Wildlife Acoustics Song Meter SM2M+ Submersible Configuration guide

Copyright © 2011-2013 Wildlife Acoustics, Inc.
Rev. 5/25/13
All rights reserved. Wildlife Acoustics is registered in the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office. Song Meter, SM2+, SM2M+, and WAC are
trademarks of Wildlife Acoustics, Inc. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners. Patents pending.

T
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................. 1

Use of this Document ............................................. 1

Product Family Overview................................................ 3

Housing Options and Electronics .............................. 3

Hydrophone Options ............................................... 4

Electronics Setup.......................................................... 8

Switch Settings...................................................... 8

Audio Settings ....................................................... 8

Recording Schedule ................................................ 9

Main Batteries........................................................ 9

Clock Batteries .................................................... 11

Flash Cards .......................................................... 11

Sealing the Housing..................................................... 13

Preparing the Top Cap .......................................... 13

Installing Battery Board and Connecting ................. 14

Installing Top Cap................................................. 15

Deployment ................................................................ 18

Depth Rating........................................................ 18
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Anchoring Solutions.............................................. 18

Retrieval and Shipside Refurbishment ........................... 20

Retrieval.............................................................. 20

Opening Recorder ................................................. 20

Flash Card and Battery Replacement ...................... 20

Resealing ............................................................. 21

Storage and Transport ................................................ 22

Specifications ............................................................. 23

Physical Specifications.......................................... 23

Electrical Specifications ........................................ 24


Copyright © 2011-2013
SM2M+ User Manual
1
Introduction
The Song Meter SM2M+ Marine Recorder is a submersible 16-bit
digital recorder designed for short or long term deployments in
fresh or salt water.
Like the terrestrial SM2+ recorder, the SM2M+ features flexible
scheduling, extremely low power consumption, 16-bit digital
recording and ease of use in a cost effective and easy to use
package. The unit was designed to allow quick refurbishment of
the device shipside for immediate redeployment. The batteries and
SD flash cards can be easily swapped and the housing resealed for
redeployment. The device can be anchored and recovered via
tether, diver or optional acoustic release. A high quality case is
included for storage and transportation.
Use of this Document
This document is a supplement to the Song Meter SM2+ User
Manual. It is not intended as a stand-alone document and
describes only information specifically related to the Song Meter
SM2M+ Marine Recorder. The SM2M+ is built upon the SM2+
platform and that user manual should be read first to fully
understand the devices features and capabilities.

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SM2M+ User Manual
You may want to download and install the Kaleidoscope conversion
software and the Song Meter Configuration Utility software from
the “downloads” section of our website at
www.wildlifeacoustics.com.

Copyright © 2011-2013
SM2M+ User Manual
3
Product Family Overview
Housing Options and Electronics
Two models are available: The Song Meter SM2M+ Submersible and
the Song Meter SM2M+ Deep water. The only significant
differences between the two units are depth rating and power
capacity.
Song Meter SM2M+ Submersible uses a thick-walled PVC housing
rated to 150 meters.
The Song Meter SM2M+ Deep water is rated to 1500 meters,
which is achieved with a hard coat anodized and epoxy painted
aluminum housing.
Both units use the same base electronics mother board that
accepts 32 D cell batteries as shown in the photo below (more
batteries are installed on the back of the board).
For the power capacity difference, the Deep Water unit has a
second board attached to the motherboard. This second board
also has a power cable that connects to the main motherboard
and provides an additional 32 D cell capacity for a total of 64 D
cell batteries, or twice the capacity of the SM2M+ Submersible
unit.

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SM2M+ User Manual
Hydrophone Options
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The Standard Acoustic hydrophone is used to record whale songs,
dolphin whistles, and/or ambient noise levels, from infrasonic into
ultrasonic frequencies.
With the Ultrasonic upgrade, additional circuitry and the Ultrasonic
hydrophone increases the recording bandwidth of the system to
allow recordings not only from ultrasonic dolphin and porpoise
echolocation calls, but also ultrasonic anthropogenic sounds as
well.
The low-noise hydrophone is for recording ultra-quiet
environments such as remote marine sanctuaries, deep-water
locations or long-range, offshore sites. It has the lowest noise floor
of all the hydrophones with its self-noise being well below sea
state 0 over its entire recording bandwidth. (See the self-noise
chart on the following page).
The High-SPL is specifically tailored to recording and quantifying
high sound pressure levels such as those produced by pile drivers
H
High-SPL Standard Ultrasonic Low Noise Dual
Configuration Top Cap

Copyright © 2011-2013
SM2M+ User Manual
5
and air guns. When combined with any of the other hydrophones in
a dual hydrophone configuration, the unit can record quiet or
distant sounds from any source including marine life with one
hydrophone, and at the same time accurately record and quantify
very loud sounds from anthropogenic sources with the High-SPL.

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SM2M+ User Manual
The sensitivity of each hydrophone is calibrated to a .1 dB resolution
by the hydrophone manufacture. This value will be on a tag attached
to the hydrophone cable and is reported as the average value over
the band from 200Hz to 1.6 kHz in 100Hz steps. From the
frequency response below you can extrapolate sensitivity across the
rest of the frequency range with some degree of accuracy, as they
are quite consistent in response.
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Copyright © 2011-2013
SM2M+ User Manual
7
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8 Copyright © 2011-2013
SM2M+ User Manual
Electronics Setup
Switch Settings
High pass filter selection is dependent on the desired recording
bandwidth. To capture low frequencies to the limit of the
hydrophones sensitivity, 3Hz should be selected.
For the Standard, Low-Noise and Ultrasonic Hydrophones, a good
starting point for gain is 12 dB, this will be optimal for recording
distant marine mammals or quantifying ambient conditions. If the
unit is near louder anthropogenic noise sources, 0dB might be
more suitable to avoid clipping.
For the High SPL hydrophone Option when combined with the
standard hydrophone, 0dB gain on both channels will assure that
sounds can be recorded from about 78dB SPL all the way up to
240dB SPL. There is no reason to use additional gain as both
hydrophones are fully covering the available dynamic range.
Further gain will not allow recording quieter sounds due to the
self-noise of the standard hydrophone.
Test recordings are encouraged to select the optimal gain. Except
in a dual hydrophone configuration, the unit is shipped with both
Song Meter channels connected to the single hydrophone, so it is
also possible to record both channels with two different gain and
filter settings.
The 2.5V Mic Bias switch should be set to “off”, this risks damage
to the hydrophone.
The Power Source switch should be set to internal to power the
device. External power is not wired so the unit is off when the
switch is in the external position.
Audio Settings
The audio settings are covered in depth in the Song Meter SM2+
User Manual. The SM2M+ allows sample rates from 4kHz to 96kHz
and up to 384kHz with the Ultrasonic Upgrade. To choose an
appropriate sample rate, always at least double the highest
frequency that you wish to record.
Recordings can be made in standard WAV format or in WAC,
Wildlife Acoustics’ lossless compression format. WAC0 will use

Copyright © 2011-2013
SM2M+ User Manual
9
only about 60% of the card space to better minimize card usage
for longer deployments. The files can be converted to WAV format
quickly and easily using our free Kaleidoscope conversion software.
Triggered recording is available to further minimize card usage.
Triggers do not work well for lower sample rates because there will
likely be constant false triggers from ambient noise. For ultrasonic
recording where there is much less noise sources triggers can be
an excellent way to reduce data and only record when there is an
event of interest. If triggers are set in WAV mode, the recorder
will save a WAV file for each triggered event and will delete
recordings that do not appear to contain biological activity. To
discuss optimal settings for your particular deployment, please
contact Wildlife Acoustics’ support team at
suppor[email protected]
For any single hydrophone configuration, the unit is shipped with
both channels connected to the single hydrophone, so it is
arbitrary which channel you select for recording. This does present
some opportunity for creative recording. Different gain, sample
rate and trigger levels could be used on the different channels. For
example you might want to record at a high sample rate with a
high pass filter to filter out lower sounds with more gain on one
channel, and a lower sample rate with no filter and less gain on the
other. Two sample rates cannot be used concurrently, but the
recorder can easily be programmed to switch between two rates
at different times.
Recording Schedule
The SM2M+ can handle any complexity of schedule. It is even
possible to program different sample rates for different recording
sessions. Details on scheduling can be found in the SM2+ User
Manual. It is important to remember that when the SM2M+ is not
recording it is in a very low power state such that low duty cycles
can significantly extend the possible deployment longevity.
The SM2M will wake up 3.5 minutes before any scheduled
recording period to give the hydrophone a chance to charge up for
reduced noise
Main Batteries
The SM2M+ Submersible is powered with up to 32 D cells batteries
and the Deep Water up to 64 batteries. The recorder can accept

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SM2M+ User Manual
1.5V alkaline batteries, 1.2V NiMH batteries or 3V-3.3V lithium
batteries. The recommended lithium batteries are model U10026
from Ultralife Batteries. These are non-rechargeable lithium
manganese batteries. Please contact Wildlife Acoustics support for
more information.
A board containing protection diodes in two configurations must
be configured for the appropriate cell voltage. As shipped the
SM2M+ is configured for 1.5 or 1.2V cells. In this configuration the
batteries are wired in parallel groups of 4 in series. To use 3V-
3.3V cells the board must be removed, rotated 180 degrees and
reinstalled. This configures the battery cells in parallel groups of 2.
There is a small white arrow on the main battery board that aligns
with the arrow on the diode board as shown in the 1.5V position
below.
Warning: Installing D-cell batteries with a higher voltage
than 1.5V without properly configuring the diode board
shown below will damage the unit.
Batteries must be inserted in the proper groupings which are
labeled “A” through “H” on the battery board. For 1.5V and 1.2V
cells all four battery holders corresponding to a letter must be
populated. Letters “F” and “C” have two on the back and two on
the front. For 3V cells only two of each letter must be populated.
If not filling all available battery positions, it is best to populate
the letters closest to the bottom as that will help the SM2M+ float
vertically.

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SM2M+ User Manual
11
The following chart shows approximate recording longevity in days
for a 100% and 50% duty cycle schedule. Since the recorder uses
very little power while sleeping, longevity for lower duty cycles can
be deduced by multiplying the shown values (25% would be
double 50% for example).
N
Number
of
Batterie
s
4
4kHz - 96kHz Sample
Rate
1
192kHz/384kHz
Sample Rate
L
Li-MnO2
A
Alkaline
L
Li-MnO2
A
Alkaline
100
% 50% 100 % 50% 100 % 50% 100% 50 %
4 13 26 7.8 16 6.3 10 3.7 5.9
16 53 105 31 62 22 41 13 24
32 105 211 62 124 42 81 25 48
64 211 422 124 248 84 163 49 96
This assumes 0 degree Celsius water and WAC0 compression.
Battery life varies and this should be taken as a maximum figure.
With the ultrasonic option, the unit does use more power.
However, it is important to note within each of the two categories
in the chart (4 kHz - 96 kHz and 192 kHz/ 384 KHz) the rate
selected will not greatly affect battery longevity. For example 96
kHz sample rate will not consume a significantly different amount
of power compared to 4 kHz, nor will 384 KHz consume more than
192 kHz.
Clock Batteries
Two AA batteries run the SM2M+ clock. These should be alkaline
batteries. While they can last up to two years, it is recommended
to change them every year, if not for every deployment. There are
two holes to either side of the battery holder and the batteries
should be zip tied to the board using these holes.
Flash Cards
Up to four SDHC or SDXC cards can be installed in the recorder.
SDHC cards are available up to 32GB and SDXC cards are currently
available up to 128GB, with higher capacities coming. The
following chart shows recording longevity in days for various total
card capacities and sample rates using WAC 0 lossless
compression. Using no compression (recording straight to WAV)

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SM2M+ User Manual
will approximately halve these values. Lossy compressions are
available for even more compact storage. See the SM2+ Platform
User Manual for more information.
S
Sample Rate
(kHz)
3
32GB
6
64GB
1
128GB
2
256GB
5
512GB
384 0.8 1.6 3.2 6.4 13
192 1.6 3.2 6.4 13 26
96 3.2 6.4 13 26 51
48 6.4 13 26 51 103
16 19 39 77 154 309
4 77 154 309 617 1,235
N
Note: SDXC cards must be formatted to a FAT32 file
system to work with the SM2M+. They will not work “out
of the box”. Please contact Wildlife Acoustics support
for more information on how to reformat the cards.
Some flash cards cannot keep up with the high sample rates
required for ultrasonic recording. This can result in occasional
distorted areas in the recordings. The SM2M will suppress the
effects of skipping flash cards making the effect less obvious so
that the skips will not interfere with analysis. But for best results
you should still check your flash cards with the SD card speed test
in the Utilities Menu on the SM2M+. This test will test the SD card
in slot A and takes 15-30 seconds to run. Results indicating 0/0
mean no problems were found. Otherwise, numbers indicate a first
and possible second occurrence in seconds of a “glitch” where the
flash card is unable to keep up resulting in losing up to one second
of data. A 99 means the occurrence was greater than or equal to
99 seconds. Note that the test requires at least 64MB of free
space on the card.

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SM2M+ User Manual
13
Sealing the Housing
Warning: The SM2M+ ships with no O-rings installed, with
no O-rings the unit will not seal and is unsuitable for
deployment at any depth.
The housing is sealed using two O-rings on the top cap. This is a
redundant system, only one O-ring is necessary to seal, but two
are used to assure a seal if one should become compromised. The
O-ring seal is designed for depths far greater than the rated depth
of the housing, so with proper installation the unit is sure to seal
at any depth.
Preparing the Top Cap
It is extremely important that the O-rings be clean, free of defects
and properly lubricated. Take the O-rings and apply a small amount
of the included lubricant. Apply around the entire O-ring, feeling
for defects with your fingers as you apply. Insert the O-rings on
the cap as shown.

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SM2M+ User Manual
Next apply a thin layer of lubricant all the way around the smooth
inner diameter of the housing where the O-rings will mate as
shown in the area between the two arrows below. This area and
the O-rings should be free of dust, hair and other debris.
Installing Battery Board and Connecting
The battery board simply slides into the housing. The neoprene
edging should be in place on the top and bottom of the board.
When the top cap is tightened this holds the board in place and
prevents movement during deployment. The hydrophone cable
should be looped twice through the large finger hole at the top of
the board and then plugged into either connector; they are both
electrically tied together.
Looping the cable provides strain relief so the wire twists above
the hole and not at the connection point. Always inspect the
connector prior to sealing to make sure the wires are intact.
Proper connection is shown in Figure 4 below (though again either
connector can be used).
At this point it is prudent to run a final system test. An instant
recording can be initiated by pressing the “up” and “down”
buttons on the Song Meter board simultaneously and then stopped