Cableless seismic digital field recorder having on-site seismic data processing capabilities

A method for seismic prospecting using a portable seismometer group recorder for processing and recording seismic-trace signals from at least one seismic wave detector, comprising the steps of:

• (a) activating the recorder by connecting the recorder to a supply of electrical power upon receiving first transmitted coded signals;
• (b) transmitting a second coded signal to the recorder and selecting a set of operating instructions from a plurality of operating instructions stored within the recorder, wherein such operating instructions include:
• (i) instructions for weighting the seismic-trace signals from a plurality of initiations of a seismic source with inverse power weighting exponents selected from the group including 0, 1, 2, and 4;
• and
• (ii) instructions for stacking weighted seismic-trace signals;
• (c) successively sampling and digitizing the seismic-trace signals in the recorder from at least one sesmic wave detector, thereby forming seismic-trace data;
• (d) processing the seismic-trace data using the selected processing instructions;
• and
• (e) storing the processed seismic-trace data in the recorder.

A portable seismometer group recorder for use in seismic prospecting for processing seismic-trace signals from at least one seismic wave detector comprising:

• (a) memory means in the recorder for storing a plurality of processing instructions for processing instructions include:
• (i) instructions for weighting seismic-trace signals obtained from a plurality of initiations of a seismic source with inverse power weighting exponents selected from the group including 0, 1, 2, and 4;
• (ii) instructions for stacking weighted seismic-trace signals;
• and
• (iii) instructions for storing seismic trace signals from a plurality of initiations of a seismic source without weighting and stacking in the recorder;
• (b) means in the recorder responsive to transmitted coded signals for selecting processing instructions from the plurality of processing instructions stored in the memory means;
• and
• (c) means in the recorder for processing the seismic-trace signals from at least one seismic wave detector in accordance with the selected procesing instructions.