The Wildlife Acoustics MINI BAT
A static recorder for on-site deployment
The new full spectrum & zero crossing recorder
Call me on 0333 9000 927 for a chat
The MINI BAT has my 60 day 100% Satisfaction Guarantee & extra year's warranty

Hi there,

What can I say about the Wildlife Acoustics MINI BAT?

If you're looking for a static full spectrum recorder to leave out on site, the Wildlife Acoustics SM4BAT FS & MINI BAT, the Anabat Swift, the Pettersson D500X and the Elekon Batlogger C are the ones to consider.

All units record bat calls very efficiently, but the main consideration is going to be deployment times. The Batlogger C can last for 5 nights with the single included battery or 10 nights with the optional additional battery. The D500X can last for 14 nights. The SM4BAT FS and Anabat Swift can last for up to 30 nights. The MINI BAT can last for 30 nights on four AA alkaline batteries (up to 150 nights with six 18650 lithium ion batteries).

I thoroughly recommend the SM4BAT FS, Anabat Swift or MINI BAT for their long deployment times and ease of use.

With the SM4BAT FS, Swift, Batlogger C & D500X you'll also get a free bat calls book worth £30: either British Bat Calls by Jon Russ, Social Calls of the Bats of Britain and Ireland by Neil Middleton et al or Bats of Britain & Europe by Christian Dietz & Andreas Kiefer or a £30 voucher.

I want you to be 100% happy with your purchase so call me on 0333 9000 927 for advice.

Warm Regards,

Martin.

Note that deployment time is now 30 nights on alkaline and 150 nights on lithium ion batteries!
The new MINI BAT is only £730 or £760 with SanDisk 128GB SDXC card and four AA alkaline batteries (18650 li-ion battery pack also available).
60 day 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and exclusive 3 year warranty.
Prices include UK delivery & VAT
(non-UK delivery will be charged at cost after purchase and we can supply without VAT)
Does not include analysis software!
For orders to be shipped outside the UK, please email to get prices.

Compact, lightweight, single-channel bat detector and recorder.

Developed specifically for bat research, the SM4BAT recorders combine innovative design with a new low-power processor and easy-to-use scheduling features. Available in full-spectrum and zero-crossing models, the SM4BAT will make bat research simpler, faster, less costly and more reliable. The SM4BAT FS creates high-quality, full-spectrum recordings that can be easily converted to zero-crossing recordings using free Kaleidoscope conversion software. The SM4BAT ZC creates zero-crossing files that optimize power and data storage.

Small, secure and weatherproof.

Designed around the footprint of 4 D-size batteries and made of rugged polycarbonate, the SM4BAT is less than half the weight and size of the SM3BAT. The integrated mounting bracket and weatherproof security cover keep the unit safe and dry in the most punishing environments.

Longest deployment times available.

The new, low-power microprocessor, combined with 4 D-size batteries, enable the longest deployment times of any other bat recorder available. The SM4BAT FS has a recording run time of 300 to 500 hours depending on bat activity and other factors. The SM4BAT ZC run time is even longer. See Specifications for details.

Easy to program.

To get you started quickly, the SM4BAT features a brand new, easy-to-use, Quick Start menu and Scheduler. Use built-in schedules, or customize them for your specific recording needs.

Available GPS accessory to set clock and location.

When deploying multiple recorders, use a single GPS accessory to automatically set the date, time and location settings of all recorders. The GPS accessory can also be attached to log the recording locations and path for mobile transects.

Recording Technology: Single-channel

SM4BAT FS: 16-bit .wav

SM4BAT ZC: Zero-Crossing

Sample Rates: Full-Spectrum, single-channel, 256kHz, 384kHz, 500kHz

Run-Time: SM4BAT FS: 300-500 hours, depending on bat activity, SM4BAT ZC: 500 hours (NOTE: SM4BAT FS and ZC run times can vary by as much as 50% depending on the characteristics of specific brands and models of flash cards, the kind and quality of batteries used (alkaline versus rechargeable), temperature and configuration. We recommend SanDisk brand SDHC/SDXC cards.)

Power Options: Internal power using 4 D-size alkaline (included) or NiHM batteries; External power via optional SM3/SM4 Power Cable

Storage: 2 SDHC/SDXC flash card slots (Class 4 or greater)* More than 1 terabyte total capacity using 2 512GB SDXC cards* (I recommend using SanDisk SDHC/SDXC cards and I include 2 128GB SDXC cards in the complete bundle).

Height: 8.6"/21.8 cm; Width: 5.9"/ 15.0 cm; Depth: 2.8/7.1 cm; Weight: 1.4 lbs./.64kg without batteries, 2.7 lbs./1.2kg with batteries

Enclosure Material: Polycarbonate

Operating Temperature: -4°F to +122°F or -20°C to 50°C

Warranty: 3 years (4 years if you buy from me)

If you're not sure whether the SM4BAT FS is the one for you, just give me a call on 0333 9000 927 and I'll loan you mine to see if you like it.

Download SM4BAT FS User Guide - English - Spanish (Manual de usuario) - German (Bedienungsanleitung) - Chinese (用户指南) - French (Guide de l'utilisateur) - Japanese

The SM3BAT and SM4BAT FS implement a serial communications interface in support of wind energy SCADA systems to report possible bat activity. With firmware version 1.3.3 and later of the SM3BAT, or SM4BAT FS recorders produced with serial numbers greater than S4U06942 (shipped on or after March 12, 2019), the recorder responds to serial requests with information including cumulative number of bat passes and pulses detected as well as timestamp, voltage, temperature, and flash card capacity information.

Download more information

New Products to protect your Song Meters and the SMM-U2 microphone from electrical surges! 
o   The Song Meter Surge Suppressor protects SM4/SM4BAT and SM3/SM3BAT recorders from power surges that could harm your recorders. This accessory should be used wherever microphones are mounted at elevation.

o   If you’ve mounted your SM4BAT and SMM-U2 to a metrology tower, wind turbine or some mounting point several feet off the ground, the SMM-U2 Grounding Bracket protects the SMM-U2 microphone from electrical surges that could damage the microphone and recorder.

1. Quick Start
2. Overview
3. Audio Settings
4. Settings Part Two
5. Daily Recording Schedules
6. Advanced Recording Schedules
7. SM4 Configurator Software
8. SM4BAT Utilities
Charger for 18650 Li-ion batteries
(charges 8 cells)

Note that the li-ion lid will work with 2, 4 or 6 compatible li-ion 18650 batteries
Also compatible with the Mini Acoustic recorder below!

Song Meter Mini acoustic microphone

Acoustic Mic Stub

The acoustic microphone stub can be added to the MiniBAT to allow recording of birds, frogs and other ambient sounds when the device is not recording bats using the buit-in ultrasonic microphone.

Easily fitted, this microphone stub can also be used on the Mini Acoustic to give two-channel recordings.

Priced at £85, this microphone gives useful additional capability to the MiniBAT, which is already great value for money.

Recording Technology: 16-bit PCM .wav files

Channels: 1 built-in (2 with optional second microphone)

Recording Bandwith: 20Hz – 48kHz

Sample Rates: The recorder supports the following sample rates in samples per second on one or two channels: 8000, 12000, 16000, 22050, 24000, 32000, 44100, 48000, 96000

Built-in Microphone Directional Characteristic: Omni-DirectionalSensitivity: -11.0 ±4 dBfs/pa @ 1kHz, 0dB gainSignal to Noise Ratio: 80 dB Typ. at 1kHz (1 Pa, A weighted network)Max Input Sound Level: 105 dB SPL Typ.

Power Options: 4 AA Alkaline or rechargeable NiMH batteries2, 4 or 6 18650 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries using optional lithium lid accessory

Run-Time: 4 AA Alkaline: up to 240 hours 6 18650 Li-ion batteries: up to 1,200 hours NOTE: Run times can vary depending on the characteristics of specific brands and models of flash cards, the kind and quality of batteries used, temperature and configuration. We recommend SanDisk brand SDHC/SDXC cards.

Storage: 1 SDHC/SDXC flash card slots (Class 4 or greater)*Supports up to 1TB SDXC cards (will support 2TB SDXC if/when available)*We recommend using SanDisk SDHC/SDXC cards. You can buy them from our store.

Dimensions: Height: 4.9" / 123 mm; Width: 6.6" / 168 mm; Depth:1.4" / 36 mm

Weight: Without batteries: 0.42 lb / 190g; With 4 AA batteries: 0.64 lb / 290g

Enclosure Material: Polycarbonate

Enclosure Environmental Protection: Fully weatherproof

Operating Temperature: -4°F to +185°F or -20°C to 85°C

Warranty: 2 years (3 years if bought from me)

Song Meter Mini Acoustic Recorder

The smallest, lightest and most affordable wildlife audio recorder from Wildlife Acoustics, the new Song Meter Mini gives scientists a simple, yet innovative, tool for recording birds, frogs and other vocal wildlife.

From conducting species inventory and presence/absence surveys to detecting endangered species and monitoring habitat health, the Song Meter Mini captures quality recordings at a breakthrough price.

  • Comparable recording quality to the industry standard Song Meter SM4
  • Lightweight, at just 0.64 lb (290 g) including batteries
  • Just 4.9" x 6.6" x 1.4" (123 mm x 168 mm x 36 mm)
  • ​Weatherproof design suitable for any environment
  • ​Change settings and schedule wirelessly via Bluetooth on your mobile device
  • ​Automatically sends recorder status to the app via Bluetooth
  • ​Uses your mobile device to set date, time, time zone and location
  • ​Optional second microphone for stereo recordings (see above)
  • ​Record up to 240 hours scheduled over months with 4 AA batteries (or up to 1,200 hours with 6 lithium-ion batteries in optional lid)
  • ​Compatible with Kaleidoscope Pro software to quickly scan recordings to help find species of interest
  • ​Affordably priced at £500, including built-in microphone
Song Meter Mini Bat Security Bracket

Security Bracket for Mini & Mini Bat

The steel bracket secures the lid to your recorder and works with any padlock that is 1/4" (7mm) or smaller. Its size can be adjusted to fit a Mini or Mini Bat unit with or without the lithium battery lid.
£60 including UK delivery & VAT
Select the type of bat detector you're looking for below
Passive Zero Cross

Recorders for leaving out on site and producing zero crossing files.

Passive Full Spectrum

Recorders to be left out on site and producing full spectrum files.

Active Full Spectrum

Hand-held recorders that can record full spectrum files and most of them log GPS co-ordinates.

Comment from a client:

"My bat detector microphone failed during a dawn survey and knew that I had a group of dusk surveys starting in two days time. I was not in a good place as I did not have a spare, but my equipment was less than a year old.

After my survey I contacted Martin by email and he called me back on the same day, a few hours later, after a quick nap. He told me he did not have a part in stock, but had already contacted the supplier on my behalf.

The next day I received a replacement part, free of charge and express delivered from Switzerland. I thought it was amazing, and could not believe it was resolved so quickly.

Due to Martin's exceptional service I was good to go with the surveys, and I really would like to thank Martin and Wildlife & Countryside Services for making the dusk surveys happen." 

David Kent

© 2015 Bat Detectors UK, part of Wildlife & Countryside Services