30 cells in South Carolina have been selected for mobile acoustic surveys. Each cell must be surveyed twice per season, on the same date each year. To account for climatic differences across the state, surveys begin in the southeastern-most cells, continuing north and west through the state. Mobile survey routes have been developed within each cell and the same routes should be surveyed in following years. See below for criteria used.

Route Selection Guidelines

• 25-48 km in length and fit primarily within cell
• One route per cell, driven twice per year
• Pass through common habitat types of the area (ag, wetlands, forest, residental, etc.)
• Small towns can be surveyed if traffic is low
• Roads parallel to waterways can be good
• Sections of the route must not come within 100m of other sections
• Tight curves are fine as long as it is not continuously less than 100m
• Must be safe to drive at 32 kph (20 mph) with minimal stopping
• A couple stop signs may be fine, but no stop lights
• No roads with heavy traffic, too rough to safely drive 32 kph, or roads with gates to open and close
• Roads that are 2-lane secondary or tertiary are generally good
• Gravel and dirt roads that are well maintained can be used

• Print or write directions (recommended to sum mileage at each turn)
• Test-drive route during the day to check requirements and determine if a navigator is needed
• Test-drive route at survey time if some roads may potentially be too busy
• Aquire survey equipment, learn to operate, and test before survey night
• Print Mobile Survey Datasheets (xps)
• Add 45 minutes to time of sunset on survey night to determine start time
• Check weather forecast to be sure there will be no precipitation or wind greater than 10 mph during the survey
• Drive to the survey start point, record GPS coordinates, and setup equipment based on guidelines (pdf)
• Reset vehicle trip miles to compare to mileage on directions
• At 45 minutes after sunset, turn on detector, check mic, begin survey, and record start time
• Note timing of any issues or significant events (weather, unexpected stops, noise, etc.)
• Surveys may be delayed for 15 minutes to allow inclement weather to pass.
• During inclement weather, note the time and remove equipment from vehicle's roof.
• If weather conditions do not improve, end the survey and record GPS coordinates and time.
• If weather conditions do improve, record pause time and complete the survey.
• At end of survey, check mic, stop detector, remove and store equipment
• Take a GPS point at the end location and record the end time


Mobile Survey Equipment Setup (pdf)
Mobile Survey Datasheet (xps)