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INTRODUCTION
1.1 ABOUT VEMCO
VEMCO, a division of AMIRIX Systems Incorporated, is a leader in the design and manufacture of
oceanographic research tools and systems since 1979. VEMCO's product line ranges from miniature
acoustic transmitters and data loggers to large tracking, positioning, and monitoring systems. Data
communication methods include acoustic telemetry, radio modem, and under-water modem.
Please contact us at:
www.vemco.com
1.2 SYSTEM REVIEW
The VR100 is a general-purpose ultrasonic, splash-resistant, receiver designed for manual tracking of
aquatic animals from small boats or for recording laboratory data. Its hardware architecture has been
developed to support a wide range of applications and transmitter types. It replaces the VR60 receiver.
All the VR100’s Digital Processing and Controller Functionality is software based and can be updated in
the field from a laptop. This allows new features, such as specialized tag detection algorithms and support
for new tag types, to be added during the life of the product and without the product having to return to the
factory.
The VR100 can detect continuous and coded tags on eight separate frequencies and at the same time. It
can also store the detections, along with the date/time and GPS location of the receiver at the time of the
detection, to be loaded to a computer for viewing or analysis. The communication between the computer
software and the VR100 travels through a supplied USB cable.
The internal gel-cell rechargeable battery can operate for approximately 12 hours with the backlight off
under normal operating conditions. Operating time with the backlight on is shorter. The VR100 can also
be operated while the battery is being charged from the supplied AC adapter or an external DC source,
allowing the receiver to continue to operate during the charging process. However, for the best noise
performance, the VR100 should be disconnected from the PC and charger as these devices can sometimes
add unwanted noise to the receiver.
The VR100 receiver is designed to operate with a hydrophone containing a high gain, low noise pre-
amplifier powered by the receiver. An omni-directional hydrophone is provided as a standard accessory
(VH165). A high frequency omni-directional hydrophone (VH180) optimized for use with 180 kHz tags is
available as an option. The optional VH110 directional hydrophone enables the VR100 receiver to locate
and track a transmitter (see Applications, section 2).
