If you are a new client and have just received your order, check your “CTT Shipping Notification” email. Your credentials will be attached in a document, along with your unit IDs. If you ordered a SensorStation and do not already have an existing account with CTT, please register for an account here.

• Equipment Orders & Purchases: When you receive a quote OR place an order, you will be prompted to create a Shopify account (this website!). If you forget your password, you can reach out to Sales for a password reset.

• Data invoices & other online payments: This is based on your email address and accessed via CTT's Stripe page. If you require a password change/reset, please reach out to Sales

• CTT Data Portal (Sensor Station, ES-400, ARGOS): To gain access, please reach out to Sales for account registration process. If you have an account already and are unable to log in, choose the “Forgot Password” button under the log-in button.

• Internet of Wildlife Portal (new portal for Flicker, ES-420, newer ES-400/500s): Credentials will be provided in your “CTT Shipping Notification” email. If you did not receive this OR you need to obtain an additional set of credentials for project partners, please contact Sales.

• CTT Mobile App: Use same credentials as Internet of Wildlife Portal (above). Available on Apple & Android

• Iridium (SensorStation Iridium Portal) Please contact Sales for log-in information.

Orders placed on the website store cannot use split payment methods. If you can confirm the full final order, our financial administrator can invoice against a P.O., or take multiple forms of payments over the phone.

Use the data plan that matches the device type. GPS/GSM units use the Cellular Data Plan for GPS/GSM Units. SensorStations use the SensorStation data service. Blū+ variant BlūSeries tags transmitting on 2.4 GHz use the Blū+ data service.

The Data Plans collection is the best place to start if you are not sure which plan fits your hardware.

No. Blū+ data service is only for Blū+ variant BlūSeries tags transmitting on 2.4 GHz. It is not the data plan for GPS/GSM units, SensorStations, or standard radio-tag detections.

Use the GPS/GSM cellular data plan for GPS/GSM units, the SensorStation data plan for cellular-enabled SensorStations, and the Blū+ data service only for Blū+ variant BlūSeries tags.

If you haven’t already, please submit the Movebank Data Forwarding Request Form, and be sure to list your unit IDs as well as your CTT username and Movebank Username correctly.

If you have already received confirmation from our team that your data has been forwarded & are not seeing your tags, please verify that you are in the correct Project/Study and that you have thoroughly reviewed Movebank’s User Guide

There are a few things to verify:

• That the device is associated with your Movebank account (providing the CTT team with your correct Movebank username is imperative).
• Appropriate tag IDs & data feeds need to be associated with your project (Legacy ES-400s are included in the CTT GSM feed. ES-420s and newer ES-400s are included in the CTT Core Feed.)
• A Movebank Study can have multiple device feeds (from CTT and/ or other manufacturers). Bottom line: Depending on the age/ model of your devices, you may have data available from CTT Core, CTT GSM, or both!

About CTT’s data sync with Movebank:

• Devices from both feeds are permissioned to an individual Movebank User/account. Each account must have explicit permissions granted to view the devices
• CTT pushes incoming device data from our servers to Movebank’s system on an hourly basis.
• There may be a delay between when Movebank receives data from CTT and when it is displayed.

From Movebank homepage, select your “study”

Within your study, you should see a selection of “Live Feeds”

Select CTT Core or CTT GSM depending on your device type.

You will need to add available tags permissioned to your account to the appropriate project feed:

If you do not yet have a Feed set up within your project, you will need to select from the list of tags accessible to your Movebank account.

Please submit your request here.

As part of a growing company navigating the ever-changing tech landscape, we continue to develop our platforms to best serve you. We are working to find a solution to merge the two portals.

First, ensure that you have paid the Motus registration fee for each tag at time of purchase.

Next, send us the Motus project number and email associated with your Motus project (meaning the one used to establish the Motus project) and also the username associated with your CTT account, and we will handle your registration in a timely fashion.

The short answer is yes. For any tags with solar panels, such as LifeTags, HybridTags, and BlūMorpho, it's a resounding YES! For PowerTags and BlūBat (battery-only), it is a bit more complicated.

The amount of battery loss during storage is dependent on the battery size, if they’re properly powered off while stored, and stored in a cool, dry place. Large Lithium polymer batteries are best during the first three years of their life and can easily sit on a shelf for a year or more. Essentially, the smaller the battery, the shorter the overall shelf life, so take special care with those smallest of battery-only tags.

All tags with a solar panel are activated by the sun. Battery-powered PowerTags are activated (and deactivated) with an Activator.

No, the Activator only activates CTT's PowerTags.

A USB-B is what you will need, also known as a "printer cable."

Something akin to this would work.

Unless otherwise specified when placing an order, all 434 MHz transmitters are made with a 1/4 wavelength antenna. All other lengths are considered a customization.

Here’s the math behind those measurements!
~The full length of a wave at 434 MHz is 69 cm.
~Our standard antennas are 1/4 wave (or, .25 of 69 cm), equaling 17.25 cm, which equals 172.5 mm.
~Therefore, a 1/8 wave is 8.625 cm, or 86.25 mm.
~A 1/16 wave is 4.313 cm, or 43.13 mm.

Please bear in mind that these calculations are made assuming the tag is situated in an ideal setting/line of sight. Additionally, always be sure to test in the actual tag environment. Finally, it is imperative to test the signal strength of various options, as reduction does occur when lengths are halved.

It depends on the chosen beep interval and the tag weight. When you place an order, please include your preferred lifespan or beep interval (if known), and we can provide a chart to help you determine the right beep interval.

Theoretically, the life of the study species, as the tags are solar-powered. As long as they are getting sun, they should beep at their standard interval of every 5 seconds.

Theoretically, the life of the study species, as the tags have a solar panel that charge the battery. As long as they are getting sun, they should keep the battery charged and beep at their standard interval of every 5 seconds. If the battery should fail, they should then operate like a LifeTag and beep when there is sun on the panel.

BlūMorpho, BlūBat, and BlūBird are all 2.4 GHz BlūSeries tags. Detection workflows and data presentation are broadly similar across the family: compatible CTT receiving infrastructure can identify the tag ID and report detections from the receiver location or workflow being used.

The main differences are form factor, attachment method, power source, and lifespan behavior. BlūMorpho is an ultra-light solar-only tag, BlūBat is configured for very small animal and bat workflows with battery-driven lifespan behavior, and BlūBird is a small bird platform with a solar-rechargeable battery. Those differences affect attachment planning, expected duty cycle, and how much field testing is needed before deployment.

BlūSeries tags can have different power strategies depending on the model and configuration.

• Solar-only: operating life can be long or unknown when the tag receives adequate light, but beeping is light- and day-dependent.
• Battery-only: operating life is finite and is determined mainly by battery capacity and beep interval.
• Solar-rechargeable battery: the tag can support day-and-night beeping when the battery is adequately charged, but performance depends on light exposure, duty cycle, and deployment conditions.

Because these power types behave differently in the field, plan around the study species, attachment, light exposure, and the detection workflow rather than assuming one lifespan rule applies to every BlūSeries tag.

BlūSeries tags communicate on 2.4 GHz and require compatible CTT receiving infrastructure. For Motus/SensorStation workflows, use SensorStations equipped with the BlūSeries Receiver; standard SensorGnome installations without BlūSeries-compatible CTT hardware will not detect BlūSeries packets.

Blū+ variants can also contribute IoT detections. For broad landscape movement, treat Motus/SensorStation detections and Blū+ / IoT detections as complementary sources rather than substitutes.

Yes, but CTT does not currently provide them with a harness attachment. The tags have been successfully glued to existing harnesses and deployed on various species including hummingbirds. Otherwise, they can be directly glued onto the study species.

Mileage may vary, but in our tests on monarch butterflies, it was common to get detections in the 40-100m range using the CTT Mobile app (available for download on the iOS AppStore and Google Play Store), up to 1 km using the CTT Sidekick, and up to 2 km using an aerial array of antennas ~10m above the ground (a SensorStation).

Detection distance will depend on line-of-sight, environmental conditions, and habitat heterogeneity.

BlūMorpho tags will beep every three seconds in sufficient light, such as sunny or slight overcast conditions.

CTT generally does not quote a fixed lifespan for BlūMorpho tags. They are solar-powered and do not have a finite battery life in the usual sense, but they are extremely small and have limited conformal coating, so environmental degradation is expected over time.

In practice, they often last a year or more, and some tags that have fallen off in the environment have continued producing detections for more than two years. Any finite lifespan shown in Motus is usually just a placeholder so the system does not stop searching for the tag.

If recovered tags appear to have stopped working, check for cracked solar panels, fogging, or other visible damage because these are very small and relatively fragile devices.

BlūMorpho tags beep incredibly fast, as fast as once every 3 seconds, making them much more likely to be detected. The higher beep rate also allows for more accurate localization in Node grids. BlūMorpho tags also transmit the temperature of the tag, and there is no chance of a false detection.

No, there should not be any interference with our BlūSeries tags/receivers. The nature of the 2.4 GHz frequency allows for transmission on certain channels that our tags are programmed to use and maintain a connection even if the channel becomes "jammed."

A recent deployment on hummingbirds utilized a harnessing system attaching the tag to handmade harnesses with glue. However, the transmitter itself does not have attachment points at this time.

The BlūBat has a base weight of less than 0.02 g.

BlūBat cave-emergence monitoring is an emerging use case. BlūBat tags are 2.4 GHz BlūSeries tags, so cave-entrance workflows should be designed around compatible CTT receivers such as Sidekick for active searches and Nodes for autonomous entrance monitoring.

Cave entrances, forest cover, terrain, rock, and roost geometry can attenuate 2.4 GHz signal, so CTT recommends field testing at the actual entrance and consulting CTT for cave-specific study design before relying on a full deployment.

Yes. A Sidekick with a 2.4 GHz Yagi can be used for active tracking of BlūSeries tags, including BlūBat. Under favorable line-of-sight conditions, range can be up to about 1 km.

Cave, forest, and rugged environments can reduce range substantially, so test the workflow in representative field conditions. Sidekick detections are real-time in the app and can be recorded locally to a phone CSV; they do not appear live in a shared portal.

Yes. Nodes are good candidates for autonomous cave-entrance monitoring because they can detect compatible BlūSeries packets and record locally to an SD card.

Nodes have a standard barrel jack power input and run on 5V DC. Users can choose compatible power for their deployment, but CTT does not recommend specific non-solar power supplies. For cave entrances, test placement, antenna orientation, line-of-sight, and power runtime before scaling up.

Yes, if the workflow is designed for local collection. Sidekick records detections locally to a phone CSV, and Nodes record locally to SD card, so both can be useful where there is no cell service.

Sidekick + app detections are real-time in the app only and do not appear live in a shared portal. Blū+ / IoT detections are polled every five minutes, so delays can be about five minutes or longer if a polling event is missed. There is currently no dedicated phone app for BlūBat, so CTT does not recommend phone-only BlūBat monitoring as a standard workflow.

Not yet. BlūBat bat and cave-emergence monitoring is an emerging use case, so CTT recommends consultation for cave-specific receiver layout, power planning, range testing, and data workflow design before deployment.

BlūSeries tags are detected by compatible CTT receivers and workflows, including Sidekick for active field tracking, CTT Nodes for local monitoring and localization, SensorStations equipped with the BlūSeries Receiver, and other compatible CTT receiving infrastructure. For unattended autonomous detections, plan around Nodes and/or SensorStations rather than a handheld workflow.

Blū+ variants can also be detected through IoT workflows. The Project Monarch app can detect non-monarch BlūSeries packets as “unknown” while showing the tag ID, which can be useful as a quick tag-working check, but it is not the primary detector for BlūSeries projects.

The detection range of a BlūMorpho tag from a Motus tower mainly depends on the antennas being used and the presence/absence of obstructions between the tag and antenna.

In tests using this panel antenna to detect tags attached to a drone flying at an elevation of 150 meters with a clear line-of-sight to the tower, detections were recorded at distances of up to 2 kilometers away.

The IoT pathway works somewhat like consumer asset-tracking networks such as AirTag or Tile. Blū+ variants transmit both a CTT packet and an IoT packet.

The CTT packet is detected by deliberate CTT infrastructure or active searches, such as Motus/SensorStation workflows with BlūSeries Receiver hardware, Nodes, Sidekicks, Terra devices, or Project Monarch app workflows. The IoT packet can be detected and anonymously relayed by nearby compatible phones, tablets, or computers running Bluetooth and location services in the background.

Use Blū+ / IoT detections as a complementary data source alongside planned CTT receiver workflows, not as a replacement for autonomous receivers when the study requires controlled coverage.

The Project Monarch app is managed by the Cape May Point Science Center, a local nonprofit leading a project to track Monarch butterfly migration. The app is available to download on iOS and Android.

The Project Monarch app can detect BlūSeries tags deployed on monarch butterflies by the Project Monarch Collaboration and can upload those detections to the cloud for monarch conservation. It can also detect non-monarch BlūSeries packets as “unknown” while showing the tag ID, which is useful as a quick tag-working check. It should not be treated as the primary detector for non-monarch BlūSeries projects. If you are interested in a modified app workflow, please contact us so we can determine whether it’s possible.

Detection ranges of 50 - 100 meters are typical for mobile devices. However, the detection range of a BlūMorpho tag using a mobile device depends on the antenna of the mobile device, the presence/absence of obstructions between the tag and device, the species upon which the tag is deployed (ground vs. plane), among other factors, and therefore the observed detection range may vary outside these typical values.

To increase the detection range, consider using a CTT Sidekick, which has a greater range with the included Omni antenna. The optional Yagi antenna provides an even greater range.

The Project Monarch app should be able to record detections outside of cell service, however it may not be able to associate tag IDs with the individual monarch wearing the tag unless that information was loaded before leaving coverage. It is not possible to upload detections until the phone is back in coverage.

For work outside cell coverage, use a CTT Sidekick to record detections to a CSV file on your mobile device for later analysis. For long-term autonomous monitoring, use a CTT SensorStation with a BlūSeries Receiver, and/or a CTT Node 3.0 which includes a radio receiver for both 434 MHz and 2.4 GHz.

There is currently no dedicated phone app for BlūBat, so phone-only BlūBat monitoring is not recommended as a standard workflow.

Delayed IoT detections can happen when the receiving device has Bluetooth and location services active and detects the tag, but does not have cellular or internet service at the time. When that device reconnects, the stored detection information is pushed through the network and becomes available when CTT retrieves it.

Blū+ / IoT detections are polled every five minutes, so delays can be about five minutes or longer if a polling event is missed. The tag may still be transmitting normally; the delay is on the receiving, polling, and reporting side.

No. The latitude and longitude for a Blū+ IoT detection come from the GPS or location services on the receiving device, such as a phone, tablet, or computer. This is similar in principle to detections from dedicated receivers: the location belongs to the receiver, not to the radio tag.

Because typical Blū+ IoT detection distance is only about 30-150 m, those locations are usually close to the physical location of the tag. They should be interpreted as proximity evidence, not exact GPS fixes from the tag.

Crowd-sourced Blū+ data include a confidence value from 0-255. Lower values indicate better confidence and higher values indicate worse confidence. CTT does not control that scale and does not know exactly how it is calculated, so it should be interpreted cautiously and alongside the detection context.

Nodes and IoT detections serve different purposes.

If the goal is fine-scale localization or explicit habitat relationships, CTT Nodes are usually the better tool. Nodes are study-designed, less biased by human infrastructure, and can be calibrated by mapping the relationship between RSSI and distance for each Node.

Blū+ / IoT detections are biased toward human infrastructure, but they can add useful broad landscape movement evidence because the detection distance is relatively short. Based on monarch data, IoT accuracy is often well under 150 m and can be closer to 30 m.

For broad landscape movement, use Motus/SensorStation network detections together with Blū+ / IoT detections. For Node layout, spacing, and SensorStation planning, see the CTT Nodes and Localization section.

We have no idea, but we think Chuck was referring more to epic beats that defined our soundtrack back in the early 90s...but what's more important is that a little bit of noise is your friend. Noise indicates that the antennas are working- so seeing a little noise on your 434 MHz channels is both normal, and helpful. Typically noise manifests itself as a single false detection: one beep per false ID. This 1:1 relationship is a good indicator that it's not a real tag. Coupled with the CRC value corroboration on Life or HybridTags, and you can pretty much guarantee that those are simply background noise detections. Big shout out to Chuck D, Flavor Flav, and Anthrax, for always bringing the noise.

• Determine if a board-only option is sufficient, or if it will need to be mounted in a weatherproof Nema case.
• If the latter, how many antenna bulkheads (one per antenna) will be needed in the Nema Case? Options range from 1 to 9 bulkheads.
• Will it run on an AC power supply, or will it run directly off of 12V AC/DC? In other words, will it run off of a power adapter or will it be solar-powered?
• Is the installation site in proximity to WiFi or Ethernet? If not, opt for an LTE-enabled station and purchase the SensorStation prepaid data service.
• If the SensorStation is intended to detect BlūSeries tags, add a BlūSeries receiver.

• Location: geography, latitude/longitude, altitude, recent/seasonal weather, ambient temperature.
• Movement/plans to move: Have you recently moved the station? Are there plans to change its location?
• Case/enclosure: How is the station enclosed, mounted, and oriented?
• Peripherals attached: What are the total number and types of antennas, USBs, etc.(i.e., Are there FUNcubes?)
• Connectivity: How is the station connected: Ethernet? WiFi? Cell network? If cellular, what are the best providers in the area?
• Network: If on a network, is it a managed network? Are there existing security limitations or firewalls that need to be addressed?
• Power: Is the station connected to the grid? If off-grid, what is the battery configuration and battery make/model/spec? What is the solar panel size/arrangement? What type of charge controller is being used, and how is it connected?
• Software & updates: Has the station been successfully updated recently?

Legacy Nema Cases: 11.810" L x 7.870" W X 6.290"

Stay tuned for case dimensions of stations built in June 2024 and beyond...

The 434 MHz frequency seems to be pretty immune to most noise sources. However, conditions are variable, so a useful best practice is to set up the station onsite with a single antenna and take a test tag around and ensure you're getting good detections out to a few kilometers (a drone is helpful).

If you're installing any 166MHz antennas, testing is warranted, as that frequency is typically more prone to noise effects.

No, provided you don't expose the station on a public network; in other words, be sure that the homeowner uses a secure network provider and a password-protected network . The Secure Shell password on the SensorStation’s Raspberry Pi compute module has been changed from the factory setting, which should reduce the ability for scanners to find and hack a station on a network, but ultimately network security is the responsibility of the person whose network is utilized

The SensorStation is set up to be secure. If you require specific IT information for locating a station on an existing secure network, please contact us for the important whitelist URLs.

We typically recommend deep cycle marine batteries for powering SensorStations.

If power issues occur or persist, it might be best to upgrade to a battery more suited for extreme weather. When switching from a lead acid to a Lithium polymer battery, check all peripherals for compatibility, especially the charge controller (many are specific to one or the other battery type).

Yes, send the station ID and we can suspend the SIM until the noise issue is resolved. You must let us know when you want it reactivated.*

*If you are doing this because a station collects excess noise data, and you’re attempting to shut it down from sending that noise data over the cell modem (and running up your cell bill), make sure you download AND delete all the data before reactivating it to avoid the data fees. Otherwise, the station will simply send all of the backlogged noise data if it remains. You can do that by following the directions in the video in Section 15 of the online user guide:

https://cellular-tracking-technologies.github.io/ctt_documentation/SensorStation-User-Guide.html#manually-managing-your-data-via-the-command-line

There is no SD card, it's all hard disk on the Raspberry Pi. In most cases it's 32GB (in some cases it's 8GB or 16GB, depending on Pi availability at the time of the station's build).

Yes, but that would just allow you to connect a computer or phone on the same network to the station. It does work for wirelessly accessing the station, but in the absence of an internet connection, its data will not be transmitted to the cloud .

If your stations are LTE-enabled, purchase the SensorStation prepaid data service and include the project name, station IDs, and the name under which the station was purchased in the order notes so we can allocate the credit correctly. If there is a secondary billing contact, include that as well.

SensorStation data is billed against prepaid credit. The current SensorStation plan uses $240 credit blocks; monthly charges are based on usage, including SIM maintenance and metered data. Once credit is exhausted, you can refresh the data credit or receive invoices for any balance.

This SensorStation data service is separate from the GPS/GSM data plan and the Blū+ data service.

It is recommended because it simplifies initial setup*. The power cord allows users to run any updates, test functionality, and basically figure out a flow for interacting with the SensorStation prior to installation.

*Pro Tip: If placing a bulk order (for example, a dozen stations) which ultimately will be solar-powered, simply order one or two of the stations with the power supply, and use those supplies to run through updates on all the boards. This eliminates purchase of unnecessary power supplies.

No, these are only necessary to detect Lotek tags.

A SensorStation runs on 12V DC power. In order to plug into AC power, it requires the power adapter, which is a standard option at point of purchase.

The higher the antenna's reach over the trees, the better. As you can imagine, pointing it at the trees will reduce the ability to detect tags. Most Motus station antenna arrays are over 25 feet high, or ~8 meters.

It has been done before! Pics or it didn’t happen!

There are many antenna options on the market of varying degrees of quality, making it difficult at best to provide a solid recommendation.

That said, we’ve tried a few in-house and have had good results with the following. We also recommend contacting your regional Motus Coordinator, who probably maintains a more up-to-date list, and knows which suppliers have stock right now versus who is backordered for months.

Bottom line: take these recommendations with a large grain of salt!

Omni Antennas

Data Alliance A433O5 is a simple monopole-style antenna that’s both inexpensive and has worked very well to pick up Nodes and tags.

And you’ll need this bracket .** MAKE SURE YOU CHOOSE TO INCLUDE THE U-BOLT AND SET-SCREWS, AND CHOOSE THE VERSION FOR N-FEMALE CONNECTOR!**

And this adapter.

There are three independent data-sending processes:

• Check-ins happen every 6 hours, which include summary statistics about the station’s operation, as well as summaries of detections. The station's last check-in details are the same as the most recent check-in in the check-in table (times are only offset from local vs UTC).
• Data files are sent every hour. These include Raw Beep (434 MHz), GPS, Node Health, Log, SensorGnome (VHF, e.g., 166 MHz in the Americas), BlūSeries (2.4 GHz), and Telemetry (for ES-200 devices)
• Diagnostic data are provided every few minutes, including voltage.

Because these three events are independent, you can have a situation where one is out of date vs another. This separation is a safeguard feature that helps keep at least some data up to date in the event of a weak connection or any system malfunction.

Most stations aim to have 3-4 of each frequency (CTT 434, CTT 2.4 GHz, and Lotek 166 MHz) so you can best contribute to the Motus network.

Ultimately this decision will depend on the goal of your station. For instance, a station set to pick up CTT Nodes may have a single 434 MHz omni antenna set to “Node”, and all tag data is expected to be picked up by the Nodes and sent to the SensorStation. Alternatively, several 434 MHz Yagi antennas could be added and set to detect “tags”, and pointed away from the Node grid to pick up animals that move beyond the grid, or to pick up animals migrating farther afield. Additionally, one or more 166 MHz Yagis could be added to pick up Lotek tags, and another one to four antennas added to pick up the BlūSeries tags with a BlūSeries Receiver SensorStation adapter.

Because our station cannot decode Lotek tags, the data need to be sent, encoded, to Motus, via a FUNcube Dongle. Therefore for any VHF channels to pick up Lotek's 166 MHz tags,you do need FUNcube dongles, which can plug right into the USB ports available on the SensorStation. You will not need a dongle for the 434 MHz antenna since there are five (5) 434 MHz radios soldered on the SensorStation board, and accessible via the SMA ports on the board, or the Type N bulkheads pre-installed on the case (if ordered).

There are still more 166 MHz antennas out there than other frequencies, but that gap is continuously narrowing.

434 MHz coverage is very extensive at this point; most researchers are less concerned about the coverage and more concerned with finding a tag that works best for their species.

The BlūSeries frequency is still not adapted to any but a few stations. We anticipate it will reach maturity over the next 2-3 years.

As long as the tag is beeping, and the FUNcube is working and has the proper frame rate, you should be able to see the beeps coming in on the SensorGnome interface (not the tag ID, but you should see bursts).

If you don’t see that, either the tag, FUNcube, antenna, and/or cable are likely malfunctioning. If you do see “traffic” via the SensorGnome interface, and you don’t see the tag ID showing up (after some delay) on the Motus site, consult with Motus HQ to ensure the tag is properly registered and deployed. Otherwise, the tag finder algorithm on the Motus end will not be able to find the tag.

To pick up 166 MHz tags, you'll need a FUNcube Dongle with the proper firmware, and set it to detect the appropriate frequency. It plugs into any of the station's USB ports. The SMA port on its other end can be connected to a bulkhead to get outside of the case (if you have unused ones pre-installed on the case, that would work, or you can install your own).

Unfortunately setting up and troubleshooting FUNcubes is not something in which our staff is well-versed. We recommend referencing the Motus user guide and/or googling “Motus FUNcube firmware.”

No, there should be no issues using versions 3.0 and 3.02 within the same array. The stations are built the same way, except that we started to manufacture them in-house, so the 3.02 identifies the in-house products.

While we do not have a specific "test" tag, we tend to recommend using a 5 g PowerTag (with the Activator), set at a 5-second beep interval as this gives you a long lifespan and the ability to turn the tag on/off while testing. Also, a 5-second interval is ideal for testing, as this is the standard interval for our HybridTags and LifeTags as well.

On the SensorStation they are Type N Female, so you'd need Type N Male.

Our documentation does not cover SensorGnome because SensorGnome is a separate piece of software that allows for the detection of Lotek Nanotags, which are then post-processed by Motus via BirdsCanada. Therefore, we really don’t have a way of testing and tweaking the settings. We leave that to the Motus community for non-CTT tags.

One option is to post your queries to the community.motus.org site where you are likely to get solid feedback from folks working on this question in particular, as it is a robust user community.

Nodes are meant to be used in conjunction with a SensorStation, but can also be used without one, as the data is collected on an SD card. However, if you have more than a few Nodes, this is not recommended.

The recommended max distance from SensorStation to Nodes is 1 km. If you are using directional Yagi antennas to detect Nodes, then you can aim the antenna in the direction of your grid. If using an omnidirectional antenna, it would be best for the SensorStation to be fairly centralized, but you could supplement with a Yagi antenna angled towards any Nodes that might be out of range of the omni.

There is no hard limit, but it’s best to keep that number around 50 or less.

Recommended Node spacing depends on the study species, research question, access, line-of-sight, study-area shape, and edge effects. Plan the grid in GIS before deployment so the layout matches the area where localizations need to be most reliable.

Butterfly studies may require spacing around 50-75 m, while many bird cases may be closer to 100 m. Calibration data collected before full deployment can help estimate variance and optimize the grid. Localizations are best inside the grid; variance increases near the edges.

Node layouts require design work to be fully optimized, so use these values as planning guidance rather than a universal spacing rule.

Generally, 8' off the ground is the height recommendation. Most clients use 10-foot conduit to install Nodes, and bury the conduit about 2’ deep.

Potentially, but at some level there is a point of diminishing return. What point, exactly, is that? We don’t know! But if you discover it please do share it with the Node user community in our Support Slack!

Generally, if there are more issues than just power issues it would be best to send them in for assessment.

Replacement batteries are $20 and are available on our store for purchase. Replacing the battery can be an easy fix if this has not already been attempted.

V3 Nodes carry with them a 1-year parts and labor warranty against manufacturer defects, from the time of purchase.

V2 Nodes are discontinued and any existing or refurbished V2 Nodes include a 30-Day parts and labor warranty from the time of purchase, and only for manufacturer defects.

In some cases nodes can be refurbished; fees are outlined below.

• Refurbishable $75- radio is bad, battery died, SD card failure, antenna, replacement
• Refurbishable $100- solar panel (plus above)
• No discounts on full replacements unless it is clear the dysfunction was a manufacturing defect.

Sidekick can accomplish many of the same active-tracking goals as traditional VHF telemetry receivers, including field searches and directional tracking with appropriate antennas.

Sidekick adds app display, tag ID visibility, local CSV recording, localization tools, lightweight omni antenna workflows, and advanced grid-search methodologies. It is a field tool for active tracking and data collection, not an unattended autonomous detector.

Yes, the Sidekick can be used in a vehicle. However, once a tag is detected from the vehicle, obtaining a precise location will require leaving the vehicle in order to search for and collect data.

The Sidekick is a handheld tracking device for use with the full line of 434 MHz and 2.4 GHz tags. It can be used to calibrate a Node grid. It can also be used to locate a tag or a tagged animal in the field.

If you are seeing blinking on the Sidekick but nothing is displaying on the app, it's due to filtering that happens based on whether or not the tag ID recording passes parity. If it does, you'll see it show up on the app.

It's possible that some noise can leak through (a tag ID that meets the specs of the way that we code them), but most gets filtered out this way. The best way to test this would be to take a known working tag out and make sure you're picking it up with the Sidekick.

For iOS, the CSV files can be located in Files (APP) -> On My Phone -> CTT Mobile (folder)

For Android the files are stored in your Download folder, specifically, here: storage/emulated/0/Download/

The BlūSeries Receiver provides up to 4 BlūSeries radios for up to four (4) 2.4 GHz antennas, and then allows the SensorStation to decode that data stream and integrate it into the file system on the SensorStation.

Choose the receiver workflow based on the study question and whether you need active tracking, unattended monitoring, localization, or broad movement context.

• Active search/manual tracking: use Sidekick.
• Traditional VHF-like active tracking plus localization/grid-search tools: use Sidekick.
• Unattended local monitoring: use Nodes and/or SensorStation.
• Fine-scale habitat/localization: use a Node grid with calibration.
• Broad landscape movement: use Motus/SensorStation network detections together with Blū+ / IoT detections. These workflows are complementary.
• Long-range fixed infrastructure: use a SensorStation with BlūSeries Receiver and external antennas.

If all of your tags are being picked up by a Node grid, then you don't need a BlūSeries Receiver to detect tags, as the tag data are sent from the Nodes over 434 MHz to the station.

If, on the other hand, you want your station to detect tags independently of the Node array, you will need to get the BlūSeries Receiver to upgrade your station to detect 2.4 GHz tags.

We are currently in the process of evaluating the performance of different types of antennas for the BlūSeries Receivers. In our tests so far, we've found the following antenna to perform pretty well:

https://www.l-com.com/wireless-antenna-24-ghz-11-dbi-mast-mount-mini-panel-antenna-n-female-connector

With these antennas we were able to detect tags on a drone up to 2 kilometers away with the drone flying at an altitude of 150 meters. They also were found to have very little gain drop +/- 45 degrees horizontally off the main axis (so, about 90 degrees coverage per antenna), meaning four can be combined to get 360-degree coverage. At this point these are the antennas we would recommend using.

These antennas have a female N-type connector so you'll want a male N-type on the antenna side and a male SMA on the station adapter side.

We would recommend mounting these antennas in a cross shape, where each antenna is positioned at least 25 cm (2 full wavelengths) from the central mast, pointing outward and level to the ground. Please keep this in mind when deciding what length of cable you will need.

In addition to the BlūSeries Receiver, you will need 4 antennas, 4 coax pieces, an Ethernet cable to connect the BlūSeries Receiver to the SensorStation, and whatever you’re going to mount the antennas on.

When a few CTT staff helped to add a BlūSeries Receiver to a SensorStation, we used the following:

Here's an Ethernet cable that we recommend.

For 2.4 GHz N-female connector, this is our recommendation.

As for coax, we opted for MPD Digital’s custom builder in 2-foot sections. You’ll need four of them.

To mount the antennas and receiver, we used one of these, which allowed us to cut 4 pieces of 1” conduit and attach each antenna, and then add a piece to the top for attaching the BlūSeries Receiver, and run the rest of the mast down from the bottom to the ground where the SensorStation was located.

The above is not the only option, but it’s one option!

No, we use a specialized service appropriate for telemetric applications.

There are a variety of reasons this occurs. The most common occurrence is that the animal is possibly out of cellular range. The second most-common cause would be battery voltage. All of our units have battery thresholds that protect functionality. if your unit has not connected recently, usually the first thing to check is the battery voltage of the most-recent connection, as the battery may have dipped below the threshold. Lack of sun and overly-aggressive duty cycles can also cause the battery to drop. However, unit connection issues vary based on the tech being used, so feel free to contact us.

GPS/GSM units can be deployed and configured through the CTT Mobile App and/or the CTT Web Portal. Some features are only available in one place or the other, so use the tool that supports the configuration you need.

You no longer need to contact CTT just to deploy a unit. However, always test the deployment configuration on your device before deploying it on a live animal. Give yourself enough time before field deployment to confirm the device connects, receives the configuration, and behaves as expected.

This ES-400 walkthrough shows the general process for pushing a deployment configuration, and the workflow is similar for other GSM devices: watch the deployment configuration video.

Be sure to keep the units in the sun until you are ready to deploy. You can adjust the deployment configuration using the CTT Mobile App and/or the CTT Web Portal.

Start with a more conservative rate of collection, using the High, Med, and Low settings to optimize collection against battery voltage. Test the configuration on the device before deploying on a live animal, and give yourself enough time to confirm the unit connects and receives the configuration.

Once you see that the units are maintaining their batteries at the High level, you can ramp up GPS fixes.

It depends. If you want a GPS location at the time of connection, you can keep them the same. You might do this if you are actively looking for your study species and awaiting a connection for the most-recent connection. If you want the daily GPS to be taken at an off time that is not part of the intervaled GPS fixes, you can use it that way.

The FlickerGPS is rated to 5m accuracy, but when we set them up we put it in a power-saving state, and there are many environmental variables at play, so it’s more likely 5-30m.

Yes, if you find the the unit battery is draining it is best to reduce the GPS locations to a lesser interval until you see the device maintains a good charge.

We do not anticipate any connectivity disruption for our LTE devices with 5G expansion. Our devices previously used 3G and 2G, and the global plan was to replace these with NB-IoT, this connectivity method was not expected to be able to transition to 4G quickly as 3G was phased out and also is meant for more stationary use. Based on these factors, we switched to LTE.

Our current devices use LTE (Cat M1) which was made for 4G and is more geared for sending data quickly from devices that are mobile and are less power-hungry. The 5G network incorporates both LTE-M1 and NB-IoT technology.

FlickerGPS transmitters can be configured for multiple connections per day and GPS intervals based on battery level. Configuration updates are user-managed through the CTT Mobile App and/or the CTT Web Portal, and changes are applied when the unit connects over the cell network.

ES-420 units are generally used in the 10-12 g range, or up to 20 g depending on deployment needs. They can collect GPS fixes as frequently as 15-minute intervals, use one or more daily connections depending on configuration, and support options such as solar event-based connections and GPS. Configuration is managed in the app/portal; billing follows actual SIM status and data use.

GPS/GSM units use the Cellular Data Plan for GPS/GSM Units. Configuration is managed in the CTT Mobile App and/or CTT Web Portal; billing follows actual SIM status and data use.

• Active SIM: $3.00/month
• Paused SIM: $1.50/month
• Data: $0.01/kB

Data is sold in $60 blocks. Blocks do not expire and can be assigned across one or more devices. Activations take effect immediately; pauses take effect at the start of the following month.

As a rough guide, units collecting GPS at 15-minute intervals or less and connecting once per day are typically under $5/month, while more aggressive configurations such as sub-5-minute GPS, raw ACC data, flight mode, or multiple connections per day use more data.

Existing customers on legacy Economy, Standard, or Unlimited GPS/GSM plans do not need to do anything. Previous data purchases roll over to your account.

When viewing FlickerGPS location points, it is important to distinguish between Cell-locate vs. GPS fixes. The Cell-locate positions are not accurate, as they are generalized based on known properties of nearby cell towers, and meant to help triangulate a species' location. There is an error radius associated with them, and even that can be inaccurate, but they are not meant to be precise.
As for the GPS fixes, if you get a GPS fix that is inaccurate, be sure to look at the DOP values. High DOP values mean low accuracy, and usually a point that’s way off will have a corresponding high DOP value. Such values can sometimes occur depending on satellite alignment and interference while a point is being taken.