ARMCHAIR AQUANAUT STYLE 

Vancouver's BOATING NEWS estimates there are 100,000 boaters in the B.C. lower mainland. They all love to go out and sail the blue waters and gaze at the scenery on land and water. Now you can view underwater too!

The "SCALLOP' has arrived. This small, remotely operated, submersible vehicle (ROV), is specifically designed for recreation. Your own "submarine" obeys your instructions and roams the seabed -- equipped with a camera and two halogen lights to light up gold bars or other sunken booty left by pirates of old or to view life in the underwater world of King Neptune.

Weighing but two kilograms (4.5 lbs.), SCALLOP is 30.5 cm. (12 inches) long, 24 mc (9.5 inches) wide and 12.5 cm (5 inches) high. Powered from the surface through three thruster motors and operating from the usual 12-volt DC current available on most boats, this aquatic "eye" roams in a temperature range between 0C and 50C. The standard black and white (color optional) CCD (Closed Coupled Device) camera offers 230 or more lines of resolution with a minimum illumination of two lux F 1.8 and connects to any normal TV set or video monitor. A joystick, directing operations through a tether of 38 metres (125 ft.), keeps you in control of your underwater robot. It should be the right device for checking underwater hulls for damage, barnacle buildup and seaweed accumulation.

Capable of operating from boat decks, docks and beaches, designed and manufactured in Canada, it provides real-time video views of submarine surroundings. In the right location it might provide an interesting livelihood.

More information: Christopher S. Roper, Marketing Manager, Inuktun Services Ltd., PO Box 1011, Station A, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5Z2. Phone: 604/629-3191. Fax: 604/629-3171.

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