Sonotronics
Sonotronics is a privately held Tucson, Arizona-based manufacturer founded in 1971 that builds ultrasonic acoustic transmitters, receivers, and hydrophones used by universities, government agencies, and research institutions worldwide to track fish, marine animals, and underwater equipment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersTucson, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Sonotronics does
Sonotronics, Inc. is a privately held Tucson, Arizona-based manufacturer founded in 1971 that designs and builds ultrasonic acoustic telemetry equipment for underwater tracking of animals and equipment. Its product portfolio spans three functional categories: active tracking (manual receivers and hydrophones such as the USR-23, UDR, DH-4, TH-2, and the MANTRAK kit), passive tracking (submersible automated receivers including SUR, miniSUR, and AVAR with frequency scanning and Bluetooth data download), and equipment marking transmitters (EMT and MO series with up to 4km detection range and multi-year battery life). The technology is built around high-frequency acoustic signaling in the 30kHz-100kHz band, proprietary aural code identification analogous to Morse code, pulse-interval telemetry for depth and temperature, accelerometer-based tilt reporting, and backward/forward product compatibility demonstrated across more than 50 years of hardware revisions. The company also co-developed the Open Protocol (OP/OPi/OPs) standard with the European Tracking Network, Thelma Biotel, and Lotek Wireless to enable cross-vendor collaborative telemetry networks.
Sonotronics generates revenue primarily through direct hardware sales of transmitters, receivers, hydrophones, and the SURsoft data processing software to universities, government agencies, and research institutions conducting fisheries, marine biology, and oceanographic research. Distribution is sales-led through the company website, direct phone/email quoting, and a network of international sales agents; the former GSA schedule contract (GS-07F-473AA) has expired, with government pricing now available only by direct inquiry. Pricing is quote-based, reflecting the customizability of transmitter frequency, code, lifetime, size, and telemetry options. The customer base is distributed across global research programs (USGS, Washington State University, University of Leeds, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Arizona State University, Bimini Biological Field Station, and others) with no single anchor account, and the company is led by President Marlin Gregor with 1-10 total employees, no external funding, and no parent company.
Sonotronics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sonotronics
- Legal name
- Sonotronics, Inc.
- Website
- https://sonotronics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sonotronics is a privately held Tucson, Arizona-based manufacturer founded in 1971 that builds ultrasonic acoustic transmitters, receivers, and hydrophones used by universities, government agencies, and research institutions worldwide to track fish, marine animals, and underwater equipment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sonotronics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Underwater Acoustic Telemetry Equipment
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (334310)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring) (IMAJAJAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Microphones, Headsets & Audio Input Devices (HDACAFAH)
Keywords
Where Sonotronics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tucson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sonotronics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Ultrasonic Transmitters: Sale of various acoustic transmitter models including CHP (High Power), CT (Coded), CTT (Temperature Telemetry), DT (Depth Telemetry), IBT (Miniature), PT (PicoTag subminiature), and EMT (Equipment Marking) transmitters for underwater tracking applications.
- Receivers and Hydrophones: Sale of tracking receivers including SUR, miniSUR, USR-23, UDR, and hydrophones including DH-4 and TH-2 for active and passive acoustic tracking.
- Software and Accessories: Sale of software products including SURsoft for data processing and analysis, as well as accessories like batteries, cables, and mounting equipment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Complete acoustic tracking product line with varying specifications |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sonotronics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sonotronics manufactures and sells ultrasonic acoustic telemetry equipment — transmitters, receivers, hydrophones, and tracking kits — used to track animals and equipment underwater. Products operate on high-frequency sound waves (30kHz–100kHz) and span subminiature 0.6g PT PicoTag transmitters up to high-power 4km-range CHP transmitters, with specialized variants for depth, temperature, and accelerometer telemetry. The company sells directly to fisheries researchers, marine biologists, and oceanographic equipment operators worldwide.
Product overview
Sonotronics is a manufacturer of ultrasonic and acoustic tracking equipment for underwater animal and equipment tracking. Founded in 1971, the company offers an integrated tracking approach with forward and backward compatibility across product types. The product portfolio spans three main categories: Active Tracking (manual tracking receivers and hydrophones for real-time location determination), Passive Tracking (automated stations for logging animal detections), and Equipment Tracking (pingers for oceanographic equipment relocation). Core products include: PT, CHP, CT, CTT, DT, IBT, and EMT series acoustic transmitters in various sizes and power levels for fisheries and equipment marking applications; USR-23, UDR, SUR, and miniSUR receivers for active and passive tracking; DH-4 and TH-2 hydrophones for directional and omnidirectional detection; MANTRAK manual tracking kit combining multiple components; AVAR for autonomous vehicle integration; and proprietary SURsoft software for data management. The company also supports the Open Protocol standard developed with the European Tracking Network for cross-manufacturer interoperability.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PT Series Subminiature Transmitters (PicoTag)
Quantifiable outcome
- Transmitters have remained operational for 4+ years in field deployments, as demonstrated by a lemon shark tagged in 2007 detected in 2009 with same transmitter still working
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Sonotronics
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sonotronics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature8 records
Sonotronics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- European Tracking Network (ETN)coreETN collaborated with industry partners including Sonotronics, Thelma Biotel, and Lotek to develop new open tag protocols (OPi and OPs). The protocols were handed over to ETN, which assigned the Flanders Marine Institute as a third party to control ID allocation. Sonotronics products now support Open Protocol for pan-European collaborative acoustic telemetry networks.
- Thelma BiotelcoreCollaborated with Sonotronics and Lotek on development of new open tag protocols (OPi and OPs) for acoustic telemetry, working together with the European Tracking Network to establish pan-European collaborative network compatibility standards.
- Lotek WirelesscoreCollaborated with Sonotronics and Thelma Biotel on development of new open tag protocols (OPi and OPs) for acoustic telemetry interoperability, working with the European Tracking Network to create open protocols available to all telemetry users worldwide.
- Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)minorAssigned by the European Tracking Network as a neutral third party to control ID allocation related to the OP (Open Protocol) telemetry standards developed collaboratively with Sonotronics and other manufacturers.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sonotronics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sonotronics social profiles
Digital presenceSonotronics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sonotronics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Sonotronics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sonotronics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sonotronics
What does Sonotronics do?
Sonotronics manufactures and sells ultrasonic acoustic telemetry equipment — transmitters, receivers, hydrophones, and tracking kits — used to track animals and equipment underwater. Products operate on high-frequency sound waves (30kHz–100kHz) and span subminiature 0.6g PT PicoTag transmitters up to high-power 4km-range CHP transmitters, with specialized variants for depth, temperature, and accelerometer telemetry. The company sells directly to fisheries researchers, marine biologists, and oceanographic equipment operators worldwide.
Is Sonotronics a public or private company?
Sonotronics is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sonotronics founded?
Sonotronics was founded in 1971. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sonotronics based?
Sonotronics is headquartered in Tucson, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sonotronics make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ultrasonic Transmitters are the primary driver. The others are receivers and Hydrophones and software and Accessories.
Does Sonotronics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sonotronics.
What industry is Sonotronics in?
Sonotronics's product category is Underwater Acoustic Telemetry Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAJAI, Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring), with a secondary code of HDACAFAH, Microphones, Headsets & Audio Input Devices. Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3823.