Patent ID: 7466627

Claim:
A seismic data telemetry system, comprising: a seismic vessel; a seismic data gathering unit in operative connection with at least one seismic sensor; at least one of a seismic data telemetry transmitter and telemetry receiver disposed on the data gathering unit; at least one of a seismic data telemetry receiver and telemetry transmitter disposed on the seismic vessel; at least one directionally sensitive antenna disposed on one of the seismic vessel and the data gathering unit, the antenna operatively coupled to the at least one of the telemetry transmitter and receiver; means for determining a geodetic position of the vessel associated with the vessel; means for determining a geodetic position of the data gathering unit associated with the data gathering unit; a geodetic position telemetry transceiver and omnidirectional antenna associated with each of the vessel and the data gathering unit; means for determining a geodetic direction between the vessel and the data gathering unit in response to position data transmitted using the geodetic position telemetry transceiver; and means for orienting and maintaining an orientation of a sensitive direction of the directionally sensitive antenna toward a corresponding antenna on the other one of the data gathering unit and the seismic vessel, the corresponding antenna operatively coupled to the at least one of the telemetry receiver and transmitter the means for orienting operative in response to the means for determining geodetic direction.