Review: The Batlogger S2 Static Bat Recorder from Elekon

The latest static bat recorder from Elekon, is The BatLogger S2.

Packaging - It arrives in a small, brown cardboard box. And includes a 16GB MicroSD card (installed).

The Batlogger S2 measures 132x72x35mm, and weighs 138 grams.

As just one example, The BatLogger S2 is currently priced at £660 on the NHBS website:

This static bat recorder doesn't have a built in GPS, but rather gets it's location data from the App running on your smartphone.

The Batlogger S2 does have a temperature sensor, and internal rechargeable battery. And a weatherproof enclosure.

It's listed as having a 100 hour recording time (as per Elekon).

I find the design to be a good shape (geometrically speaking). Fairly easy to mount, etc. (although mounting straps aren't provided).

I found the plastic construction of The BatLogger S2 to be less robust than other recorders of it's type on the market.

Additionally, I found the (round) mesh-like covering over the microphone element to be inadequate:

During my brief test period, I found that it allows ambient moisture to enter/contact the (delicate) Mic element. Despite taking additional measures to avoid this.

Elekon advises the user not to mount the S2 in a manner which allows the Mic area to face falling rain.

In other words: avoid exposing the Mic to direct rainfall/raindrops. 

The microphone is a MEMs type element. The Mic board, as well as the system itself utilizes the ubiquitous surface mount technology, which most PCBs use these days. 

Perhaps designing the microphone to sit in a more recessed location, would help avoid direct exposure to rain, etc.?

In use, The S2 is able to be reset (essentially the password) by subjecting the unit itself to motions and/or taps.

This of course, suggests an internal motion sensor.

Elekon's (free version of) BatExplorer (2.1) Sound recording analysis software

Locating, and downloading was Elekon's analysis software was easy.

Installation was also quick. The initial launching of the software took a little while (especially when compared to similar Apps). Many are familiar with this "phenomenon"; and some of us know exactly why it occurs (computer geeks, that is). 

Subsequent launching's of the application were much faster.

I happened to already be quite familiar with The BatExplorer software...

However, the interface has changed...for the better, I'd say: I like the way it looks now...

It does take quite a bit of time to load (a folder) of recordings...

The S2 should be considered by anyone needing a static bat recording solution.

The Batlogger S2 is especially well-suited for someone in need of a physically smaller device. 

You will need to plug the S2 into a standard USB power source (laptop would be ideal; a cell phone charger will also work).

My unit arrived with a flat battery (0% charge). I used a Samsung brand phone charger to charge The S2. This charger, which I had to hand, happened to have the USB-C connector - which is what's required when charging the S2. Unfortunately, a USB-C charging cable is not provided.

I plugged the unit in at 7:30 PM, and 2 hours later - It was only showing 20% charged (via the Batlogger Control phone app).

Just an observation: The built-in thermometers (there are 2) on my unit, consistently mis-reported the temperatures. 

One of the built-in thermometers records/reports the temperature of the S2 itself. The other, reports the ambient temperature...

Pros:

• BatExplorer software and Controller App are free 

• Scheduling / Set-up is straightforward.

• Small size / Light weight

• Microphone is replaceable / and inexpensive

 

Cons:

• Not as robust in inclement weather as it could be.

• MicroSD card requires a “config-type” file to function.

• Control software is limited.

• Relatively expensive, compared to others.

Happy bat detecting!

The Batlogger M2 From Elekon - Updated 10/13/2022

The Batlogger M2 From Elekon

The BatLogger M2 comes to us from Elekon AG, in Switzerland. It is a high-end, professional bat detector; and possesses many advanced features.

It is very versatile, and is very well adapted not only to active bat recording (during bat walks, transects, etc.) but also for nightly passive recording. I find this both an excellent and very welcomed feature. Whenever testing and using bat detectors over the years, I always use them in this fashion (overnight/unattended recording). So, I was very happy to discover this ability.

When the unit arrives, the outer packaging / outer box is as one would expect (usually, with packing tape sporting the logo "Elekon" on it). However: Once you get to the inner box - the one holding the Batlogger M2, and it's included cables, etc., then the uninitiated may begin to feel like Indiana Jones in The Temple of Doom...Searching for the hidden "switch" or pressure point which will magically allow the box to open - Granting the new owner access to this high-tech scepter.

More than one user of the new BatLogger M2 has experienced a bit of frustration, while trying to figure out exactly how this box opens...

Well, in hindsight...after experiencing what this bat detector can do, I feel that a box which has the potential to be a bit of a puzzle is quite fitting!

Here, we can think along the lines of The Sword in The Stone, and similar stories...

The formidable capability of this powerful new BatLogger cannot just be handed over to anyone. You must first pass a test, to prove you're worthy!

"With great power, comes great responsibility" - Uncle Ben, from Spider-Man.

The BatLogger M2 measures 220 x 70 x 46mm, and weighs only 222 grams. This is excellent, and it feels relatively light, and very comfortable in the hand. This is also partly due to the detector's ergonomic design. Very nice.

The M2 measures 220 x 70 x 46mm, and weighs only 222 grams. 

It feels lighter than it’s predecessor (The M) and is quite comfortable in the hand. This is due to the detector's ergonomic design.

Holding The M2 for long periods of time should present no issues, or cause fatigue for the majority of users: It features a unique shape, with an ergonomically designed handle. 

The M2 is robustly built, and even features a built-in attachment point for a (user-supplied) lanyard.

The BatLogger M2 - Using Halloween Theme

When considering the (unique) design of The BatLogger M2; I'd like to take this opportunity to point-out that: It's predecessor, The BatLogger M was also fairly comfortable to hold (due to it's hourglass shaped design). However, it is a heavy, solid unit.

Holding The M2 for long periods of time should present no issues, or cause fatigue for the majority of users: It features a unique shape, with an ergonomically designed handle.  

The M2 is robustly built, and even features a built-in attachment point for a (user-supplied) lanyard. 

As for features, there are numerous...

I found The BatLogger M2 very easy to use.

• The M2 uses a built-in, rechargeable, Li ion battery.

• It is currently priced at right around $1,200 USD, directly from Elekon’s Online Shop.

• It is also in stock at many Dealers throughout Europe (NHBS [in The British Isles], etc.)

• The M2 uses a MicroSD card as it’s storage medium - Be sure to get a fast/good quality SD card for best results.

• Front / User-facing Mic for recording comments

• USB-C connector (under rubber SD card cover)

• 3.5mm headphone jack

• Standard ¼” socket for tripod mounting

 

• USB charging cables are provided

• Live Recording Level Indicator

• Recording Modes: Auto / Manual / Paused / Interval Mode

• Live, adaptive Spectrogram Screen Display

• Auto ID! 32 European bat species

• Recent Recordings - displays Metadata for 20 recordings

• Transect Mode - Way-points dynamically displayed in different colours

• Sensors! Temp in ℃ / % r. H. / Lux / GNSS 

• Also height above sea level and velocity

• In/Out Counting feature for bat roost surveys

• Torch Mode

(My Apologies - Image was temporarily lost...

working on it)

An interesting consideration, is that The M2 is well-suited to meet the needs of many bat working professionals. In no small part, due to it's versatility...

Which translates into this BatLogger M2 being very good for:

• Bat Workers
• Ecologists
• Biologists
• Researchers

(My Apologies - Image was temporarily lost...

working on it)

BatLogger M2 - 'Almond' Coloured Theme - Sensor status displayed

The BatLogger M2 also possesses many additional features:

• Ability to add voice comments during a recording session.

• Ability to add a tag to a specific recording.

• Ability to view and/or playback recordings directly from the device.

Ability to change the way it sorts through recordings: Name ascending, Name descending - Date ascending, Date descending.

After an adequate amount of testing, it was easy to confirm the accuracy of not only the recordings, but the M2's valiant attempts to auto ID the species detected.

Now, of course, I reside in The U.S. and the unit currently only Auto ID's European bats. 

(My Apologies - Image was temporarily lost...

working on it)

BatLogger M2 - On windowsill - Passive recording (Green theme)

The BatLogger M2 can display the metadata of each recording such as: 

• The Trigger frequency.

• Temperature.

• Profile used (Explore, Passive, etc.).

• A graph with the spectrogram (spectrum data is averaged).

(Sorry - Image was temporarily lost...

working on it)

The M2 - Displaying detailed GPS satellite Info

Some of the other data, accessible directly from The M2 includes:

• The Log (Batrec.log file) - Displaying hardware/Mic events.

• Ability to create custom Recording Profiles (this may also be done via the desktop app).

• Ability to check/change sample rate (312.5kHz, 384kHz or 500kHz)

Pros:

• A feature-rich, Pro-level bat recorder, which will meet the needs of the most demanding Biologists.

• Ability to create several customization's - Via device, and/or via the free desktop app (BatExplorer).

• It is as sensitive, accurate, and as pleasurable to use as you might expect from a top-of-the-range bat detector.

• It’s simple enough to use straight out of the box - Yet has enough advanced features to keep a user busy for many days - Just learning how to use them all!

• The GPS/GNSS is extremely accurate, and the resulting .gpx files may be viewed with a myriad of Apps.

• With a user-replaceable microphone module, this detector has the potential to last many years.

Cons:

• It froze on me once. I had to plug it into my laptop’s USB port, in order to power it down.

• I occasionally find the BatExplorer software to be a little slow.

So, I'd like to share some information recently acquired (Oct. 2022) via e-mail correspondence with an acquaintance of mine, who is a Professional Bat Researcher. His name is Jon Whitehurst, IoW Bat Group Operations Officer - IoWbats.org

He is also a long-time user of The Batlogger M, in September, he wrote to ask what my thoughts were regarding the new Batlogger M2. 

I advised him that The M2's microphone, recording range, and rejection of non-bat sounds was superior to The M. Also, that The M2 has so many features, as to almost make The M seem quite plain (in comparison). And a couple of other things I like about it.

Having recently acquired the new M2, he's had opportunities to use both the M/M2 side-by-side in his work on The Isle of Wight.

I was granted permission to quote him, with the caveat that these are casual observations from some of the first outings, rather than scientific comparisons.

With that stated, I shall simply quote him directly:

"Hey Al, just got my first two surveys in with M2 and classic back to back. Performance wise, the M2 had better trigger reliability than the classic (M2 set to high and classic on crest triggering).

M2 is more sensitive and looks better signal to noise, and first glance better linear dynamic range.

M2 GPS not as accurate but OK... In transect mode, it was great to have track and position in front of me as the woodland track I was walking has a number of false paths and potential for getting lost.

However, I think there is a wrong sign in the code that sets the direction of the position arrow - one for me to feed back to Elekon. Also great to have Lux and RH data as well as temperature recorded.

It is a definite game changer - not had time to really delve into optimising the settings yet though..."

-And- 

"Definitely getting much better triggering though - recording bats (common pips) where the classic is missing them, but I need to swap the mic over on the classic, just in case it is the mic that is degrading..." 

I understand what is meant by his last statement. As with enough use and passage of time, The Batlogger M's microphone can begin to lose sensitivity. In some cases this happens gradually (almost imperceptible) and in some, quite rapidly.

Jon was also kind enough to share the following screenshots with me. The first one represents The Batlogger M. The second one, The Batlogger M2:

Red is Pip and Cyan is Bbar

M2

"The missed ones by the classic look to be weak calls on the M2 recordings, so might just be down to sensitivity/signal to noise rather than the trigger algorithm itself.

The GPS track shows you how long the M2 took to stabilise at the start compared to the classic... One to watch really as "GPS lock" does not necessarily OK to operate accurately.

By the way, the transect is a continuous walk at 2km/S, no stopping, both the recorders set to record 500mS pre and 2500 post trigger."

It's been quite some time since a bat detector has impressed me this much. The only other (Pro-level) bat detector which was this impressive, was The AnaBat WalkAbout from Titley. The WalkAbout was a bat recorder which ticked all the boxes.

Next up, will be a full review of The BatLogger S2 - Passive/Static bat recorder also from Elekon.

Until then...

Happy bat detecting!

The Batlogger M2 From Elekon!

I'm very happy to report, that the Batlogger M2 from Elekon, has recently arrived for review! 

It was accompanied by their new Batlogger S2, static/unattended bat recorder as well. The S2 will also be given a test and review...

However, my local weather here in New York has started to cooperate —And has become more conducive to bat activity in the past 2 days. I immediately took this opportunity to test The Batlogger M2.

I set it up on a windowsill (indoors, of course) and selected the 'Passive Mode' recording option - I had already become familiar with the User Manual, so it was very easy to navigate around it's menus.

The good news, is: When I came back to check on it a short time later, I went through the small list of recordings, and saw that it recorded a bat! 

The additional good news is: This new Batlogger M2 is not only an excellent performing, Pro-level bat detector...But it is a joy to use, and absolutely lovely as well! 

Wow! It is packed with wonderful features and abilities - I look forward to providing detailed reviews of it. Both on The BatAbility Club, and here on the blog.

For now, you can have a look at it (and some of it's features) on The Elekon website.

 

As always - Happy bat detecting!

A Promising New Contender - Batlogger A From Elekon

Have a look at what has just been announced by Elekon!

BATLOGGER A

Just record

"But it isn't quite that simple. We did some thoughts and implemented some of the ideas of our costumers. The result is a box that can just be placed in the field.
A lot of features of the BATLOGGER-family are available in the BATLOGGER A as well.
Let surprise yourself...."

"Step in the world of real time recordings of bats

The new BATLOGGER A is the next member of the BATLOGGER-family. The real time recording, in full spectrum, with 16-bit resolution is as powerful as with the BATLOGGER M and BATLOGGER C.
The device is ideally suited for passive monitoring at a location. The BATLOGGER A is fully waterproof and can be easily and inconspicuously placed in the field.
Adjustable trigger functions, options for delayed records and the analysis software BatExplorer are of course fully supported."

Link to the article

Link

Happy bat detecting! 

New Bat Detectors: Available Now! -And- Coming Soon!

"We interrupt our regularly scheduled bat detector reviews, to bring you news of the following new developments"

There are some new bat detecting devices available now – several manufacturers have produced and released new detectors for sale. 

I will be testing and reviewing the following two brand-new systems soon:

In order of their release:

• The pairing of Dodtronic's Ultramic (200K) -And- Ultrasonic Analyzer (for iPad and iPhone); produces a full-featured bat recording solution. I'll be performing my testing and review, on a borrowed iPhone.

• The micro trio, from Ciel EaM - This bat detector is currently very new, and only available to the public via Advance Orders (for now).

Each of the preceding bat recording solutions look very promising!

The solution from Dodotronic & Ultrasonic Analyzer is available now. 

The brand-new bat detectors from Ciel Eam (there are several) are available as pre-order items right now. Others are set to be released soon...

I will also be writing a short review of the latest version of SoundChaser software (works with Dodotronic's Ultramic series of microphones). From Acounect in France. They are also currently offering a free 15-day trial of their software Here. So, if you own an Ultramic, you should have a look and try it out.

Now, on to a few more new bat detectors!

Please Note: At this time, there is no indication that I will have the opportunity to review any of the following new devices. I list them here, for the sake of being complete, and thorough. As always, one of the main purposes of this blog, is to inform the public of new bat detectors as they become available.

Be that as it may, I do plan to purchase and use a Momimic from Dodotronic. So a review of this super-small microphone will eventually be posted here. I am planning to build a homemade, ultrasonic, parabolic dish to record singing insects with. And I plan to use The Momimic as the microphone for it.

Elekon AG - The latest model of their wonderful Batlogger M, has had a few minor changes. The small, external GPS antenna now resides inside the case (no longer visible). In addition, the GPS system itself, now utilizes data from The GLONASS satellites. This is especially helpful, to those in Europe and Russia, etc. Read more at the Newsletter Archive Page.

Avisoft Bioacoustics has recently announced updates to their USG116Hm/116Hmn

Titely Scientific, is poised to release their brand-new AnaBat Express very soon...And, from what I've seen so far - It looks very interesting.

BatBox is supposed to be coming out with a new bat detecting device! No one knows much about it (yet!)

Once again, I will not be reviewing any of these devices, so please contact the manufacturers with your questions.

The "busy season" for new bat detecting devices is here; and once again, I have two (software) reviews in progress...

"We now return to our regularly scheduled bat detector reviews...Part 2 of The Echo Meter Touch review coming up next"

Happy bat detecting!

The NEW Batscanner from Elekon Part 3 Of 3

The new Batscanner from Elekon, is a scanning heterodyne type bat detector. Thankfully, the local weather has been cooperating; so I was finally able to do some good testing of the detector. What follows, is the conclusion, of my 3 Part post.
So, the Batscanner has been picking up bats, and works as it should - When a bat flies within range, the echolocation is heard from the front speaker. And, if the user wishes to listen with headphones: Any standard headphones (with 3.5mm plug) work fine. I tested the unit with several name-brand earphones, and didn't encounter any problems. As expected, when headphones/ear-buds are plugged in, the front mounted speaker is disabled.
I have also tried some extensive testing, with the detector hooked up to various recorders. I did not end up getting any good results. As per the manufacturer, this detector was never designed to be used for un-attended recording. It was made for listening.

I agree that the Batscanner is, in fact very easy to handle & listen with. In my case, I just like to experiment with recording from different bat detectors. And, of course, it's always fine with frequency division detectors. But, as we know: Recordings from heterodyne detectors are practically useless anyway -

When using the various NiMh rechargeable batteries (as mentioned in Post 2) I noticed that I got mixed results; and short battery life. Then it occurred to me: The fact is, the Batscanner was designed to use 3 1.5v AAA-type batteries. The rechargeable batteries are rated at 1.2v (although, most times, they do provide higher amperage). Not a problem. Going forward, I'll be using high quality alkaline disposable batteries; and I've already noticed an improvement in performance and length of battery life. So, that's good.

An interesting discovery:
Upon testing frequency response/frequency read-out by producing known frequency tones: The display did not seem accurate. In fact, the only way I can get the display to read anything at all, is if I produce a 20 kHz tone... Nothing else was picked up or registered (10, 30, 40, 50, 60kHz..etc.). The program I used is called Usonic. It's a free, DOS-based program that uses your computer's "beep" speaker - Sometimes, it will use one of your main speakers, on a laptop, for instance. If interested, you can download it HERE (from the Durham Bats Group Website). In any case, I contacted Elekon about it, and found out that this is by design. A very clever design, I might add! Here is an excerpt, from Elekon's reply: 

 "...but you underestimated us. If you go outside and "listen" to the bats you should have no other animals or noise you hear. The point is that we are triggering bats with a complex hard- and software - combination. If you have a linear signal we know, that it is not a bat and don't display it."

Wow! Is that amazing, or what?!? What this also means, is that the unit will not focus on any unwanted sounds that you may encounter in the field. Very cool!

All-in-all, I like this detector! It's sensitive, perfect for Bat Walks, and displays the peak frequency of the last bat that flew by. Helping the user get closer to making an identification of the species. 
All this, for only $265 US (+VAT and/or shipping). I'll probably be writing a simple one-page, review of this unit in the near future. And, I'll provide a link to where it will be. 

Happy bat detecting!