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Bat Synth is an App for iPhone and iPad that simulates echolocation and social calls of common UK bats, and supports user-defined bats for other geographies. Bat Synth is intended as an education and training tool, NOT as a bat lure. I won't answer any bat lure questions.
Bat Synth generates ultrasound, so it needs an ultrasonic DAC to operate (384kHz / 16-bit). Fortunately these are now available very inexpensively (July 2026 typically £9.99 - £15.99) - try here but select carefully, Amazon will offer you 192kHz DACs despite the search requesting 384kHz, so check the specs before you order. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=384khz+usb-c+headphone+dac This is my DAC of preference (link was good in July 2026) : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CG5FTHT9 |
Download Bat Synth on the App Store
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As well as the DAC, Bat Synth also requires an ultrasonic amplifier and speaker. I have a project on PCBWay called Bat Signal (https://www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/Bat_Synth_2_b06cbf4c.html) that lets you build your own for about £20 (the ultrasonic speaker is the majority of the cost). It uses a single PCB that splits into 2 parts, one forming the circuit and the other forming the base, plus a sub-£1 3D print to join them together. It requires an "LTK5128" amplifier module, and I like to use a USB-C breakout board to bring power to the circuit. A hot melt glue gun is handy for assembly.
The combination of Bat Synth and Bat Signal gives you a very powerful educational and training tool that can be used in the classroom - or in the field immediately before the start of a bat walk - to give rookie batters a chance to learn how to use a bat detector. Bat Synth also incorporates a test tone generator that spans from 261Hz (Middle C) to 45kHz, which is very useful from an educational perspective, allowing you to illustrate a) that there really are sounds that are too high for humans to hear but can be heard by bat detectors, and b) that young girls have way better hearing than old men. |
Click to visit the PCBWay "Bat Signal" project
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USB-C breakout providing +5V to Bat Signal
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