Brand: Titley Scientific
Version: 1.2
Head Office (Australia): +61 7 3053 3403, info@titley-scientific.com
General Support: info@titley-scientific.com
Anabat Insight Support: insight@titley-scientific.com
UK Office: +44 (0) 781 875 6965, uk@titley-scientific.com
USA Office: +1 (573) 442 8745, ask@titley-scientific.com
This manual was written by Julie Broken-Brow. Titley Scientific greatly appreciates the time, comments, and assistance given by beta testers for the Anabat Scout and this manual. The testing and troubleshooting have improved the new detector and increased the clarity of the manual.
| Manual Version | Release Date | Firmware Version | Major Additions and Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 25/05/2019 | 0.4 | - |
| 1.1 | 08/08/2019 | 1.0 | Firmware update instructions; division ratio; reset settings |
| 1.2 | 13/05/2024 | 1.6 | Contact details update; SD card recommendations; update firmware instruction |
The Anabat Scout is an affordable, full spectrum bat detector designed specifically for active bat monitoring. Some of the key features include:
The Anabat Scout has an OLED display and a simple keypad interface.
Diagram Description: The device is yellow with a black screen and buttons. A black protective pouch is shown next to it.
The Anabat Scout is powered by two user-replaceable AA batteries.
Insert the two batteries into the battery holder on the back of the detector. Do not remove the batteries without turning off the detector first to avoid potential SD card corruption.
The Low Power Symbol (?) will appear when the battery voltage is low. The detector switches itself off when the voltage drops below a usable level (1.9V). If the low battery symbol (?) appears, change the batteries as soon as possible to avoid the detector shutting down unexpectedly. All AA batteries must be removed from the battery holder when they are not in use; otherwise, the batteries will slowly discharge and may leak, damaging the detector.
AA batteries can be Alkaline, NiMh rechargeable, or Lithium (1.5V). Make sure all batteries are fresh and of the same type. Battery life will depend on the condition and type of batteries being used, as well as ambient temperature, audio volume setting, and amount of bat activity & ambient noise. Two alkaline AA batteries typically last for 10-20 hours of recording of full spectrum recording. However, in practice, recording conditions can vary, so be conservative when using battery life estimates and carry spare batteries.
There is also an internal clock battery which should only need replacing about every 5-10 years. The detector will need to be sent to your local distributor for servicing to replace this battery. The detector will warn you when this battery is due for replacing.
The Anabat Scout uses one SD card for data storage and can use SDHC and SDXC memory cards. Titley Scientific highly recommends Sandisk® Extreme and Sandisk® Ultra SD cards, as these cards have been tested with the Scout and are recommended due to their reliable performance and low power consumption. Using other brands and models may result in reduced battery life or device malfunction and are not recommended. Titley Scientific also does not support the use of microSD cards in adaptors, as using these may result in data loss/malfunctions. Memory cards can be purchased from Titley Scientific, or most electronics/office stores.
The Anabat Scout has a built-in low-noise omnidirectional microphone in the top black face of the detector. There is an additional microphone on the front of the detector above the display for recording voice notes.
The detector has a built-in speaker to listen to the audio output. Alternatively, you can connect headphones via the headphone jack on the base of the detector. If headphones are plugged in, the audio output will switch from the speaker to your headphones automatically.
As soon as the Anabat Scout is turned on, it will attempt to get a GPS lock. The GPS signal will be used to geotag the location in the metadata of the recordings, record a GPX track, and record locations in the bat count. The clock is also set accurately by the GPS.
When the detector is searching for satellites, the GPS icon (?️) in the top of the screen will be flashing. The number next to this icon indicates the number of satellites the detector has in view. When a sufficient number of satellites have been obtained, the icon will change to ?️. The more satellites, the more accurate the GPS signal.
You can still record without a GPS signal, but the location data will be unavailable and a track will not be recorded. To improve the GPS performance, move to an area with a clearer view of the sky for better satellite reception.
The Anabat Scout is designed to be easy to use and start recording immediately. Before you start a recording session with your detector, you should set your current time zone (see Setting the time zone) otherwise the time stamps on the files will be incorrect. The clock will be automatically set when the GPS obtains a signal. Titley Scientific also highly recommends you check for firmware updates (see UPDATE FIRMWARE).
Turn the detector on by pressing the OK button (✅). It will automatically start the live audio. If you have an SD card inserted, triggered recording will also begin. When a recording is being triggered, the recording symbol (?) will appear in the bottom centre of the screen (for more information see TRIGGER SETTINGS).
To stop the detector recording briefly, press the OK button (✅); it will ask "Would you like to stop recording?". Press the OK button (✅) or the Yes right soft key to stop recording. Press the No left soft key to continue recording.
To turn the detector off, hold down the OK button (✅) for two seconds; it will ask "Would you like to shutdown?". Select Yes using the right soft key. To continue recording, press the No left soft key.
The Scout firmware is updated by using an SD card with the software update copied onto it. You can subscribe to receive email alerts of new Scout firmware updates using this website: http://eepurl.com/dNeMxc.
You can get the update file using one of two methods:
scout.adx. You can use the same SD card to update multiple Scouts.OR
THEN:
To control the volume, use the left and right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) whilst in the main screen. Alternatively, you can change the volume in the settings.
The bat counter will record every 'in' and 'out' button press into a .csv spreadsheet. Along with each button press, it will also record the date, time, and location. By default, each in/out button press will count as 1, however you can increase this increment up to 10 (see Bat count increment). To reset the bat counter, hold both the In and Out buttons simultaneously for 2 seconds. A new bat count file will be created for each night.
By default, the right soft key will record a voice memo. You need to press and hold the button whilst you record the memo; once the button is released, the memo recording will end. You cannot record a voice memo and record bat files simultaneously. Speak into the voice microphone (located just above the screen) while taking the memo. It is best to hold the microphone around 15cm (6 inches) from your mouth while speaking.
If you have changed the function of the right soft key (see Soft key options), then you can record a voice memo by pressing the left soft key, then the up arrow button (▲), then pressing the OK button (✅) to start recording. To stop recording, press the right soft key.
To access the Settings Menu, press the left soft key.
When turned on, the Anabat Scout will record continuously until the batteries run out, the SD card becomes full, recording is manually stopped, or the detector is turned off. This is the default recording mode designed for active detection of bats. Files will only be saved if they pass the trigger settings.
To access the Trigger Settings menu, press the left soft key, then use the OK button (✅) to select 'Trigger'. You will be able to change the sensitivity, minimum frequency, maximum frequency, recording mode, and minimum event time. Scroll through the menu using the up/down navigation buttons (▲▼) and make a selection by pressing the OK button (✅), or right arrow button (▶️).
To change the sensitivity, select 'Sensitivity' in the Trigger Settings, then use the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) to increase/decrease the level. You can choose between Low, Medium, and High sensitivity. High is selected by default.
This is the minimum frequency that can create a triggering event. Any sound below this will not trigger a recording. A recommended minimum frequency is the lowest echolocation frequency you expect to record. To change this, select 'Min Frequency' in the Trigger Settings, then use the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) to increase/decrease the frequency. The default value is 10 kHz.
This is the maximum frequency that can create a triggering event. Any sound above this will not trigger a recording. A recommended maximum frequency is the highest echolocation frequency you expect to record. To change this, select 'Max Frequency' in the Trigger Settings, then use the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) to increase/decrease the frequency. The default value is 160 kHz.
By default, the Anabat Scout will record in triggered mode, where a sound needs to pass the trigger settings to be saved as a recording. You can also choose to record constantly. The constant recording mode will record all sound constantly (without triggers) until recording is manually stopped by pressing the OK button (✅), or the detector is turned off.
To change the mode, select 'Rec Mode' in the Trigger Settings, then use the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) to change between Triggered and Constant; the selected mode will be highlighted in yellow. Press the OK button (✅) to confirm your selection. Once constant mode is selected, it will immediately begin recording.
If you wish to continue recording in triggered mode, and have the option of turning on constant recording quickly, choose 'Rec Mode' as your soft key option, then press the right soft key to start and stop constant recording.
If you would like to start and stop constant recording easily (for example when recording reference calls), choose 'Constant recording mode' in the Trigger Settings, and 'Rec Mode' as your soft key option. Then you can use the right soft key to start and stop recording.
This is the minimum duration sound that will trigger a recording. You can set this to the minimum duration bat pulse to be recorded. A recommended minimum event time is 2ms. To change this, select 'Min Event' in the Trigger Settings, then use the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) to increase/decrease the time.
A recording window, also known as a trigger window, is the minimum amount of time recording will continue after a trigger event. This will prevent a bat pass being broken up into multiple files. However, if a file reaches the maximum length specified in the File Length setting, it will be ended and a new file will begin. A recommended minimum event time is 2ms. To change this, select 'Rec Window' in the Trigger Settings, then use the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) to increase/decrease the time.
To access the Recording Settings menu, press the left soft key, then use the OK button (✅) to select 'Recording'. You will be able to change the file type, maximum file length, ZC division ratio, and add a filename prefix. Scroll through the menu using the up/down navigation buttons (▲▼) and make a selection by pressing the OK button (✅), or right arrow button (▶️).
You can choose to record in either full spectrum (FS) or zero crossing (ZC). ZC requires very little memory compared to FS, however FS files contain more acoustic information. An FS file can be converted or viewed in ZC after recording. By default, the Anabat Scout will record in FS. To change the mode, select 'Rec Type' in the Recording Settings, then use the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) to change between ZC and FS; the selected mode will be highlighted in yellow. Press the OK button (✅) to confirm your selection.
The file length represents the maximum length of any recording and can be up to 20 seconds. When a recording is triggered, the detector will record files up to the specified number of seconds in length before starting a new file. To change the maximum file length, select 'File Length' in the Recording Settings, then use the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) to increase/decrease the time.
You are able to save the detector serial number as a filename prefix. To activate this feature, select 'File Prefix' in the Recording Settings, then use the right arrow (▶️) to change to SN (Serial Number), then press the OK button (✅).
The Anabat Scout offers a number of audio outputs including heterodyne, auto-heterodyne, and frequency division. To access the Audio Settings menu, press the left soft key, then use the OK button (✅) to select 'Audio'. You will be able to change the audio output, choose auto/manual tuning, and change the volume. Scroll through the menu using the up/down navigation buttons (▲▼) and make a selection by pressing the OK button (✅), or right arrow button (▶️).
To change the mode, select 'Audio Output' in the Audio Settings, then use the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) to change between Het, FD, or Both, press the OK button (✅) to confirm your selection.
Auto-tuned heterodyne will automatically determine the peak frequency being recorded and tune in to this frequency. This means that you will not have to manually scroll the heterodyne tuning to listen to bats at different frequencies. In auto-tune mode, the peak frequency and the tuned frequency are the same, and will be displayed on the main screen next to the ? symbol. If you are in auto-tune mode, you can still use the up/down navigation buttons (▲▼) to manually tune, but once the peak frequency changes again, the tuned frequency will snap back to the peak frequency.
Turning off auto-tuned heterodyne will mean that you have to manually tune the heterodyne to the frequency of interest using the up/down navigation buttons (▲▼). In manual tuning mode, the manual tuned frequency is displayed next to the ? symbol, and the peak frequency being detected is displayed next to the ? symbol.
Auto-tune heterodyne will be on by default. To change this, select 'Auto Tune' in the Audio Settings, then use the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) to change between On and Off; the selected mode will be highlighted in yellow. Press the OK button (✅) to confirm your selection.
You can change the volume using the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️), or in the Audio Settings menu, by selecting 'Volume', then using the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) to increase/decrease the volume (0 – 28).
The Anabat Scout provides two screen brightness options: low and high. By default, high screen brightness is used. To change this, press the left soft key (Menu), then the up arrow button (▲) twice, then pressing the OK button (✅). Use the left/right navigation buttons (◀️▶️) to change between Low and High; the selected mode will be highlighted in yellow. Press the OK button (✅) to confirm your selection.
The Anabat Scout is not weather-proof; take care to protect it from rain, dew, and snow. The ultrasonic microphone is located on the black top of the detector; ensure that dirt and dust does not enter the microphone hole. Do not insert anything into the microphone hole, this will cause damage to the microphone and void your warranty.
Once you have recorded the bat calls onto the SD card, you can simply transfer the files from the SD card onto your computer or an external memory source. These files can also be opened directly from the SD card with Anabat Insight.
Log files are stored as CSV files, with the extension .csv. Files are recorded as either zero crossing, with the extension .zc, or full spectrum, with the extension .wav. Both of these file types can be opened/viewed directly in Anabat Insight. The full spectrum files and zero crossings files can be opened in any software that accepts .wav or .zc files.
File names include the date and time of the recording: YEAR-MM-DD HH-MM-SS.filetype, for example, 2019-03-15 19-42-07.zc was a zero crossing file recorded on 15th March 2019 at 7:42:07pm.
The diagnostic log files contain all the information about the recording sessions on the SD card. Information such as battery voltage, GPS locations, settings, and user interactions can be extracted from this file. Each log file can be opened as a text file or in a spreadsheet viewer such as Microsoft Excel.
The Anabat Scout comes with a free version of Anabat Insight, available for download from www.titley-scientific.com.
Anabat Insight has the following features:
All metadata recorded on the Anabat Scout is saved to files in the GUANO (Grand Unified Acoustic Notation Ontology) format. This format is now the standard across bat acoustic fields. For recordings from an Anabat Scout, it includes the following:
A. Detection distances will vary with frequency and loudness (amplitude) of the bat calls, atmospheric attenuation, and the directional characteristics and sensitivity of the bat detector. It will also be affected by the amount of structural clutter (obstacles such as vegetation) which can block the path of the signal.
The frequency and amplitude of the bat call have a major influence on how far away the call can be detected, and makes some species easier to detect from afar than others. Quiet (low amplitude) and high frequency bat calls are more difficult to detect than loud (high amplitude) or low frequency calls. Call amplitude can vary within an individual, as many bats will reduce the amplitude of their calls as they approach prey or depending on the context in which they are flying. Call amplitude can also vary between species. Species which always produce low amplitude calls (‘whispering bats') will be more difficult to detect from a distance than other species. In addition, bat calls of higher frequencies cannot usually be detected from as far as those of lower frequencies, as higher frequencies suffer greater absorption by the atmosphere than lower frequencies.
Atmospheric absorption depends upon weather conditions such as temperature, humidity, and air pressure. This relationship is complex, but in general, cool dry conditions will allow the detection of bat calls over greater distances.
The sensitivity of the detector also has a major influence on detection distance, and while there is always some variability in sensitivity among units, the biggest influence is the sensitivity setting.
Given all the above, it is obvious that detection distances will vary enormously. Many bats are easily detected over 30m under typical conditions, while some species which call at low frequencies may be detectable from as far as 100m. However, some species will be hard to detect from even 1m away. This is why activity levels measured acoustically cannot easily be compared between different species. However, acoustic indices of activity are generally much less biased than indices based on capture data.
Further information on detection distances and the calculation of detection fields and distances can be obtained from the software AnaVolumes (you can download at www.titley-scientific.com).
A. The division ratio is set at 8. The division ratio affects the amount of data which is saved in Zero Crossing recordings; the lower the division ratio, the greater the number of data points in the resulting sonogram. The division ratio for the FD audio output is 16.
A. The sample rate of the Anabat Scout is 320ksps.
A. To improve the GPS lock, move to an area with a clearer view of the sky for better satellite reception. You can still record without a GPS lock, but the timestamp and location data may not be accurate. Initially, your GPS data may be less accurate, but this will improve within a few minutes as more satellites are locked.
For further information please visit the Titley Scientific website: www.titley-scientific.com
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