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High End Research Gear And Equipment


NathanFooter

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Thanks, I looked at those, too :) The generator is just under $500 and the 100 watt solar panel is another $300 or so. Don't know if the panel comes with a charge controller or not which is recommended for any situation where charging a battery is necessary. The controllers can be as little as $20 or less. I figure I'm economically a little better off with what I'm setting up, which is about half the cost. I will also have the advantage of being able to charge different size rechargeable batteries for things like flashlights, headlamps, NV scopes and trail cameras to use in and around the campsite. Also, the charge controller in my system has two USB ports in it which, like the Jackery, is a very nice feature.

 

I tell ya, after these past four seasons I'm embarrassed and somewhat ashamed at the amount of conventional batteries I've gone through- and NOT just the D-Cells either. Used batteries DO get nearly 100% recycled as long as one returns them to a store or location that takes them which I ALWAYS did. So it comes down to the private cost of not using rechargeable batteries. Especially if the batteries are of a good enough quality to be recharged many, many times over.

 

As a note of caution to anyone thinking solar panel/controller/battery for energy storage? ALWAYS hook up the controller to the storage battery FIRST before tying in the solar panel. When finished, or putting the set up away, do the reverse- disconnect the solar panel first from the controller and then disconnect the storage battery.

 

If one connects the panel to the charge controller first? The controller will suddenly receive ALL of the wattage and voltage from the panel with no place to send it. Result? Good bye charge controller, because it will get damaged. 

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Very clever hiflier. Over time, it will pay off in spades and also provide comfort knowing you've untethered yourself from having to buy and cart around batteries by the dozens. Kudos.

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Hey guys, looking to add a good recorder to the field bag. Currently looking at the ZOOM H4n Pro and the H5. Anyone have recommendations they would like to throw out there?

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1 hour ago, Skinwalker13 said:

Hey guys, looking to add a good recorder to the field bag. Currently looking at the ZOOM H4n Pro and the H5. Anyone have recommendations they would like to throw out there?

I got a Zoom H4N Pro after we missed out capturing that loud wail that we heard a few months ago.

 

The sensitivity is great, although trying to carry it lashed to your bag causes it to pick up every rustle of fabric.  We set it up in a centralized location and let it run while we check out an area.  

 

It is well made, but it honestly seems a bit fragile, which was the determinating factor on trying to carry it.  It serves it's purpose well as a stationary recorder.  

 

I just picked up one of these small Evister recorders to try and carry with us on our packs.  We use the smaller Evister digital recorder and have been extremely pleased with its performance.  It's just 37 bucks right now, so if I break it no big deal.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LLO251A?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

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11 minutes ago, BlackRockBigfoot said:

I got a Zoom H4N Pro after we missed out capturing that loud wail that we heard a few months ago.

 

The sensitivity is great, although trying to carry it lashed to your bag causes it to pick up every rustle of fabric.  We set it up in a centralized location and let it run while we check out an area.  

 

It is well made, but it honestly seems a bit fragile, which was the determinating factor on trying to carry it.  It serves it's purpose well as a stationary recorder.  

 

I just picked up one of these small Evister recorders to try and carry with us on our packs.  We use the smaller Evister digital recorder and have been extremely pleased with its performance.  It's just 37 bucks right now, so if I break it no big deal.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LLO251A?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

 

 

Good deal, you would be suprised by the durribility of some of the zoom recorders. They are light but well built, im thinking of the 5 becuase today its tbe same price the h4n pro typically is today. The 5 also has various mic attachments you can get too, which is pretty cool.

 

I just pulled a buy it now on that little guy and got one for $34 cause there was a coupon for it today. Rhanks for the heads up on that one. 

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13 minutes ago, Skinwalker13 said:

 

 

Good deal, you would be suprised by the durribility of some of the zoom recorders. They are light but well built, im thinking of the 5 becuase today its tbe same price the h4n pro typically is today. The 5 also has various mic attachments you can get too, which is pretty cool.

 

I just pulled a buy it now on that little guy and got one for $34 cause there was a coupon for it today. Rhanks for the heads up on that one. 

The battery compartment cover just seems a bit fragile in the Zoom.

 

Let me know what you think about the Evister.  Mine gets here tomorrow.  The instructions are apparently terrible, but I found a few videos on adjusting the settings.  

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Will do. And yeah, the battery cover and SD covers always seem flimsy. Ive had a H1n and H2 that we used back in the day for recording live audio when I was in a band, we were hard on them and only broke one SD door. Tri-pod is for sure the way to go, im going to see if I can fabricate a rig that will let me mount it on my bag and try to dampen the rustleing a bit. I'll let you know how that goes too.

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@JKH ill check that one out, ive done the remote drop as well several times with moderate success. Ive got a lot of experiance with older models but decided it was time for an upgrade. being a maker/fabricator by trade I always modify or build rigs for the various tech that goes into the field with me. As for the human contamination, im not terribly worried about that. One of the guys on our research team is a audio technician with a recording studio, any forensics we would need to run would be a breeze for him. Although I am a fan of the remote drop, and this one will be used for that A LOT as its got a 20hr battery life I wanted something versitile and has the chops to hang in most environments. I settled on the H5. So that puts our team at 1 Zoom H4n, H5,and a H6 now.

@BlackRockBigfoot thanks for the info on the pro, I opted for the 5 due to the accessories I can add to it. 

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3 hours ago, JKH said:

https://www.amazon.com/SONY-PX333-Digital-Voice-Recorder/dp/B00BOXNSRY

 

Not my favorite original M10, which I've written about, but recommended by audio folks and inexpensive. I don't recommend using any recorders on or near a human, too much audio contamination, so to speak. Drop 'em and leave. Sometimes they will investigate the device even.

The Zoom recorders  could be fine, but I don't really know much about them.

 

I only use the Sony PX-333. I have several of them. I've tried others, including some cheap Amazon junk. I modified several Px-333's to take AA batteries. My rechargeable AA batteries will last a full week.

Other Sony recorders would work for me, but for reasons unknown, all Sony recorders since they discontinued the PX333, have shorter battery life.

 

In 2017 I made a spreadsheet comparing several Sony Models.

Sony Recorder Chart.jpg

 

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I've had a SONY PCM-M10 for a while and it still works well. I have no plans to give it a final resting place.  Were I to replace it today, I'd look at another SONY or a Zoom.  Maybe the SONY D10 or Zoom H6.

 

Originally, my game plan was to get two extra audio recorders and spread the three out before nightfall and pick them up in the morning.  My reasoning was that more recorders covered more area which increases the chance of catching a whoop or howl. I may still do that and, as  I write this message, I'm not quite sure why I haven't. It makes good sense.

Edited by wiiawiwb
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SW13, I see you've got it all figured :thumbsup:

 

Wiia, take care of the M10! I've written this, but my original one got wet and one button doesn't work. They aren't made anymore so nobody I spoke to would try fixing it, which was disappointing. Anyway, I bought another used one on ebay.

 

Redbone, that is interesting and a shame that they've discontinued devices that were so popular.

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7 hours ago, Skinwalker13 said:

@JKH ill check that one out, ive done the remote drop as well several times with moderate success. Ive got a lot of experiance with older models but decided it was time for an upgrade. being a maker/fabricator by trade I always modify or build rigs for the various tech that goes into the field with me. As for the human contamination, im not terribly worried about that. One of the guys on our research team is a audio technician with a recording studio, any forensics we would need to run would be a breeze for him. Although I am a fan of the remote drop, and this one will be used for that A LOT as its got a 20hr battery life I wanted something versitile and has the chops to hang in most environments. I settled on the H5. So that puts our team at 1 Zoom H4n, H5,and a H6 now.

@BlackRockBigfoot thanks for the info on the pro, I opted for the 5 due to the accessories I can add to it. 

 

How would you compare the 4, 5 and 6? Could you hear any difference in sound quality?

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1 hour ago, wiiawiwb said:

 

How would you compare the 4, 5 and 6? Could you hear any difference in sound quality?

We currently have the 4 and 6, there was  upgrade between the 4 and 4 pro, seems to get way vetter highs. The 6 is almost engineered to be a high quality nature recorder, a lot of birders use it to do remote drops and ID species. Major upgrade from 4 to 6 too, the lows and mids are way better on the 6. The 4 is still professional quality, the 5 will obviously be my personal set up, I prefered the 5 and 6 due to their accessory list. I would have picked up the 6 had the sale been a little better but couldnt swing the extra $50 today when I made the purchase. By what Dave (sound engineer) says the 5 has better mids than either the 4 or 6 out of the box. I'll post a review here once I have it in hand and can play with it myself.

 

That sony is awesome. I just can't find one thats reasonably priced, the ones that have similar features to the zoom models are all in the 5 and 600 market.

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