Prep for Deployment
Please review all preparation and deployment information prior to deployment (including viewing all videos). Pre-deployment electronics check should be completed 1 day prior to deployment, and final preparation can be completed ~ 20 minutes prior to deployment. Ensure the following steps are followed and completed to allow for a smooth deployment.
Pre-Deployment Planning
Complete 1 week prior to deployment
Weather
Examine weather (winds, swell, currents) on windy.com for your area to identify environmental conditions conducive for deployment and retrieval. You can also use the test deployments in Driftwatch to identify currents in your preferred deployment location. Under many circumstances, we will want to identify a weather window for buoy retrieval ~ 5 days after deployment.
Permits
If deployments will be in or near a NOAA Marine Sanctuary, submit information according to the instructions here.
Pre-Deployment Electronics Check
Complete 1 day prior to deployment
Charge Recorder and confirm recorder settings
Recording Starts
We recommend selecting a specific start date/time when you expect the recorder to be deployed. While the remote control is very convenient, it can be very difficult to see the green light indictator (to show that you turned it on) on the ST4300, and it is impossible to see it on the ST640 (it is internal).
Recording Schedule
Select Periodic Recording. Record for a period of 6 minutes every 6 minutes. This will allow the recording schedule to be set to continuous sampling with 6 minute files.
Sample Rate
Select the maximum sample rate for the recorder (this varies by recorder)
Detector
DO NOT SELECT any detectors.
Ancillary Sensors
✓ Acceleration (Not temperature), Log every 10 seconds.
Other
✓ Disable calibration tones
Confirm the status of the Sound Trap after it is programmed
After a ST640 is programmed and disconnected from a laptop, the LED should flash red to indicate it is programmed to start at a later time. The LED will flash green if it is actively recording.
If the LED does not flash at all after the Sound Trap is disconnected, it must be re-connected to the laptop and re-programmed.
Check Solar GPS
Place solar GPS in view of sky (satellites) and remove magnet
Check online to ensure that the solar GPS is being updated (check with ADRIFT team to obtain login information)
Set up Driftwatch auto-text update (if desired).
Final Deployment Preparation
Complete >20 minutes before deployment
1. Assemble High Flyer for deployment
Attach solar GPS to GPS Mount on High Flyer (zip ties)
Remove Magnet on solar GPS
2. Lay out the entire array on deck to make sure there are no tangles
- If you can’t fully lay it out, you can remove the bottom portion (including the array and the anchor) and the top (top trawl float), then loosely flake the line into the tote, starting from the bottom end closest to the array.
CAUTION - this line does tangle easily and you want to ensure there are no tangles or knots while you are trying to deploy the buoy
3. Attach the locking carabiner on the orange line to the High Flyer using the bridle, and lock snugly.
4. Attach the anchor (30 lb river anchor) to the bottom of the array using a bowline and zip tie to secure the knot.
5. If Soundtrap was programmed to turn on by remote, then turn on
Point remote at clear end of Recorder, press START
RED will light, then GREEN will light, then GREEN will blink 1x/4sec (hard to see in direct sunlight).
After 2 min, will go into SLEEP MODE, and will flash briefly every 20 min (hard to see)