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Header image: Laura Kloepper, Ph.D.

discussion

Automatic and open-source radio-tracking

Jennifer Lisa Insupp

15 November 2023 10:03am

Hi all, hope you're doing well! I have a question regarding this article, attached above: Do you know anything about that or do you have informations if this was implented...

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Sarah Radford

23 November 2023 4:58pm

Hi @tutgut5 @Rob_Appleby  



their system has been used in a research project at the University of Marburg (LOEWE-Schwerpunkt  Natur 4.0), its also been used in combination with Infra-red videos of bat movements (BatRack). We cooperated with them in 2021 for a small telemetry study, it worked well for us, here is their homepage 

https://trackit.systems/team/

(although I'm not sure how up to date it is), if you have questions and would like some more info about their system there is an email address to contact them at. 







All the best,

Sarah

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discussion

Enhancing Animal Welfare Through Data-Driven Insights

Naomi

7 September 2023 7:32pm

My project has evolved the original idea to create an easy-to-use device for novice dog trainers to help in odor work. Though I still believe in my idea, my passion for animal...

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Rob Appleby

8 September 2023 4:30pm

Sound really interesting and valuable Naomi. Looking forward to hearing more as the project continues.

Cheers,

Rob

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Link

Eliminatha, WiCT 2023 Tanzania

ELIMINATHA AMBROSS

21 November 2023 1:09pm

Passionate wildlife researcher and tech user, making strides in Grumeti, the heart of western Serengeti,Tanzania, using Camera Traps to gain priceless insights into the lives of this unique fauna and contributing greatly to understanding and preserving the Serengeti's ecosystems.

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discussion

setting up a network of cameras connected to a server via WIFI

JOAQUIN_VICENTE

3 April 2022 7:19am

We need to set up a wildlife monitoring network based on camera traps in Doñana National Park, Spain (see alsowildlifeobservatory.org).  We are interested in setting...

12 0
Rob Appleby

9 July 2022 6:03am

Great discussion! Pet (and other 'home') cams are an interesting option as @antonab mentioned. I've been testing one at home that physically tracks moving objects (and does a pretty good job of it), connects to my home network and can be live previewed, all for AUD69 (I bought it on special. Normal retail is AUD80): 

On the Wifi front, and a bit of a tangent, has anyone done any work using 'HaLow' (see below for example) as it seems like an interesting way to extend Wifi networks?

Lars Holst Hansen

17 July 2022 8:21am

Cool thread!

I will be testing Reolink Wi-Fi cameras in combination with solar powered TP-Link long range Wi-Fi antennas/repeaters later this field season for monitoring arctic fox dens at our remote off grid site in Greenland. The long range Wi-Fi antennas are rather power hungry but with sufficient solar panel and battery capacity I am hopeful it will work. 
I am looking forward to explore the links and hints above after the field season. 
Cheers,

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discussion

Alternative to Reconyx Ultrafire

Brendan Barrett

8 November 2023 9:07am

The Reconyx Ultrafire has been discontinued, and we rely on these heavily for research because of the modifiability and reliability in adverse conditions. We need a high quality...

1 0
Robert (Bob) Zak

18 November 2023 8:22pm

The two cameras you mention below tick off most of the items in your requirements list.  I think the exception is the “timed start” whereby the camera would “wake up” to arm itself after a certain date.  Camlockbox.com provides security boxes for both.    

Especially if a white flash is useful in your research, you may also want to consider the GardePro T5WF.  I don’t have a lot of long-term experience with this camera, but it is one of the few that offers a white flash, and it has excellent battery life, especially for night captures.  The audio can be a little flaky   

I have done posts on these cameras, including a teardown.  See:

https://winterberrywildlife.ouroneacrefarm.com/2022/04/10/browning-spec-ops-elite-hp5-teardown/

https://winterberrywildlife.ouroneacrefarm.com/2022/09/26/inside-the-bushnell-core-ds-4k-trail-camera/

https://winterberrywildlife.ouroneacrefarm.com/2023/11/18/gardepro-t5wf-white-flash-trail-camera/

I have heard reports that the HP5 can let in moisture in very wet environments.  This may be a direct water contact type of thing, as we have never had water issues with this camera when it is installed in a lock box (US Northeast, Northwest).    

 

We prefer the HP5 due to superior image and audio quality.  That said, there is a known issue that with some HP5 cameras, with some fast (> 80 MB/s rated read) and large SD cards, the SD card can become corrupted, preventing the camera from capturing images.  I address this, including a fix via firmware, in another post:

https://winterberrywildlife.ouroneacrefarm.com/2023/11/16/fixing-browning-edge-elite-hp4-and-hp5-sd-card-corruption/

Hope this helps. 

-bob

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event

Animove 2024

Adrien Pajot

17 November 2023 10:47am

Join the summer programme from 17 June until 28 June 2024 with leading researchers to expand your knowledge and to take the opportunity to form networks and friendships with academics and students from around the world.

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discussion

Ideas for easy/fast maintenance of arboreal camera traps 

Benjamin Miles

30 August 2023 8:51pm

Hi ,A section of my upcoming project will include the deployment of arboreal camera traps up large fruiting trees In primary rainforest of PNG. It would be ideal if these camera...

9 1
Robin Sandfort

15 November 2023 9:04pm

I use the same wifi trick with Reolink solar cameras looking at tree cavities (Austrian mountain forest). You can even put the mobile router on  drone to get connection to the cameras. 

Sam Seccombe

17 November 2023 9:19am

Hi Ben,

I would be interested to see if the Instant Detect 2.0 camera system might be useful for this.

The cameras can transmit thumbnails of the captured images using LoRa radio to a Base Station. You could then see all the captured images at this Base Station, as well as the camera's battery and memory information (device health). In addition, you could also change camera settings from the Base Station so you would not need to reclimb the trees to change from PIR sensitivity high to medium for instance.

The Instant Detect 2.0 cameras also have an external power port so a cable could be run to the ground to a DC 12V battery for long term power.

If you wanted to, you could also connect the Base Station to the Cloud using satellite connectivity, so that you can monitor the whole system remotely, but this will incur more cost and power usage of the Base Station.

I'd be keen to hear your thoughts,

Thanks,

Sam 

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discussion

Flying with li-ion batteries

Nick Gardner

15 November 2023 8:24pm

Hi everyone, quick question about travelling with acoustic monitoring kit:Has anyone had experience flying international from the US with a load of 18650 Li-ion...

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Akiba

16 November 2023 2:26am

The 18650s should be packed in discrete holders to separate them and prevent them from shorting. I've taken up to 50 on a plane before. 100 might be a tall ask since most planes have limitations on total Amp Hours you can bring. 

These are the holders I use.

Good luck.

Nick Gardner

16 November 2023 4:01pm

Thanks Akiba, good to know you had no problems with those, and those cases look good. Having read a bit more, it actually seems that in theory there is no limit to the number of batteries you can bring, as long as each is <100Wh. Seems like I'll be testing that theory...

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discussion

Instant Detect 2.0 and related cost

Kaarthika Chandran

16 November 2023 12:50am

I am doing a research project on rhino poaching at Kruger National Park. I was impressed with the idea of Instant Detect 2.0. I do not know the cost involved with installing that...

3 0
Sam Seccombe

16 November 2023 10:55am

Hi Kaarthika, hi all,

ZSL's Instant Detect 2.0 is currently undergoing Beta testing with external partners and so is still pre-production. We therefore do not have final pricing for the system. 

Saying this, we have got a manufacturing partner fully set-up who has already completed two full build rounds of the system, one in 2020 and another in 2023. This means we actually have a very good idea of the system's build costs and what these are likely to be when we can manufacture the system in volume.

While I cannot release this pricing yet, I am confident that we will have an unparalleled proposition.

In particular, the satellite airtime package we can supply to conservationists due to the generosity of the Iridium Satellite Company means that each system can send 3,600 (25-50KB) images a month from anywhere in the world for a single fixed fee. This equates to around a 97% discount to the normal commercial rates. 

We are currently very busy fundraising so that we can make this final step to scale the system. 

If we can secure this funding, we hope to go into volume production by mid-2024.

Best wishes,

Sam

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