Vectronic Aerospace VERTEX Plus Collar, User Manual

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The VERTEX Plus Collar 33
© 2017 VECTRONIC Aerospace GmbH
Figure22: Moose sized VIT (left) and deer sized VIT (right)
Birth detection: When the VIT is pushed out of the mother's body, two things are
expected to happen: The temperature around the VIT will most likely drop and the
motions will stop. When this happens, the VERTEX Plus Collar will recognize a birth
event which will conduct an unscheduled GPS fix and send an alert notification to the
researcher.
Separation: The VIT continuously transmits an ID signal via UHF frequency to the
VERTEX Plus Collar. When the mother moves away from the calving site, the ID signal
is not received any longer. The VERTEX Plus Collar will send a separation message
after one hour has passed without detecting the ID signal (default settings).
Localization: To locate the calving site, the VIT is equipped with a VHF beacon
transmitter. The VHF can be programmed as flexibly as the one in the GPS collar.
3.8.4 Mortality Implant Transmitter (MIT)
The MIT is designed to inform you immediately if your study animal has died. The
Mortality Implant Transmitter is a stainless steel tube which can be placed either into the
rumen or into the abdominal cavity of the animal. For the latter a surgery is needed and it
is only recommended for non-ruminants or ruminants with a small esophagus/rumen.
The MIT contains a highly sensitive acceleration sensor and a temperature sensor.
Unlike the mortality sensor inside VERTEX Plus Collar, the MIT is able to detect the
heartbeat of the animal. The MIT frequently sends status messages of the animal to the
GPS collar using UHF communication. With each position message, the most recent