What is the submarine sonar sound made from and why is it such special?
SONAR, sound navigation and ranging, is just a sound producing device coupled with a listening device. Most, if not all, sending devices consist of piezoelectric diaphragms that contract and expand when an electrical current passes through them. That sets the diaphragm to oscillating which is transmitted into the ocean as underwater sound. Low frequency sound travels furthest under water. However, low frequency sound also requires larger sending devices than high freq. sound. So the size and thus frequency of the SONAR transmitter is often limited as the size of the platform (e.g., ship). For example, active sonar devices dropped into the water from ASW aircraft are relatively small with relatively high frequency and short range SONAR. SONAR off destroyers is larger, lower freq. and longer range. As an approximation, we used 800 yards per elapsed second from when a SONAR pulse was transmitted to when its echo was received. Thus, if three seconds elapsed, we’d guesstimate 2,400 yards fr
