Abstract Radio tracking was widely heralded when it first appeared in ecology two decades ago, but in our opinion its use has seldom exploited its full potential. We suggest that this has been due less to drawbacks in the equipment than to how the technique has tended to be used. Perusal of the ecological literature suggests that many studies based on radio tracking have been mere descriptions of movements and activity, with no explicit hypothesis testing. Better transmitter design and construction have overcome several of the equipment's early failings. An example of improvements in performance is given from our own field experience. Developments in microcircuitry will bring further improvements, but these alone will not make radio tracking's contribution to ecology more effective unless users look beyond the temptation of studies which just exploit the technique's efficiency. Some varied ecological topics well suited to study by telemetry are listed.
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