Chelonia F-POD User manual

WWW.CHELONIA.CO.UK

Chelonia Limited

Wildlife Acoustic Monitoring

F-POD

User Guide

2F-POD USER GUIDE

POD, TAD, T-POD, C-POD, F-POD, LF-POD, DeepC-POD and DeepF-POD

are trademarks of Chelonia Limited.

Chelonia Limited and the Chelonia logo are registered trademarks of Chelonia

Limited.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.

August 2020

 F-POD USER GUIDE 3
Contents 
1Introduction .............................................................................................. 5 
Help and support........................................................................................ 5 
2Checking parts.......................................................................................... 6 
Spare O-rings............................................................................................. 6 
SD cards.....................................................................................................7 
Silica gel pack ............................................................................................7 
Additional requirements.............................................................................. 7 
3Software installation ................................................................................ 8 
Installing the app ........................................................................................ 8 
Other files................................................................................................... 8 
Uninstalling the app....................................................................................8 
4Planning your deployments .................................................................... 9 
Calculating the maximum deployment time................................................9 
Lost and found............................................................................................9 
Moorings...................................................................................................10 
Buoyancy............................................................................................. 10 
Location...............................................................................................10 
Directionality........................................................................................ 10 
Security ............................................................................................... 10 
Theft....................................................................................................10 
Mooring lines.......................................................................................11 
Using anchors .....................................................................................11 
Buoys ..................................................................................................11 
Towing.................................................................................................12 
5Setting up F-PODs for deployment ....................................................... 13 
Setup options ...........................................................................................13 
Opening the F-POD.................................................................................. 13 
Internal parts ....................................................................................... 13 
Installing batteries.....................................................................................14 
Starting the F-POD................................................................................... 15 
Checking the POD starts, runs and stops.................................................16 
Closing the POD....................................................................................... 16 
6Retrieving F-PODs.................................................................................. 19 

4F-POD USER GUIDE 
Opening the F-POD after deployment......................................................19 
Stopping the POD.....................................................................................19 
Redeploying the F-POD immediately .......................................................20 
7Downloading your data.......................................................................... 21 
Files on the SD card.................................................................................21 
Multiple deployment data..................................................................... 21 
Error report..........................................................................................21 
Data files ..................................................................................................21 
Connecting the SD card to a PC...............................................................22 
Running the FPOD.EXE app....................................................................22 
Copying data from the SD card ................................................................22 
Resetting the internal clock ......................................................................23 
8Analysing your data ............................................................................... 25 
9Maintenance............................................................................................ 26 
Cleaning...................................................................................................26 
O-rings......................................................................................................26 
Transducer housing.................................................................................. 26 
Mooring lines............................................................................................26 
Silica Gel..................................................................................................26 
Storage..................................................................................................... 27 
10 Troubleshooting ..................................................................................... 28 
 

F-POD USER GUIDE 5

1 Introduction

This User Guide describes how to set up, deploy and retrieve data from

your F-POD.

F-PODs are fully automated, static, passive acoustic monitoring systems

that detect porpoises, dolphins and other toothed whales by recognising

the trains of echo-location clicks they make to detect their prey, orientate

and interact.

The ability of F-PODs to accept broadband clicks means that:

▪different filter settings are unnecessary, making setup very simple

▪logging is very uniform between different F-PODs within a project

▪there is an opportunity to integrate data from different projects over

wide geographical areas.

The F-POD click data are stored on an SD card in the POD.

After deployment, the data are downloaded from the SD card onto a PC

and are then analysed using the supplied F-POD PC app. The app

automatically identifies the presence of cetaceans by detecting the trains

of ultrasonic echo-location clicks they produce. The app can also be used

to compare F-POD and C-POD data.

Help and support

We offer full email support and will be pleased to help with queries on any

aspect of F-POD use.

Your F-POD purchase also entitles you to free future app upgrades.

We offer a range of additional services, including data analysis and

interpretation.

You can find more information and the latest app and documentation on

our web site at www.chelonia.co.uk.

Keep up-to-date with important changes by joining the Chelonia User

Group, at www.chelonia.co.uk/cug_join.htm.

You can also contact us in the following ways:

Chelonia Limited

The Barkhouse

North Cliff

Mousehole

Penzance

TR19 6PH

Tel: +44 (0)1736 732462

Email: [email protected]

6F-POD USER GUIDE

2 Checking parts

Once you have unpacked your F-POD, check to make sure that you have

all the correct parts:

Houses the hydrophone

Silica gel

Lid

Contains the battery pack,

SD card and electronics

Spare O-rings

Battery pack

connector spring

two micro SD

cards and

adapters

SD card reader

F-POD

User Guide

The F-POD consists of a polypropylene casing with hydrophone housing at

one end and a removable lid at the other end.

F-PODs are very robust, but be careful not to drop the F-POD or subject it

to hard knocks, as this might interrupt the power supply.

PODs are identified by a unique number that is shown on labels on the SD

cards and on the POD housing under the upper buffer ring.

Spare O-rings

O-rings are used to seal the lid and keep it waterproof when it is closed.

Use these spares to replace the existing O-rings if they become damaged.

F-POD USER GUIDE 7

SD cards

Two 32 GB micro SD cards and adapters are supplied with each POD.

No setup is required –all the setup information for the F-POD is already in

the POD. When the POD is deployed, it writes click data to the SD card.

On retrieval, you copy the data from the SD card to a PC running the

FPOD.exe app. When you retrieve a POD after deployment, you can

replace the micro SD card with the spare and immediately redeploy the

POD.

F-PODs can use any blank micro SD card up to 32 GB. See Calculating

the maximum deployment time on page 9 for more information about micro

SD card capacity.

Silica gel pack

The silica gel pack is used to prevent condensation on the inside of the F-

POD when it is deployed. Two packs are supplied for each POD, one for

deployment and one spare.

There may be a risk of corrosion if there is no silica gel to

keep the humidity low. Corrosion may cause power loss or

failure of electronic components which may lead to data loss.

The silica gel pack slides down between the batteries and the POD

housing (see Starting the F-POD on page 15).

Additional requirements

In order to run the POD app and download data from the SD cards, you

need a computer running Microsoft Windows.

The F-POD uses 10 alkaline, lithium, or NiMH rechargeable D-cell

batteries (not supplied). See the section Calculating the maximum

deployment time on page 9 for advice on how to plan your deployment

time.

The section Retrieving F-PODs on page 19 contains a recommended kit

list for deploying and retrieving PODs.

8F-POD USER GUIDE

3 Software installation

The F-POD app is used to analyse and automatically identify the presence

of cetaceans by detecting the trains of ultrasonic echo-location clicks they

produce. The app can also be used to compare F-POD and C-POD data.

The installation procedure consists of downloading files from the Chelonia

web site.

Tip: Visit the links below on a regular basis to check for updates and

modification information and join the Chelonia User Group at

www.chelonia.co.uk/cug_join.htm.

Installing the app

Tip: The F-POD app is being developed and improved continuously. Make

sure you have the latest version of the app as well as the Software Guide.

To install the F-POD app:

1. Create a folder called FPOD on your computer.

2. Go to the F-POD downloads page at:

https://www.chelonia.co.uk/fpod_downloads.htm

3. Download the file FPOD.ZIP.

4. Double-click on the ZIP file to open it. The ZIP file contains two files:

▪FPOD.EXE which is the F-POD app that analyses, displays and

exports F-POD data

▪CPOD specific settings.txt which contains offset values for all

individual C-PODs

5. Drag and drop the two files into the FPOD folder.

6. Download any other support documents such as setup videos,

Software Guides and example files.

7. Create a subfolder for your data files, called fpod data.

Installation is complete.

Other files

Download the latest version of this User Guide, the Software Guide and

example files from:

https://www.chelonia.co.uk/fpod_downloads.htm

Uninstalling the app

To uninstall the F-POD app:

1. Delete the FPOD folder, along with any other F-POD files.

F-POD USER GUIDE 9

4 Planning your deployments

This section contains advice and information to help you plan your

deployments.

Calculating the maximum deployment time

The F-POD can use the following types of D-cell batteries, with nominal

maximum values supplied by manufacturers:

▪Alkaline: 1.5V 20Ah ~30Wh

▪Lithium: 3.6V 17Ah ~61.2Wh

▪Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable: 1.2V 1.0Ah ~12Wh

Maximum deployment time is dependent upon the following factors:

▪The capacity of the D-cells.

▪The capacity of the SD card. Noisy environments fill SD cards more

quickly than quiet ones. The FPOD.exe app has a field on the Analysis

tab that tells you how long your SD card will take to fill up, based on

existing data. See the F-POD Software Guide.

▪To extend deployment time, the F-POD can be set to record data

intermittently: 1 minute in 2, 1 minute in 5 or 1 minute in 10. See the

F-POD Software Guide.

Deployment environments are very variable and therefore you

should consider carrying out preliminary tests of battery

consumption and memory use at sea, before full deployment.

If you plan to reuse batteries, be aware that no-load voltage

readings can give a very misleading view of remaining battery

capacity. The FPOD.exe PC app has an option for checking

the battery levels found during a deployment.

NiCad rechargeable batteries are not recommended as they

are heavy and are likely to sink the POD. They also have a

high self-discharge rate so that the running time is shorter

than you would expect from the capacity of the cell.

Lost and found

Write your contact details on the outside of the POD using indelible ink.

Place a label inside the POD as well.

If you prefer not to write your contact details on the POD, the lid has the

web site address www.phonehome.org.uk etched in the top.

This is a simple web site that will allow someone who finds a POD to

10 F-POD USER GUIDE

Moorings

This section provides general information and guidelines that you should

consider carefully when designing your moorings.

Buoyancy

When deployed, F-PODs have a positive buoyancy of approximately

0.7 kg with alkaline batteries and 1.2 kg with lithium batteries.

This means that PODs can be moored and allowed to float with the

hydrophone housing upwards.

Location

The seabed is a source of noise from sand movement and crustaceans

and the surface is a source of ultrasound from rain and breaking waves.

In shallow water, PODs should be moored midway between the bottom

and the surface. In deep water, any position between 10 metres up and

10 metres down is good. The POD’s polypropylene housing can be used

down to 100 metres.

Deep diving cetaceans can be heard by a shallow water POD set to point

downwards. Please contact us for more information.

Directionality

All PODs show lower sensitivity directly along the long axis of the housing,

especially in the battery pack direction.

Security

The main problems with moorings are theft, being moved by trawlers or

storms and abrasion of lines.

Theft

This is a serious risk in many areas. Some possible solutions are

suggested below:

▪Get cooperation and advice from local fishermen, who may allow you to

use their gear.

▪Use a very small marker, for example, a single fishing float on a thin

line that is only at the surface at low slack tide. The disadvantage is that

it may wind itself around weed or anything else and sink.

▪Do not use buoys. Use a line between two anchors that can be located

via GPS using a grapple.

▪Use pop-ups. These are commercially available acoustic releases.

However, currently they are very expensive.

Table of contents

Popular Measuring Instrument manuals by other brands

Suaoki

Suaoki D40 user manual

Elster

Elster BK-G1.6 operating instructions

Endress+Hauser

Endress+Hauser Deltabar FMD71 technical information

Duratool

Duratool D03128 manual

Vega

Vega VEGAPULS 65 Quick setup guide

Tonghui

Tonghui TH2618B Operation manual

Tenmars

Tenmars TM-801 user manual

MSR

MSR 145 user manual

TPS

TPS WP-82 manual

ELMETRON

ELMETRON CP-511 user manual

PCB Piezotronics

PCB Piezotronics 003C30 Installation and operating manual

Tenma

Tenma 72-10465 manual

Endress+Hauser

Endress+Hauser Proline Promag 50 Brief operating instructions

Siemens

Siemens SITRANS F Coriolis FCT030 Function manual

KLINGER

KLINGER CMF V Series instruction manual

EXFO

EXFO FTB-2 Notice

Keysight

Keysight M8290A Getting started guide

ADTEK

ADTEK MW-5 operating manual