Why Deep-water Underwater Equipment Suffers Signal Jumping & Communication Loss

Many underwater systems run stably during shallow diving missions, yet experience intermittent signal fluctuations and unexpected communication outages once operating at greater depths.
Most technicians tend to attribute these failures to defective connectors, while the real culprit frequently comes down to improper shielding connection of watertight subsea cables.

A common wrong practice is separating the braided shield, twisting it into a single strand for individual grounding. Even a short length of this lead will create unwanted impedance under deep-water high-frequency operating conditions. In many cases, the shielding function becomes ineffective. This creates an interference source close to sensors. Stray currents circulate along the shield layer, and interfering voltages couple into signal circuits.

At shallow depths and lower pressure, minor interference may not stop the system from working. But in deep water, high pressure and long transmission distances allow interference to overwhelm the target signal.

For subsea watertight cables, the shield layer requires 360° circumferential crimp termination. Shield termination quality is equally critical as the cable's waterproof performance. No matter how good your watertight cable is, poor termination will ruin the whole system. Proper termination craftsmanship is the foundation of stable signal transmission for underwater applications.