Tuesday, July 31, 2012

BatBox Griffin: The Latest Firmware Update (V23)

I was very intrigued, when I first learned of the new firmware release for Griffin; from BatBox, Ltd.
The firmware was made available to me, from Batbox, Ltd., to review and explore, etc. It will be made available, for all Griffin owners, on their Firmware Update Page Here - In about a week.

If your system is up to date (Ver.22) then, just before the update (to Ver.23) your firmware info should read similar to this:
PIC   V140
FPGA   V09.01.2012
S/W   V14.03.2012

Upon launching the upgrade application, it will begin it's (short) process, by displaying the following:
"Doing upgrade, please wait" and the system will begin to perform the upgrade on itself...
Eventually, the final text displayed on the screen will read:
FPGA Upgrade
Program
ToGo: (The seconds count down) 98..97....42...31... Until the system powers itself off (upon completion).

When you next power the unit on, the system will go through a few more upgrade-related splash screens (automatically) and will then return to the ready state.

If one checks the firmware status, the display should read something like this:
PIC   V140
FPGA   V09.01.2012
S/W   V05.07.2012

Which indicates that the upgrade has completed successfully.
At this time, I don't have any solid specifics to report. Since this firmware upgrade is so new, the official documentation has not been made available to me yet.
Also, It is currently 4:00 AM here in the Northeastern United States, and the peak times for (best) bat activity has already passed. I hope to test it's unattended recording improvements tomorrow night.

Happy bat detecting!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

The New AnaBat SD2: First Impressions

The new AnaBat SD2 bat detector from Titley Scientific has arrived. This loaner unit was well packaged; double-boxed, with the AnaBat unit and accessories well protected in grey foam. It's a very robust unit, with sturdy construction throughout.



As you can see, in the photos above - Aside from the CD ROM disc, which contains a the latest version of AnalookW call analysis software (along with User Manual in PDF, and other data). It is supplied with all necessary cables: Serial cable, Mini-USB to USB cable, 2GB CF Memory card, and a fused power cable (for powering the unit via a 12v DC power source). The CF Memory card Slot, features a protective cover that is secured with two (silver colored) thumbscrews.

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 ...