My RememBird

You can easily play the first (oldest) or last (newest) recording that you have made:

1. Press and hold the Play Button (G) for 2 seconds

2. You will then hear the titles of any audio field-guides followed by “First Recording, Last Recording”.

3. Press the play button in briefly during the words First Recording or Last Recording to replay your oldest or newest recording respectively.

Other devices, such as Bat detectors, often have stereo line output connections. These too can be connected via the optional speaker/microphone adapter lead. Use the Edit > RememBird Preferences settings on the computer application to enable this option and configure gain and other settings. If you have enabled the line-in microphone option the song recording button will control recording via the line-in connection, whenever an adapter lead is plugged in.

The adapter lead only allows one or other of these to be connected at a time but if you carry both with you, it is possible to enable both inputs. You can then decide which input the song recording button controls. For example, if you are about to do some bat recording via the line-in connection plug your bat detector into the adapter lead and plug that into RememBird.

Hold the song recording button down then hold the notes recording button down as well. After two seconds, the capacity indicators will flash briefly and then light one of the LEDs to indicate which input the song button is controlling (Green=External microphone, Amber=line-in, Red=Internal microphone). Each time you do this it will cycle on to the next option. Make a test recording and play it back to check it is controlling the input you expect it to.

Sometimes you may want to continue recording for long periods or just want to be able to let go of the recording button and have recording continue. To do this,

1. Start recording as normal by pressing and holding one of the two record buttons.

2. Press the power button briefly

3. You can now let go of the recording button.

4. You will see the capacity LED continuing to flash once a second and recording will continue.

To stop recording, press and release the recording button.

As you go through the day, you may wish to mark one or more recordings as being of particular interest. To do this:

1. While recording (bird song or notes) release and re-press the recording button (B or C) that you are using.

2. As long as you do not release the button for more than a second, your recording will continue without a break.

3. The number of times you “click” the button is counted and marked against that precise point in the recording.

When you review the recordings on your PC, each “click” shows up as a star (?) against that recording. The more clicks you make, the more stars appear next to the recording on the computer. When marking highlights, do not click too quickly as the button release may not be noticed before you press the button again. If you regularly use RememBird to note details of photographs or videos that you take, you can use this mechanism to highlight these notes e.g. two clicks for notes about a photograph and three clicks for notes about a video clip.

Birdwatchers told us that they wanted the RememBird to be as light as possible – so it uses a single AAA battery. However, this means that you will need to replace the battery more often than in devices using more and/or larger batteries. To get the best battery life,

• Do not play via the internal speaker any more or any louder than you need to
• Mute the internal speaker and use headphones instead
• Use external powered speakers for replay instead of headphones
• Turn RememBird off when not actively birding
• When at home, remove the battery or leave it connected to an active (powered) USB port. Otherwise the clock circuit will continue to gradually drain the battery. Even with RememBird turned off a full battery will drain over a period of 1-2 months.

We recommend Lithium AAA batteries as these will continue to provide the high current needed for replay longer than alkaline cells of the same nominal capacity. Rechargeable NiMH batteries do not last as long as good alkalines and run out of power very rapidly when they get close to their limit. The battery level sensor cannot give much warning of this as the voltage falls off very rapidly. NiCd rechargeables should not be used as they do not hold enough power to be worthwhile.

Do NOT under any circumstances use 3.6V lithium cells. Only use 1.5V AAA cells.

All recording systems are affected by wind noise. RememBird has been designed to reduce the impact of wind noise but you should still take care to shelter the microphone when recording in order to obtain the best possible quality recording. The note taking microphone is housed in the most sheltered space available while you are using binoculars – just above your nose! Your hands will naturally provide shelter to this area while you are using the binoculars, allowing you to take notes while watching the bird. If you record notes while holding the binoculars in front of you, or holding the recorder in your hand, the microphone is less well sheltered and you should turn away from the wind, cup your hands around it or find a sheltered spot if birding in strong winds.

The Recording Preferences settings allow you to configure an optional 200Hz high pass wind-noise filter. This can help to reduce rumble caused by wind. The front-facing microphone is obviously less well sheltered and even though it has a small wind-baffle built in, you are advised to check the quality of what is being recorded immediately after you have recorded it.

A useful tip is to crouch down as low as possible. The wind speed drops significantly as you get close to the ground. Also, try shielding the microphone or pointing it away from the wind – even if that is the direction the bird is calling from. You may achieve a better quality recording this way.

RememBird has been used extensively in some of the coldest, wettest and dustiest parts of the world and can be used even in heavy rain. However, because of the need to allow sound to enter the microphone chambers, it cannot be entirely waterproof. If you do get water inside the recorder and it stops working,

• Remove the battery and battery cover
• Place the unit somewhere warm to dry out