17,520+ hours
of continuous recording*
The Solar BAR is capable of recording continuously for years with only minimal service visits
to change memory cards.
-
Ultra-quiet solar powered battery
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4kg total weight
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4 SD card slots for up to 4 TB of data
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Record in .WAV or FLAC lossless compression
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Built-in GPS for accurate location and time synchronization
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Rugged design to withstand climate extremes
See all design features
$1,190* AUD
($743** USD)
*Excl. GST
**Exchange rate as of 11.4.25
"Extremely reliable"
Paul Roe, Lead Researcher
Australian Acoustic Observatory
Solar BAR Tech Specs
The Solar BAR is designed for long duration continuous monitoring. It has a built-in solar panel and charge controller with no external cables. It is capable of recording continuously (or scheduled) for years with only minimal service visits to change the memory cards.
Case and Mounting
With the solar panel mounted firmly on top, there are no cables or other connections to worry about. Simply connect the microphone and close the lid. A lockable case made from tough UV resistant plastic. The Solar BAR has a unique mounting plate with a variable pivot allowing the user to adjust the mounting angle to capture the most light. Comes with spanner and bolts to mount to star picket.
Recording Capabilities
4 x SD card slots. Supports 16-bit WAV and FLAC (lossless compression) recording at sample rates from 8kHz to 96kHz.
GPS Features
The built-in GPS automatically time-syncs and GEO-stamps your recordings. Set to continuously record or schedule your own listening pattern.
Schedule Recordings with Ease
All Frontier Labs acoustic recorders come with easy-to-use scheduler software. Program any sampling schedules with ease, including sunrise/sunset based recordings, different recordings on different days and waking up at a future date.
Microphones
Our highly sensitive, low noise omnidirectional microphones have a 20dB class A pre-amp and cable driver plus an internal memory chip. These features allow the recorder to automatically log the microphones’ serial number and manufacture date for every recording you make, automatically tracking the age of your microphones.
The Solar BAR ships with one microphone included, but as all microphones exposed to the elements eventually degrade, we recommend purchasing multiple microphones in order to maintain high-quality recordings.
Power & Batteries
The Solar BAR has a built-in 10W monocrystalline solar panel that continually recharges the 12V 7.2Ah onboard battery, allowing for continuous recording. Even without any sunlight, the recorder can operate for approximately 1000 hrs (41 days) of continuous recording. The built-in solar controller and battery charger is optimised for super-quiet performance to ensure optimal acoustic recording.
Specifications
Weight | 4 kg (including battery) |
Dimensions | Height: 11.5 cm, width: 30.5 cm, depth: 25cm |
Battery | 7.2 Ah lead acid battery |
Warranty | 3 years |
Run time | Lasts approximately 1,000 hrs with no sun (running from 12 V 7.2 Ah battery) |
Storage | 4 SD card slots up to 1 TB each (4 TB of storage) |
Microphones | Highly sensitive, ultra-low noise omnidirectional microphone includes a 20dB class A pre-amp and output driver for cables. |
Recording formats | FLAC lossless compression effectively doubles your storage capacity, meaning you can record up to 8TB of equivalent wav files. |
Sample rates | Supports multiple sample rates: 8 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.05 kHz, 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz (with corresponding anti-aliasing filters) |
Gain | Fully adjustable gain in 1 dB increments up to a total of 60 dB |
GPS time sync | Built-in GPS time-sync and location stamping |
Recommended Accessories
What does Australia sound like?
The Solar BAR was initially created to fulfil the ambitious dreams of those working on the Australian Acoustic Observatory project. This joint initiative between five Australian universities and several leading conservation organisations aims to continually record 400 ecosystems across the continent for 5 years - that's more than 2000 years of acoustic data!
Find out more about this incredible project in the videos below or on their website.