We would like to put collar on foxes in the Arctic. T°c can reach -40°c. We have a very small budget, so Telemetry solution etc... are far beyond what we can spend.
So we need a GPS logger that can resist to those extreme T°c and a drop-off system, and obviously a VHF unit to be able to find the collar again. Foxes are not easily trappable many times. The best, I think would be to have a WiFi tool on the GPS unit that could send the data on an external logger that we could set up on the dens for example, so that most data are safe. Has anyone does that before, or has a suggestion?
Thanks for your help!
Little bit difficult to source the hardware for home built to operate at -40 Deg C.Low tempr. Batteries are more costlier than hard ware. If money is second then it is possible to rig up. Try to get military grade electronic components and batteries in flaw Market which will be very cheap.
Hi Chloe
i agree that probably the most sensible component is the battery. most devices use lithium batteries, and they tend to fail in in low temp. But, i think that the issue might be less problematic than you expect fro two reasons: micro-climate and fox behavior. when you attach the collar to the fox neck, it is partially heated from the body of the animal and protected from wind by its fur. this may buffer some of the lower temp. second, since foxes themselves benefit from saving energy on thermo regulation by avoiding exterem condition, your devices might experience less of these freezing conditions.
Finally, even if the tag will eventually fail (due to temps or any other reason), remote download will minimize data losses. Since a short tracking effort will allow you to detect den location(s) for your tracked individuals, using a unit that has remote download will ensure that at least most of the data is secured. Wifi options are usually very energy consuming, and i would recommend a UHF or VHF downloading to a base-station placed in these frequently visited sites. we had good experience with Eobs telemetry, Germany (see also some other answers i wrote here in RG). i think they are much cheaper that Telemetry solutions, but i havent checked lately. Other options are also worth exploring (e.g. Technosmart Itally have BT remote download that might work for your system, and they are also fairly cheap).
cheers
Orr
Thanks a lot for your answer! Maybe then I should go for a -20°c battery, some are very light, and with epoxy coating, it might help too. Also we were thinking that adding a device to charge them (such as solar cells) might provide some heat from the process of charging too...
Ok, for transmission data, I was thinking in ZigBee, but UHF, sounds a good way too! Thanks a lot, I will investigate those company you cited.
Again a huge thanks for your answer,
That really helps,
Chloé
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