SPECS_01221_ARGO DRIFTERS- Stabeno_Strausz.docx

SPECIFICATIONS

Drifter Buoys

1. The platform transmitter terminal (PTT) must be certified by Service ARGOS to --40 degrees Centigrade and give ARGOS positions accurate to 500 meters a minimum of 10 times in a 24 hour period when deployed at a latitude greater than 50 degrees. Any serial data interface necessary for transferring external data to the PTT is considered part of the unit.

2. These units will be deployed in the Chukchi or Bering Seas with temperatures of less than 0 degrees Centigrade.

3. The buoys shall measure and transmit hourly data on ocean temperature, drogue status, and battery voltage to ARGOS. The transmission must include 32 bits of data in 4 8-bit blocks. Unused bits should be zero-filled.

4. ARGOS platform numbers, hex codes and repetition rates will be provided to the contractor at least 15 days before the delivery date on the contract.

5. The housing must be waterproof for rain or snow, and must remain waterproof in cold temperatures and in cold water. The connections for the antenna must be watertight. Ship deployment must be possible. It must be able to be deployed as a packaged unit as delivered by the contractor. Each unit must be fully assembled with an external switch or removable magnet to start.

6. The drogue will be a holey sock design that allows a minimum of 40:1 drag ratio. Three units shall have their drogue centered at 30m below the surface and two shall be centered at 40m.

7. Each buoy will be able to indicate through its ARGOS message if the drogue is attached or has been lost. This system shall not be intrusive of the buoy housing.

8. The contractor must have a history of reliable high-latitude (higher than 60 degrees latitude North or South) operation, in areas subject to the same weather and oceanic temperatures we encounter in the regions surrounding Alaska. A reliable high latitude history is defined from previous FOCI deployments as follows*:

a. Drifters transmit properly (as defined in item I) before deployment - 100%

b. Drifters transmit properly (as defined in item I) during the first month of deployment- 90%

c. Drifters transmit properly (as defined in item I) during the first 3 months of deployment - 75%

d. Drifters transmit properly (as defined in item I) during the first 6 months of deployment - 60%

9. All buoys to be delivered on or before October 30, 2020. All delivered buoys will be required to have a "shelf-life" of 360 days. All delivered buoys will be required to transmit properly (as defined in item 1) for the next 240 days after start (using external switch or removable magnet).

*drifters that have run aground or been picked up by vessels are not included in these percentages