HyperSpike is a brand name for acoustic products manufactured by Ultra Electronics – Undersea Sensor Systems Inc. (USSI), in

Columbia City, Indiana Columbia City is a city in Columbia Township, Whitley County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 9,892 (2020 Census), growing by 13% since the 2010 Census. The city is the county seat of Whitley County. History The Whitley Count ...

. HyperSpike is composed of a line of acoustic hailing devices that feature integrated electronics with a flat

frequency response In signal processing and electronics, the frequency response of a system is the quantitative measure of the magnitude and phase of the output as a function of input frequency. The frequency response is widely used in the design and analysis of s ...

curve.

History

HyperSpike was originally invented by Curt Graber of Wattre Corporation. In 2008, Wattre and Ultra Electronics – USSI signed a teaming agreement for the design and manufacture of an array of acoustic hailing devices. Since then, over 8 new devices have been released. HyperSpike products currently hold the Guinness Book of World Records for loudest electro-acoustic projection device at 182.2 dB.

Characteristics

HyperSpike units are created out of custom

composite material A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...

s or

carbon fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

. Each is sealed against the environment and has been designed to operate in extreme environmental conditions including hot, cold, blowing dust, freezing rain, and torrential downpours. HyperSpike units are weatherproof, not waterproof. Each directional unit has an integrated electronics package, which increases usability and decreases overall package weight. Certain high-output models are also manufactured with an output selector switch that can toggle between the hearing safe "low" and extreme output level "high." Finally, new HyperSpike units have been manufactured with an integrated network port.

Inputs

All HyperSpike units have three inputs for sound. These inputs use unique

Amphenol Amphenol Corporation is a major producer of electronic and fiber optic connectors, cable and interconnect systems such as coaxial cables. Amphenol is a portmanteau from the corporation's original name, American Phenolic Corp. History Amphenol ...

connectors so that they cannot be accidentally interchanged in extreme situations. The details for each type of connector are below: # Dynamic Microphone This CB-Style

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publ ...

is designed to adapt to user input. The louder the input, the louder the HyperSpike output. The dynamic microphone is activated by a thumb-toggle. # AUX In Using a standard 3.5mm (1/8") headphone jack, a HyperSpike can accept any commercial audio source including iPods,

Zune Zune is a discontinued line of digital media products and services marketed by Microsoft from November 2006 until its discontinuation in June 2012. Zune consisted of a line of portable media players, digital media player software for Windows Per ...

s, and other

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

players. The AUX In is always on. # Alert Tone Each HyperSpike has an alert-tone button that puts out a frequency designed to gain attention. This button can only output the alert tone.

Models

HyperSpike models are divided into two types, directional and omni-directional. The directional units can also be integrated into a remote-controlled platform. The Omnidirectional units can also remote-controlled through an IP

network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

First MA-1 on concrete pad FOB 101 2010-5-26

Directional models

Directional HyperSpikes are characterized by their ability to form a narrow beam of

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...

. This

collimated A collimated beam of light or other electromagnetic radiation has parallel rays, and therefore will spread minimally as it propagates. A perfectly collimated light beam, with no divergence, would not disperse with distance. However, diffraction p ...

beam can range from 5 degrees to 15 degrees radius at 2 kHz. The current models offered are detailed below with their maximum sound pressure level. * HyperShield 140 dB * HS-Micro 140 dB * HS-10R 144 db * HS-16- 148 dB * HS-18- 153 dB * HS-24- 153 dB * HS-40 161 dB * HS-60 182 dB

Omnidirectional models

These HyperSpike products emit high volumes in a 360

radius In classical geometry, a radius ( : radii) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The name comes from the latin ''radius'', meaning ray but also the ...

. At 50' the units can be heard over 1.5 miles away. The MA series of acoustic hailing devices consist of a hexagonal array of

transducers A transducer is a device that converts energy from one form to another. Usually a transducer converts a signal in one form of energy to a signal in another. Transducers are often employed at the boundaries of automation, measurement, and control ...

. As the number of transducers increases, the potential output increases. As such, the MA-2 is essentially two MA-1 emitter heads. The current models are detailed below with their maximum sound pressure level. * TCPA-Omni 140 db * MA-1 138 dB * MA-2 144 dB * MA-3 150 dB HS-18 Front

Remote-controlled models

Recently, the HS-14 and HS-18 have been integrated into a pan/tilt platform with partner corporation MOOG. This platform, named the HS-14 RAHD or HS-18 RAHD (Remote Acoustic Hailing Device), is an IP-controlled remote system that can be integrated with any sensor. In addition, these units can be equipped with advanced software analytics capable of detecting human or machine forms at distances in excess of 1000 meters. Examples of integrable sensors include: * Daylight Cameras * Thermal Cameras * Infrared Cameras * Night-Vision Cameras * Illuminator (Adjustable Spot Light) * Avian Radars * Ground Radars HS-16 at LA protest with sheriffs copy

Field usage

Directional HyperSpike models are in service with various domestic and international and private,

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules Rule or ruling may refer to: Education ...

, and

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

users. Notable users include the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

, Allen County SWAT (Fort Wayne, IN), the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

, the

Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia; TLDM; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defense operations. RMN's area of op ...

, Indonesia Police and various international energy conglomerates. The MA-1 is currently in service with the United States Army for their Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) program.C-RAM Website
/ref> In addition, units have been fielded for use at large

tradeshow A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and cu ...

s, for the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

, and international navies.

References

External links

HyperSpike's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyperspike Loudspeakers