TERNAustralianSuperSiteNetwork
ACOUSTICMONITORINGPROTOCOL
This is the acoustic monitoring protocols to be implemented
duringtheNCRIS-2013contractperiod.
Acousticdatacollectionistobecarriedoutonacontinuousbasis
(allowingforhardwarefailures)duringtheNCRIS-2013period.
Pleasesendanycomments,correctionsandsuggestionstothe
TERNAustralianSuperSiteNetworkCoordinator
(mirko.karan@jcu.edu.au)
May2014
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19 TheSongMeterSM2+
Overview
The Song Meter SM2+ is an environmental acoustic sensor, designed to remain deployed in the
field recording continuously for extended periods of time. The Sensor cover, when properly
closed,isweather-tightandventedtoprotectagainstcondensationandstressonsealscausedby
pressurechanges.Whileitisdesignedtosurvivetemporaryimmersioninwater,itisnotdesigned
orrecommendedforunderwateruse.
Allofthesensorselectronics,batteries,datastorageflashcards,andcontrolsaremountedinside
the enclosure to protect them from the elements, and are therefore inaccessible without
removingtheenclosure’scover.Figures16and17illustratetheinsideofthesensor.
For comprehensive instructions please consult the Song Meter User Manual at:
http://www.wildlifeacoustics.com/images/documentation/SM2plus1.pdf
RemovingandReplacingtheCover
Therearefourplasticcoverscrewsinthecorners.Thesescrewshaveclipstopreventthemfrom
falling out and getting lost. When closing the cover make sure the indicator LED window is
correctly oriented over the LED on the circuit board and tighten the screws by turning them
clockwise.Thefoaminsertontheinnersideofthelidistopreventbatterymovement.
Right Mic
Input
Left Mic
Input
External
Power
Input
Pressure
Equalization
Vent
Cable
Gland
Figure16:SongMeterSM2+
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Up
Select
Back
Button
Down
Buttons
Wake/Exit
Button
Amp
and
Filter
Switches
Headphone
Jack
Main
Batteries 4
D-Cells)
LCD
Display
Indicator
LED
Power
Selection
Switch
Flash
Card
SlotsA,B,C,D
Clock Batteries
(2AA-Cells)
Figure17:Insideofsensor
PowerResources
Each unit requires 4D cell batteries. Batteries last for approximately 14 days. Rechargeable
batterieshaveveryhighfailurerates,sousegoodqualityalkalinebatteries(i.e.DuracellProcell).
The Power Selection Switch can be used to select between “internal” and “external” power
sourcesandtoturntheunit“off”.
If an external power source is used (and memory cards swapped out at longer than 14 day
periods)ensurethatfilesarestoredinthecompressed.WAC4format.
ClockBatteries
Song Meter uses two AA alkaline batteries to power the clock. These batteries should last
betweentwoandthreeyears,butitisrecommendthatthesearereplacedeveryyearastheSong
Meterwillnotoperatewhenthesebatteriesaredepleted.
InstallingMemoryCards
StandardSDmemorycardscanbeused.Thefourcardslotscanbepopulatedwithonetofour
flashcardsofassortedcapacities.
YoumustinstallatleastoneflashcardinorderfortheSongMetertomakeandstorerecordings.
Upto0.5Tbofmemorycanbeloaded,butitisrecommendedthatdataisdownloadedatnomore
than3monthlyintervalssothatrecordingqualitycanbechecked.
InstallingMicrophones
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TheSMX-IIweather-proofmicrophonescanattachdirectlytotheleftandrightmicrophoneinput
connectors on the Song Meter. Alternatively, they can be extended on cables. Note that the
microphonesarefragile-theyshouldberemovedfromtheSongMeterduringtransport.
MountingtheSensor
Where practical, the sensors should be deployed at roughly chest height on a star picket in the
centreofthecore1haplot.
Pleasealsorefertothepre-deploymentchecklistfurtherbelowbeforedeploying.
SwitchingtheSensorONandOFF
To switch the Sensor On/Off press the “Wake/Exit” button (see Figure 2). When the Sensor is
switchedon,thedisplaywilllooksomethinglikethis:
2012-Sep-16 13:32:56
Song Meter II R3.1.0
A: 32G 48%B: 32G 0%
C: N/A D: N/A
The top row displays the current date and time and is updated every second. The bottom two
rowsdisplaythestatusofthefourSDcardslotslabelled“A”through“D”.IfnoSDcardisplugged
intoaslot,“N/A”isdisplayedtoindicatethattheslotisnotavailable.
SensorConfiguration
The sensors sent from QUT have been pre-configured to record for 12 hours per day (6 hours
arounddawnand6hoursarounddusk).Theywilladjustthemselvestorecordatthecorrecttime
(relative to sunset and sunrise) throughout the year using the GPS coordinates of the individual
sites. If Sensors require configuration contact Jason Wimmer (QUT) to get appropriate
configurationfilesandinstructions.
Configuredtorecord12hoursperday,theunitswillrunforapproximately14daysbeforerunning
outofbatterypower.Atthispoint,thebatterieswillneedtobereplacedandthedatashouldbe
transferredfromtheSDcards.
Sensorsareconfiguredtorecordat44100Hzinstereoat16bitsandstorefilesin.WAVformatif
usinginternalbatteriesorcompressedto.WAC4filesifusinganexternalpowersource.Whilethe
44100HzsamplingfrequencyexceedswhatisrequiredforAustralianbirdsongs,itwasselectedto
futureprooftheanalysisofthedatasetforotherpurposes.
Formoredetailsonconfigurationsee:
http://www.wildlifeacoustics.com/images/documentation/SM2plus1.pdfpp15-25
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MenuNavigation
Pressthe“Wake/Exit”button,thenpressthe“Select”buttontoenterthemainmenu.Thedisplay
willlooklikethis:
Song Meter Main Menu
- Schedule (daily)
- Settings
- Utilities
The double underline indicates the blinking cursor position. Each menu screen can only display
threelinesatatime,scrolldownusingthe“Down”button.
The“Up”and“Down”buttonscanbeusedtoscrollthroughthemenuchoices.Toselectamenu
choice,pressthe“Select”button.Toreturntothepreviousmenu,pressthe“Back”button.From
theMainMenu,youcanpressthe“Back”buttontoreturntothestart-upscreen.
The“Wake/Exit”buttonwillstartorresumetherecordingschedule.
StartRecordingSchedule
Pressthe“Wake/Exit”button.Ifthenextscheduledrecordingismorethan45secondsaway,the
followingmessageisdisplayed:
2012-Sep-16 13:34:12
Going to sleep until
2011-Sep-17 05:30:00
Thetoprowindicatesthecurrenttimeanddate.Thebottomshowsthenextscheduledrecording
starttime.After5seconds,theSongMeterwillgointoadeepsleepandthedisplaywillgoblank.
Youshouldnowreplacetheprotectivecover.
If the next scheduled recording event is in progress or within 45 seconds away, the Song Meter
willbeginpreparingtorecordandbeginrecordingatthecorrectstarttime(orassoonaspossible
ifascheduledrecordingisalreadyinprogress).
MakingRecordings
Onceconfigured,pressingthe“Wake/Exit”buttonwillcausetheSensortoputitselftosleepuntil
thenextscheduledrecordingevent.
TheSensorwillautomaticallywakeupabout30secondsbeforethescheduledevent.
2012-Sep-16 13:32:56
Song Meter II R3.1.0
A: 32G 48%B: 32G 0%
C: N/A D: N/A
AfterscanningthefourSDflashcardslots,themessage“Preparingtorecord”willappear:
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2012-Sep-16 05:29:11
Song Meter II R3.1.0
Preparing to record
Notethatifascheduledrecordingtimeisalreadyinprogress,theSensorwillbeginrecordingas
soonasitisreadytodosoandendtherecordingonschedule.Youcanabortthenextrecording
andreturntothemainmenubypressingthe“Wake/Exit”button.
WhentheSensorbeginsrecording,thedisplaywillindicateprogressasshownbelow:
2012-Sep-16 13:32:56
Recording: 01:29:12
B:0909111332.WAV 0%
44100xStereo 5%
Thetoplineofthedisplayshowsthecurrentdateandtimeasbefore.
Thesecondlineindicatesthetimeremaininginthecurrentrecording.
The third line shows the flash card slot and short file name of the recording file
(MMDDhhmm.WAV)andthepercentcomplete.
Thelastlineshowsthesamplerateandnumberofchannels(x2forstereo,x1formono),andthe
percentageindicateshowfulltheSDflashcardslotisonwhichtherecordingisbeingmade.
Youcanpressthe“Select”buttontotogglebetweenthedisplays.
AbortingaRecordinginProgress
WhiletheSensorisrecording,youcanpressthe“Back”or“Wake/Exit”toaborttherecordingin
progress.
ManualRecordingFeature
In addition to recording on a schedule, the Sensor can also start a recording when the start-up
screenisdisplayedbypushingthe“Up”and“Down”buttonssimultaneously.Thiswillstartaonehourrecordingonthelowestletteredslotonwhichtherecordingwillfit.
Pressingthe“Select”buttontogglesbetweendisplaymodesandheadphone.
19.1 SM2+ConfigurationInstructions
TheSM2acousticsensorscanbeconfiguredusingaPC-basedconfigurationutility(theSongmeter
Configuration Utility), which generates configuration files for uploading to the units. If required,
you can get a copy of individual SuperSite configuration files from the SuperSites Data Officer
(Shiela.lloyd@jcu.edu.au) or Jason Wimmer at QUT. Configuration files are uploaded by copying
the configuration file to an SD card, inserting the SD into slot A in the SM2, and following the
configurationuploadstepsbelow.
1. TurntheSM2on,usingeitherinternalorexternalbatteries.
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2. Insert an SD card with the configuration file copied to the root directory (ie not in a
subdirectoryontheSDcard)intoSlotAintheSM2(seeFigure18)
SlotA
Figure 18: Position of Slot A
3. NavigatetotheSM2mainmenuusingtheselectbutton(seeFigure19).
SelectButton
Figure 19: Location of Select Button
4. NavigatetotheUtilitiesmenuusingtheDownbutton(seeFigure20).
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DownButton
UtilitiesMenu
Figure 20: Down Button and Utilities Menu
5. PresstheSelectbuttontoentertheUtilitiesmenu,andnavigatetotheLoadconfigfromA:
menuitemusingtheDownbutton(seeFigure21).
Loadconfig
Figure 21: Utilities Menu and Load config from A:
6. Configuration files have the .SET extension and may be named SONGMETER.SET or
SITENAME.SETe.g.ALICE1.SET.Selecttheappropriate.SETfileusingtheselectbutton(see
Figure22).
Figure 22: Select configuration .SET file.
7. WhenconfigurationfilehasloadedsuccessfullyaCONFIGURATIONLOADEDmessagewill
displaybriefly(seeFigure23).Whenloaded,pressthebackbuttontoreturntothemain
menuorhomescreen.
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Figure 23: Configuration Loaded Message
DetailedinstructionsonusingtheSongmeterConfigurationUtilityandloadingconfigurationfiles
arealsoavailableintheSM2UserManual
(http://www.wildlifeacoustics.com/images/documentation/Song-Meter-Users-Manual.pdf).
AcousticRecordingMetadata
EnsurethatametadatafileissuppliedtotheSuperSitesDatalibrarianforeachsitewhereasensor
has been deployed. Ensure sensor site names and exact GPS coordinates for each are recorded
(these can be made less accurate for publication if security is an issue). Specify a start date for
whenrecordingstartedateachsite.Acousticmonitordetails(eg.SongMeterSM2+).
QA/QCofAcousticData
Beforetransferringdatalistentothebeginningandendofeachrecordingforsoundquality.The
microphonesarepronetodegradeovertimeinthefield.Theymayrequirereplacementevery6
monthstoayear.
19.2 SuperSiteFTPInstructions
1.
DownloadandinstallFileZilla(http://filezilla-project.org/download.php)
2.
OpenFileZillaandselect‘File’,‘SiteManager…’
3.
Select‘NewSite’andgivethesiteaname(e.g.TERNUpload)
4.
IntheGeneraltab,filloutthefollowingdetails:
Hostname:data.bioacoustics.supersites.net.au
Port:22
Protocol:SFTP(SSH)
LogonType:Normal
EntertheUsernameyouhavebeenprovided
EnterthePasswordyouhavebeenprovided
5.
We don’t need to worry about any of the other tabs, so select ‘Connect’ to connect to the
uploadsite.Note:youwillneedtohaveinternetaccessenabledtoconnect.
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6.
Onceyouhaveconnectedsuccessfullyyouwillbetakentoyourhomedirectoryontheserver
which appears on the right side of the screen. The left side of the screen is your local
computer.
7. Doubleclickonyourhomedirectory(sameasyourusername,e.g.:fnqr)tomakeityourcurrent
location.Thisdirectoryisownedbyyouandyouhavefullaccesstocreate,modify,ordeleteall
filesanddirectoriesinsideit.Tocreateadirectory,rightclickonthefilelistareaandselect‘Create
directory’.
8. TohaveconsistenciesbetweenSuperSitesandtoallowdataingestion,pleasefollowtheguidelines
toorganisethefilesunderdirectoriesstructure.ThestructureshouldfollowsiteID/sensor/yearformat.
a. Thesiteisthefirstleveldirectorythatrepresentsaspecificregionthathasoneormore
sensors(seeTable1below).
b. Withineachsite-IDdirectory,pleasecreateasensordirectorythatrepresentseach
ofthesensorsdeployedatthesite.Youcanuseanynameeg.sensor_1,sensor_2,
sensor_a,sensor_b,plot_a,plot_b, core_1haetc.
c. Withineachsensordirectory,pleasecreateayeardirectoryforeachyearthatany
recordingwasmade,forexample:2013,2014.Thisistoavoidasingledirectoryhaving
toomanyfilesinit,whichmayslowdownreadaccessofthedirectory.Pleaseuploadthe
respectivefileintothecorrectyeardirectory.
d. Forexample,thestructureshouldlooklikethis:
├──
│
│
│
│
│
└──
seqp_karawatha
├── plot_e1
│
├── 2012
│
└── 2013
└── plot_e2
└── 2012
seqp_samford
├── core_1ha
│
└── 2014
├── pasture_1
│
├── 2013
│
└── 2014
└── pasture_2
├── 2013
└── 2014
9. Alldatafromeachsensorshouldthenbedepositedstraightintotherespectivesensordirectory.All
you need to do is select all the files from the correct sensor and drag and drop them into the
corresponding site/sensor/year directory on the server. The "sensor_a", "sensor_b" etc
folders relate to the location of the acoustic monitor within the SuperSite. Ensure that location
detailsforeachsensorarerecordedinthemetadata(exactGPScoordinateswillnotbepublically
visible). If an acoustic sensor is moved to a new location within the SuperSite then create a new
sensornameandfolder.Ifyouwishtonamethesitestosomethingmoredescriptive,pleasefeel
freetodoso.
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ListofSuperSite-nodecodeswhichrepresentsite-ID
FNQRainforestSuperSite-CapeTribulation
fnqr_daintree
FNQRainforestSuperSite-DaintreeDiscoveryCentre fnqr_ddc
FNQRainforestSuperSite-RobsonCreek
fnqr_robson
SEQPeri-urbanSuperSite-Samford
seqp_samford
SEQPeri-urbanSuperSite-Karawathaforest
seqp_karawatha
TumbarumbaWetEucalyptSuperSite tumb
CumberlandPlainSuperSite
cblp
WarraTallEucalyptSuperSite wrra
vicd_whroo
VictorianDryEucalyptSuperSite-Whroo
VictorianDryEucalyptSuperSite-Wombatforest
vicd_wombat
CalperumMalleeSuperSite
clpm
AliceMulgaSuperSite alic
GreatWesternWoodlandSuperSite
gwwl
LitchfieldSavannaSuperSites
lfld
OriginalDataTransferMethod
ThismaybeusefuliftheFTPmethodisproblematic.
Data should be transferred from the SD cards to the 1TB external USB drive. Once the data has
beensuccessfullytransferredfromtheSDcardstotheexternaldrive,pleasedeletethedatafrom
theSDcard,re-insertitinthesensorandredeploy.PleasereturntheexternalUSBdrivestothe
address below every three months to have the data uploaded to the central repository. Ensure
yousendanemailtomiro.karan@jcu.edu.aubeforepostingthedrives.Pleasealsokeepacopyof
allthedatastoredontheexternaldriveincaseitfailsorislostinthepost.Oncethedatahasbeen
uploaded,theexternalUSBharddriveswillbereturned.
MirkoKaran
TERNSuperSiteCoordinator
JamesCookUniversity
CairnsCampus
BuildingE1,Room102B
14–88McGregorRoad
Smithfield
Cairns
Queensland4878
TheexternaldrivesareUSB3.0compatible,soifpossibleuseacomputerwithaUSB3.0portto
savetimetransferringthedata.Otherwise,downloadingtakesapproximately1minuteperGB.
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19.3 TERNAcousticSensorSolarConfiguration
Thesolarpowersetupcomprisesadeepcycle12voltbattery,chargecontroller,solarpanel,pole
mountandSM2externalpoweradaptercable.
• Battery:http://www.apolloenergy.com.au/Renewable-Energy-Components/Batteries/N50GEL
• ChargeController:http://www.apolloenergy.com.au/Renewable-EnergyComponents/Charge-Controllers/SS-10L-12V
• SolarPanel:http://www.apolloenergy.com.au/Renewable-Energy-Components/Browse-byManufacturer-Suntech/STP020S-12-Cb
• SolarPanelPoleMount:
http://www.greensystems.com.au/products/product.php?prod_code=GS-MNT-02
• SM2(acousticsensor)externalpoweradaptercable:http://www.wildlifeacoustics.com/waphp/order.php#power
Youneed:
• 2xstarpickets(preferably240cm)
• Batteryboxsimilartothishttp://www.jpwmarine.com.au/products/electrical/batteryboxes/battery-box-standard-size.aspx
• Multimeter(http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=QM1500)
Installation:
1.
Theentiresetupisnotparticularlybulky,butthebatteryweighsabout24kg,sovehicular
accesstothesitewouldbeanadvantage.
2.
The solar panel pole mount can be mounted on a star picket. The mount has been
designedtoaccepttheSuntech20Wsolarpanelwithoutanymodification,butpleasetest
both mounting of the solar panel and attaching to a star picket beforehand
http://www.greensystems.com.au/files/pdf/products/GS-MNT-02_pdf.pdf.Theremaybe
someslightmodificationsrequired.
3.
Somewiringwillberequiredwhendeployingthesolarsetuptoconnectthesolarpanelto
the charge controller, charge controller to the battery and sensor. This will require a
screwdriver,pliersandwirestrippers.Ifpossiblebringamultimeterwithyouaswell,for
fault finding (http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=QM1500). Instructions for
the
charge
controller
are
included
here:
http://www.apolloenergy.com.au/core/media/media.nl/id.245333/c.851604/.f?h=9667c
223a94e62fe2322
4.
Thesolarpanelshouldbemountedonastarpicketandorientedtothenorthatanangle
ofapproximately30degrees(Figure18).Thesolarpanelshouldbemountedonanother
starpicketnexttothis,withthebatteryandchargecontrollerinbetween.
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Figure24:StarPicket
5.
Thebatteryandchargecontrollerarefairlyrobust,butshouldbekeptoffthegroundandoutof
direct sunlight. Try using plastic marine battery enclosures like this:
http://www.jpwmarine.com.au/products/electrical/battery-boxes/battery-box-standard-size.aspx
Use a couple of house bricks to keep them off the ground. Also sprinkle ant granules in the
bottomtokeeptheantsaway.
6.
If you have any cattle or other curious animals, you may need to consider a little electric fence
setup, such as: http://www.sureguard.com.au/products/Farm-Electric-Fencing/Portable-BudgetElectric-Fence-12-VoltThesolarconfigurationselectedshouldsupportthis,butyoumayneedto
increasethesolarpanelsizeto40W.
7.
Intermsofmaintenance,givethesolarpanelawipeandcheckthecablesfordamagewhenyou
changetheSDcards.
SensorSetup:
1.
Attach the SM2 external power adapter to the SM2 external power input (below the left-hand
microphoneinput).SeeFigure16.
2.
SwitchtheSM2frominternaltoexternalpowerusingthepowerselectionswitch.Seepage4and
page10http://www.wildlifeacoustics.com/images/documentation/SM2plus1.pdf
3.
Whenconnectedtothebattery,theunitshouldpowerupasnormal.
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19.4 Pre-DeploymentChecklist
1.
Inspect the Sensor for damage inside and out. Verify that the three input connector nuts (left and
rightmicrophoneinputsandexternalpowerinput)arefingertightandthattheweatherproofventis
alsofingertightbyturningclockwise.Neverturnthenutsorventcounter-clockwise.Alsoverifythat
thecableglandiswellseatedandnotpunctured.
2.
Installfourfreshhigh-qualityalkalinebatteriesinthemainbatterytray.Alwaysremoveflashcards
priortoinsertingorremovingbatteriestoavoiddamagetothecardconnectors.
3.
Testandreplacethe2AAclockbatteriesannually.
4.
Checktomakesurethatthedateandtimearesetcorrectlyandtheclockisrunning.
5.
Checktomakesureyouhavethelatestversionoffirmware(http://www.wildlifeacoustics.com/).
6.
ChecktheZorb-It®packetinstalledontheinsidecover.Ifitisnoticeablyswollen,itmayhavebeen
exposedtoliquidwaterandshouldbereplaced.Formoreinformation,visitwww.zorb-it.com.
7.
Afterinstallingflashcardsandmicrophones,usetheinstantrecordfeaturetomakeatestrecording,
and listen to the test recording to verify your audio settings are set as intended. See “Manual
RecordingFeature”above.
8.
In hot environments, avoid exposing the Sensor to direct sunlight to ensure that the inside
temperaturedoesnotexceedtheratedlimitsoftheSensororbatteries.
9.
WhenyouputtheSensortosleepwiththeWake/Exitbutton,makesureitindicatestheexpected
wake-uptime.
10.
Make sure the indicator LED is flashing once per minute when sleeping or once per second while
recordingbeforewalkingaway.
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