Rex Boys wrote:
>
> It is my impression that using the computer is tantamount to using a
> sledgehammer to crack a nut - but if a sledgehammer is all you have then
> that is the thing to use as long as you don't crush the kernel  in the
> process!
>

This is true, but consider that the cost of a powerful general-purpose
computer is quite reasonable compared to even a simple custom-made
electronic device, because of the tremendous economies of scale in
electronics manufacture.  The cost of hiring someone to design and
construct a particular circuit (or the cost in your time to do it
yourself) will, most likely, be much higher than the cost of buying a
moderately- obsolete computer to do the job.  Our laboratories here are
filled with instruments that are run by dedicated computers, even
though they only use a tiny fraction of the computers' capabilities,
because it was cheaper and more reliable than designing and building
dedicated, single-purpose electronics.

An older laptop computer would be fully capable of the kind of
spectral analysis you are talking about, provided that it has
the appropriate software and a decent microphone.  And, provided that
it isn't taken outside in the rain, it should work fine in the bee
yard.  A good, durable, three- or four-year-old computer could probably
be gotten for $300 or less.

--
Tim Eisele
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