58 -- - INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT TO DATASONICS, INC. Notice of intent to award a sole source contract to Datasonics, Inc. NOAA intends to purchase six full ocean depth modems with battieries and integral directional transducer, Model ATM-877. Datasonics modems use water column in the ocean as transmission path at 600/1200 baud using high-powered acoustic projectors. Modems transmit acoustically at ranges up to 5 km with high immunity to noise degradation and low bit error transmissions. Modems took over five years to develop and are the only known commercially-available units currently in production. No source other than Datasonics anticipated which can provide these modems. However, qualified sources which have developed and currently have in production full ocean depth acoustic modems may request solicitation WASC-8-595 by contacting Randall Brown at 206-526-6226 or fax 206-526-6025. This is a simplified acquisition with an estimated value of less than $100,000

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0417 19971211\SP-0006.MSC)