They put GPS collars on tiny birds, why does the snow leopard collar have to be so large?
The collar size is most directly related to battery needs and signal output. The animal’s body absorbs some of the outgoing radio signal used to send data to the satellites. To generate a signal strong enough to overcome that and be heard from a satellite, a ½ watt signal is required. To run the GPS unit and gain locations several times a day, process and save the data, send it to a satellite a few times each month, and also be sending a VHF radio signal so we can locate it from the ground if needed, requires a lot of battery power. To do all of that for 12 or 13 months and make it so we don’t have to recapture the cat frequently to replace the collar, the smallest package possible is the one we are using. We are constantly evaluating new collar and battery designs to reduce the size and weight.
