CHCNAV RS600/1200 Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)
The RiverStar ADCPs measure water velocity through the full water column to calculate river discharge. Four profiling beams plus a 300 kHz vertical depth beam work in slow to fast, shallow to deep water.
Paired with the CHCNAV Apache 4 USV, one person with one boat and one remote can complete a discharge measurement – a major step for hydrometric surveys.
Key features
- High-precision profiling – 5-beam solution for reliable velocity profiles.
- Extended range – 300 kHz vertical beam to 180 m (+30%).
- Shallow water – Auto pulse-coherent mode; 2 cm cells, 15 cm blind zone.
- Automatic mode – No manual configuration of flow parameters.
- Any platform – USVs, trimarans, cableways, survey boats and buoys.
- Software – HydroProfiler for PC and EasySail on the Apache 4.
At a glance
- ±0.25% ±2 mm/s accuracy
- 260 cells
- 1 mm/s resolution
- 180 m vertical beam range
- +5 dB SNR, 50% better accuracy
- 32 GB storage
Supplied, installed and supported by LATNET in Calgary. Contact us for pricing.
- Authorized CHCNAV dealer in Canada
- Setup, training & local support from our Calgary geomatics team
- Shipped across Canada from Calgary
- See it before you buy – live demo available
Technical Specifications & Features
RS600/1200 Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)
CHCNAV RiverStar RS600 / RS1200 – 5-beam ADCPs for river discharge
The RiverStar ADCPs measure water velocity through the full water column to calculate river discharge. Four profiling beams plus a 300 kHz vertical depth beam work in slow to fast, shallow to deep water.
Paired with the CHCNAV Apache 4 USV, one person with one boat and one remote can complete a discharge measurement – a major step for hydrometric surveys.
RS1200 for most rivers, RS600 for big water
The RS1200 (1200 kHz) profiles 0.1–40 m with 2 cm cells and a 15 cm blind zone, measuring in water as shallow as 30 cm. The RS600 (600 kHz) reaches 90 m profiling and 120 m bottom tracking. Both switch automatically to pulse-coherent mode in shallow, slow water and need no manual flow settings. See how single-beam, multibeam and ADCP surveys work in our 3D animations.
How an ADCP measures river discharge
An acoustic Doppler current profiler looks down through the water with four slanted beams and one vertical beam. The Doppler shift of echoes from suspended particles gives the water velocity in hundreds of depth cells, while bottom tracking measures the boat’s own motion. As the survey boat crosses from bank to bank, each ping becomes one ensemble; adding them up – plus estimates for the unmeasured top, bottom and edges – gives the total discharge Q in m³/s.
Live discharge
- Ensemble
- 0
- Depth
- –
- Mean velocity
- –
- Measured Q
- 0 m³/s
- Top estimate
- 0 m³/s
- Bottom estimate
- 0 m³/s
- Edges
- 0 m³/s
Why the white areas?
An ADCP can’t measure right under the transducer (draft plus blanking distance – the Top Q depth) or close to the bed, where side-lobe echoes interfere (Bottom Q depth). Software extrapolates these layers and the shallow edges near each bank.
Reciprocal transects
Hydrographers cross the river several times in alternating directions and average the results, removing directional bias. The boat here does the same – watch the transect list grow.
CHCNAV ADCP solutions
- RiverStar RS600 / RS1200 – 5 beams, 15 cm blind zone
- RiverStar RS3600D – 9 beams, 5 cm blind zone
- Apache 4 / 4 Pro USVs with 240 mm ADCP well
Simulated river 40 m wide and 3.4 m deep; vertical scale exaggerated 3×. Values are illustrative.
Why choose the RiverStar RS600 / RS1200
High-precision profiling
5-beam solution for reliable velocity profiles.
Extended range
300 kHz vertical beam to 180 m (+30%).
Shallow water
Auto pulse-coherent mode; 2 cm cells, 15 cm blind zone.
Automatic mode
No manual configuration of flow parameters.
Any platform
USVs, trimarans, cableways, survey boats and buoys.
Software
HydroProfiler for PC and EasySail on the Apache 4.
5 beams and a quieter design
Innovative hardware lowers noise and improves signal-to-noise ratio by 5 dB, increasing accuracy by more than 50% over traditional methods – ±0.25% ±2 mm/s with 1 mm/s resolution.
From 30 cm to 180 m
In shallow, low-flow water the ADCP switches to pulse-coherent mode automatically. The 300 kHz vertical beam measures depth to 180 m and accepts external low-frequency sounders in high-sediment water.
HydroProfiler and EasySail
HydroProfiler for PC supports custom layouts, outputs and external sounders over serial or TCP/UDP. EasySail on the Apache 4 shows velocity pseudo-colour profiles, satellite maps and video, and exports flow summaries and result tables in one click.
Compare CHCNAV RiverStar ADCPs
Acoustic Doppler current profilers measure water velocity through the whole water column to calculate river discharge.
| RS600 | RS1200 | RS3600D | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flow frequency | 600 kHz | 1200 kHz | 1200 + 3600 kHz |
| Beams | 5 (4 + 300 kHz vertical) | 5 (4 + 300 kHz vertical) | 9 (4 + 4 + 600 kHz vertical) |
| Profiling range | 0.3–90 m | 0.1–40 m | 0.05–40 m |
| Bottom tracking | 0.3–120 m | 0.1–55 m | 0.10–45 m |
| Minimum cell | 0.05 m | 0.02 m | 0.02 m |
| Top blind zone | — | 15 cm | 5 cm |
| Weight | 6.86 kg | 3.88 kg | 2 kg |
| Best for | Large, deep rivers | Most rivers and canals | Very shallow or slow water |
| RS600 | RS1200 | RS3600D |
Where it works
Hydrological testing
River discharge measurements.
Environmental monitoring
Velocity and direction by depth.
Ecological flow
Low-flow studies.
Channel monitoring
Fixed-point velocity and depth.
CHCNAV RiverStar RS600 / RS1200 technical specifications
| Frequency | RS1200: 1200 kHz · RS600: 600 kHz |
|---|---|
| Transducer | 5 beams (4 + vertical) |
| Velocity range | ±20 m/s max; ±5 m/s default |
| Resolution | 1 mm/s |
| Cells | 260 |
| Cell size | RS1200: 0.02–2 m · RS600: 0.05–4 m |
| Profiling range | RS1200: 0.1–40 m · RS600: 0.3–90 m |
| Accuracy | ±0.25% ±2 mm/s |
| Bottom track depth | RS1200: 0.1–55 m · RS600: 0.3–120 m |
|---|---|
| Accuracy | ±0.25% ±2 mm/s |
| Vertical beam | 300 kHz, 0.2–180 m |
| Compass | 0–360°, ±0.1°, 0.01° |
|---|---|
| Tilt (pitch and roll) | ±90°, ±0.15°, 0.01° |
| Temperature | –10 to 85 °C, ±0.1 °C, 0.01 °C |
| Operating mode | Broadband / pulse-coherent; automatic / manual |
| Data output rate | 1–20 Hz |
| Voltage | 11–36 V DC |
| Communication | RS232, 4800–115200 baud (115200 default) |
| Internal storage | 32 GB (extensible) |
| Temperature | Operating –5 to 50 °C · storage –30 to 70 °C |
| Software | HydroProfiler (PC), EasySail (Android) |
| Size / weight | RS1200: 191 × 170 mm, 3.88 kg · RS600: 195 × 229 mm, 6.86 kg |
| Material | Engineering plastics |
RiverStar RS600 / RS1200 FAQ
What does an ADCP measure?
Water velocity in many depth cells across the river; combined with boat track and depth this gives total discharge (m³/s). See how single-beam, multibeam and ADCP surveys work in our 3D animations.
RS600 or RS1200?
RS1200 for most rivers and canals (higher resolution, 2 cm cells); RS600 for large, deep rivers (90 m profiling, 120 m bottom tracking). For very shallow or slow water see the RS3600D.
How shallow can it measure?
Down to about 30 cm of water with the RS1200 (15 cm blind zone, 2 cm cells).
What platforms can carry it?
The Apache 4 and Apache 4 Pro USVs, trimarans, cableways, survey boats and channel buoys.
Get the RiverStar RS600 / RS1200 from LATNET
Measure discharge with a RiverStar ADCP on an Apache 4 – supplied, integrated and supported by LATNET in Calgary.
Request a quoteAll hydrographic productsCHCNAV RS600-1200 ADCP
Paired with the CHCNAV Apache 4 USV, it boosts hydrological survey efficiency, requiring only one boat and remote control for field operations.
