Receivers

The Motus Network mostly consists of stationary automated radio telemetry stations which continuously record incoming radio pulses. Mobile stations also exist, either affixed to a moving vehicle, boat, or in a backpack on foot. Other receivers are used for manual tracking so that wildlife can be located in and observed in-person for more precise location data.

Automated Telemetry Receivers

There are three types of receivers compatible with Motus that can be purchased, or built yourself in some cases: Lotek Wireles Inc (SRX600, 800 and D-series receivers), CTT Sensorstation and Nodes, and the open-source SensorGnome.

Sensorgnomes can be purchased from Compudata or RFS Scientific or built with the following instructions. Note these instructions are very outdated and require revision. New instructions will be posted in the near future.

(1) Price does not include cost of: Wi-Fi module; cellular module; data plans; case; power supply; bulkheads (1 required per antenna); or testing time.

(2) CTT charges $5/month base plus data costs for cellular data plans and an additional $5/month for station health reports. Contact CTT for more details.

(3) Cost for self-built SensorGnomes is estimated to be ~$150 USD without dongles, but prices may vary. Instructions on building SensorGnomes can be found here and here, but note these are outdated and require revision. New instructions will be posted in the near future. We do not recomend collaborators build their own SensorGnome without prior experience.

Manual Telemetry Receivers

For manual telemetry, we need a portable receiver that can decode tag IDs in real time.