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| General |
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| The family of METOCEAN ice beacons consists of a group of products that use two basic hull shapes and a wide variety of sensors. Measurements acquired by METOCEAN's ice beacons include ice movement (GPS position), atmospheric parameters, ice thickness and temperatures and sub-surface parameters. Depending on the requirements, either a tubular hull (10-cm diameter x 70 cm) or a large canister hull (54-cm diameter x 30 cm) can be chosen. All hulls are constructed of aluminum and heights of either hull type can be increased to accommodate additional batteries and/or a larger sensor payload. The tubular hull is intended to be placed into a hole drilled into the ice, which provides excellent stability and eliminates the need for guide lines. It has an extendable satellite antenna mast on top of which the GPS antenna is located. It is particularly compact and light to allow for air deployment via helicopter. The canister hull rests directly on the ice surface and has a 10 cm diameter mast containing the satellite antenna. If external sensors are used, then either waterproof connectors or potted fittings are used to route signal cables. Both beacon types are full watertight and are activated by the removal of a magnet, affixed with Velcro, to the outside of the hull.
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| Sensor Sampling |
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| A new data set is typically gathered from the sensors once per hour and transmitted via Iridium or ARGOS satellite every 90 seconds. If GPS positioning is used, the transmit rate can be reduced to once every 200 seconds to reduce both power consumption and satellite date service fees. The format and quantity of data message(s) is typically determined in consultation with the customer.
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| Data Transmit Format |
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| Message formatting, Argos ranges and reporting resolutions can be easily adapted to the customer's requirements.
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