The hardware-software device «FastSnap» has been developed for surveying the geological structure of the upper cross-section by the specialists of ElectroProspecting Company (IERP) and «SibGeosystems» Company located in Novosibirsk.

The high-speed digital telemetric electroprospecting station FastSnap is intended for ore, engineering, structural and gas-and-oil prospecting by near-field transient electromagnetic sounding (TEM), frequency sounding (FS), radio-magnetotelluric and direct current methods.

Small dimensions and light weight of telemetric gauges facilitate prospecting in field conditions. Work is feasible under conditions of cross-country rugged relief and poor passability beyond the profile. TEM can be performed at any set interval. In addition, a considerable depth of analog-digital conversion and application of computer technologies to process field materials allow prospecting at a high level of man-made noise.

Principal features of TEM performance by “Fast Snap” station:

•       High noise immunity of the device supplied with the system of registration with an arithmetic sampling interval of signal and specialized mathematic algorithm of data processing;

•       Location of gauges close to the field receiver ensures effectiveness of operations and saves from the problems of analog signal transmission;

•   Provides possibility to synchronously record by coaxial and spread by devices to ensure a high performance of prospecting;

•      Testing with a simultaneous registration of current signals  in the generator loop and transient signals in receiver loops;

•      Depth of investigation: from the first meters (4 - 5) to 300 m and more;

•      All-year-round investigation (from -45 to +50 ^˚С);

•      High performance of electric prospecting under hard physic-geographic and climatic conditions;

•      Double line of connection «twisted-pair cable» 300 meters long at data transfer rate up to 1 Mbit/sec makes the station mobile and therefore the gauges can be located at a significant distance from governing computer;

•       The current commutation is autonomously administered Imax = 10 A with a high-precision system of GPS-timing; in the method of direct current Umax = 400 V;

•       Small-bulk dimensions of equipment allow the team to perform work in a passenger car at a high rate of performance.

This station is capable of solving a wide scope of problems: map provisions for electric prospecting, data acquisition in field conditions, profound processing and interpretation of data with application of up-to-date mathematical approaches, and eventually imaging and representing results.

Today the Company has been employing 10 sets of «FastSnap» station; and over 2000 sounding procedures have been produced so far. The hardware-software device has been upgraded to meet the modern requirements, so that the assignments of low-depth investigations could be implemented progressively at a higher level.