Evaluation of a rubber-compound diaphragm for acoustic fisheries surveys: Effects on dual-beam signal intensity and beam patterns

The use of rubber-compound windows for fisheries acoustics must consider operating frequency and ambient water temperatures. Signal attenuation by the rubber becomes pronounced with increased frequency and decreased temperature. Based on our results, a 420 k Hz system could be expected to lose up to 3-4 dB in colder water through a 5.1-cm thick rubber diaphragm. At 120 k Hz, signal loss was negligible and would undoubtedly also be inconsequential for even lower frequencies used in fisheries applications (e.g., 70, 38 k Hz).