LORAN-C as an Automated Telemetry System for Tracking Large Ungulates

Larry D. Bryant, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC 20090 USA and Walter Fowler, Starlink Inc., Austin, TX USA

An automated animal telemetry system, developed by the USDA Forest Service and Tracor Aerospace, Inc., was implemented on the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range, NE Oregon. The system computes positions of animals equipped with telemetry collars by retransmitting analog data from the animals to a central data collection center. There the time signals are differentially corrected and their location calculated and plotted in real time. Ambient air temperature is also collected and the system has the capability of collecting heart rate data from telemetered animals. The system can be deployed anywhere there are sufficient LORAN-C signals.

Previous Section -- Field trials of the Lotek GPS collar on moose
Return to Contents
Next Section -- Use of a prototype automated radio telemetry system to monitor avian survival and bird use of agricultural fields