Bat detectors Magenta 4 & Magenta 5
I have never had a bat detector before but I was excited to have a go with one for the first time. I was hoping that it would be as simple turn the machine on, wave it around a little and be given a short print out as to how many of what sort of bats are flying around my head. That's not quite how it works though.
Magenta is one of the leading bat detector makers, and the Magenta 4 & 5 are their best selling detectors. Bats emit very high ultrasounds that are way above human capability of hearing. Bat detectors emit a sound equal to the difference between the bat call and the setting of the detector. So if you set the detector to 40 khz and the bat broadcasts at 45 khz it will emit a sound at about 5khz, which we can hear. This is why you have to have an idea as to what bats maybe around so you can set the detector at roughly the right level.
So before you start you need to know the frequency that the bats around will be transmitting at, so you need to have an idea of what bats might be there to start with. The detectors are highly directional so you have to be pointing at a passing bat to pick up their emissions.
Pipistrelle 45 - 55 khz
Noctule 20 khz
Daubenton's, Brandt's & Natterers all about 45 - 50 khz. You need to be a little more experienced to differentiate them.
The Magenta 4 (Precision) has a dial that you need to set to the frequency that you want to check, and ranges from 15 - 130 Khz. The Magenta Bat 4 sells for around £60; click Magenta Bat 4 to buy one.
The Magenta 5 (Digital precision) is similar but has a digital readout screen enabling you to be much more precise with your Khz setting as well as being easier to see in the dark. The Magenta Bat 5 sells for around £90, click Magenta Bat 5 to by one.
Both come with earphones and contain a small in built torch. Both would be improved greatly by having a small indication of which frequency you need to search for which bat, and what the patterns are, even if it was just a small piece of paper inside the box.
Coming soon. We will look at a top of the range Pettersson D 240x Bat Detector .
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