These great Beginners Bat Detecting Kits contain everything that you need to get set up for bat detecting. There is a choice of either the Magenta Bat 4 or Magenta Bat 5 bat detector, six AAA batteries and an FSC Guide to British Bats that contains all the information you need to identify which species you are hearing (including frequency, the type of call sound and flight patterns).
The Magenta Bat 4 is a Superheterodyne Bat Detector developed from years of feedback from users of earlier models. It has an illuminated, large diameter frequency dial which, combined with the edgewise volume and frequency controls, provides easy one-handed operation. Simply turn the dial to the frequency that you wish to be tuned to then listen to the bat calls through the speaker or headphones.The Magenta Bat 4 has a wrist strap for added ease and security and a built-in LED torch. It is powered by 4 x AAA batteries (included).
The Magenta Bat 5 provides all the great features of the Bat 4 but with a backlit digital LCD display so that you can more easily find the exact frequency to which you wish to listen.
Heterodyne (and superheterodyne) detectors:
Heterodyne detectors convert ultrasonic bat calls into sounds that are audible to human ears by mixing the ultrasound with a carrier wave. This produces a fascinating range of ticks, clicks, warbles and trills and so heterodyne detectors are great for beginners and for rapid identification of species in the field. Please note, however, that recordings made with a heterodyne detectors cannot be used with sound analysis software as the original frequency information is not preserved in the recordings.