Shallow Water Experiment of OFDM Underwater Acoustic Communications

The large variability of communication properties of underwater acoustic channels, and especially the strongly varying instantaneous conditions in shallow waters, is a challenge for the designers of underwater acoustic communication (UAC) systems. The use of phase modulated signals does not allow reliable data transmission through such a tough communication channel. However, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), being a multi-carrier amplitude and phase modulation technique applied successfully in the latest standards of wireless communications, gives the chance of reliable communication with an acceptable error rate. This paper describes communication tests conducted with the use of a laboratory model of an OFDM data transmission system in a shallow water environment in Wdzydze Lake.