Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Review: The SSF BAT2 Part 2 Of 2

The layout of the unit is pretty straightforward:


On the upper left, we have the On/Off Button -
Below that, the Enter Button -
On the right, we have the Up/Down Buttons; which are used for Volume and other functions -

This detector is powered by 4 AA size batteries. Any chemistry type can be used (Alkaline, NiMH, etc.).
Frequency range is 15-130kHz, in steps of 1kHz
It is equipped with a front-mounted, 1.5W speaker
Backlight brightness is adjustable, and it features an Auto Shut-Off - Which is fully adjustable, from 1 minute to Infinity.

I like the overall design, my only wish would be to make it smaller (if possible). At the same time, it must be realized, that packing all of these features into a smaller device... would not be easy!

Alright! Let's discuss some of the helpful features (the features that I like) on the SSF BAT2 -
(I really enjoy using this unit!)

* The audio-out jack, referred to in the documentation as 'Earphone Access'. Since I like to do a lot of un-attended recording; this is an important feature for me. When in use (using a 3.5mm stereo cable) the speaker is disabled.

* The (always visible) battery status indicator. This battery icon displays 4 levels of battery condition.

* The volume setting display.

Uncommon features of this bat detector:

* The frequency button - Which (among other things) functions to instantly tune the (main) heterodyne portion of the detector to the (FD) detected/displayed frequency. Neat!

Since we're on the subject of the frequency button - It can also be used to select one of four fixed frequencies. 3 frequencies are programmed (from the factory). 20kHz, 40kHz and 45kHz. The fourth fixed frequency space is left blank (000); you program a frequency of your choosing.

* The bat spectrogram display! Cool!

The SSF BAT2 uses a special microphone element (see Page 10 of the User Manual) which has an enhanced frequency response. And, a special Pre-amp is utilized in the circuit. Very interesting.

I believe that pretty much sums it up, for now. I would highly recommend this unit, there's no denying that it is fun to use!

Happy bat detecting!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Wildlife Sound Recording Society - Autumn 2011 Journal

From England - The Autumn issue of The WSRS's Journal is out now. It is another feature-packed, fascinating issue.


This volume (Vol. 12 No. 2) includes great articles - Including my reviews of:
SeaWave Software (Page 7)
Dodotronic's Ultramic 200K (Page 12)
And a great article by Chris Scott, titled 'Sound Surveys Yield Secrets Of Bat Swarms'
(Page 38)

There really are lots of other great reviews & articles in this volume!


I'll admit, that the yearly Subscriptions/Membership fee is not cheap (for USA residents); but I can tell you - It is totally worth every penny!

Review: The Ranger - From Titley Scientific

The Ranger is a brand, new, cutting edge, wildlife recorder, which has just been released from Titley Scientific. Building upon the success ...