What Desert Star Systems does

Desert Star Systems, LLC is a privately held small business founded in 1993 and headquartered in Marina, California, that designs, manufactures, and sells underwater acoustic and satellite-based technology for marine wildlife research, commercial fishing, professional diving, and defense applications. Its product portfolio spans pop-up satellite archival tags (SeaTag-LOT, SeaTag-GEO, SeaTag-3D, SeaTag-MOD, SeaTag-TT) built on a shared solar-powered and modular architecture, acoustic releases (ARC-1XD, ARC-2, ARC-3) with a patented fusible-link mechanism, the DiveTracker Scout and Sport underwater navigation systems, the SAM-1 acoustic modem, the SonarPoint passive acoustic recorder, and the Ropeless Fisher Coastal and Offshore pot-trap fishing systems accompanied by a mobile app. Core underlying technologies include stored solar power systems, kinetic release mechanisms, 3-axis magnetometer-based geomagnetic position estimation, and low-power acoustic telemetry, with several designs originating from NOAA SBIR-sponsored R&D.

The company monetizes entirely through one-time hardware sales via its direct e-commerce storefront, a distributor channel with tiered quantity discounts, and U.S. Government procurement under DoD SBIR Phase III sole-source contracts. Per-unit prices range from approximately $400 (DiveTracker Scout at volume) to nearly $11,000 (Ropeless Fisher Offshore), with the SeaTag-GOLD extended warranty program adding a service-revenue dimension. Customer segments are diversified across wildlife researchers, professional and recreational divers, commercial pot-trap fishermen, defense agencies, and environmental monitoring organizations, and the company claims over 30 years of operational history with thousands of successful deployments. The company is bootstrapped, has no disclosed institutional funding, and operates with a team of 1-10 employees.

Name

Desert Star Systems

Legal name

Desert Star Systems, LLC

Website

https://desertstar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Desert Star Systems designs and manufactures underwater acoustic and satellite-based instruments, including pop-up satellite tags, acoustic releases, diver navigation systems, and ropeless fishing gear, sold to marine researchers, commercial fishermen, divers, and defense customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Underwater Acoustic and Marine Telemetry Equipment

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Sonar, Undersea Sensors & Acoustic Detection Systems (IMABAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine & Underwater Robotics (USVs/UUVs) (HDAAAIAH), Marine Safety & Navigation Electronics Retail (PFDs, EPIRBs, GPS, VHF) (CRAMAIAH), Underwater/Port Infrastructure Security (Dive Teams, Hull & Pier Inspections) (BPAKALAH)

Keywords

• Underwater acoustic technology
• Marine satellite tags
• Acoustic release systems
• Underwater diver navigation
• Ropeless fishing equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Marina

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Sale of underwater technology products including SeaTag satellite tags, acoustic releases, DiveTracker navigation systems, ropeless fishing equipment, and passive acoustic recorders. Products sold at various price points with quantity discounts available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Desert Star Systems designs, manufactures, and sells underwater technology products including pop-up satellite archival tags (SeaTag) for marine wildlife research, DiveTracker underwater diver navigation systems, ARC-series acoustic releases for underwater gear retrieval, SAM-1 acoustic modems, SonarPoint passive acoustic recorders, and complete Ropeless Fisher systems for commercial pot trap fishing. The company also provides supporting software and an extended warranty program (SeaTag-GOLD).

Product overview

Desert Star Systems offers a comprehensive portfolio of underwater technology products for wildlife research, commercial fishing, and diving applications. The product ecosystem includes: SeaTag PSAT (pop-up satellite archival tags) family consisting of SeaTag-LOT, SeaTag-GEO, SeaTag-3D, SeaTag-MOD, and SeaTag-TT variants for marine wildlife tracking and stock assessment; DiveTracker Scout and Sport underwater diver navigation systems; ARC-series acoustic releases (ARC-1XD, ARC-2, ARC-3) for underwater gear retrieval; SAM-1 acoustic modems for underwater data transmission; SonarPoint passive acoustic monitoring recorders; and Ropeless Fisher Coastal and Offshore systems for commercial fishing. Products share common technological foundations including solar power systems, kinetic release mechanisms, and acoustic technologies. The company provides software tools including SeaDock for data retrieval and SonarPoint software for recorder configuration. An optional SeaTag-GOLD extended warranty program covers tag failures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SeaTag-LOT Economical Argos pop-up satellite archival tag weighing approximately 42 grams in air, designed for stock assessment, mortality detection, dispersal, and migration tracking studies. Collects light and temperature data; volume pricing from $988.90 (1-49 units) down to $499 (1000+ units).
• SeaTag-GEO Geomagnetic migration tracking pop-up satellite tag with 3-axis magnetometer for precision migratory tracks. Same form factor as SeaTag-LOT, with added magnetic sensing; priced from $1,485 (1-9 units) down to $945 (50+ units).
• SeaTag-3D Flagship S.A.M. (Stock Assessment & Mortality) pop-up satellite tag incorporating all SeaTag-GEO features plus depth measurements, with storage for approximately 425,984 packets. Designed for vertical habitat studies and high-sampling-rate research; priced from $2,200 (1-9 units) down to $1,400 (50+ units).
• SeaTag-MOD Modular high-performance pop-up satellite tag for highly specialized studies, featuring depth, accelerometer, magnetometer, and temperature sensors. Includes solar power, microSD storage up to 2GB, and a kinetic release mechanism. Priced $1,750-$2,500.
• SeaTag-TT (17g) Solar-powered marine satellite tag for sea turtles, penguins, and sea birds. Dimensions 15W x 12.5D x 75L mm, 17g weight, 800m diving depth capability, non-degrading ultra-capacitor, ARGOS satellite transmission.
• SeaTag-TT (25g) Solar-powered marine satellite tag for marine vertebrates in less sunny conditions. Dimensions 19D x 75L mm, 25g weight, 58mW solar power, ARGOS satellite transmission.
• DiveTracker Scout Compact underwater diver navigation receiver about the size of a magic marker. Range up to 305 meters (1,000 feet), 3-color LED indicator, single sensitivity setting. Set includes receiver and transmitter. Retail $600; volume and distributor pricing available.
• DiveTracker Sport Professional grade underwater diver navigation system with range up to 1,220 meters (4,000 feet). Features 10-LED element strip, high and low sensitivity settings, precision acoustic technology, and battery life up to two weeks on the transmitter. Retail $1,300 with volume and distributor pricing available.
• ARC-1XD Ranging Acoustic Release High-reliability acoustic release with patented fusible link mechanism and ranging capability. Titanium and Delrin construction, depth rated to 300 meters (with 1000m option), 10+ year expected lifetime, triggers within 10 seconds. Priced from $1,995 down to $1,550 at 100+ units.
• ARC-2 Low-Cost Acoustic Release Low-cost broadcast acoustic release for shallower or nearshore/inshore use. Delrin construction, depth rated to 300 meters, rechargeable lithium battery providing 50 release cycles or two-year life. Broadcast-mode release only. Priced at $1,054.50.
• ARC-3 Acoustic Release Transponder Acoustic release transponder with serial port for custom release mechanism designs. Includes individual release mode, broadcast release mode, and public QID for acoustic gear marking.
• SAM-1 Acoustic Modem Low-cost underwater acoustic modem for data transmission at low to moderate speeds and distances up to 1000m. Small size, low power consumption, operates in multi-path intensive and noisy environments. Ideal for harbor basins, shallow waters, reefs, and open ocean. Licensed by Teknologic for integration into JSATS receivers.
• SonarPoint Acoustic Recorder Third-generation passive underwater acoustics monitoring recorder with GPS for atomic clock synchronization, flexible storage up to 8 Terabytes, long run-time, easy-to-service components, and ability to localize vocalizations for density population studies. Configurations from $3,500 (SP300-2-1) to $7,000 (SP1000-8-4).
• Ropeless Fisher Coastal Starter ropeless fishing system for pot trap fishing in low-medium currents and nearshore/inshore waters. Eliminates surface buoys with on-demand acoustic release. Includes ARC-2 Broadcast Release, STM-4 Deck Box, transducers, release bag, and Ropeless Fisher App for Android. Priced at $5,454.50 (system) or $6,754.50 with full accessories.
• Ropeless Fisher Offshore Offshore starter ropeless fishing system including ARC-1XD acoustic release, deck box, transducers, release bag, accessories, and app for offshore gear deployment and recovery. Titanium and Delrin construction, depth rated to 300 meters. Priced at $9,995 (system) or $10,945 with full accessories.
• SeaTag-GOLD Extended Warranty Program Extended warranty program covering non-reporting, under-reporting, or otherwise non-functional SeaTag tags during and after deployment. Provides free replacement tags that fall under covered categories, with remote inspection via satellite engineering packets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Position estimation errors reduced to 30-40 nautical miles compared to hundreds of nautical miles with light-only methods
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TeknologiccoreTechnology or IntegrationTeknologic licensed SAM-1 acoustic modem technology for integration into their JSATS (Juvenile Salmonid Acoustic Telemetry System) receiver system. The SAM-1 acoustic modems are integrated into receivers to allow topside communication without physically recovering the receivers, enabling users to poll system parameters remotely such as battery voltage, number of detections, last detection ID, and tilt. This integration reduces on-site receiver maintenance costs and allows snapshots of array data at any time.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Innovasea: Hydroacoustic telemetry and fish tracking products overlap with Desert Star's acoustic releases and acoustic modem products. Innovasea operates globally with broader portfolio scale, making it the closest direct peer in marine acoustic wildlife telemetry.
• Lotek Wireless: Wildlife telemetry tags (including fish and marine mammal archival/satellite tags) directly overlap with SeaTag PSAT products. Lotek also owns Wildlife Computers, making the combined entity a primary competitor in marine wildlife satellite tagging.
• Sonardyne: Acoustic releases, modems, and positioning products compete directly with Desert Star's ARC-1XD and SAM-1. Sonardyne is a more established deep-water acoustic release and tracking vendor with broader offshore energy and defense reach.
• EdgeTech: Manufacturer of sonar systems, sub-bottom profilers, and acoustic releases for marine research and survey, directly comparable to Desert Star's acoustic product family.
• JW Fishers: Underwater search, sonar, and acoustic equipment company whose acoustic hardware overlaps with Desert Star's acoustic releases, modems, and passive recorders, especially in diver and search-and-recovery applications.
• Scanmar AS: A Norwegian-based specialist in acoustic releases and sensor systems for fishing and offshore use. Direct competitor in the acoustic release and ropeless fishing markets, particularly for European fisheries.
• Wildlife Computers: A long-standing PSAT (popup satellite archival tag) manufacturer whose MiniPAT, sPAT, and other archival tag products directly compete with Desert Star's SeaTag family for marine vertebrate research customers.

Broad incumbents

• Teledyne Marine: A broad incumbent marine electronics group whose portfolio includes acoustic releases, sonar systems, and oceanographic instrumentation that overlap multiple Desert Star categories. Teledyne's scale and integrator relationships make it a meaningful incumbent competitor.
• Kongsberg Maritime: A broad marine technology incumbent offering underwater sensors, acoustic positioning, and subsea instrumentation. While not focused on PSAT tags, it competes with Desert Star in acoustic release/modem categories for offshore and defense customers.

Emerging players

• Imagenex Technology: Smaller sonar and acoustic instrumentation vendor with partial overlap in multibeam sonars and acoustic recording, targeting similar research and survey customers from a more niche product position.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DesertStarSys

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Desert Star Systems