Self-powered sonar device may be implanted in body of fish. It transmits signal that can be detected with portable tracking gear or by automatic detection-and-tracking system. Operating life of over 4000 hours may be expected. Device itself may be used almost indefinitely

Ferguson, R. L.

Lovelady, R. W.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

Transformer 
Aluminum 
Capsule
GTAPM 
June 1975	 B75-10092 
NASA TECH BRIEF 
I-]	 Langley Research center 
NASA Tech Briefs announce new technology derived from the U.S. space program. They are issued to encourage 
commercial application. Tech Briefs are available on a subscription basis from the National Technical Information 
Service, Springfield, Virginia 22151. Requests for individual copies or questions relating to the Tech Brief program may 
be directed to the Technology Utilization Office, NASA, Code KT, Washington, D.C. 20546. 
Miniature Sonar Fish Tag 
S
The problem: 
An inexpensive method is needed to track or to 
determine the exact location of fish during the study 
of their behavioral characteristics in response to 
manmade perturbations of their environment. The 
method must have a useful range and operating life 
and require low manpower to operate and maintain. 
It must be applicable to small as well as large adult 
fish and must operate over a wide temperature range 
with stability, since fish must often be tracked for 
several days. 
The solution: 
A new miniature self-powered sonar device may be 
implanted in the body of a fish. It transmits a signal
that can be detected with portable tracking gear or by 
an automatic detection-and-tracking system. 
How it's done: 
The miniature self-powered sonar device is shown 
in the figure. It is small enough to be implanted in or 
attached to the body of a fish to be tracked, and it 
transmits a 38-kHz, pulse-modulated, omnidirec-
tional signal for a period of about 400 hours. The 
device can be detected and tracked by either portable, 
shipboard-mounted, or fixed receiving stations at a 
range in excess of 1 mile (1.6 km). The transmitter is a 
low-cost expendable instrument which is packaged in 
an anodized-aluminum capsule 1.5 cm (0.60 in.) in 
diameter with a length of 3.5 cm (1.40 in.). The device 
S Exploded View of Self-Powered Sonar Device for Tracking Fish
(continued overleaf) 
This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National 	 Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States 	 information contained in this document, or warrants that such use 
Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United States 	 will be free from privately owned rights.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19750000092 2020-03-19T20:06:57+00:00Z
is completely self-contained and weighs less than 8 g 
(0.28 oz)in water, including its power supply. 
With fresh batteries, an operating life of over 400 
hours may be expected, and by replacing the 
batteries, the device itself may be used almost 
indefinitely. Furthermore, its size, weight, and range 
make the capsule adaptable to numerous applications 
in addition to tracking fish. 
Potential applications in other hydrosphere studies 
are being explored. For example, the transmitter 
could be used with active seabed or subsurface 
drifters. These devices are used in determining the 
normal dispersion of pollutants dumped into the 
ocean at offshore sites. They are also useful in channel 
and harbor maintenance when studying bottom-
sediment transport mechanisms to determine the 
causes of shoaling.
Note: 
to: Request5 for further information may be directed 
Technology Utilization Officer 
Langley Research Center 
Mail Stop 139-A 
Hampton, Virginia 23665 
Reference: B75-10092 
Patent status: 
NASA has decided not to apply for a patent. 
Source: Ray W. Lovelady and Robert L. Ferguson 
Langley Research Center
(LAR-1 1814) 
Categories: 02 (Electronics Systems) 
03 (Physical Sciences) 
B75-10092	 05 (Life Sciences)


Miniature sonar fish tag

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