Tips for Anabat set ups for longer periods of passive monitoring?
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Vulturnus
Nov 15, 2012, 6:12:38 PM11/15/12
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Hi everyone, I'm looking at setting up an experiment where I'll be leaving detectors out to passively monitor for a week or more without re-visiting the detectors during that period.
I'm contemplating using a seperate 12v (7ah) battery to power the detectors (and possibly small solar panels if necessary) - I'd be really interested in any tips/ suggestions based on your experience with longer term passive monitoring setups?
What sort of weather protection? security? (these ones will be in semi urban bushland parks) - tips on how long a 7ah battery would last? or alternatives.
Thanks
Michael
kyle armstrong
Nov 15, 2012, 7:50:21 PM11/15/12
to kilo...@googlegroups.com
Hi Mike et al,
I have bought 70 Amp Lithium Ferrous Phosphate batteries that have powered SM2's for 4 weeks. You can buy custom sizes from EV Power (in West Aust)., and they are small and light, and you can order 6 or 12 V. For SM2s I work on a draw of 200 mA per hour, so around 2.4 Amps per night, which is probably a big overestimation in most cases (see the manual for current draw). For Anabats that draw about 1 Amp per night, I use smaller LiFePo batteries and work on 4 nights for a 5000 mA battery. It is important not to over-dischare lithium batteries, overcharge them or charge them incorrectly (need a quality charger that can balance cells). LiFePo are much safer than Lithium polymer apparently, so best to research what is available (try model shops). I have not ever set up a solar recharge, as I just use bigger batteries.
Best regards,
Kyle
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr Kyle Armstrong
Specialised Zoological ABN 92 265 437 422
http://www.gaiaresources.com.au/sz
Mobile phone: 0404 423 264 (international +61-404-423-264)
Post (home office): 7 Palmerston Road, Unley, South Australia 5061.
Email-1: kyle.n.a...@gmail.com
Email-2: kyle.ar...@graduate.uwa.edu.au
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have bought 70 Amp Lithium Ferrous Phosphate batteries that have powered SM2's for 4 weeks. You can buy custom sizes from EV Power (in West Aust)., and they are small and light, and you can order 6 or 12 V. For SM2s I work on a draw of 200 mA per hour, so around 2.4 Amps per night, which is probably a big overestimation in most cases (see the manual for current draw). For Anabats that draw about 1 Amp per night, I use smaller LiFePo batteries and work on 4 nights for a 5000 mA battery. It is important not to over-dischare lithium batteries, overcharge them or charge them incorrectly (need a quality charger that can balance cells). LiFePo are much safer than Lithium polymer apparently, so best to research what is available (try model shops). I have not ever set up a solar recharge, as I just use bigger batteries.
Best regards,
Kyle
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr Kyle Armstrong
Specialised Zoological ABN 92 265 437 422
http://www.gaiaresources.com.au/sz
Mobile phone: 0404 423 264 (international +61-404-423-264)
Post (home office): 7 Palmerston Road, Unley, South Australia 5061.
Email-1: kyle.n.a...@gmail.com
Email-2: kyle.ar...@graduate.uwa.edu.au
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Tragus
Dec 14, 2012, 6:53:47 AM12/14/12
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Hi Michael,
I left detectors out for 7-12 days and rotated between sites for a year. I had each detector in a PVC pipe container with foam in side. I spray painted each container camo style. Each container had metal chains attached that I locked to trees. It did take some time to lock the container to the tree, but it was very hard to get tamper or remove the set up. I used a microphone extension cable (sometimes covered in electrical piping to prevent mammals chewing it ) running out of a hole in the bottom of the PVC pipe (rubber stopper around cord to prevent moisture entering box) with the microphone in a PVC elbow on a tree or stake 1.5 metres off the ground. The microphone was held in place with a bath plug inside the PVC elbow.Worked quite well. In remote areas where theft was less of an issue, I used lighter cables to lock the box down but these could be easily cut with a pair of bolt cutters. The advantage of light cables was less weight to carry. I used 12v batteries with no solar panels. Batteries lasted at least 7 days but after 12 months batteries began to die, so would only last 2-5 days. Hope this makes sense!
I left detectors out for 7-12 days and rotated between sites for a year. I had each detector in a PVC pipe container with foam in side. I spray painted each container camo style. Each container had metal chains attached that I locked to trees. It did take some time to lock the container to the tree, but it was very hard to get tamper or remove the set up. I used a microphone extension cable (sometimes covered in electrical piping to prevent mammals chewing it ) running out of a hole in the bottom of the PVC pipe (rubber stopper around cord to prevent moisture entering box) with the microphone in a PVC elbow on a tree or stake 1.5 metres off the ground. The microphone was held in place with a bath plug inside the PVC elbow.Worked quite well. In remote areas where theft was less of an issue, I used lighter cables to lock the box down but these could be easily cut with a pair of bolt cutters. The advantage of light cables was less weight to carry. I used 12v batteries with no solar panels. Batteries lasted at least 7 days but after 12 months batteries began to die, so would only last 2-5 days. Hope this makes sense!
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