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!

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.

Next Review: Amazing Software From BCID

There will be a few products being reviewed, in the near future... The next product to be reviewed, will be this simply amazing bat call identification software package from BCID

I won't go into too many details now, but I urge you to take a quick look at their Software Page, and see for yourself.
This is something that American Bat Researchers can really use!

An excerpt, from their Website:

BCID East

• Version 2.4m -- Released 5/9/12
• Improved wav to zero crossing converter to allow more file types, including 2 channel files*
• Params files can now be selected from any folder on the users computer.
• Updated a few states where species were missing or unable to be turned off.
• Used by more than a dozen Professional Consulting Companies.
• Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 both 32 and 64 bit systems.

*One of my favorite features!

New Must Have Book For UK Readers! British Bat Calls

An awesome new book will be shipping soon. It will be of particular interest to bat enthusiasts in the UK:

British Bat Calls
A Guide to Species Identification
Jon Russ

185 pages, colour illustrations, distribution maps.

Pelagic Publishing

...How I wish such a book existed for American bats! *sigh*
You Folks in the UK are very lucky (in more ways than one!)...

You may pre-order the book, from NHBS via the link below:

Great New Bat Blog From Germany

Fledermaus!

I'd like to share a really nice bat detector page I just "discovered" - The author of the blog, Johann Schilling, was nice enough to include a link to my blog on it : )

http://fledermausruf.blogspot.de/

(It's in German, but can be easily translated with Web-based tools if need be (Babel Fish, etc.)

I strongly urge you to visit, and have a look around! - There are some incredibly informative links about bat detecting there! (many of which, are in English).

Happy bat detecting!

Pettersson D240X Review In The Next WSRS Journal

For those who are interested, or who are already Members - Just FYI: 

The Spring 2012 edition of the WSRS Journal 'Wildlife Sound' 

Coming very soon for WSRS Members!

It will feature a slightly different version, of my review of The D240X.

Link to The WSRS  Website

Devices Used For Recording Orthoptera (Singing Insects)

In addition to detecting bats: I occasionally do enjoy detecting, and attempting to identify Orthopetra (various singing insects). I'm going to try to keep this post as brief as possible. I simply want to share the results of tests I've done; using a few different bat detectors, etc.
For those who are also interested in singing insects, there are two books that I can highly recommend:
The first is 'Guide To Night-Singing Insects Of The Northeast' by John Himmelman.
The second, is called 'The Songs Of Insects' by Lang Elliot and Wil Hershberger. They both cover the Orthoptera of the Northeastern United States.
In the US, they may be found just about anywhere books are sold.

For Readers in the UK & Europe who are interested, they may be purchased from NHBS, by clicking on the links below:

The second book, is the one I used for my testing: I used recordings from the (included) audio CD; limiting my focus to the songs of insects that happened to be in the sub-audible range. I suppose they may also be described as "near-ultrasonic". In other words, tracks that I had a bit of trouble hearing with the naked ear. I find the whole subject rather fascinating. Here are the track numbers used, along with the insect names:

#25 Short-Winged Meadow Katydid
#26 Slender Meadow Katydid
#27 Woodland Meadow Katydid
#28 Saltmarsh Meadow Katydid

So, the tests were really simple: Did the device or bat detector used "hear" the recording or not?

---------------------------Below, are the devices - Along with the results-----------------------------------

  Olympus DS-30    ZoomH2     BatBox Baton    Wildlife Acoustics' EM3       BatBox Griffin

#25         No               No                 Yes                         Yes                             Yes
#26         No               No                 Yes                         Yes                             Yes
#27         No               No                 Yes                         Yes                             Yes
#28         No               No                 Yes                         Yes                             Yes

Well, that's really about it - I'll gauge the interest in this subject/post, and if it is "popular" then I may do the same test with a couple of other bat detectors, etc.

Happy bat (and bug) detecting!

Attention: Developers Of Bat Call Analysis Software

Attention: Developers Of Bat Call Analysis Software - Just FYI: If you have ever considered having your software tested and reviewed (on this site, for instance): Then, I'd say that now would be a good time to contact me.

The weather in my area, has just recently reverted back to Winter-like temperatures and conditions. I also believe that the wind has been one of the main things keeping the bats from hunting.
These current weather conditions have delayed the natural "start" of "Bat detecting season" here in the Northeastern United States.
This would simply be the most opportune time for me to focus on software reviews. I have recently learned of a few more (brand-new) bat detectors being announced/released this year. Once the new detectors start popping up - I'll be focusing my time on the detailed and thorough reviews of each of them.

It appears that we will have at least another week of this weather...Which reminds me:
As I've stated before, I consider Winter to be a good time to go over the bat recordings/sonograms collected during the warmer months. And, to also make attempts at species ID.

Of course, lots of people enjoy bat detecting for different reasons. I even know of a popular kit provider, who enjoys the simple pleasure of detecting bats in "real-time" - Just for the aesthetic quality of their communications. Simply listening to the detector-converted sounds of local bats as they go about their nightly activities. And, who would disagree? Not I.
But, for me - I suppose that in time... (eventually) the ultimate goal, is the satisfaction of identifying the species that was recorded. This is what makes bat detecting exciting and challenging for, let's say, an intermediate-level, or even well-experienced hobbyist.

While we're on the subject...
The "distillation" and polishing, of the raw data (recordings) acquired with detecting devices - Generally requires a few steps. A typical work flow might be as follows:

First, locating the actual bat recording, amidst the (usual) copious amounts of: Background noise, false triggers, and long recordings of non-bat events, etc.
Second, editing the bat call: In my particular case, this consists of cutting/pasting into a new audio file; choosing the desired file format to convert or save the sound file in, naming the file, and utilizing relevant information whenever possible (date/time/temp/weather) in the file name.
Third, using your favorite software application to create a sonogram.
Fourth, (and finally) measuring/comparing the resulting sonograms to: Notes, known sonograms (confirmed bat species), and so forth... In an effort to determine exactly which species of bat you've recorded.

For many, (myself included) the basic steps outlined above are simply a labor of love. But, we shouldn't ignore the fact, that there are quite a few software applications out there; which can make this process a lot less tedious. This is an exciting prospect. These are valuable, time-saving software packages that have built-in bat sonogram libraries. Very neat!

Of course, having an extensive library of confirmed bat calls, at your disposal, provides a tremendous advantage. I've glanced over quite a few of the currently available programs. Each application (manufacturer) has their own method, of providing the end-user with the means to ID the sonograms they've acquired. Some software packages are a bit more automated than others.

Most of these software packages are not cheap! Especially the good ones! (of course).
Therefore, I thought it would be nice, for my Readers to have access to reviews of some of these applications - To aid in making decisions on which one to purchase.

Again, there quite a few out there. I do know for a fact, that many bat equipment (and software) manufacturers check this site from time-to time.
So, rather than contacting each software developer individually - I decided that this simple blog post should work well enough. I have, in fact, reached out to a bat software developer once. But, was did not receive a reply.

Although I've touched on this a bit, in an earlier post -For those who were wondering - I currently use Audacity (free), and BatScan from BatBox Ltd.
BatScan is very inexpensive, and very simple to use: I like it!

It's always nice to have a thorough review available; to inform and give a potential owner a clear idea of what to expect. I'll admit, that I have been curious to know which applications work best. I was just visiting some bat product Websites recently... Especially, NHBS
My renewed  interest, of the subject of bat call analysis software, was a result of coming upon the software offered Here. This package sells for ~ $100 less than the call analysis software that I originally had my eye on (last year).

So, we'll see...