Route based ultrasonic monitoring system

Route based ultrasonic monitoring method and apparatus for detecting the presence of a leak or machinery defect. The route based ultrasonic monitoring method uses a central processing location to store test information (122) concerning with machines to test and the portable ultrasonic sensing device configuration (128). At the appropriate time, the test information is loaded from the central processing location into the portable processing and storage unit (124). The operator is then prompted by the portable processing and storage unit to proceed to a test location (126). Once at the test location, the portable processing and storage unit provides the test information to the portable ultrasonic sensing device (132) and the test results are downloaded to the portable processing and storage unit (134). Once all the tests along a particular route of testing locations have been performed, the test results are downloaded to the central processing locations (140). The results of the most current set of tests are then compared to the results of previous test to determine the presence of any machinery defects (142).