Recording bat sound

[CHASSYP]

Dont know if this is the right place but hear goes.....

I recently purchased a bat detector. I am trying to use a digital Dictaphone to record there sound! The playback is largely the hissing from the detector. Am I doing something wrong? Or is this just the way it is?? I have heard recordings of bats so there must be a way without including the detectors noise I guess!!
Thanks in advance for any help.

[The Woodman]

Welcome to WAB, CHASSYP

Your digital recorder will record exactly what you hear over the detectors loudspeaker or via headphones. Depending on the quality of the detector, you will hear background noise between bat calls and that will be recorded.

I regularly use a Batbox Duet and an Olympus LS10 to record with and the Duet has a lot of background noise. I also use an Anabat SD2 which has a sensitivity control which can be used to eliminate background noise.

Are you recording for any particular purpose e.g. sound analysis?

What equipment are you using?

[jerryh]

Funnily enough, I use the same combination as The Woodman - Duet and LS10 - and I agree that the Duet give quite a lot of background hiss.

There is one thing that I can think of that might help you. If your recorder has AGC (Automatic Gain Control) and it is switched on, that will increase the recorded hiss during quiet periods. When the signal is quiet, the AGC turns up it's recording level to compensate - and introduces recorded hiss in the process.
If you can switch AGC off and control the recording level manually, you will at least then only be recording the bat detector's hiss and not what the AGC has added.

Hope this helps,
Jerry

[The Woodman]

I've just tried to upload a .wav file to illustrate background noise but the sounds forum won't accept that format unfortunately.

[CHASSYP]

Thanks very much for the input and info. My batbox is a Magenta precision if that helps. It doesn’t seem to have a gain control on it.
I am going out tonight for my first go with it on the local pipistrelles. I have only recorded inside with it as yet using jingling keys and rustling paper.
I will feedback and report the outcome cheers.

[The Woodman]

The Magenta models are good basic detectors. We have a Magenta 5 and all who use it like it.

The automatic gain control that jerryh mentioned will be on your recording device and not the detector. It may or may not have that feature - a look in the handbook should tell you.

Good luck with the Pips tonight and let us know how you got on.

[CHASSYP]

Wow what a great experience that was. I struggled a bit with the controls of the recorder detector and earpiece, but practice makes perfect. I was only yards from the house which is rural and straight away picked the pipitrelles up. I could hear the chatter but couldnt see them anywhere! Slowly but surely they started swooping overhead and I managed some great recordings. They make a real raspberry type noise when turning, but in general they chatter like someone clicking marbles together!! It eventually became so dark I couldn’t see them but could still follow them. I think they make a different noise when they catch a moth as every now and then I heard a louder pitch noise and creak!! My skinner traps going to be short of a few moths this week then!!
Wonderful night all round.
I`m off to Andalucia in a couple of weeks and I reckon its going in the luggage with me!

Lovely jubbley

[nightshade]

I bought an Olympus WS110, set on HQ and voice control activation
it does a good job linked to my bat detector it does a good job, but it only records in Wma. and I cannot find a converter to Wav.

[The Woodman]

Hi nightshade

I've tried a couple of freeware converters in the past, not remembering the names of them now I've seen these on Google

Boxoft WMA to WAV Converter (freeware) - Batch WMA to WAV Converter, Support Hot directory converting - Boxoft.com

or there are a number of links in this forum

best free WMA to WAV converter? - SpywareInfo Forum

[nightshade]

Thanks Woodman, I have tried them all, and just this minute found out the files are DMQ? protected files.
I will have to look for another way of recording through my Petersson and
Magenta