For those who want to find microbats themselves.

At our last microbat event at Long Hollow, several people expressed interest in owning their own Baton Bat Detector. FoNW are about to purchase some more. Purchasing multiple detectors means we qualify for a discount. If you've wanted to own your own detector that you can use anywhere, anytime, now's your opportunity to get one at a discount by piggybacking on our order.

Register your interest by 13 December.

What are they?

These are the Baton detectors, the smaller black ones without a screen. They manipulate the sound the bats make, bringing the sound within the range of human hearing and playing the sound through a built in speaker.

There are two models we are suggesting.

Batbox Baton

A basic detector that divides the frequency of the sound. When a bat is detected, the bat's call sounds like a repeating "chirp". Most of the detectors we've used worked this way, so if you've heard the older "SD2" detectors we used to use, you'll know what I mean.

This model has a headphone socket in case you wish to use headphones. Runs on a standard 9V battery. More information available at http://batbox.com/baton.asp

Expected Price: $118, assuming at least 5 are ordered. Includes shipping and GST.

Batbox Baton XD

A fancier detector that has two notable improvements over the basic Baton.

You have the option to plug in a smart phone or tablet (Android or iPhone/iPad) and use an app to display the bat call in real time, as well as record the call for later review. This works similarly to our expensive Anabat Walkabout detectors you may have seen at our microbat events. It's a bit more awkward to use, but significantly cheaper.

As well as dividing the frequency the way the basic Baton does, it can also use a technique called "time dilation" to convert the bat call to something we can hear. This slows down the call so it takes longer to play, but it's much closer to what the call would really sound like if our ears could detect the original.

Also runs on a standard 9V battery. More information available at http://batbox.com/baton-xd.asp

Expected Price: $415, assuming we can order at least 5. Includes shipping and GST.

What Next?

If you might be interested, let us know by emailing info@bayfonw.org.au before 13 December 2017. Include any questions you may have, as well as how many of which model you're interested in. At that point, there's no obligation for you to proceed.

The final price will depend on the number of people who want one, and the exchange rate at the time (we're paying in GBP). Once we know how many people are interested in which model, we'll contact you with firm pricing. At that point you can change your mind.

We'll then set a deadline for payment. Your transfer to our bank account of the correct amount by the due date will confirm your order. At this stage, we expect the due date for full payment to be around 18 December.