Bat Detector

[hunnymonster]

Well chaps, I'm getting my soldering iron out soon to build a bat detector

There are a number of plans online for them, but after much reading, I'll be making an analogue heterodyne detector - there are simpler circuits for straight detection, but to be able to in effect tune in to the bats and listen to the structure of the call you need a het detector.

Just waiting for the kit of parts to arrive now - from Germany.

 

[RB73]

Something along these lines, but scaled back slightly yes.

 

[hunnymonster]

ROTFL - no - more like

 

[RB73]

Could come in handy.

 

[Jeltz]

A smaller one

 

[Rev-O]

Maplin sell all the parts to make a Bullshit detector.

And centrifuges for enriching uranium.

 

[hunnymonster]

Bloody ruthlessly efficient Germans... he's awaiting a delivery of parts to complete the kits and has been let down in a ruthlessly efficient non-queuing Teutonic fashion.

 

[henkverhaar]

Why Germany? Magenta (UK) do a cheap heterodyne kit that is good value for money; they also have a few ready made heterodyne detectors. Batbox have recently come out with a cheap functional frequency division detector also. Both, as well as some others, are sold by Alana Ecology (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.alanaecology.com/acatalog/Magenta_Bat_Detector_Kit.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.alanaecology.com/acatalog/Ma ... r_Kit.html</a><!-- m -->)

I have the Magenta heterodyne kit (which wasn't overly difficult to solder together, I just made the mistake of putting the speaker on the rear face of the box, rather than on the front...), as well as the Batbox Baton frequency division detector.

Most of what we have around our house are pipistrelles and noctules.

 

[hunnymonster]

Well - the German one is (of course) more technical

It's a heterodyne scanning detector... so very little in the way of knob twiddling and being a het allows you to hear the call (unlike the FDM jobs).

It's been delayed by Kiel Week (some yachting thing apparently) :roll:

 

[henkverhaar]

Scanning as in just blindly sweeping the range, or as in listening in and setting frequency based on what it 'hears'?

Actually, the modern FD detectors are quite good at preserving call amplitude and sound characteristics. Not as good as time expansion detectors for actual sonogram analysis, but adequate -- something you cannot do with a het. I'd love to be able to afford a time division one. Actually I could afford one, I just couldn't justify it to SWMBO...

 

[hunnymonster]

Right enough - anyway - I fancied a go at building one (from a kit), had a look around and this one appealed to my inner geek - since it's a decade or more since I had a soldering iron in my hand... oh and I'll be using some of my NOS tin/lead solder and none of this diet crap that you have to buy now :lol:

 

[antdad]

I suppose you have a stash for the soldapocalypse?

Is that right, is Pb solder virtually lead free nowadays?

 

[hunnymonster]

Electronic solder at least is now lead free - the new stuff is 99.3% tin, 0.7% copper.

If you solder with lead/tin solder your article no longer meets RoHS compliance... I just happen to have some of the old type left so I'll use it and continue to be not bothered

 

[henkverhaar]

But RoHS compliance is only for manufacturing, right? Not for repair or hobby work?

 

[hunnymonster]

But RoHS compliance is only for manufacturing, right? Not for repair or hobby work?

Sure - but pretty much all of the old lead/tin solder has still vanished from the market... because I guess hobby/repair work is an infinitessimal slice of the world electronic solder marketplace.

 

[henkverhaar]

I use solder (heavy wire, about a quarter inch thick) to weight the priests I make (drill a 12 mm hole in the head, melt solder into hole, plug hole with a 12 m wood dowel, cut, and sand...) and I'm pretty sure it is a 60%lead solder (no resin core though...).