Localization of lost tag transmitters using a Yagi antenna and a telemetry receiver

We describe the design, implementation and performance of a ranging system for localizing avians´ lost tag transmitters. Our system is mobile, automatic, based on a single sensor, requires minimal human intervention, and provides relatively accurate direction estimates while minimizing the required waiting time (namely, minimizing the number of required received pulses) for localizing the lost transmitters. The main contribution of our work is a dynamic algorithm, which exploits a calibration measurement of the antenna´s radiation pattern to smartly sample the radiation pattern of the antenna towards the lost tag transmitter.