Monitoring

Haptic Feedback

How Chirps haptic feedback works in the field, which devices support it, and how to tune it for brief ultrasonic detections.

Overview

Chirps can turn ultrasonic detections into tactile feedback while heterodyne monitoring is active. Instead of relying only on audible monitoring, you can feel a pulse when the live input level crosses your chosen threshold.

This is most useful when you want another cue alongside headphones or when you are monitoring in conditions where listening is not possible.

It is also an accessibility feature. People who are partly or fully deaf can use Chirps haptic feedback to experience bat activity as tactile pulses and still collect field observations alongside the live spectrogram and recording tools.

Where it works

Haptic feedback is available only on devices that support iPhone-style haptic hardware.

  • On supported devices, the HET Haptic toggle appears in Settings and can be enabled normally.
  • On unsupported devices, the control is shown as unavailable.
  • In practice, this means it is intended mainly for supported iPhone models. Many iPad models do not provide the required haptic hardware.

When it works

Haptic feedback works when all of the following are true:

  1. The live stream is running.
  2. HET monitoring is turned on.
  3. HET Haptic is enabled in Settings.
  4. The live input peak crosses the selected threshold.

How it behaves

The threshold is based on the live input level, not the monitor output level. That means you can reduce Monitor Gain or even mute heterodyne output without changing the trigger rule for haptics.

When the threshold is crossed, Chirps plays a fixed medium-strength haptic response.

How to enable it

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Go to Haptic Feedback.
  3. Turn on HET Haptic.
  4. Set Threshold.
  5. Start the stream and switch monitoring to HET.

If you are testing in the field, start with a lower threshold and then raise it until casual background movement or noise stops triggering the pulse too often.

Choosing a threshold

The threshold slider ranges from 0.01 to 0.50.

  • Use values near 0.01 to catch faint or distant calls.
  • Use mid-range values when you want fewer triggers in busy environments.
  • Raise the threshold if handling noise, rubbing cable noise, or nearby non-target sounds are causing too many pulses.

For very brief calls, a threshold that is set too high can make detections harder to feel reliably. If you are surveying bats with short calls, it is usually better to begin low and increase only as needed.

Practical field use

Haptic feedback is useful when:

  • you want a second cue in addition to headphones
  • you are scanning quickly and do not want to stare at the screen continuously
  • you are working in wind, traffic, or other distracting conditions
  • you want to keep heterodyne audio low while still noticing detections
  • you want an accessible tactile cue because audible monitoring is limited or not useful for you

Some operators may prefer to run a modest audible HET level with haptics enabled, using the pulse as a prompt to look at the spectrogram or retune the heterodyne frequency.

For some deaf or hard-of-hearing users, haptics can make Chirps more than a monitoring convenience. They can be a practical way to notice passing bat calls, follow activity in real time, and participate more fully in field data collection.

Tips

  • Use haptics together with the live spectrogram, not as a replacement for it.
  • Retune the heterodyne frequency if you are seeing calls on the spectrogram but not hearing useful audio detail.
  • If you want silent operation, set Monitor Gain very low or to zero and rely on the tactile cue plus the display.
  • If no haptics are firing, confirm that the stream is live, HET is active, and the device actually supports haptics.