Adapting the USRP as an Underwater Acoustic Modem

This paper describes how the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) coupled with GNU Radio can be adapted for use as a configurable UnderWater Acoustic (UWA) modem. The USRP contains an Altera Cyclone EP1C12 FPGA and typically acts as the baseband and IF section of a radio communication system. The work is the first time that the USRP/GNU Radio is applied to an UWA channel and represents an exciting branch into a field that has a need for cost-effective and configurable modems. The USRP facilitates such needs through its low cost, ability to be used to rapidly prototype, and synergistic open platform.