Originally Posted by
HamishMcBush
Yes, you could add a depth sensor for not much money in overall cost of a commercial passenger aircraft (maybe USD10,000) BUT, and this is the big BUT.... you still need a direct "line of sight" to the FDR to be able to pick the signal up. If it's stuck in an undersea crevass etc, you will never detect it (see earlier posts).
I see I need to read up on underwater sound, since yuo mention "line of sight".... Are any of the parameters for the medium, wavelength, transmission, diffraction, etc. at all comparable with light or radio waves in air?
Thinking about it, the RovHomer calculates distance and angle IIRC, so it automatically calculates the FDR depth (or the control software does)
Wouldn't the distance measurement be only very approximate? It's not a transponder system, so the only clue is the "ping" strength.
CJ