discussion / Biologging  / 20 February 2020

Margo Luminous Beta Launch: New Tracking Collar Manufacturer

Hi Wildlabs Community,

Very excited to announce that we've released the beta version of our new Luminous tracking collar! Our beta release is already nearly fully subscribed after only a week (you folks are great!) but I am very interested to hear about any potential test deployments, answer questions, and hear about desired features or current failings in the market.
 

About the Margo Luminous:

Weight: 270g w belting and drop-off (100g and 450g models in development).

Data Transmission: Iridium satellite with two way communication. LoRa and LTE in early development.

Species: Small to large mammals

Onboard Sensors & Data: GPS, Temperature, Accelerometer. Beta step counter, transmissions include GPS accuracy and doppler shift position.

Battery: 4aH, estimated life of 1 year @ 1 fix per hour, 1 outbound transmission 8 hours. Solar assist may extend life 3+ years at same fix rate.

Onboard Solar: Ship testing shows solar will keep up entirely with draw, current field tests on farm animals in Southern AB, Canada during winter hours confirm this. Results will vary depending on the species and geographic area.

Drop-off: On-demand and remote through iridium two way. Timed also possible. Included at $0 cost and less than 2g of added weight.

About Margo:

We are a Canadian and USA wildlife technology company primarily specializing in non-lethal deterrents for carnivores and birds. We will be celebrating our 40th year in business next month. We're excited to bring a level of quality and innovation to a sector fo wildlife technology that seems very much in need of it.




What is estimated cost for the "base model" and/or the add-on features you mention (e.g., drop-off, solar, etc.)?

In the past I've experienced, repeatedly, vast differences between estimated and actual life expectancies. Would you offer some sort of guarantee for a minimum life expectancy if the collar doesn't fail because of physical damage? If ever a company would offer such a thing, or a subscription based collar (pay a monthly fee for every month data is collected and send through satellite) they would have a large advantage in my book.

Would it be possible to attach some own sensors as well?