Ciel 401 "Phoenix" Detector

After many years with a HD/FD bat detector, I have recently purchased a ciel 401 detector to make use of the time expansion feature, something that was well out of my budget until recent years when the price for this technology seems to have plummeted.

compared to my Pettersson d230, (a hd/fd detector), this is a computer! 

It has lots of cool features:

1. Different windows showing just HD frequency, or HD frequency and FD peak frequency, or an FD spectogram, (Headphone outputs corresponding to the display) 

2. The ability to sweep the FD range and lock the detector in HD at the peak frequency.

3. Recording in TE and real time sampling.

4. Box mode for remote recording.

5. Built in micro SD slot so, no need for seperate recorder. The file management is really good with directories for each day, and files labelled by recording type and time.

So far, the results are good. HD and FD detecting has been fine, the recording in FD wasn't as clear as my Pettersson D230, but I'm not sure if this is a set up error on my part. However, the TE recordings are sharp, and this will be the prime recording method for me, going forward I suspect.

The battery use seems good for hand held sessions. A rechargeable lasting several hours. A Rechargeable didn't do too well on a remote session, but you can buy an adapter and use a 12 volt cell which I'm looking into. I really like the battery housing, which has springy contacts resting against the battery terminals as opposed to having to push the attachment over the terminals, this makes swapping batteries much easier, and less likely to break.

The menu system, well, I said it was a Computer! you can customise pretty much anything including display windows, and button features, plus you can set up multiple user profiles. All a bit mind-blowing initially, but I soon got the hang of it, and I'm sure more online help will appear in due course.

Other features like changing the frequency band to eliminate unwanted noise have come in useful, particularly this time of year when Crickets are everywhere.

Also, on occasions, I was struggling to analyse the HD channel with the FD much stronger, again partly due to Crickets. It was nice to hit a button and move to a window with just HD, for a clearer listen. 

In summary, it looks brilliant, and very high on features. Only time will tell if the features all work with me, or if the complexity causes me occasional problems.

In the field use:

First couple of evenings in the field have been interesting. Pips are easy, the FD peak reading pops up on the display, pretty much saying Common or Soprano. A quick twist of the frequency dial confirming. the TE recordings are sharp, and the batexplorer software back home nails them too. Belt and braces! 

Other species I was struggling with slightly, they sound different to the 10 years spent listening thru the pettersson, but I'm sure they will become more familiar with time. (A Barbastelle had me flummoxed until I analysed the recording later. These were always a very distinct bat with the d230. ).

A third night out, and I felt like had the detector sussed. No longer was I looking slightly bewildered at the detector, but using it as a tool. Listening more acutely to the HD signal, and firing off recordings when appropriate. A Natterer's Bat was a cool highlight, and hung around for further analysis, swooping within a metre of me at times. In another area, with intense Soprano Pipistrelle activity and multiple crickets, I was able to pick out a Common Pipistrelle, and also a distant Noctule passing thru.