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International diving equipment technology company Divex has today announced the launch of a communication system for the saturation diver that sets a new benchmark for offshore safety and wellbeing worldwide.
Divex, who are headquartered in Westhill, Aberdeen, Scotland - recognised as the global centre of excellence for subsea technology has launched HeliCom™ the Helium Speech Unscrambler Communication System. HeliCom™ is the result of market driven demand for a communications system that ensures clear, concise and intelligible communication for divers operating in extreme depths and conditions.
Saturation divers use helium as the major component of the special breathing-gas mixture called heliox (a mixture of helium and oxygen). One of the disadvantages of helium is the "Donald Duck" effect on the voice which complicates the communication process. Early helium speech unscramblers created a lot of distortion which made it difficult for reliable diver communication.
Divex’s HeliCom™ achieves superior, crystal-clear diver helium voice communication through advanced DSP (digital signal processing) helium speech decoding techniques. The helium speech from the pressurised divers and the chamber occupants are mixed in an audio mixer before decoding to the selected gas and environmental settings by a digital signal processing circuit (DSP). This has been the key element of HeliCom™’s success – the clarity of speech irrespective of the depth the diver is working.
HeliCom™ is a step forward over existing implementations because of the incorporation of precise modelling of the translations introduced by the Heliox mixture on the human voice including both pitch and envelope distortion.
HeliCom™ is available in a range of models allowing for the differing pressurised environments including the Saturation Chamber, the Diving Bell and the Hyperbaric Lifeboat. Installed in a convenient 19” rack-mount enclosure for standard console installation, it is available in four models:
Dive Control Helium Speech Unscrambler (DC HSU).
Sat Control Helium Speech Unscrambler (SC HSU).
Hyperbaric Lifeboat Helium Speech Unscrambler, rack mount (HLB HSU).
Hyperbaric Lifeboat Helium Speech Unscrambler in environmental enclosure (HLB HSU).
The DC HSU is designed for helium speech communications with three divers and the bell environment, with the SC HSU designed for helium speech communications with the occupants of a two compartment saturation deck chamber. It also provides a bunk entertainment channel.
HeliCom™ is available in two formats a modular system for existing saturation dive systems and the HeliCom Matrix™ an integrated touch screen communication and entertainment system. The HeliCom™ modular system has been installed and is operational in the new state-of-the-art Dive Support Vessels, Technip’s Skandi Arctic and Subsea 7’s Seven Atlantic while the HeliCom Matrix™ is being installed on board DOF Subsea’s the Skandi Singapore dive support vessel.
Divex’s joint MD Derek Clarke commented:
“Helicom is well beyond anything that currently exists in the market place. The team at Divex have designed and built a cost effective saturation communications system that for the first time utilises advanced digital signal processing. By listening to our clients and again putting safety first Divex have further developed our knowledge and technologies keeping us at the forefront of diving systems expertise.”
Demonstrations of the HeliCom™ system and full technical specifications are available by contacting Graeme Clark at Divex in Aberdeen on
+44 (0)1224 740145 or by emailing him on gclark@divexglobal.com.
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