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Frog Listener ReadMe
Contents
1. Installation
2. First Run
3. Program Settings
3.1. File Menu
3.2. Control Menu
3.3. Settings Menu
3.4. Help Menu
4. Signature Files
4.1. Frog Signature
4.2. Chime Signature
4.3. Tape Signature
5. Known Issues
6. License Agreement
7. Program Operation
8. Hardware Setup
1. Installation
Run the install file (FrogListener.msi) from its current location. Specify a directory to install the program to. The program will be installed, along with a sample chime signature file, a sample tape signature file, and a sample frog call signature file to that location. At this point, installation is complete. Use a shortcut to run the program, or double click the executable in the install directory.
The Listener program should be run on a machine with DirectX 8.1 or later, a 500MHz or better processor, and 64 MB of RAM.
2. First Run
The first time the program is run, the user will have to set up signature file links in the program settings. If the default signatures are to be used, set those values, along with any global settings that need to be changed. A standard .ini file with basic setting is provided, and can be rebuilt automatically by the program should the original be destroyed in any way. There is more detail on setting values in the next section.
It should be noted that on this first run, two erro messages will come up regarding the inability to proerply load tape and chime signature files. This is normal, and should occur.
3. Program Settings
3.1 File Menu
New File: Sets up a new datafile and prepares the recorder. The dates and times are used both to create a header for the final output file as well as to set up buffering values. The program will not allow the user to proceed until all values are provided.
Save DataFile: Opens a format dialog to save the datafile into a *.CSV file (Spreadsheet-friendly). This should be done individually for each active frog signature, as only one signature can be saved per file.
Exit: Exits the program and prompts to save changes to datafile if it appears changes have been made and not saved.
3.2 Control Menu
All controls under the control menu have been deprecated in favor of the Record Form control buttons. The Start Listener command still functions, linking to the New Datafile command under the file menu.
3.3 Setting Menu
Tape Options: The tape options menu item brings up a dialog containing several tape settings. The tape signature file can be set from this dialog (moe about signature files in the next section). Also, the tape length can be set from here- the value should be provided in minutes, and, if unknown exacly, estimated at +10% length. The sample size also can be set here, in seconds, accurate to up to two decimal places. It should be noted that this size is used primarily to check for missing voice clock signals, as on-tape synchronization is done based on the chime files. The delay from the start of one sample to the next is set here, which is used for time-stamping samples in the output file. Finally, the channel the voice clock is on is set here. A specific channel should be chosen if known, as it improves the performance of the Listener. If data is recorded on inconsistent channels or in a mono format, then the Unknown setting should be used.
Chime Signals: The chime setting dialog allows settings related to an audio signal marking the beginning of the sample. The signature file can be set here, as can an optional time delay after the signal to ignore from the sample due to interference, if desired. Also there is a setting for number of chime signals to ignore before causing an error. This has been deprecated in favor of allowing the DSP analyzer to automatically detect tape playback.
Frog Signatures: The Frog Signature dialog allows the loading and enabling of frog signatures from external source files. More on signatures in the next sentence.
4. Signature Files
4.1 Frog Signatures:
-----------------------------Start of File------------------------------
Frog Name (Plain Text)
Low Filter Freq (Integer Number, no formatting, in Hertz)
High Filter Freq (Integer Number, no formatting, in Hertz)
Noise Threshold (Floating Point Number, no formatting except decimal point, in dB)
Interval (Floating Point Number, no formatting except decimal point, in dB/frog)
Class 3 Threshold (Floating Point Number, in dB)
Duration of call (Floating Point Number, in milliseconds)
----------------------------End of File---------------------------------
4.2 Chime Signatures:
----------------------------Start of File----------------------------------
Low Filter Freq (Integer Number, no formatting, in Hertz)
High Filter Freq (Integer Number, no formatting, in Hertz)
Threshold Amplitude (0-32767)
-----------------------------End of File----------------------------------
4.3 Tape Signature:
----------------------------Start of File----------------------------------
Low Test Freqeuncy (Hz)
High Test Frequency (Hz)
Tape On-State Floor (dB)
Tape On-State Silent Ceiling (dB)
-----------------------------End of File------------------------------------
5. Known Issues:
There are deprecated settings within the program, and the real-time Fourier Transform processing is extremely processor intensive.
The primary deprecated setting is the setting for Unknown Voice Clock Channel. This setting should, as a general rule, not be used unless a very high difference between call amplitude and clock amplitude is present, as confusion about sample start and end times can be caused.
6. Licensing:
This software is freeware. It may be redistributed free of charge in modified or unmodified form as long as this license agreement is contained in unmodified form in the final product. No guarantees are made regarding the suitability of this software for the needs of any user. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE. No amphibians were harmed in the making of this program.
7. Program Operation:
The program uses the following basic process to identify and record frogs:
Scan for Voice Clock Amplitude Spike:
The Voice Clock in a froglogger device produces the strongest signal on the final recording. This signal produces a high amplitude, which can be easily detected without extra power transform processing. When this high amplitude is found, a new sample is started, and a timer is also started. This timer is set to 10% longer than the nominal sample time. When the timer expires or when a new Voice Clock chime is detected, a new sample is started. Hence, the program will automatically synchronize to the tape whenever possible, but will still process samples in the case of a Voice Clock failure.
Produce Power Spectrum:
The input signal from the tape is then run through a Fourier Transform process, and the frequency vs. power segment is produced, in a STFT (Short TIme Fourier Transform) format. The program will produce one of these per second of tape data, and these power spectrums are then analyzed for the signal analyses.
Count Frog Calls:
The signal is anayzed in the frequency range specified by the frog signature file. Based on the threshold and interval data in that file, the approximate number of calls present in the one second segment are calculated and added to the total call output. In the case of an indistinguishable signal, 8 calls are added to that total, as the program can easily distinguish up to 5 accurately. In addition, a USGS classification number if generated for the segment. Then, at the end of each sample, the USGS classifications (explained below) for each segment in the sample are compared, and the highest is kept.
Analyze Tape Acitivity:
The tape signature file describes power levels and ranges for detecting tape operation. For most cassette tapes these will match the defaults given closely, and should need little modification, although high quality tape players with low noise constants may confuse the program unless these values are modified. The program will listen for power values in these ranges, and so determine whether the tape player has stopped, is playing with no sound output, or is playing with sound output. After a certain number of segments without sound output, the program generates a tentative stop message, indicating probable end of useful recording.
USGS Classification Values:
The following class values are output depending on the samples heard in the tape:
Class 0:
A Class 0 sample has no frogs in it.
Class 1:
A Class 1 sample has no segments with more than 1 frog calling in the same 1 second window, indicating a 0 call overlap, or a probable case of 1 or 2 frogs calling at distinctly different times. Knowing the total calls for a Class 1 sample and the average inter-call delay for the species can allow more accurate evaluation of how many actual frog were present in the sample.
Class 2:
A Class 2 sample has samples with more than one frog calling, but that are still distinguishable. In this case, Class 2 applies to all samples that are differentiated into five or fewer calls overlapping.
Class 3:
Finally, a Class 3 sample has too many frog calls to distinguish. In this program, any sample segment with more than five calls creates a Class 3 sample.
8. Hardware Setup
To setup hardware to properly use this program, ensure that the line-in setting on the computer is not muted (this can be checked by opening the volume control program under Windows). Then, attach a double-male audio cord to the output of the call sotrage device and the line-in jack on the computer. This input signal is what will be read by the program.
Authors:
Eric Corson
Jason TerBest
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