What is possible

Ranger 2 comes with an impressive list of features including our award-winning 6G (sixth generation) acoustic hardware platform and Sonardyne Wideband 2 digital signal architecture. It provides stable and repeatable acoustic position referencing for your ship’s DP system, including those from GE, Kongsberg, MT, Navis, Thrustmaster and Wärtsilä.

As your needs grow and become more complex, bolt-on software packs unlock additional capability and protect your investment. Take the DP pack and enable your acoustic ranging to be aided by our inertial navigation technology (DP-INS). Add the robotics pack and commanding a swarm of up to 99 AUVs is at your fingertips.

Ranger 2 can do even more, it also supports robust two-way data telemetry, allowing you to control our range of seafloor deployed, long-endurance sensors and recover your all-important data.

Track everything, in any depth, from any vessel

Why choose it?

• Tracks multiple targets to 11 km;
• Compatible with all makes of DP system – GE, Kongsberg, MT
• System accuracy: when fully optimised it will deliver 0.04% of slant range
• Works with a global inventory of pre-deployed Sonardyne 6G hardware
• Configurations available for USV and temporary vessel installations
• Valuable features included as standard
• Bolt-on packs available for growth with your operations and ambitions
• Developed and supported by a company with over 50 years of experience in innovative underwater technology

The kit

Transceivers

Our High Performance Transceiver (HPT), is available in a range of different designs to suit your operations whether they are in deep or shallow water or over a long layback.

HPT 5000 / 7000 are acoustic and telemetry transceivers designed for use with Ranger 2 USBL system. HPT 5000 enables targets to be tracked over a wide range of water depths; HPT 7000 is optimised for noisy DP drilling or construction vessels and in deep water.

HPT 5000 offers full hemispherical acoustic coverage so is a popular choice for tracking multiple targets (ROVs, AUVs, towfish, seafloor sensors) over a wide range of depths and elevations. The unit is also suitable for dynamic positioning reference on survey, research and offshore support vessels.

HPT 7000 is engineered for ultra-deepwater operations, tracking targets far below (rather than to the side of) a vessel, and for high vessel noise operating environments such as those typical of DP, drilling and construction where activity from thrusters is liable to cause signal interference.

If you need a solution for a vessel of opportunity, our pre-calibrated, all-in-one Gyro USBL transceiver is perfect. Lighter, smaller and just as capable, our second-generation Gyro USBL transceiver works seamlessly with Ranger 2 to track the position of your subsea targets from a USV, vessel of opportunity or from a pipelay vessel’s stinger over extreme ranges.

• All-in-one instrument; combined 6G acoustic transceiver and AHRS
• Choose between standard or ‘plus’ variants to suit your project’s specifications
• Optimises the performance of Ranger 2; eliminates lever arm offsets, pole bending and ship flexing errors
• Calibrated in-water before delivery – saving you time; install it and go to work

Transponders

The flexibility of the Ranger 2 family is further extended by our range of transponders to support a wide variety of your operations. WMT is a high-power transponder capable of operations to 7,000 m, while AvTrak 6 is our most capable acoustic vehicle instrument, combining the functions of a USBL transponder, LBL transceiver and modem for demanding applications such as AUV command and control.

How it works

Combining our cutting-edge 6G acoustic transceiver with a high-performance AHRS, Gyro USBL eliminates the lever arm offsets, pole bending and ship flexing errors common in traditional USBL systems. Its compact, corrosion-resistant design ensures durability in any marine environment.

Upgrade your operations today

Discover how Gyro USBL can revolutionise your subsea projects. Contact us to learn more about this groundbreaking technology.

Australian vessel operator Tenggara Explorer wanted to see if there was another way. Could DP-level control for ROV-follow capability be achieved on a non-DP class workboat?

Together, maritime autonomy and AI specialist Greenroom Robotics, ourselves and Unique Group equipped the 34 m-long Tenggara Explorer multipurpose vessel with integrated DP-level control and USBL for ROV-follow capability for their client’s medium-size inspection-class ROVs (with the capability to attach the Sonardyne transponder to any unit).

The Solution

The core of the solution was the integration of two key systems, Greenroom Robotics’ autonomy software, GAMA and our Mini-Ranger 2 USBL system.

Greenroom Robotics’ GAMA

GAMA is advanced autonomy software that is hardware agnostic and can be retrofitted to existing vessels to enable remote, hybrid and autonomous control.

GAMA’s Dynamic Predictive Control (DP-C) independently controls thrusters, propellers and rudders using sensor feedback and control algorithms to counter wind, waves and current. This provides DP-level control to smaller more agile workboats, like Tenggara Explorer enabling precision positioning.

As a result, survey teams on smaller vessels can execute complex manoeuvres and survey patterns with high precision, at day rates around 80% less than a DP-class vessel, and with lower risk than manual precision control.

Mini-Ranger 2 USBL

Our industry-leading Mini-Ranger 2 USBL system is engineered for high-performance tracking of underwater targets from surface vessels in shallow waters and coastal environments, providing stable and reliable tracking, even in challenging sea conditions.

It’s lightweight and portable, making it easy to integrate into smaller vessels, even including smaller uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). Installed on the Tenggara Explorer, Mini-Ranger 2 provides the high-accuracy positioning data required to track the ROV during inspection tasks and survey work.

Crucial to successfully integrating these systems onto the Tenggara Explorer was:

• Robust platform integration: direct interfacing with helm, propulsion and auxiliary thruster systems to enable smooth, coordinated actuation.
• Sensor fusion and target tracking: combining GPS, IMU, wind, and USBL subsea positioning data to maintain stable lock on both fixed coordinates and moving underwater assets.

Unique Groups’ team was the crucial integration partner, ensuring the vessel’s complex systems worked together, enabling its transformation to DP-level control and ROV-follow capability.

The Mini-Ranger 2 was expertly integrated into the vessel along with human machine interfaces and GAMA and Sonardyne displays into pre-existing Simrad units on the Bridge. This was followed with extensive in-water testing and performance verification and calibration.

Through this work, Unique Group enabled GAMA to perform critical autonomous functions, including precise ROV following, station-keeping and survey line tracking off Australia’s West Coast.

The Results

Our collaboration with Tenggara Explorer demonstrates how high-precision station-keeping and target-following can be done without the DP price tag. With the integration of GAMA and Mini-Ranger 2, the vessel is proving its ability to deliver DP-level capability, including ROV-follow operations.

Kai Lebens, Director and Operations Manager, at Tenggara Explorer:

“What stood out most was the stability during ROV/AUV following. We consistently held position and heading within DP-equivalent tolerances, even in variable wind and swell, while following a moving subsea target through USBL updates. The feel is ‘DP-like’ – the helm simply stayed where it needed to be, without the constant micro-corrections they were used to.

With GAMA managing fine vessel motion, bridge teams can maintain higher vigilance and focus on project oversight, data quality and safety. It’s also an advancement on the autonomy roadmap – helping to unlock the benefits of autonomy, alongside DP-level control.”

Peter Baker, General Manager of Growth, at Greenroom Robotics:

“Mini-Ranger 2 provided the reliability and fidelity needed for predictive tracking. It provides high update rates, dependable accuracy and stable performance in the shallow-to-midwater environments typical of survey and inspection work.

“That consistency is essential as the autonomy needs trustworthy subsea positioning to predict vessel motion relative to the ROV/AUV. Sonardyne effectively gave us the ‘subsea truth source’ that GAMA’s Dynamic Predictive Control depends on.”

Aidan Thorn, Marine Robotics Business Development Manager at Sonardyne:

“For vessel operators like Tenggara Explorer, it means new mission types – allowing them to use their existing workboat to take on tasks that historically required a DP-class vessel, unlocking a broader variety, and potentially higher-value, jobs.”

“Unique Groups’ integration work was the linchpin that allowed the Tenggara Explorer to fully leverage the GAMA package and Mini-Ranger 2’s capabilities, enhancing operational efficiency and safety while reducing environmental risk,” adds Lebens (at Tenggara Explorer). “Their contribution was fundamental to the success of this project.”

Overview

When it comes to USBL and LUSBL transceivers, one model does not fit all situations and vessels. For Ranger 2 and Marksman installations, our High Performance Transceiver (HPT) is available two primary configurations.

HPT 5000
HPT 5000 offers full hemispherical acoustic coverage so it’s a popular choice for tracking multiple targets  (ROVs, AUVs, towfish, seafloor sensors) over a wide range of depths and elevations. The unit is also suitable for dynamic positioning reference on survey, research and offshore support vessels.

HPT 7000
HPT 7000 is engineered for ultra-deepwater operations, tracking targets far below (rather than to the side) of a vessel, and also high vessel noise operating environments, as those typically encountered on DP drilling and construction where aeration from thrusters is liable to cause signal interference.

Both models of transceiver fully support 6G LBL operations using Fusion 2 LBL software. They are also highly capable acoustic communications modems, able to interrogate, command and recover data payloads from deployed Sonardyne instruments including AMTs and Fetch. Supporting telemetry rates of up to 9,000 bps minimises the time a vessel has to wait on location to recover data, as well as supporting LBL operations.

HPT 5000/7000s are also available in Gyro USBL configurations offering calibration-free installation and use.

At a glance

• Use with Ranger 2 USBL and Marksman LUSBL systems
• Can also be used to communicate and harvest data from Sonardyne sensors
• Hemispherical (HPT 5000) or directional (HPT 7000) arrays to suit your vessel and application
• Can be deployed other-the-side, through-tube or through-hull
• Suitable for new-build vessels or USBL/LUBL upgrade for your existing vessel

All HPTs are built on our 6G technology platform with multi-element processing to enable transponders to be positioned more precisely, more quickly and more robustly due to improvements in signal processing algorithms and array design.

Functionality such as ‘Discovery Mode’ enables vessels equipped with Ranger 2 and Marksman to enter an offshore area and automatically detect previously deployed transponders (including their configured address and channel), making simultaneous operations using shared seabed arrays possible.

Manufactured in aluminium-bronze, HPTs are intended to be fitted temporarily or permanently to a vessel’s through-hull or over-the-side pole. HPT 5000s (including Gyro USBL 5000s) have also been fitted to large USVs for uncrewed missions controlled from over-the-horizon.

For specialist applications, inverted USBL, LMF frequency and extreme depth range HPT transceivers are also available. Please get in contact to discuss your requirements.

Reassuringly reliable Ranger 2

Ranger 2 is more than just an acoustic tracking and positioning system. It goes way beyond tracking; it can be part of a dynamic positioning system, it supports robust two-way data communication with a range of seafloor sensors to collect data, it can support AUV command and control and will even release seabed moorings.

Ranger 2 can even be run from an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) enabling truly remote, autonomous operations. Whether your mission involves seabed surveys, offshore energy site inspections or commanding a fleet of AUVs, Ranger 2 can help you expand them over the horizon and to the edges of your imagination.

It comes with an impressive list of standard features, our award-winning 6G (sixth generation) acoustic hardware platform and Sonardyne Wideband 2 digital signal architecture. The flexibility of the Ranger 2 family is further extended by our range of 6G transponders to support a wide variety of applications.

Why should you invest?

Our Ranger 2 family gives you the versatility you need, at the investment level you can afford, to get your project completed quickly and efficiently. It’s engineered like no other USBL on the market. Adaptable, scalable and always compact, there is a Ranger 2 USBL to suit any size vessel or project. As your needs grow, bolt-on software packs unlock additional capability and protect your investment. Whichever size suits you best, they will always be compatible with our full range of 6G transponders and many other vessel systems.