the "C20b with headphone
driver." It will be considered a recreational hydrophone (though still
well suited for research) and go by some catchy trade name. I need to
keep the retail dealers happy.
Thanks again for all of your encouragement. Please contact me if you have
any questions or comments. I will reply to all messages when I return
home from my honeymoon on 24 September!
Best wishes to all, Joe
Date: Thu, 5 Jun 1997 17:27:17 -0700
From: Harald Jurk Due to a number of requests for affordable hydrophones that are suitable
for fieldwork I thought I post the information about the hydrophones
we use for killer whale research. The hydrophones are build by Berverly
Ford's one person company called Offshore Acoustics.
The information posted is taken from the company's brochure:
Offshore Acoustics hydrophones offer high performance, field durability,
and low cost. Their broad frequency response and high sensitivity make
them well suited for a wide range of underwater monitoring applications,
from basic listening with an amplified loudspeaker to recording using
audio cassette, DAT, or video cam-corders. Standard hydrophones come
with 10 meters of rubber-encased coaxial cable, which is optimal for use
from a drifting boat. Longer cable lengths for use in fixed shore-based
systems are also available. Each hydrophone is supplied with a plastic
power supply box (12 x 6.5 x 3.5 cm) containing a 9 volt battery that
drives the hydrophoneUs internal preamplifier. This is fitted with a
standard 3.5 mm mini-plug for connection of the unit to an amplified
speaker or recorder.
An instruction and maintenance sheet is included. Delivery time is 4-6
weeks. Each hydrophone comes with a one year replacement warranty (cable
damage excluded).
You can send a Fax to Beverly Ford. Her Fax number is (604)
929-0440, or you can send a regular letter to 5454 Indian River
Drive, North Vancouver, B.C., Canada V7G 1L3. You also could get in
touch with her by e-mail. The address is jkford@interchange.ubc.ca
From: zbinden@wild.unizh.ch (Dani Zbinden)
A manufacturer who builds affordable high-quality hydrophones is
Sonatech, Inc.
Wide band hydrophone model 8178: Piezoceramic spherical sensor with a
preamplifier on a 75 foot waterblocked cable.
A different hydrophone from Sonatech, model 8185, goes to about
45kHz with a very uniform frequency response. However, this
hydrophone picks up every movement of its cable, so is awkward to use
in conditions other than flat calm.The high-frequency hydrophone
(model 8178), while its response is a bit more lumpy, is much more
usable since it is very resistant to acceleration noise. This
wide-band hydrophone is also available in a towed body shape or in a
full ocean depth capable configuration.
The cable is a neoprene jacketed water blocked twisted shielded pair and
can be anything from 20 to 350 feet. Cable length above 75 feet requires a
line driver power amplifier and will increase the costs of the hydrophone.
Don will tailor the hydrophone to your particular needs without including
any design or tooling costs. In addition, he will recalibrate the unit
periodically for the cost of freight and provide calibration data about
receiving sensitivity and beam patterns.
From: norris@sonatech.com (Don Norris)
BIOMON in Santa Barbara, CA. will tailor hydrophones for a specific need
without non recurring engineering charges and for a low overall cost on the
unit. Additionally, BIOMON will consult on the net for free or for short
periods of time on the phone or FAX for free. These hydrophones include
towed wideband and narrowband hydrophones, overside or suspended
hydrophones, hull mounted hydrophones, hydrophones for further mounting,
directional hydrophones, some line arrays, and projectors. Biomon address
is:
BIOMON, 718 C West Victoria Street, Santa Barbara, CA. 93101.
Phone: (805) 683-1431 EXT 353;
email: norris@sona8.sonatech.com
From: info@dolphinear.com
Subject: Re:DolphinEar Hydrophone Systems
DolphinEar is a $150 hydrophone system suitable for research, educational
or recreational use. It's a complete system with hydrophone, quality cable,
amplifier and wide frequency response earphones. Also included is free software
for displaying audio spectrograms on PC's.
DolphinEar can be deployed in 60 seconds making it ideal for a 'quick listen'
in acoustically active areas - or for sustained monitoring. Sensitivity is
excellent - but the frequency response is limited to normal human hearing
range of 18 Hz - 20,000 Hz although it will work well beyond these limits.
DolphinEar was first introduced in 1998 to introduce the general public to
the world of underwater sounds as a way of building an appreciation of the
life that exists in the oceans of the world. It was designed to be rugged
and simple to use.
DolphinEar quickly found a ready audience in the research world and is
currently in use by university researchers, US government agencies,
Fisheries Departments around the world, NATO, whale-watch boat operators, recreational boaters,
secondary educational institutions, and commercial laboratories.
The complete package is available from stock, ready for immediate shipment
to anywhere in the world.
For further information: http://www.dolphinear.com
Contact Jackie Butler Email address: jackie@dolphinear.com
Price: $159 US (6m), $199 (12m), $265 (20m) + delivery
* Note: frequency response is given for entire system including earphones.
This limits the frequency response to normal human ranges. When using the
supplied software for recording sounds directly from the DolphinEar, the
useful low frequency range extends down to under 10 Hz; the upper frequency
range extends to more than 22 KHz.
Specifications:
1996 Prices (Canadian dollars):
Specifications:
DOLPHINEAR SPECS:
Return to Main MARMAM page
Return to The Whitehead Lab
Last Updated July 2000 by Sascha Hooker