Telemetry Part - I ADVANCED LEC 04 WILDLIFE TECHNIQUES University of Rio Grande Donald P. Althoff, Ph.D.

Some background/history The word “telemetry” means “_______________” or to “communicate from a distance.” There is ____________________ between the sending and receiving units…i.e., wireless !!! VHF (__________________) telemetry was first used by wildlife biologist in the early ______ (John and Frank Craighead tracked grizzly bears in Rocky Mtns.) GPS units first used by wildlife biologists in the _____

Some background/history…con’t Early efforts (think 1960s, 1970s) were very challenging— many issues including… ________________ vs. animal morphology & behavior ________ of units relative to animal’s body weight ____________(typically shorter than length of study) Tx failure once deployed (think electronics failing) Tx ________________ (think “distance”) Besides equipment challenges, there were significant data processing and interpretation “issues” to address

A common mis-step: There was a mentality that…”wow this is cool technology, let’s just go out and collar animals…and we’ll figure out our objective later.” Thus, better to address ________________________ first…then technique. In other words, telemetry should be a means to an end

Per Samuel and Fuller (1994:370. Wildlife Radiotelemetry chapter in Research and Management Techniques for Wildlife and Habitats) “Radiotelemetry should be viewed as a technique that can increase the efficiency of collecting information. Establish biological objectives, then determine if radiotelemetry might be a useful method in achieving those objective.”

Major Categories of Application (see handout for details) Movements Habitat use Behavior Survival Productivity Health Status/Physiology sandhill crane migration

Basic Equipment Components (and subcomponents) ______________ (Tx) ____________ Antenna

Tx VHF portion of radio frequencies Typically _______________ or _______________ (most receivers have 4 MHz range) Example: , , , etc. Major components: transmitter electronics battery antenna coating on Tx and battery collar and/or attachment material(s)

Tx – Antenna Types ______…omni-directional ______…semi-omnidirectional

Tx – Attachment Methods (see handout for details) Collars Necklaces Harnesses Adhesives Tail mounts Ear mounts Implants Other??? __________ of animal __________ Etc. Influenced by….

Tx – How Small??? nanotag series: 0.25g 5 x 3 x 10 mm 3mm thick Estimated life: 10 seconds between “bursts”…33 days

FISH: with implanted heart rate frequency Tx

UNGULATE: vaginal implant Tx

RECEIVERS – Simple to Complex Earlier versions analogy & dials Most today: ________ readouts/entry with capability to program in 16, 32, or more Tx into specific channels

RECEIVERS – Headphones or no headphones? Go cheap Go pro

RECEIVERS – Antenna Types ______________ __________ or Adcock ______(3-, 5-, 7- element) Low Frequency Loop

Yagi (3-, 5-, 7- element)

H-type

Low Frequency Loop (for fish ground tracking)

For larger “anchors”, like vehicles and permanent stations…. directional 5-, 7-, or more element yagi Null-peak antenna systems …more next time on this