Song Meter Surge Suppressor User Guide
Wildlife Acoustics, Inc.
page
2
2.
On the front panel of the SM4TS navigate to Main Menu > Settings > Location > Time zone and set the time zone.
NOTE: The time zone must be set prior to using the GPS receiver accessory to automatically set the correct time. The SM4TS adjusts the
time from the GP
S based on the time zone setting and sets the recorder’s clock after this calculation. If you change the time zone after the
clock has been set, this automatic adjustment does not take place and the clock will not be set correctly.
3.
Unpack the GPS time-synch receiver and the included 5-meter cable.
4.
Remove the cap over the external GPS receiver connector, the second connector from the top in the series of three ports on
the side of the SM4TS (labeled GPS Port)
5.
Attach, rotate, and secure the cable to the GPS receiver connector to make a weatherproof seal
6.
Position the receiver where a reliable GPS signal can be received.
7.
The recorder automatically detects the presence of the GPS. When the recorder wakes up, the GPS is powered up.
8.
Wait for the GPS to communicate with the satellite.
NOTE:
It can be difficult to acquire a GPS signal in thick vegetation or canopy.
9.
A few seconds after connecting the GPS Accessory, the GPS status is shown on the top right of all menu screens. When the
GPS has successfully communicated with the satellite, the status changes from asterisks to FIX.
10.
Or, on the CHECK STATUS screen, a question mark (?) appears between the date and time to indicate that the GPS accessory is
attempting to acquire satellite data.
11.
When the GPS has successfully acquired satellite data, the question mark (?) changes to a dollar sign ($), indicating that the
clock is now synchronized.
NOTE:
If
the question mark (?) changes to a number sign (#) but does not change to a dollar sign ($), that indicates the GPS receiver has detected a
satellite and has found GPS location coordinates, but has not yet locked to the GPS time.
12.
The location, date, and time are automatically set. Coordinates are given in decimal degrees and use the WGS-84 coordinate
system.
NOTE
:
Although the navigation steps are the same, the Location Settings coordinates are now read-only. You cannot change them. This change in
location may affect the calculated sunrise and sunset times when using advanced scheduling commands.
Details of Operation
The recording starts within a fraction of a millisecond of GPS time. If the GPS has been used recently in the area, the position fix will take
under a minute. If a significant amount of time has elapsed or the GPS has been shipped some distance, the GPS must download new
tables. In this case the first position fix can take up to 40 minutes, but subsequent fixes should still occur in under a minute.
While making the recording, the SM4TS automatically makes small adjustments to the sample rate as needed to maintain
synchronization with the GPS clock to within one millisecond.
If synchronization was acquired and maintained for the duration of the recording, the underscore character in the filename between the
date and time changes to a dollar sign as shown in the following filename examples:
ARIZONA-1234_20160104_152209.wav
ARIZONA-1234_20160104$152209.wav
This is how you can tell if the entire recording was successfully synchronized. If the GPS signal was not successfully acquired before the
recording started or was lost at any point during the recording for more than a few seconds, the
$
does not appear in the filename.
Power Considerations
The GPS receiver consumes about 500 mW of additional power. This can result in a significant reduction in battery life for audio
recordings. Therefore, it may be desirable to use an external power source for the SM4TS when doing time-synchronized recordings.