Tracking down the animals

British-based radio module manufacturer Radiometrix is playing its part in nature conservation, with its transmitters being used in an animal tracking system. BlueSky Telemetry produces GPS collars for application in areas such as satellite wildlife telemetry.

The company's founder, Dr Ian Hulbert, says: "To track down the collar quickly is essential to the success of projects. The radio module allows tracking from ranges of more than 8 km."

In his opinion, "The LMT2-433-5 module delivers great frequency accuracy, which is vital in this type of application."

The transmitter series offer a low power, reliable data link in an industry standard pin out and footprint. This makes it suitable for low power applications where existing wideband modules have insufficient range, or where low cost multi-channel operation is needed without compromising RF performance.

It has a receiver sensitivity of -120 dBm, allowing long-distance data links to be achieved, and conforms to both the EN 300 220-3 and EN 301 489-3 standards. Covering the 432-435 MHz frequency band, it supports 32 channels of data transmission at speeds of up to 5 Kbps.

Specifications for the WildTraX collar required an embedded UHF radio modem that could support transmission over 10 different frequencies. In addition, it was important that the module was very rugged and could handle a broad temperature range.

The radio incorporated into the collar had to be programmable to allow its active time periods and the return pulse rate to be set as desired. The device has the ability to be re-programmable via its RS232 interface.

The modules are not just suited to employment in this sort of area. This family is capable of being applied to handheld terminals, data loggers, industrial telemetry/telecommand systems, environmental monitoring/control, high-end security/fire alarms, and heavy vehicle/machinery controls.