I am trying to locate a down tag that is still transmitting 30 second interval. Lotek NTQB2 4 2 M .
I have triage the general location but can not find. I have a signal with 50 meters using hand held kenwwod th6 handheld radio with omni antenna tuned to 166 mhz. I also have a three element yagi.
My idea is the the tag is high in a tree. If the tag was on ground covered with leaf litter and snow the signal would not be very strong. I have considerable experience with RF and telemetry. The problem also is the the signal on less than a second so next to impossible the get accurate signal strength. I am also using a second radio with low gain antenna. I have not heard a signal on the low gain antenna.
Is my idea the tag is in a tree and not on ground reasonable. Second opinion are help full.
Maybe it is in a cavity in a tree. Try without an antenne, stick the bnc connector against the barn. Of the tree’s in this 50m radius.
I helped me once in a while to locate the exact tree it was in. (Those where beeper tags though, they are louder)
Your idea is reasonable. However, with a yagi with 5-7 elements, you should be able to get a stronger signal by pointing up into the tree. I am not sure that this will be possible without a Lotek receiver though. user42’s idea is also a good one. By just using the cable and touching it to things near where the strongest signal is, I have found beeper tags and digital tags with that method both up in shrubs and in burrows.
Here is another suggestion for a strategy to find lost tags, with a custom loop antenna and then using the null pattern to narrow down the location. Though it might not work as well for a tag in a tree vs one on the ground…