channels
A channel is a device that carries data from the receivers to a recorder. In land work, this is typically a string or group of receivers that are connected to a cable which transmits the seismic data to a recorder. In marine work, the channels are built into the streamers, which are connected to the recorder in the vessel. In some modern, wireless systems, individual receiver units either record the data within the unit for later retrieval or they wirelessly transmit the data to a recorder.