Spotter Support
Need a hand?
The Sofar Support Team is here to help.
Firmware v2.16.8 Installation Instructions
macOS, Linux, Microsoft, installer, zip file, usb installation
How to update firmware on current-generation Spotters running on v2.15.6 or v2.16.x.
Firmware v2.15.6 Installation Instructions
macOS, Linux, Microsoft
How to update firmware on current-generation Spotters running on v2.15.5 or lower.
Spotter Firmware Releases
v2.16.8, v2.16.6, v2.16.4, v2.16.2, v2.15.6, v2.15.5, v2.15.2, v2.15.2, v2.15.1, v2.14.1, v2.6.1, v2.6.0, v2.5.1, v2.5.0, v2.4.3, v2.4.2, v2.3.0, v2.2.0, v2.1.0, v2.0.1, firmware installer, bug fixes, improvements, release date, release notes, version
Release notes for Spotter firmware releases.
Get Started With Spotter
Spotter Onboarding guide, Spotter set-up, system test, data modes, mooring, deploy, review data
How to get your Spotter buoy operational and start collecting ocean data.
Register Your Spotter to Your Account
activation code, Spotter ID
How to register a Spotter to your Spotter Dashboard account.
Create Your Spotter Dashboard Account
public spotters, username, account details
How to set up and log in to your Spotter Dashboard account, and review and update your account details.
Review Your Billing History
payment settings, current subscription, base price, invoices, receipt, download invoice, download receipt, invoice and payment details
How to preview your upcoming invoice and review receipts for your data subscription in the Spotter Dashboard.
Cancel Your Data Subscription
terminate subscription, payment settings page, automatic subscription payments, cancel subscription
How to cancel your data subscription in the Spotter Dashboard.
Add One-Time Satellite Credits
new credits, telemetry, purchase satellite credit, immediate use
How to add one-time satellite credits to your Spotter Dashboard account.
Cancel Recurring Satellite Credits
stop recurring credits
How to cancel the recurring satellite credits in your data subscription in the Spotter Dashboard.
Change Recurring Satellite Credits
adjust satellite credits, adjust amount, satellite telemetry
How to change the amount of recurring satellite credits in your data subscription in the Spotter Dashboard.
Set Up Recurring Satellite Credits
start satellite credits, satellite telemetry, add credits to subscription, new credits
How to set up recurring satellite credits as a part of your data subscription in the Spotter Dashboard.
Change Your Telemetry Lines
change telemetry lines, toggle on off, new telemetry line, turn off telemetry, turn on telemetry, cellular on, cellular off, satellite on, satellite off, unused line
How to enable or disable your Spotter’s cellular or satellite lines in the Spotter Dashboard.
Manage Your Account Balance
telemetry, billing history, payment settings, current account balance, insufficient for next invoice, estimated to fully pay next invoice, add funds to balance, amount to add
How to add funds to your Spotter Dashboard’s account balance.
Update Your Payment Method
payment settings, default payment method, card, US bank account, on file
How to add or update a payment method to your Spotter Dashboard account.
Spotter Technical Reference Manual
wave spectrum and directional moments, bulk parameter definitions, significant wave height, mean period, mean direction, mean directional spreading, peak frequency, peak period, peak direction, peak directional spreading, partitioned data, partitioned significant wave height, partitioned mean period, partitioned mean direction, partitioned mean directional spreading, partition, spectra, frequency, period, direction, wave height
Definitions for Spotter-calculated parameters.
Cellular Support Documentation
device cellular capability, supported countries, regions, global modem, 1NCE, 1nce, global, modems, emea, north america, na, rest of the world, modem, signal strength, cellular connectivity, troubleshooting, satellite fallback, modem, 4G, LTE providers, SIM card, fall back to satellite, cellular signal history, telemetry status, cellular signal status, weak cellular, check in via cellular, cellular capable, coverage, cellular coverage
How to check device cellular capability, connectivity, and coverage areas. Information on satellite fallback mode.
Get Started with Smart Mooring
surface buoys, in-line floats, usage guidelines, max cable length, max nodes
How to get your Smart Mooring system operational and start collecting subsurface sensor data.
SD Card Parsing Script
spotter-sd-parser github
How to parse SD card data to associate entries with a human-readable timestamp and translate spectral data into bulk parameters.
Bristlemouth SD Card Data
bm/ directory, log/ directory, Bristlemouth file type details, SENS_IND.csv, SENS_AGG.csv
Description of the SD card files generated by the Bristlemouth system in Bristlemouth-enabled Spotters.
SD Card Data
SD card storage, SYS.log, LOC.csv, FLT.csv, SPC.csv, BARO.csv, PWR.csv, GMN.csv, HTU.csv, SMD.csv, CFG.log, ERR.log, NCI.log, NCD.log, MS.log, sys, loc, flt, spc, baro, pwr, gmn, htu, smd, cfg, err, nci, ncd, ms
Description of the SD card files logged to the Spotter’s onboard SD card.
Spotter Dashboard File Download CSV Guide
common columns, columns for full-spectrum mode samples and partition mode samples, csv columns
The format of CSV files downloaded from the Spotter Dashboard.
Spotter Dashboard: Observation Data
Accessing the observation data tab, navigating the observation data tab, control bar, date range, configured alerts, download csv file, share specific data view, charts, map drawer, device location map, 2-dimensional wave spectrum chart, rose chart, map
How to access and navigate the Observation Data tab in the Spotter Dashboard.
Spotter Dashboard
account setup, map view, spotter cards, world map, public spotters, observation data, status tab, battery history chart, cellular signal history, notifications tab, settings tab, units of measurement, units, imperial, metric, change units, imperial, metric, units, unit
How to access and navigate the Spotter Dashboard.
Access and Interpret Smart Mooring Data
download
How to access Smart Mooring data from the Dashboard, API or SD card.
Spotter Data Access
access transmitted data, spotter dashboard, CSV file download, Spotter & Smart Mooring API, Accessing logged data from the SD card, Data parsing script, DB, API
How to access Spotter data from the Dashboard, API or SD card.
Spotter Data Modes
hdr, HDR, hdr mode, available data modes, Waves: Standard, Waves: Partition, Waves: Spectrum, High Data Rate (HDR), Track mode, adjust mode configurations, configure data mode, configure HDR, wave standard, wave partition, wave spectrum, hdr, mode configuration, configure mode, update rate, processing rate, wind, sst, barometer, baro
Available data modes and how to configure them to tailor Spotter sampling and transmission behavior.
Smart Mooring Sensors
sofar temperature, soft, rbr, aanderaa, aos, borealis, hydrophone, pme, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, seapoint turbidity meter, stm, aanderaa 5590b, aanderaa 4830, conductivity, salinity, sensor, bristlemouth dev kit, dev kit, development kit, developer kit, rbr coda 3 t, rbr coda 3 d, rbr coda 3 td, rbr coda 3 t.d, doppler current sensor, aos borealis, pme microdot, microdot plus, sens_agg, sens_ind, SENS AGG, SENS IND, microdot, pme, current, currents
How data is collected and transmitted by subsurface sensors connected to a Smart Mooring system.
Isolate and Check Smart Mooring Modules
soft, Sofar Temperature, RBR coda3 T, RBR coda 3 D, rbr coda 3 T.D, rbr coda 3 td, aanderaa, aanderaa 4830 doppler current sensor, aos borealis, hydrophone, pme microdot+, dissolved oxygen sensor, seapoint turbidity meter, stm, aanderaa 5990B conductivity sensor, salinity sensor, bristlemouth developer kit, bristlemouth dev kit
How to troubleshoot data loss by diagnosing sensor failure in a Smart Mooring system.
Remove and Replace a Spotter Electronics Box
exchanging e-box, swapping e-box between hulls, replacing e-box, electronics box
How to remove and replace your Spotter’s electronics box (E-box).
Run a Full System Test
telemetry, GPS signal, active satellite line,
How to run a pre-deployment system test to ensure that your Spotter can establish a connection to the Dashboard.
Understand Noise Spikes in Wave Data
why spike, low energy conditions, submersion, over-wash, obstruction, workarounds, underlying mechanism, significant wave height, wave height, peak wave period, outlier, bulk statistics, low energy conditions, wind and waves, submersion, over wash, obstruction, workaround, lake mode
The symptoms and causes of noise spikes in wave data, and possible workarounds.
Spotter Scout Infosheet
Bristlemouth payload bay, spotter core, Tether, online oceans
Digital copy of the User Guide insert, covering Spotter Scout’s core features, platforms, and setup.
Recover Spotter 3 Firmware
interrupted firmware update, no LEDs, recovery
What to do if your Spotter is unresponsive after an interrupted firmware update.
API Specification
API docs api automatic programming interface apis, request, The Spotter & Smart Mooring API gives you access to data transmitted by your Spotter and any attached Smart Mooring sensors via telemetry. Retrieve, GET, POST. get access to date collected by onboard Spotter sensors. Get access to data collected by Smart Mooring sensors. Forward newly generated data to your delivery endpoints via POST requests. endpoint, request, response
API documentation including query parameters, response descriptions, and examples for all endpoints.
Smart Mooring Onboarding
Overview of available Smart Mooring product documentation.
Smart Mooring Guidelines
anchor, anchor weight, anchor types, surface float, bottom contact, compliance, scope, hardware, galvanic corrosion, anchor line, reconfiguring cables, reconfigure cables, reconfiguring sensor nodes, reconfigure sensor nodes, bow shackle, jaw jaw swivel
Recommendations and general guidelines for designing and deploying a mooring for your Smart Mooring system.
Attach a Surface Float
Thimble-Bow Shackle Attachment, Jaw-Eye Swivel Specific Attachment
How to attach a surface float to the sensor node casket to provide additional buoyancy.
Attach In-Line Buoyancy
additional in-line flotation, attachment instructions, strain relief element, floatation
How to attach in-line floats to your Smart Mooring to provide additional buoyancy.
Prepare an Anchor
anchor, anchors, anchoring, mooring
Step-by-step example of how to prepare a kettlebell anchor for a Smart Mooring system.
Isolate and Check Legacy Smart Mooring Sensor Modules
disassembly, assembly for testing
How to troubleshoot field failure by checking the data integrity of legacy Smart Mooring sensor modules.
Service and Assemble Legacy Smart Mooring Nodes
casket, jumper, jumpers, hull perpetrator with remora, hull interface, ring foot, bullkelp
How to clean, reconfigure and repair the electrical and mechanical connection points on a legacy Smart Mooring system.
Onboard Sensor Data
SST, Data sampling and reporting, Adjusting the reporting schedule, Key sensor specifications, sst
How Spotter’s onboard barometer and sea surface temperature (SST) sensor data is sampled and reported.
Diagnose a Red SYSTEM LED
Identifying errors via SD card data analysis, Causes and solutions for red SYSTEM LED
The causes of a red SYSTEM LED, their impact on deployment, and recommended steps for remediation.
Service and Assemble Nodes
RBR, SOFT, sofar temperature, biofouling, bio-fouling, cleaning, node, jumper, metal casket, bristlemouth connector, casket, convert smart mooring, testing connection, test connection
How to clean, reconfigure and repair the electrical and mechanical connection points on a Smart Mooring system.
Data Subscriptions
subs, data subs, subscription, telemetry, telemetry lines, satellite credits, credits, subscription activation, activation, billing period, payments, Spotter Scout bundled software & data services, pricing, satellite cost estimator, email notifications, remote access package, remote access, cost estimator, data usage multiplier pricing, pricing
How to view, manage, and renew your data subscription in the Spotter Dashboard.
Spotter Mooring Guidelines
Moored, Mooring, location, Placement, Regulations, Mooring Design, Guidelines, Mooring types, Double Catenary, Single Catenary Design, catenary, Mooring Elements, Surface Float, surface floats, Line Type, anchor, anchor chain
Recommendations and general guidelines for building a mooring to anchor a Spotter to the seafloor.
User Guide
run mode, run, user LEDs, SYSTEM LED, GO LED, SIGNAL LED, user interface, features, specifications, safety, compliance, toolkit, idle mode, idle, system led, signal led, go led
Digital copy of the manual included with your Spotter, covering core features, setup and operation.
Smart Mooring Specifications
spec sheets, Spotter Smart Mooring specification spotter specifications, hydrophone, dissolved oxygen sensor, current meter, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, salinity sensor, bristlemouth dev kit, bristlemouth development kit, dev kit, sofar temperature, soft, rbr, aanderaa, aos, borealis, hydrophone, pme, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, seapoint turbidity meter, stm, aanderaa 5590b, aanderaa 4830, conductivity, salinity, sensor, bristlemouth dev kit, dev kit, development kit, developer kit, rbr coda 3 t, rbr coda 3 d, rbr coda 3 td, rbr coda 3 t.d, doppler current sensor, aos borealis, pme microdot, microdot plus, sens_agg, sens_ind, SENS AGG, SENS IND, microdot, pme, current, currents, aanderaa
Core specifications, usage guidelines, and available subsurface sensors.
Spotter Platform Specifications
spec sheets, spotter buoy, spotter with smart mooring, hydrophone, dissolved oxygen sensor, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, current meter, bristlemouth dev kit, bristlemouth development kit, salinity sensor, dev kit
Core specifications, data collection and outputs, data storage, and data access.
FAQs
quote, activation code, blink pattern, visibility led, low power, battery, idle mode, remote access package, measure, calibration, charging, battery, mooring, low power, service, submersion, activate data, email alert
Answers to the most commonly asked questions about the Spotter Platform.
Product Details
Onboarding
Get Started With Spotter
How to get your Spotter buoy operational and start collecting ocean data.
Get Started with Smart Mooring
How to get your Smart Mooring system operational and start collecting subsurface sensor data.
Create Your Spotter Dashboard Account
How to set up and log in to your Spotter Dashboard account, and review and update your account details.
Register Your Spotter to Your Account
How to register a Spotter to your Spotter Dashboard account.
Smart Mooring Onboarding
Overview of available Smart Mooring product documentation.
Spotter Scout Infosheet
Digital copy of the User Guide insert, covering Spotter Scout’s core features, platforms, and setup.
Deployment
Spotter Mooring Guidelines
Recommendations and general guidelines for building a mooring to anchor a Spotter to the seafloor.
Smart Mooring Guidelines
Recommendations and general guidelines for designing and deploying a mooring for your Smart Mooring system.
Run a Full System Test
How to run a pre-deployment system test to ensure that your Spotter can establish a connection to the Dashboard.
Attach a Surface Float
How to attach a surface float to the sensor node casket to provide additional buoyancy.
Spotter Data
Spotter Data Access
How to access Spotter data from the Dashboard, API or SD card.
Spotter Data Modes
Available data modes and how to configure them to tailor Spotter sampling and transmission behavior.
API Specification
API documentation including query parameters, response descriptions, and examples for all endpoints.
Onboard Sensor Data
How Spotter’s onboard barometer and sea surface temperature (SST) sensor data is sampled and reported.
Smart Mooring Sensors
How data is collected and transmitted by subsurface sensors connected to a Smart Mooring system.
Spotter Dashboard: Observation Data
How to access and navigate the Observation Data tab in the Spotter Dashboard.
Spotter Technical Reference Manual
Definitions for Spotter-calculated parameters.
SD Card Data
Description of the SD card files logged to the Spotter’s onboard SD card.
Access and Interpret Smart Mooring Data
How to access Smart Mooring data from the Dashboard, API or SD card.
Bristlemouth SD Card Data
Description of the SD card files generated by the Bristlemouth system in Bristlemouth-enabled Spotters.
Data Subscription
Data Subscriptions
How to view, manage, and renew your data subscription in the Spotter Dashboard.
Update Your Payment Method
How to add or update a payment method to your Spotter Dashboard account.
Manage Your Account Balance
How to add funds to your Spotter Dashboard’s account balance.
Change Your Telemetry Lines
How to enable or disable your Spotter’s cellular or satellite lines in the Spotter Dashboard.
Set Up Recurring Satellite Credits
How to set up recurring satellite credits as a part of your data subscription in the Spotter Dashboard.
Change Recurring Satellite Credits
How to change the amount of recurring satellite credits in your data subscription in the Spotter Dashboard.
Cancel Recurring Satellite Credits
How to cancel the recurring satellite credits in your data subscription in the Spotter Dashboard.
Add One-Time Satellite Credits
How to add one-time satellite credits to your Spotter Dashboard account.
Maintenance & Service
Service and Assemble Nodes
How to clean, reconfigure and repair the electrical and mechanical connection points on a Smart Mooring system.
Firmware
Troubleshooting
Diagnose a Red SYSTEM LED
The causes of a red SYSTEM LED, their impact on deployment, and recommended steps for remediation.
Cellular Support Documentation
How to check device cellular capability, connectivity, and coverage areas. Information on satellite fallback mode.
Understand Noise Spikes in Wave Data
The symptoms and causes of noise spikes in wave data, and possible workarounds.
Recover Spotter 3 Firmware
What to do if your Spotter is unresponsive after an interrupted firmware update.
Firmware v2.16.8 Installation Instructions
How to update firmware on current-generation Spotters running on v2.15.6 or v2.16.x.
macOS, Linux, Microsoft, installer, zip file, usb installation
Firmware v2.15.6 Installation Instructions
How to update firmware on current-generation Spotters running on v2.15.5 or lower.
macOS, Linux, Microsoft
Spotter Firmware Releases
Release notes for Spotter firmware releases.
v2.16.8, v2.16.6, v2.16.4, v2.16.2, v2.15.6, v2.15.5, v2.15.2, v2.15.2, v2.15.1, v2.14.1, v2.6.1, v2.6.0, v2.5.1, v2.5.0, v2.4.3, v2.4.2, v2.3.0, v2.2.0, v2.1.0, v2.0.1, firmware installer, bug fixes, improvements, release date, release notes, version
Get Started With Spotter
How to get your Spotter buoy operational and start collecting ocean data.
Spotter Onboarding guide, Spotter set-up, system test, data modes, mooring, deploy, review data
Register Your Spotter to Your Account
How to register a Spotter to your Spotter Dashboard account.
activation code, Spotter ID
Create Your Spotter Dashboard Account
How to set up and log in to your Spotter Dashboard account, and review and update your account details.
public spotters, username, account details
Review Your Billing History
How to preview your upcoming invoice and review receipts for your data subscription in the Spotter Dashboard.
payment settings, current subscription, base price, invoices, receipt, download invoice, download receipt, invoice and payment details
No results for "thermohaline circulation"
Try different keywords or browse support docs by category.
Need a hand?
The Sofar Support Team is here to help.