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Winch and Cable

Specifications

* Maximum speed of tow will be 3.5 knots, about 355 ft/min or 108 m/min
* Maximum depth 3000 ft, 915 meters.
* Maximum cable length:  4000 ft, 1220 meters.
* Maximum cable diameter 1/4" communication cable parried with a  3/16 synthetic
  strength member bound together with a 2 inch wide fairing material
* Single speed drive.
* Electronically load sensor in order to release line and alert the pilot in the even the tow is fouled.
* DC Electric powered. Preferably 12v

 

Cable

Specialty cable for deep water ROV's is very expensive so we are opting for using the common, inexpensive bury type Cat 5 computer network cable network with 4, 24 awg twisted pairs

 

4pr 24 gauge AWG 4 pair Cat 5E Direct Bury

To get an accurate wet weight we measured out 200 ft of this cable and weighed it while immersed in our seawater tank.  200 ft weighted in at .39 pounds, 6.24 oz or 177 grams. 

 

Another idea was to use Syntatic foam floats to offset the weight of the cable, in order to make it slightly positive buoyant.  Philip Muhh drew up a float for the cable that has a volume of 3.898 cubic inches  (64ml).  SF-38 is 38 lbs/cubic ft and seawater is about 64 lbs/cubic ft so it will provide 26lbs/cubic ft of buoyancy or .24186 oz/cubic in.  So the 3.898 cubic inch float will provide (3.898*.24186)   .94 oz per float.   So each float should suspend (.94*200/6.24) about 30 ft of cable.