Rarely do we make GPS for a species and then, after years and years hiatus, make something so much better than we did the last time. Normally there are some incremental improvements, not huge leaps forward. Not so in the case of Pygmy Rabbit GPS collars
About six or seven years ago, a group at Washington State University was doing a project on Pygmy Rabbits in the wintertime where the GPS could only weigh 15 grams. They came up with a collar design and sketched it. It was a very specific design that utilized a sharp angle between the collar plane compared to the plane the battery was in. We followed the instructions exactly and the project was a success. The customer made repeated orders.
Skip ahead several years and we had a new inquiry for pygmy rabbit GPS collars. I mentioned to the person inquiring that we had done it in the past and she replied that she knew that because she worked on the project. But now things were different and we could meet her design and weight requirements with a much better product….which didn’t exist. So we set about designing it and sold the new client 50 Nano Enhanced GPS collars for pygmy rabbits. That project also went extremely well and the collars are being used repeatedly year after year.
GPS for Pygmy Rabbit-How it works
These GPS collars can be built with rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries. At the 14 gram total weight that we listed the batteries are rechargeable. A primary (non-rechargeable) battery adds 3.3 grams and provides about 5 times more battery life.
We can make these with or without a VHF transmitter. At 14 grams they do not include a VHF transmitter but one can be added for as little as 1 gram. Heavier transmitters are available.
The user sets the days and times for the GPS to turn on to attempt a location. The schedule can be varied from day to day with no problem. This is done with the user software prior to deployment but can be changed after the device is deployed because it has a remote connection to our FLR V base station.
The base station will collect GPS data remotely from the GPS data logger on the Pygmy Rabbit. The base station will operate for 5 days before you need to recharge the battery. Anytime the base station is within range of the data loggers all previously un-transmitted GPS data will be copied from the data logger to the base station. The base station can be left in the field or you can carry it to the study area to download data. No additional device is needed in the field, the base station has everything it needs.
Available options for this product are: activity data storage and a light sensor. Smart GPS and temperature output are standard.
For more information please click on the contact us button on this page or call us at 1-925-798-1942.
GPS for Pygmy Rabbit Standard Features and Options
