Both the Delay start setting and the optional Date range component of each schedule block can limit the dates when your schedule runs, but they are suited to different purposes.
Both Delay start and Date ranges can be used for the same deployment. If both are active, the recorder will only sleep until it reaches the Delay start date. Then, it will follow its schedule, including any specified Date ranges.
Delay Start is Global, Date Ranges are Block-Specific
Delay start affects every component of your schedule. Not a single block of your schedule will run before the specified Delay start date.
Each block in your schedule can have a unique Date range, and some blocks may have no Date range. For example, Schedule Block 1 may run from sunrise to one hour after sunrise, every day, while Schedule Block 2 may run from one hour before sunset to sunset, only from April 1st to April 30th.
Date Ranges Repeat Each Year
When you specify the start and end dates of a Date range, you select only the month and day–not the year. If a schedule block's Date range starts on November 1st and ends on February 1st, then it will run during all of the following date ranges:
- November 1st, 2025 to February 1st, 2026
- November 1st, 2026 to February 1st, 2027
- November 1st, 2027 to February 1st, 2028
- etc.
In contrast, you can specify the year, month, and date for Delay start. For example, you could deploy the SM5 on June 1st, 2025 with a Delay start of January 1st, 2027. In this case, the recorder will sleep for all of the years 2025 and 2026, then only begin recording in 2027.