F-POD specification

A document detailing the F-POD specification can be downloaded. The key features are listed below.

Updated: September 2024

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Acoustics

The F-POD technology is unique among acoustic loggers, as they are based on high-resolution time-domain signal processing.
The F-POD uses the highest sampling rate of any commercial logger at 1million samples per second. This is upsampled in real time to 4million samples per second.
Time-domain analysis is performed using parallel processing to enable the key features of clicks to be identified and used as the basis for selecting what is worth storing and what details should be stored. This achieves selective data compression by >1000x with very little loss of useful data.

Attitude sensing

The angle-from-vertical is recorded each minute, enabling the user to check after deployment that the F-POD was deployed in a vertical position, and giving information on currents.
A range of angles at which the POD will log can be set.

This allows the F-PODs to be set up well in advance and transported in a horizontal attitude saving power and memory.

Operation time

10 alkaline D-cells: 4-5 months
4 alkaline D-Cells (LF-POD): 6 weeks
10 Lithium primary D-cells: 8 months
25 Lithium rechargeable 21700 cells: 7 months
(Note: Lithium Dcells that deliver <2v give massive noise levels) F-PODs can be set to log 1 minute in 2 or 5 or 10 minutes to further extend deployment time. Alternate minutes nearly doubles the overall logging duration.

Batteries

Standard battery packs hold 10 D-cells. The battery housing is sprung in both directions to reduce battery damage from end impacts.

Lithium rechargeable: 25 x 21700 cells - these must be bought locally.

Buoyancy

F-POD: Approximately +0.7 kg with alkaline batteries and +1.2 kg with lithium D-cells. This makes F-PODs self-orientating and increases the chance of recovery if the mooring fails.

Deep F-POD: -3.1 kg, not buoyant.

Classification

Coherent click trains are extracted and classified in post-processing by the KERNO-F classifier. 'Coherence' means having sequentially similar click features and inter-click-intervals through the train.

Version 1.0 is now in use and will be retained unchanged to give long term uniformity of performance if a major upgrade is released.

Click selection

Digital time domain waveform analysis is used to select possible cetacean or boat sonar clicks in the range 20-220 kHz.

On-board train detection selects clicks in trains so that greater detail of some clicks can be captured.

Data quality

The sensitivity of acoustic loggers is a major factor in determining the sea area within which animals are detected. In most studies using them, uniformity of sensitivity is essential and

Chelonia tests and standardises each hydrophone.

Detection range

Maximum detection range for porpoises is approximately 400 metres. Dolphins may be detected at >1 km.
Mean distance at detection is generally less than half the maximum, and effective detection radius is smaller again due to the narrow sound beam of clicks.

Dimensions and Weight

F-POD: Length: 670 mm. Diameter: 90 mm. 2.1 kg without batteries, 3.5 kg with batteries.
Deep F-POD: Length: 680 mm. Diameter: 100 mm. 7.15 kg without batteries, 8.6 kg with batteries.
LF-POD: Length: 350 mm. Diameter: 90mm. 1.3 kg without batteries, 1.9 kg with batteries.

Housing

F-POD: Polypropylene.

Deep F-POD: Aluminium.

A web link engraved on the outside of the housing has enabled over 150 PODs to be returned to their owners by people who have found them on sea shores, sometimes more than 2,500 km from home!

Hydrophone

The frequency range is 20 kHz to 220 kHz. The housing has a large diameter to reduce surface noise pick-up.

The transducer mounting and housing design gives exceptionally high resistance to impact damage.

Maintenance

The external surfaces of the F-POD are simple and tough allowing robust methods of removing biofouling. The lids use a dual O-ring design with grease-free lubricants and these have proved highly reliable.

Memory

Any blank micro SD card up to 32 GB can be used.
Data volumes are typically 2GB in 4 months, or less, pro-rata, if alternate minutes or less are logged.

Intermittent logging is typically used to get logging periods of over 1 year.

Mooring

F-POD: 3 x 10 mm holes in the lid that allow a very simple reliable lacing pattern where the end is put under the adjacent line between holes.

Deep F-POD: 1 x 12 mm hole in the lid.

Settings

The default settings cover all species and environments. Standard alternatives are available for river dolphins, noisy environments etc.

The F-POD has a dynamic threshold adaptation process to optimise performance during noisy periods.

Software app

The F-POD app (FPOD.exe) carries out automated data analysis (the KERNO-F classifier) to find click trains in the data and identify those produced by dolphins, porpoises and all echo-locating cetaceans except sperm whales.

The app displays, filters, analyses and exports this data and is free, with free upgrades.

Sonars

The prallel processor runs two independent sonar detectors that detect and filter out boat sonars in real time.
These start anew each minute and keeping a record within the data of these sonar detections.

Species classification

Porpoises and other narrow-band high frequency (NBHF) species can be distinguished from broadband species.

Every species tested has shown good detection performance.

Temperature sensing

Temperature is recorded each minute.

Working depth

F-POD: the polupropylene housing goes to at least 100 metres.

Deep F-POD: At least 2 km.

Acoustic release

An integral acoustic release is in development.

It is an alternative form of lid and has a tether line of up to 150m with 160kg breaking strain.

Data streaming

A means of streaming data via a 4G network to the cloud is under development with a plan to give near real time detection data to the user's PC.