Wildlife computers MiniPAT User Manual

MiniPAT User Guide

This user guide will give you all the essential information needed

for interacting with and deploying a Wildlife Computers MiniPAT.

v.201901

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................................... 2

About the MiniPAT ................................................................................................................................................ 3

Before you Begin.................................................................................................................................................... 3

Anatomy of a Tag ................................................................................................................................................... 4

Interacting with a Tag ............................................................................................................................................ 5

Configuring Tag Settings ........................................................................................................................................ 7

Tag Information ..................................................................................................................................................... 7

Tag Release Sequence ........................................................................................................................................... 8

Data Product Settings ..........................................................................................................................................11

Transmission Settings ..........................................................................................................................................17

Technical Specifications .......................................................................................................................................22

Additional Information ........................................................................................................................................23

Tag Storage and Battery Maintenance ................................................................................................................23

MiniPAT Recovery Instructions ............................................................................................................................24

Preparation for Post-deployment Communication .............................................................................................24

Download your Data ............................................................................................................................................25

Biofouling Overview .............................................................................................................................................26

Process Overview .................................................................................................................................................26

Personal Protective Equipment ...........................................................................................................................26

MSDS ....................................................................................................................................................................27

Application Requirements ...................................................................................................................................27

Resources .............................................................................................................................................................32

Appendix 1 ...........................................................................................................................................................33

Contacting Wildlife Computers ............................................................................................................................34

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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged and only for the information of the intended recipient and may
not be used, published or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.

About the MiniPAT

The MiniPAT is a pop-up satellite archival tag used to track behavior and migration of marine animals. It is
an archival tag equipped with an Argos transmitter and a corrodible attachment link. The MiniPAT is
designed to be attached to an animal by a tether. The corrodible burn pin releases the tag from the tether
on a pre-programmed date, or optionally when the MiniPAT determines it is no longer attached to an
animal. Depth, temperature, and light-level data are collected and summarized for transmission through
Argos. Transmission occurs after the release of the tag from the tether, while the tag is floating on the
ocean surface. This guide describes how to set up and deploy the MiniPAT. Transmitted data products are
also explained.

Figure 1—MiniPAT tag rigged with a stainless-steel heat shrink-covered tether and a Wilton anchor.

Before you Begin

The list below shows what is required to configure and deploy the MiniPAT:

• A Wildlife Computers online portal account

• A Windows computer with Tag Agent Software and USB driver installed

• A Wildlife Computers communications cable

• A magnet

Visit wildlifecomputers.com
Cable driver) and setup an account. At the end of this document, there is a list of key terms and concepts
for reference. We recommend new users review this list.

to download the required software (Tag Agent and the USB Communications

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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged and only for the information of the intended recipient and may
not be used, published or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.

Anatomy of a Tag

Figure 2—MiniPAT tag showing: (a) Argos antenna, (b) temperature sensor, (c) communications port with plug,
(d) light sensor (1 of 2), (e) float, (f) release pin, (g) LED light, (h) wet/dry sensor, (i) ground plate, (j) light sensor (2
of 2), (k) pressure sensor.

The communications port is where the USB plugs into the tag. Prior to a deployment, this port should be sealed with
the plug provided by Wildlife Computers. Prior to deployment, the USB port should be sealed with the provided plug.
Apply a very small amount of silicone grease (supplied in shipment) to the black rubber plug and press the plug into
position. A lost or missing plug will not interfere with the tag’s deployment as the port is already sealed to prevent
water intrusion. The plug is only intended to keep the port clean for easier post-deployment communication. The plug
is not required for the tag to function normally.

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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged and only for the information of the intended recipient and may
not be used, published or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.

The wet/dry sensor, ground plate, pressure sensor, thermistor, and electronic release pin should not be
covered. Covering these sensors will interfere with the normal function of the tag. This includes antifouling
coatings, brightly colored paints for recovery purposes, and attachment adhesives (e.g. epoxy).

Interacting with a Tag

Tag Agent Software is used to communicate with the MiniPAT. Tag Agent and the USB Communication
Cable driver can be downloaded from our website: wildlifecomputers.com
be used to:

• Change tag states

• Configure the tag settings

• Upload remotely-selected settings into a tag

• Check sensor readings and conduct test transmissions

To communicate with a tag, open Tag Agent Software (Figure 3).

. Once installed, Tag Agent can

Figure 3—Tag Agent screen prior to tag connection.

Use the USB communications cable to plug the tag into your PC. Take care to ensure that the pins are
aligned. Once plugged in, swipe a magnet near the tag communication port to establish connection. The
tag LED at the base of the antenna will turn orange, and the Tag Agent home screen will appear with tag
information on the left and sensor readings on the right (Figure 4).

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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged and only for the information of the intended recipient and may
not be used, published or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.

Figure 4—Tag Agent home screen.

Tag States: Auto-start, Start, and Stop Modes

MiniPAT tags have three states: Start, Auto-start, and Stop. When in Start mode, a tag is running and will
begin its deployment. Auto Start allows the tag to Start by submersion in seawater (for use in brackish or
freshwater contact Wildlife Computers). In Stop mode, the tag will remain unresponsive unless connected
to Tag Agent. Stop mode is used for storage of tags for periods longer than a month.

Changing Tag States with a Magnet

Within Tag Agent, the Disconnect Tag tab on the top-right navigation bar can be used to put a tag in any
state.

Once disconnected, a single pass of a magnet near the communication port will cause the tag to blink the
indicator light, revealing its current state.

• Two blinks and a pause repeated three times means the tag is in Auto-start mode

• Ten rapid blinks indicate the tag is in Start mode

• No blinks indicate the tag is Stopped

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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged and only for the information of the intended recipient and may
not be used, published or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.

A magnet can be used to toggle the MiniPAT out of Start mode. This requires two specifically timed passes
of the magnet. First, swipe the magnet and wait for the tag to indicate its current state. At the end of the
blinking pattern (10 rapid blinks in a row if started) the indicator light will remain on for several seconds. If
the magnet is swiped a second time during the extended light-on stretch, the state will toggle. The second
swipe needs to happen in the window when the light is on.

If you Start a MiniPAT but do not deploy it on an animal, the tag will initiate a premature release according
to your settings (see page 10). Once premature conditions are met, the tag will then begin to transmit and
deplete the battery. Best practice is to not leave MiniPATs Started while off animals.

For the first five days of deployment, toggling with the magnet will switch the tag from Start state into
Auto-start state. This allows a tag to be redeployed without having to be plugged into Tag Agent. After five
days, the magnet toggle will put the MiniPAT in Shut-down mode. This is to avoid unintentional data
erasure. If a new deployment is started, the MiniPAT will write over data previously collected.

In addition to revealing the tag state, the LED also indicates the following conditions:

• Erasing the archive—many rapid blinks with the LED mostly on indicate that the tag is clearing the
archive in preparation for a new deployment.

• Sample rate—

o MiniPATs with tagware 2.4p or older for the first two hours of a deployment (or until the tag

depth exceeds five meters) the tag will briefly blink at the sampling interval.

o MiniPATs with tagware 2.4q or newer will NOT blink at the sampling interval after

deployment.

Configuring Tag Settings

To configure tag settings within Tag Agent, select the Administer Tag button in the upper menu.

Figure 5—Tag Agent menu bar. Select Administer Tag to edit tag settings.

A new window will open revealing four sections: Tag Information, Tag Release Sequence, Data Product
Settings, and Transmission Settings.

Tag Information

Tag Details & Argos Settings

Tag administrators, tagware version, and tag type are displayed on the Tag Details tab (Figure 6). Tag
Name is an optional user-definable field which makes a tag, or tags, easy to find in the Tag Portal using the

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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged and only for the information of the intended recipient and may
not be used, published or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.

filter. The Argos Settings tab displays the tag PTT ID details. The Accelerometer Settings show if the
accelerometer channels are being archived.

For more information on these terms, reference the Glossary of Terms section at the end of this document.

Figure 6—Expanded view of Tag Details tab.

Tag Release Sequence

These settings define when the tag will activate its release mechanism.

Either an interval release or scheduled date release can be set. The release will begin at 20:00 UTC after the
number of days specified or on the chosen date.

The tag automatically sets its archival sample interval based on the deployment length specified.

Conditional Release

The MiniPAT uses sensor measurements to make reasonable assumptions about the state of the
deployment. Depending on your study design and the behavior of your study animal, you can program the
tag to release and begin transmitting if certain conditions are met.

Auto-detect Tag Detachment

This parameter automatically initiates release if the tag detects itself floating at the surface.

• Select a depth threshold that the tag must exceed before monitoring for detachment. This helps
prevent triggering a conditional release before the tag is attached to its host animal. For example, if
you program a MiniPAT tag and put it in Start mode using Tag Agent (while tag is attached to your
PC) it will detect constant depth while it’s sitting on your desk.

• Select how long the tag must be at the surface before a release will occur. The pin burn will occur
after the specified time has elapsed, not at 20:00 UTC like the scheduled release.

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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged and only for the information of the intended recipient and may
not be used, published or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.

Auto-Detect Mortality
This parameter monitors for three mortality conditions:

• Floater—the tag is floating at the surface (constant depth of 0)

• Sitter—the tag is sitting at a constant depth

• Sinker—the tag remains below a certain depth

Upon satisfying any one of these conditions, the tag automatically initiates release. To monitor for
mortality, configure the following:

• Select a depth threshold that the tag must exceed before monitoring for detachment.

• Optionally, select the depth that the tag must remain below to be considered a sinker.

• Select the duration—this sets how long each of the depth criteria must be maintained before a

release will occur. The pin burn will occur after the specified time has elapsed, not at 20:00 UTC like
the scheduled release.

• Select the variance—variance is used here in a statistical sense (see example below). Be mindful of
the tidal activity in your study area. A tag stuck on the bottom will detect some minor depth
changes as tides change the water depth. If you choose a range that is too small for local tidal
conditions, the tag will not initiate a conditional release when it is stuck or sitting on the bottom.

The release settings shown in Figure 7 will result in the following:

• The tag will release 150 days after deployment.

• The tag will release if it exceeds 10 meters in depth and then meets any of the following criteria:

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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged and only for the information of the intended recipient and may
not be used, published or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.

Figure 7—Tag release settings.

o Stays within 6m (+/- 3 meters) of a constant depth for more than 3 days.
o Stays deeper than 400m for more than 3 days.

• The tag will release if it reaches a depth of 1400 meters. This ensures that if the tag is sinking, it will not

reach its crush depth and become inoperable.

If your animal naturally remains at a constant depth for long durations consider disabling the Auto-detect
Mortality feature.

Adaptive Transmission Schedule on Conditional Release

In the case of early release, the MiniPAT transmits time-series data messages in addition to its scheduled
data products. This can help when investigating the cause of the conditional release event. The time-series
interval depends on deployment duration.

If the conditional release is:

• Less than 15 days the MiniPAT will transmit 300 second time-series for depth and temperature
(unless the originally programmed interval was faster).

• Between 15 and 30 days, the MiniPAT will transmit 600 second time-series for depth and
temperature.

• Greater than 30 days AND no temperature or depth time-series were initially enabled, the MiniPAT
will create 600 second Time-Series messages for the two days leading up to release.

Ignore Wet/Dry After 45 Days

You can optionally choose to have the tag ignore its wet/dry condition 45 days after release. The tag will
then attempt transmissions at its scheduled repetition interval until the battery expires. This setting can be
useful if a tag is fouled or hung up on debris, in which case the wet/dry sensor may indicate wet, even when
the tag is at the surface. The longer a tag is at the surface the more susceptible it is to damage and
predation.

Pinger

The pinger is used for tag recovery. When enabled, the MiniPAT sends out low power “pings” after release,
while at the surface. The tag can be located with an appropriate receiver and directional antenna. A one or
two-second ping interval is the most appropriate setting for tracking, and mimics a typical VHF tracking
transmitter. Excess power draw from the pinger is negligible. The transmissions sent by the pinger are very
short and do not carry any data.

External Release Device

If using an external release device, such as Wildlife Computers Programmable Timed- Release (PTR)

, the
MiniPAT will not burn its release pin. With the burn pin still intact, the MiniPAT can be redeployed. Set the
date the external release device is programmed to release and expected deployment date. Based on this
range, the tag will calculate the archival sample interval. The pinger feature can be enabled to assist with
recovery.

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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged and only for the information of the intended recipient and may
not be used, published or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.

Figure 8—Release settings for a 12-day deployment using an external release device. The pinger is enabled.

Data Product Settings

Data products are the various types of data available from Wildlife Computers tags.

To take full advantage of the capability of the tag, great care should be taken in considering which data
products to enable and the frequency of message generation. If too many messages are generated not all
of them will be received. In this case, the result will be random gaps of time during the deployment for
which data are missing.

Many settings on the tag affect the total number of Argos messages generated. These include:

• Enabled data products

• Duty-cycling of enabled products

• Sampling Interval

• Summary Period

The combined effect of the chosen settings is shown at the bottom of the Data Products Settings section.
The number of messages generated per day and the total number of messages generated during the entire
mission are displayed. In the case of duty-cycling, two values are shown to account for the different
number of messages generated during on and off duty-cycle days. A warning is displayed when the
message total exceeds the maximum likely to be successfully received. The total number of messages
received varies depending on sea-surface conditions, satellite coverage, battery capacity, length of
deployment, and background radio interference. The average number of messages received for a standard
MiniPAT deployment is approximately 2,000 messages.

The rule of thumb is, the fewer number of messages that the tag generates, the greater the probability that
ALL generated messages will be received. Some study objectives require finer temporal resolution,
contiguous temporal coverage, and/or longer deployment durations such that a large number of messages
are generated. In these instances, one can use duty-cycling to help control when the “holes” in the data
occur.

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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged and only for the information of the intended recipient and may
not be used, published or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.