Exam 2- Radiotelemetry Flashcards
What can we learn from radiotelemetry?
- Home range
- Mortality
- Migration
- Movement
There are 3 things one must know when designing a radiotelemetry study, what are they?
- What do you need?
- Potential biases
- Telemetry system
What do you need for a radiotelemetry study?
- Temporal scale
- Spatial accuracy
- Other info
What are some potential biases in a radiotelemetry study?
- Animal selection
- Transmitter effects
- Location error
What is included under a telemetry system?
- VHF (very high frequency)
- GPS
- Satellite PTT (platform terminal transmitters)
- Light-level geolocators
What does a transmitter consist of?
- VHF circuit board & quartz crystal.
- Transmitter antenna
- Battery
Generally, wildlife studies use what circuit board (MHz)?
148-152 MHz
162-168 MHz
170-173 MHz
What does it mean if the circuit & battery are “potted”? How is this beneficial?
They are encased in epoxy resin or acrylic.
It protects them from moisture and shock.
What should be considered when designing a transmitter?
- Minimizing the negative impacts on animals
- Required signal duration
- Other options needed
- Mortality or Temperature-sensitive switches
What are examples of receiving systems?
- Handheld
- Vehicle-mounted
- Fixed tower
What are the types of antenna designs?
- Whip or dipole
- Loop
- Adcock (“H”)
- Yagi
What is the limitation of the whip or dipole antenna design?
Nondirectional
What is the limitation of the Adcock (“H”) antenna design?
Good directional, but 2 null peaks 180 degrees from each other.
What 2 components associated with the Yagi antenna design, tune to frequency?
Length and spacing of elements
What are the VHF Telemetry field procedures?
- Homing to transmitter
2. Triangulation
Pros & Cons of GPS Telemetry
PROS: 1. Spatial accuracy (up to 20m) 2. Temporal resolution 3. Labor CONS: 1. Cost 2. Data retrieval
What system is satellite telemetry associated with?
PTT (Platform Terminal Transmitters)
What are PTT based on?
NOAA Argos system
What does PTT use to estimate distance?
Doppler shift
Pros & Cons of Satellite Telemetry?
PROS: 1. May be only feasible technique 2. Real-time results with minimal labor CONS: 1. Cost 2. Battery life 3. Accuracy 4. Frequency
