SeaTrac X150

USBL positioning beacon with integrated attitude and heading measurement.

USBL beacon · Reference NAV-BP-X150

SeaTrac Standard: X150 and X110 shown together. Image: Blueprint Subsea.

System overview

X150 is the USBL reference beacon in both SeaTrac system packages. It calculates acoustic position relative to compatible transponders and connects to the host through RS-232. Absolute positioning requires the appropriate surface navigation input.

System components

X150 beacon
Power and RS-232 connection are required; battery operation is documented for standalone transponder tracking.

Applications

ROV and AUV tracking
Diver tracking
Acoustic telemetry

Key features

24–32 kHz broadband acoustic communication at 100 baud.
Published acoustic reach: 1 km horizontal radius and 1 km vertical hemisphere.
RS-232 host interface; 9–28 V DC supply.

Technical details

Mechanical

Length: 132mm (exc con) / 160mm (inc con)
Diameter: 54mm body / 59mm cage
Weight: 720g (Air) / 530g (Water)
Depth Rating: 100/2000m
Construction: 316 Stainless Steel
Temp. Rating (Operating): -5°c up to +40°c

Acoustic

Ranging: Yes
Positioning (USBL): Yes
Acoustic Range: 1km radius horizontal, 1km vertical (hemispherical)
Range Resolution: ±0.1m (dependant on provided VOS accuracy)
Angular Resolution: typ 2% of Acoustic Range * (~±1°)
Velocity of Sound Range: 1300ms-1 to 1700ms-1 / (can auto-compute from water temp & depth)
Beacon Velocity: Active Doppler compensation, up to 15kts (28kph)
Communications: Broadband spread spectrum encoding, 24-32kHz, 100 baud. Multi-tiered Acoustic Protocol Stack.
Targets (Addressing): Source discrepancy: website 100 IDs / up to 99 targets; rev 10 datasheet 15 IDs / up to 14 targets per X150. Confirm firmware and system capacity before specifying target count.

Electrical

Connector: Teledyne Impulse / MCBH-5-MP (5-way)
Communications: Single RS-232
Supply Voltage: 9-28VDC
Power Consumption: Approx 0.6W when idle, approx 6W when transmitting
Integrated Sensors: Water Pressure & Temperature, 3-axis MARG, Supply Voltage
Attitude and Heading: Internal 9-DOF AHRS with ±1° Yaw & ±0.2° Pitch & Roll std-deviation*

System equipment and manual scope

X150 cable: Rev 6 operating manual lists a 20 m deck lead with MCBH socket.
X110 cable: Rev 6 operating manual lists a 600 mm bare-ended cable whip with MCBH socket.
Mounting and supplied items: Pole bracket, M4 × 8 screws, reset magnet, software media, user manual and transit case are listed. Beacon quantity/configuration is specified when ordering.
Revision limitation: The currently linked manual contains older dimensions, weights, power peaks and interface forecasts. Current website/datasheet values are shown in the main specifications; exact hardware drawing and supply transient requirements must be confirmed.

Configuration options

X150 pressure ratingConfiguration

100 m and 2000 m depth-rating options are listed. Confirm the installed X150 variant; the 2000 m transponder rating does not make every X150 a 2000 m device.

Compatibility and naming

SeaTrac X150, X110 and X010 are documented together by the manufacturer. No specific ROV make/model compatibility is asserted. Acoustic range and positioning accuracy depend on sound-speed input, installation, noise and operating conditions.

Variants & configurations

SeaTrac family
Compare current family members.

Datasheets & documentation

SeaTrac Datasheet
Model-specific values are defined in the manufacturer tables. Differences between the current website and this document are recorded on the relevant ROVITEC product pages.
View datasheet (PDF)Download PDF
SeaTrac X110 / X150 beacon user guide
Rev 6 covers X110 and X150; it is not an X010 hardware manual. It includes historical technical values and software requirements; current model specifications are listed separately.
View manual (PDF)Download PDF
SeaTrac Developer User Guide
Use this guide with the specified model and firmware. Manufacturer pages and revision identifiers are retained unchanged.
View guide (PDF)Download PDF
SeaTrac Upgrading Firmware User Guide
Use this guide with the specified model and firmware. Manufacturer pages and revision identifiers are retained unchanged.
View guide (PDF)Download PDF

Software compatibility and support

SeaTrac PinPoint V2
v2.18.3, Windows x64, minimum Windows 10. Displays, logs and replays positioning data; supports NMEA output. V1 logs open in V2; V2 logs are not backward-compatible.
SeaTrac SDK and beacon utilities
SDK on request; ASCII serial protocol, beacon configuration and firmware upgrade instructions are documented in the linked guides.

Product advice