Telonics, Inc. Products - GEN 4 GPS Subsystems

Introduction

As of April 2008 Telonics is fielding the new Gen 4 GPS subsystems. This new technology offers many new features that supersede the very successful Gen 3 subsystems. The performance of every aspect of the subsystems have been upgraded. Firmware functionality has been under field test since 2006 in selected applications.

In addition to performance upgrades, the new Gen 4 technology is built on the highly integrated uGPSi-20 electronics platform. This highly integrated platform has combined the store on board, Argos, and VHF beacon functionalities into a single assembly to achieve a durable and highly shock resistant subsystem.

The highly flexible "scheduler" allows the user to choose the most effective data collection protocol customized to their data collection requirements. Data can be acquired and stored on the onboard memory and for those systems utilizing Argos as a data link, GPS position and other selected data (activity, temperature, mortality events) can be transferred to the user via Argos. On board satellite overpass predictions allow a highly efficient data transfer as units can be programmed to transmit only to specific satellites and only during times when the satellites are in view. A new page data protocol allows up to one position an hour to be transferred using the Argos link... a major improvement over older systems.

A user friendly programming interface, TPP, makes programming of the GPS data collection, Argos uplink timing, and VHF functionality possible. Users can simulate the function of all systems on a time line to confirm that the intended programming is correct and meets study objectives. A data down load utility, TDC, allows the user to download stored data, decode Argos data sent via the satellite or captured on the TSURB-400 uplink receiver.

Key Features

Lower current consumption provides a 100% increase in operational life or an increase in performance during that same operational time frame.
The newest GPS receiver technology provides faster time to fix.
Up to 24 positions per day can be recovered through Argos by using the innovative paging date protocol.
More flexible programming schedules available to the user.
Single printed wiring board construction and higher integration makes the electronics more rugged and increases reliability in high shock/vibration environments.
uGPSi 20 is supported by GUI programming interface (TPP) making it possible for user to program their own systems and simulate the performance of the system prior to deployment.
The Telonics Data converter (TDC) provides complete data decoding of Argos DS files and supports complete memory downloading. TDC provides a standard csv output file (comma separated value) with time stamps for all data collected. TDC can be run in the "batch mode" for hands off operation.

GPS Store on Board Collars

Configuration	Dimensions	Approximate Canister Weight (g)	Estimated Weight with Collar (g)	1 YR Operational Life	2 YR Operational Life	Species
TGW-4400	2.78 x 1.8 x 1.42 in (7.0 x 4.5 x 3.5 cm)	210	425-700	2 hr 30 minute fix interval	5 hr 45 minute fix interval	Gobi bear, mountain lion, jaguar, pronghorn antelope, deer, coyote
TGW-4500	2.9 x 2.3 x 2.0 in (7.4 x 5.8 x 5.1 cm)	340	700-1100	1 hr fix interval	2 hr 30 minute fix interval	bear, deer, sheep, mountain lion, wolf
TGW-4600	3.25 x 2.75 x 2.25 in (8.3 x 7.0 x 5.7 cm)	625	1100-1200	30 minute fix interval	1 hr 15 minute fix interval	moose, bear
TGW-4700	4.25 x 2.7 x 2.3 in (10.9 x 6.9 x 5.8 cm)	875	1800-2000	18 minute fix interval	45 minute fix interval	elk, caribou, moose, bear, African plains game

*These intervals were calculated on TPP using the following criteria : average environmental temperature of 25°C, expected average time to fix of 90 seconds, Pulse periods; successful GPS fix 1200ms, unsuccessful GPS fix 1000ms, mortality 800ms, dead battery 2000ms

GPS/Argos

Configuration	Dimensions	Approximate Canister Weight (g)	Estimated Weight with Collar (g)	1 YR Operational Life	2 YR Operational Life	Species
TGW-4480	2.78 x 1.8 x 1.42 (7.0 x 4.5 x 3.5 cm)	210	425-700	4 hr 48 minute fix interval / Argos uplink 6 hr every 2 days	6 hr 48 minute fix interval / Argos uplink 15 hr every 7 days	mountain lion, jaguar, pronghorn antelope, deer, coyote
TGW-4580	2.9 x 2.3 x 2.0 in (7.4 x 5.8 x 5.1 cm)	340	700-1100	2 hr fix interval / Argos uplink 6 hr every 2 days	4 hr 48 minute fix interval / Argos uplink 6 hr every 2 days	bear, deer, sheep, mountain lion, wolf
TGW-4680	3.25 x 2.75 x 2.25 in (8.3 x 7.0 x 5.7 cm)	625	1100-1200	37 minute fix interval / Argos uplink 6 hr every 2 days	1 hr 40 minute fix interval / Argos uplink 6 hr every 2 days	caribou, moose, bear, African plains game
TGW-4780	4.25 x 2.7 x 2.3 in (10.9 x 6.9 x 5.8 cm)	875	1800-2000	25 minute fix interval / Argos uplink 6 hr every 2 days	55 minute fix interval / Argos uplink 6 hr every 2 days	moose, brown bear, large African plains game

GEN 4 GPS Warranty

Photo Gallery

A pregnant adult caribou fitted with a TGW-4680 GPS/Argos collar. Photo provided by Greenland Institute of Natural Resources.	Female brown bear on Kenai Penninsula. (Alaska Department of Fish & Game)	Close up of the GPS antenna on a female brown bear on Kenai Penninsula. (Alaska Department of Fish & Game)	Stan with female grizzly bear on Kenai Penninsula. (Alaska Department of Fish & Game)	Researchers from the Living With Lions Program(Kenya) fit a Telonics TGW-3690 GPS collar to a female lion in southern Maasailand, Kenya. Courtesy of the Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project team.
A GPS collared lion after being fitted with a Telonics TGW-3690 GPS collar in southern Maasailand, Kenya. Courtesy of the Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project team.	Alaska Department of Fish and Game deploying a Telonics TGW-3690 GPS collar on a Brown bear.	Alaska Department of Fish and Game deploying a Telonics TGW-3690 GPS collar on a Brown bear.	Alaska Department of Fish and Game preparing to deploy a Telonics TGW-3690 GPS collar on a Brown bear.

Legacy Products

GEN 3 Store-on-Board Configuration GPS Collars for animal tracking applications are available for refurbishment only
- TGW-3400, TGW-3500, TGW-3570, TGW-3600, TGW-3700
GEN 3 Store-on-Board Configuration GPS Collars with ARGOS Uplink for animal applications are available for refurbishment only
- TGW-3580, TGW-3680, TGW-3780

The following subsystems are obsolete and are not available to be refurbished