The measurement of ocean currents by a moored instrument is the standard method of obtaining information about the lation of ocean waters. The RCM7 is a self-contained instrument that can be moored in the sea and record ocean current, water temperature, conductivity of the water and instrument depth.

The RCM7 consists of a recording unit and vane assembly which is equipped with a rod that can be shackled into the mooring line. This arrangement permits the instrument to swing freely and align with the current. The recording unit contains all sensors, the measuring system, battery and a detachable, reusable solid state data storage unit.

A built-in clock triggers the RCM7 at preset intervals and a total of six channels are sampled in sequence. The first channel is a fixed reference reading for control purposes and data identification. Channels 2, 3 and 4 represent measurement of temperature, conductivity and depth respectively. Channels 5 and 6 represent the vector averaged current speed and direction since the previous triggering of the instrument. The data is sequentially fed to the Data Storage Unit (DSU) 2990. Simultaneously as the reading takes place, the output pulse keys on and off an acoustic carrier emitted by an acoustic transducer. This allows monitoring of the performance of moored instruments from the surface by a hydrophone and can be used for real-time telemetry of data.

The recording interval of the instrument is set by an interval selector switch. When a 10 minute interval is used, the operating period of the instrument will be 2 months.

Specifications:

Please note: A deep sea version, designated RCM8, is available for depths down to 6000 meters. Contact ESI for more details.