Introduction

VT USA-168A, VT USA-168B and VT USA-168C are high-sensitivity low-noise PC based USB real-time underwater sound analyzers in the human auditory range. They are equipped with high-sensitivity hydrophones with built-in preamps and XLR output connectors, which are compatible with the common phantom powered XLR interfaces. The hydrophones can withstand a static water pressure up to 100m and drive a cable up to 250 m with negligible signal degradation.

The hydrophone of VT USA-168A is rugged and compact. Its small, streamlined shape and high specific gravity will help maintain a low working depth in mild wind and currents. Its compact size and flexible cable make it very portable and simple to use.

The hydrophone of VT USA-168B uses a unique high-sensitivity, dual-sensor, mechanically balanced transducer assembly that offers exceptional signal-to-noise performance. Compared with the hydrophone of VT USA-168A, it has a smaller size and much lower specific gravity and thus can be inserted into pipes and other tight spaces, making it excellent for leak finding. Its low mass and full polyurethane rubber encapsulant make it highly resistant to damage caused by impact. To maintaining negative buoyancy underwater, it is assembled with a 150g sliding stainless steel weight on the cable. Though designed primarily for underwater listening and leak finding, it is also useful as a waterproof microphone for tool room applications, such as monitoring cutting in waterjet and other CNC tooling.

The hydrophone of VT USA-168C is very small and has a standard panel-mount design with a low-profile 3.5mm TRS output plug, making it very useful for integrated systems, such as autonomous recording units, autonomous or remote-operated vehicles, and dive camera enclosures. When fitted with the supplied weight and a long cable, it will be equally useful for typical deep-water and field recording applications. The compact and rugged sensor design is especially useful for leak finding and other industrial sensing operations. This hydrophone is designed to connect directly to a standard 3.5mm mic jack that supplies plug-in power (PIP). With the supplied PIP-to-XLR adapter, it can also be connected to a standard XLR mic jack that provides phantom power.

Find out more: Manual

Note: USA-168A has a thread-mount version of hydrophone on request. 1/4" NPT (National Pipe Thread) with 7/16" (12mm) wrench flats. Standard configuration includes 1/2-meter cable with stripped and tinned wire termination.

Package Contents

1. Hydrophone with a built-in preamp and an integrated XLR cable
2. XLR-to-USB Converter
3. USB cable (1 m)
4. CD (contains the copy-protected Multi-Instrument Software)
5. USB hardkey (contains a Multi-Instrument Pro License)
6. Carrying Case