Many common recording schedules can be programmed using a single schedule block.
At a broad level, on schedule block describes a single pattern of activity the SM5 should follow on a given day. This could be a contiguous block of recording, or a repeating pattern of recording and sleeping, in between specified start and end points.
Optionally, a single schedule block can be set to only run during a certain date range each year, or to alternate between active days and inactive days.
Fixed or Solar Timing
The start time and end time of a schedule block can each be set to occur at a fixed time on the clock, or at some offset relative to sunrise or sunset.
Examples of blocks that use fixed timing:
- Record from 1 PM to 2 PM each day.
- Record from 9 PM each night to 9 AM the following morning.
Examples of blocks that use solar timing:
- Record songbird activity at dawn, from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunrise.
- Record bats or owls overnight, from sunset to sunrise.
Using solar scheduling means the schedule block will shift to match the time of sunset or sunrise throughout the year.
A single block can use a mix of fixed and solar timing. For example, a block could start at 1 PM and end two hours after sunset each day.
Continuous Recording or On/Off Cycling
By default, a new schedule block is active always, meaning it is active from the start time to the end time without breaks.
A schedule block may optionally use a duty cycle in between its start and end points. A duty cycle means the recorder alternates between active and inactive periods at fixed intervals until the schedule block ends.
For example, if a duty cycle is set to 15 minutes on/45 minutes off, the schedule block will run for 15 minutes, pause for 45 minutes, run for 15 minutes, pause for 45 minutes, and so on, until the block reaches its end time.
Optional Date Range
By default, a schedule block runs every day.
Optionally, you may set a block to only run within a certain date range, specified by month and day.
For example, if a block's start date and end date are set to October 10 and February 10, respectively, the block will only run during the following date ranges:
- October 10, 2026 – February 10, 2027
- October 10, 2027 – February 10, 2028
- etc.
Optional Day Duty Cycle
If a block has a date range, it may also have a day duty cycle. This option tells the block to alternate between running for a number of days and pausing for a number of days.
For example, to record only two days per week, you would set a day duty cycle to 2 days on, 5 days off.