Which Bat Detector?

[Beebee18]

I am totally new to Bat watching and am looking forward to detecting them. What pricked my curiosity was watching Autumnwatch last night. I have been looking around for a bat detector and cannot decide between the Magenta Bat 4 and the Ciel CDB205, £60-£65 being my price range. I am leaning towards the Ciel CDB205 as it does not require any setting of frequency, but how will I be able to determine what bat I can hear if I do not know the frequency I am listening at? I dare say it will come with experience. Also, I assume it will pick up other night life using echo location, so will I hear a jumbled mass of clicks and whistles? On the other hand, with the Magenta, I could miss out on something if it is not set on the correct frequency. Your thoughts and advice would be much appreciated.

[Dogghound]

I have no experience of a Ciel CDB205 detector, but a couple of friends have Magenta Bat detectors which in my opinion are very good for the price.

I am sure there is some way of determining the frequency on the Ciel as without this reliable bat identification would be impossible.

Not many other things ecolocate so you tend not to get much background noise, other than your own rustling and wind etc. It isnt a problem. Bush crickets etc can be picked up but tend not to cause to much of a problem, due to different frequency ranges.

You can potentially miss bats, but you still pick most of them up even if the detectors is not set on a specific peak frequency for that species. When you hear a faint detection you then alter it until it is clear, or put it at the species frequency that you suspect it is. You need to keep your head up and look for bats, this helps ID and helps you figure out if the bat is registering. It is daunting at first but you soon pick it up, the more you do it the more rewarding it becomes.

[The Woodman]

No contest for a beginner, go for the Magenta Mk4 which is a good basic tuneable heterodyne detector. Coupled that with the FSC fold out bat guide with all the info you want for £4 including frequency ranges, peak frequency etc etc. This will help you ID bats but the best way is to book on a Bat Conservation Trust detector training course next year. Also consider getting involved with your local bat group, there'll be loads of experience and help there.

The Magenta Mk5 has a nice large backlit LCD frequency screen as opposed to a tuneable dial in the Mk 4. More money though.

Only consider the frequency division models if you are going to record bats and analyse the recordings. The British company Batbox makes a similar model to the Ciel CDB205 called the Baton. These models are not tuneable and will therefore not help you ID bats by frequency in the field. Some of the Ciel models have an annoying bright LED on the front.

A good resource is the BCT's bat call library but you have to be a member to use it, also Bristol Uni's here....The Bats of Britain

You won't regret buying a Magenta 4.

[Beebee18]

Thank you Dogghound and The Woodman for your advice, it has helped me immensely, and cleared up the suspicions I had regarding bat identity with the Ciel. There is the CDB305 version that has both Heterodyne and Frequency Division controls, which seems ideal for a newbie, but at just over £100 I feel it's a lot of money to spend on a new hobby.

Wherever I go I see good reviews for the Magenta. I have looked at the Magenta Mk5, and again, think that is an ideal choice for a newbie, having the LCD display giving you the exact frequency, will help to identify the bat, but it is yet another detector priced at just over £100

Whichever one I decide to buy, I shall also get the bat guide you suggest Woodman, I am going to need all the help I can get.

Thank you,
Beebee

[The Woodman]

Even better, the FSC guide from NHBS is £2.99.....NHBS - A Guide to British Bats - Kate Jones and Allyson Walsh

Keep your eyes on ebay for a second hand detector.

[Beebee18]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

Even better, the FSC guide from NHBS is £2.99.....NHBS - A Guide to British Bats - Kate Jones and Allyson Walsh

Keep your eyes on ebay for a second hand detector.

Thank you Woodman, but there is a £1.99 p&p charge on top of that. I have found it here FSC Publications - Birds and Mammals for £2.75 with £1.00 p&p

I'm certainly keeping my eyes on ebay, at the moment I can only see one second hand one, but I think it must be an old model as I can find no info or reviews on it on the net.

[Wild-Woman]

I like my Magenta Bat5. Good torch when needed and clear backlit display. Just wish there was a thing such as everlasting batteries!

[The Woodman]

Originally Posted by Beebee18

Thank you Woodman, but there is a £1.99 p&p charge on top of that. I have found it here FSC Publications - Birds and Mammals for £2.75 with £1.00 p&p

I'm certainly keeping my eyes on ebay, at the moment I can only see one second hand one, but I think it must be an old model as I can find no info or reviews on it on the net.

You've obviously got an eye for a bargain!

[Beebee18]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

I like my Magenta Bat5. Good torch when needed and clear backlit display. Just wish there was a thing such as everlasting batteries!

I know where you can get cheap rechargeable batteries Wild-Woman (I love that name), here 7dayshop.com - Online Store There own brand is very good, I have the 2900 Ni-mh batteries for my digital camera and use this charger 7dayshop.com - Online Store it can discharge batteries as well. They get very good reviews, and I can confirm they are very good batteries, they last ages in my camera. You can also get some decent binoculars as well, I use these 7dayshop.com - Online Store for bird watching, although I only paid £19.99 it's worth keeping an eye on anything you may want as they sometimes do some great deals. They also sell stuff on amazon, and get great reviews there.

Originally Posted by The Woodman

You've obviously got an eye for a bargain!

I am always on the look out for a bargain Woodman.

[Wild-Woman]

Thanks for the site link Beebee.