[Acoustics] cableway ROV'S

[Scott A Kimball]

Jon & everyone else,


HIF received two of the Unbound Technologies cableway rovers.  They were
sent to us in Rubbermaid bins that were damaged in shipping. The vendor
should have taken more care in packaging them and used a proper shipping
container. The units themselves did not appear damaged so we began initial
function testing. They are very heavy, 80 lbs. and it takes two people to
put one on the cableway even with the ability to lift itself. The rover
blew fuses and eventually the controller stopped working in one direction.
It came with a second controller so we tried it and everything began
working again only to have the display on the console go out. There are
many opportunities to be injured using these rovers and the user manual is
full of caution statements. I received a small cut on my left forearm when
we took the rover down off the cableway. More of our experiences with the
Unbound Technologies rover will be published in the WRD Instrument News for
USGS readers.  After multiple difficulties and other problems we intend to
return them to the vendor for refund. These rovers carry an $11,000 price
tag. With additional refinements to reduce weight, increase safety and
promote ease of use we believe the cableway rover has the potential to be
an alternative to a manned cableway.



Scott


Scott Kimball
Hydrologic Technician
USGS Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility
Building 2101
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
1-800-382-0634 ext. 81589
http://wwwhif.er.usgs.gov