Multiplexing means that the instrument pings the transducers either one by one or two by two, and then estimates the three-dimensional velocity after a full cycle of pinging all the beams has been completed. This is relevant for the low-frequency Signature instruments (Signature 250, Signature 100, and Signature 55), where multiplexing is used if the power level is higher than -6 dB. Power required above this threshold cannot be stored for all beams in the capacitor bank, and the instrument therefore cannot ping all beams simultaneously.

The Signature 55 pings one beam at a time when the multiplexing is enabled. It is therefore not recommended to multiplex without an AHRS on a moving platform, since it may lead to velocity bias. The Signature 250 and Signature 100 ping the beams in pairs, which lessens the effect of velocity bias. When deploying your instrument on a surface buoy, the Signature Deployment software will limit the power level to maximum -6 dB so that multiplexing stays disabled.

Multiplexing will be turned ON or OFF automatically when adjusting the power level in the Signature Deployment software (see the Effect tab on the right hand side). For a full overview of how the pings are distributed, you can use the READCFG (as described in the following FAQ: How can I check which sampling scheme my Signature is set up to?)