Built on the success of our field-proven Argos satellite transmitter, the Avian Cricket (AC1) tag is the first in the Wildlife Computers line of products designed specifically for the study of bird behavior and migration. It includes activity and temperature sensors and a recovery beacon.

Direct U.S. prices start at $2100. Please contact us for pricing on specific configurations.

Size and weight The AC1 employs specialized lightweight packaging and antenna materials which result in a field-rugged product without compromising on weight or features. The AC1 standard configuration is 73mm by 18mm by 12mm, making it suitable for many avian applications. Weighing under 18g when configured with a single small lithium cell, the AC1 can generate more than 20,000 transmissions. The AC1 is packaged to be pressure-resistant to 50m.

Controller features The operating code of the AC1 can be upgraded. This means you can always have the most up-to-date version of onboard software, regardless of when the tag was purchased.

Transmitter The AC1 incorporates the Cricket, a specialized, Argos-certified transmitter developed by Wildlife Computers. When configured with one cell, it generates a highly-stable 0.5W of radiated power output, operating at a high efficiency to allow the maximum number of transmissions from the battery. The high-power, high-efficiency characteristics of this transmitter maximize both the quality and quantity of received messages, providing better and more frequent locations.

Activity Sensor A mercury-free activity sensor is continuously monitored and the data summarized for transmission. The activity data are provided within an “activity” message as a daily and an hourly average, which can be useful for monitoring bird behavior.

Temperature Sensor Ambient temperature is measured within the range of -10 to +40°C with a resolution of 0.1°C. The current temperature measurement is contained within a “status” message, along with battery voltage and transmission count.

Recovery Beacon Standard in the AC1 is a powerful radio recovery beacon which can be used to manually locate a lost tag. The UHF beacon can be scheduled to transmit on predetermined dates.

Tag Activation The AC1 can be turned on and off with a magnet. The LED flash sequence indicates whether the tag is deployed or in standby mode.

Attachment Small integrated tubes at each end of the AC1 housing allow for easy attachment.

User-defined Parameters The AC1 incorporates a sophisticated scheduler that provides detailed control of the transmission protocol, sensors, and recovery beacon. The tag can be configured for projects covering multiple seasons, and priorities can be assigned to various message types. The AC1 can also be configured to duty-cycle transmissions to optimize battery life. Presently, Wildlife Computers works with each user to preprogram the AC1 set-up parameters as needed. In the near future, the flexible scheduler will be accessed through a graphical Windows interface that will allow the user to configure the tag and make changes to the settings as desired at any time prior to deployment.

Argos location accuracy Service Argos provides the locations with accuracy as good as ±350m. Generally, a budget of 250 transmissions per day is sufficient to provide at least one daily location calculation via Argos.

Analysis software Windows-based software is provided to decode the Argos data into an easy-to-use format.

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