VA Birders,
A couple of years ago I wanted to be able to hear the birds inside my house, so
my wife bought me one of those devices that is supposed to pick up outside
sounds and allow them to be heard through a small receiver inside the house.
Well, it didn't work very well.
Recently I started thinking about using a baby monitor to accomplish the same
task. I picked up a monitor at Walmart for about $25.00. For those who are not
familiar with it, it consists of two pieces, a transmitter and a receiver.
There is one problem. The transmitter has to be plugged into an electrical
outlet. As a temporary measure I ran an extension cord from an outside outlet
(with a ground fault breaker in the circuit to prevent electric shock) to the
tree where I hang my feeders.
I put the transmitter part of the monitor in a gallon size, self sealing,
freezer bag to keep out moisture. (I'll fix a weatherproof box for it later.)
I turned the bag upside down and poked a small hole through the bottom to allow
the transmitter antenna to stick up through the bag. That may not have been
necessary, as the signal would probably transmit through the plastic. To seal
the hole I put duct tape around the antenna where it came through the bag. I
plugged the transmitter into the extension cord and put that part with the
connection inside the freezer bag. I then sealed the bag and taped it with duct
tape with the extension cord trailing out of one corner. I then taped the whole
bag to the tree with duct tape. The whole thing doesn't look great, but it is
functional. With a more permanent form of attachment the unsightly duct tape
could be discarded.
Inside the house I plugged the receiver into an outlet and turned it on. It
worked really well. The receiver I have can be plugged into an outlet, or it
runs on a nine volt battery (not included), which makes it portable. I usually
keep it in the room near my computer, where I can listen as I type. The
transmitter's microphone is very sensitive and works well, if your neighborhood
is not too noisy; cars, barking dogs, etc. I can hear the calls of the several
bird species that come to our feeders, the pecking of woodpeckers and
nuthatches and the whistling of dove wings as they fly in. I can also hear the
danger calls, and the sudden flurry of wings, when a hawk shows up.
One caveat, the transmitter works up to a distance of 400 feet. Its signal can
be picked up on a scanner, which means that anything said in the yard the
neighbors may be able to hear.
If you should decide to try one of these monitors, I cannot stress enough that
you have the electrical cable connected to a ground-fault breaker for
protection.In case of a short in the system the ground fault breaker breaks the
circuit, preventing electrocution. If the circuit you have does not have a
ground-fault breaker, an outlet with a built in ground-fault breaker is
available from Lowe's for about $13.00.
Enjoy the birds, even inside the house,
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt
Buchanan County
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