Hi there - I have an AudioMoth and a HydroMoth - and I have been using them both casually for about a year, but I would like to dig a little deeper into some of the many features that are offered. I had a few questions that I was hoping to get a little clarification on. 1. My understanding of enabling the "Audio Chime" is that it will essentially delay the activation of the "Custom" recording mode until the chime is played. Is that accurate? If this is the case, what is the benefit of using the Chime? If I leave my Device set to "Custom" mode, waiting for an activation chime, will it still consume battery life?
2. Does the Default Configuration reflect the Custom Configuration's preferences? Meaning, if I set my Custom Recording to 192khz, will Default record at 192khz also? If not, is it possible to change the Default configuration? 3. Regarding the Magnetic Reed Switch on the HydroMoth: do I need to order a €20 magnetic keychain from OAD? Or is there a way I can simulate this with stuff I have laying around the house? It seems like there could be a straightforward workaround.
Thanks everyone.
Hi, 1. If you switch to CUSTOM without setting the time, the AudioMoth or HydroMoth will wait listening for you to play the chime from your smartphone in order to set the time. It is not in a low-energy state whilst listening for the chime and will be comsuming energy at about the same rate as recording (a little less as there is no SD card activitiy). If the time has already been set on the AudioMoth or HydroMoth, when you switch to CUSTOM it will skip this stage and go straight to the recording schedule. Sometimes, you may want to force the use of the acoustic chime. This might be to ensure that a recent time update is set, or to make sure that the behaviour of the device is identical for all users every time they switch to CUSTOM. You can do this by selecting the 'Always require acoustic chime on switching to CUSTOM' option in the Config App. Another option within the acoustic chime code is the ability to play a deployment ID to set a unique ID for a set of recordings. The Rainforst Connection Companion App uses this option. Again, selecting 'Always require acoustic chime on switching to CUSTOM' ensure that a new unique ID is used on each deployment. 2. When you switch to DEFAULT, it will record with all the settings you have configured the device with (e.g. gain, sample rate, triggering), apart from the schedule and the record/sleep cycle - it will make a continous recording until you switch back to USB/OFF. 3. You just need a standard magnet to trigger the reed switch on the HydroMoth. Small 5 x 5 x 5mm Neodymium block / cube magnets work well. The HydroMoth is in a low-energy state whilst waiting for the magnetic switch. This enables you to configure the device in the lab, switch to CUSTOM, close the housing, and then transport the HydroMoth to the deployment site. Without opening the housing, you can then activate the HydroMoth with the magnet. You can also stop recording with the magnet so the HydroMoth doesn't have to be exposed to harsh environments when outside of its housing. Alex