e-caller

[waldedw]

Originally Posted by GrandSlam

Is the battery pack specific to Foxpro or can you get compatible ones on Amazon?

Nope not FoxPro, any small 12 V will work just make sure you have a 5 amp fuse in the positive wire, I looked at the lithium ion batteries at Cabelas about 2 lbs lighter, only thing is they require a special charger, these from battery world or Cdn Tire are lead acid and you can charge them with a regular charger.

[Smokinyotes]

I’m using energizer lithium batteries in my fox pro. They seem to last longer than anything.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

I’m using energizer lithium batteries in my fox pro. They seem to last longer than anything.

I am using the same, I get multiple days with the lithium batteries.

[Big Lou]

Apologies to the OP of this is a little bit of a detail but, it’s decent information for those struggling with power issues and NiMH AA batteries in their callers. I’ve delved halfway deep into this as I was plagued by the same types of issues digressed in a few of the previous posts.

Rechargeable batteries are prone to having reduced capacity after every cycle. Charge and discharge. Every time you go out and run it for X amount of time with a partial discharge, then charge again; your cells have a reduced capacity from the charge cycle before. They give less and less power each time until they are virtually useless. They don’t deliver power like a Li battery. Li will maintain the highest voltage it can until it starts to drop, then, they crater quite quickly.

To get the best operation from the AA rechargeable cells, you need to have the appropriate charger to essentially force a charge that goes over whatever the battery is rated for. I believe the FoxPro batteries are 2500mAh. So on a full break in charge mode(which is what needs to happen) it may charge them to 2700 or 2800mAh, then fully discharge them and then, do a trickle charge back up to whatever the cell will hold. Capacity will always be a touch lower but, you can get a much longer service cycle out of them. I upgraded to Powermax which are a 2700mAh cell. Maybe twice a year I will perform a Refresh/Analyze cycle to see where capacity is at and as necessary, give them a full break in charge sequence. I still have a set of the FoxPro batteries that are over 10 years old now. They still work fine albeit, the don’t have the capacity they once did. You’ll enjoy better power delivery to your caller which will negate sound clipping. They will last longer per use cycle in the field and, you’ll save money in the long run.

I realize this process isn’t for everyone but, myself; I’d be a small fortune in single use batteries throughout a season and with my system the way I have it orchestrated, I have no room or desire to be packing anything larger that I already am. Thats not a dig at anyone to be crystal clear. It’s just not an alternative that I would employ.

If anyone has cells that are crapping out on them, I’m happy to recondition them if it works to get them to me. Some are pooched and can’t be saved but, I’ve had great success bringing them back from the dead more often than not.

[GrandSlam]

Thanks for the advice on batteries. I’ll try lithium.

[joliver97]

How often do you guys kill yotes? Is hunting them here generally auccessful ?

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by joliver97

How often do you guys kill yotes? Is hunting them here generally auccessful ?

That varies with land access, and with the ability of the hunter. If you have access to a lot of suitable land , and you know what you are doing, you can kill coyotes most days. If you don't pay attention to wind, movement and noise, or if try and hunt the same fields every week, the coyotes will soon be educated, and you will be lucky to get any.

[Glas Ó Cairealláin]

I've always wondered about just using a bluetooth speaker and my cellphone. I've called in a fox with my phone for a good closeup pic, he came a'running right up to us.

[Big Lou]

Originally Posted by Glas Ó Cairealláin

I've always wondered about just using a bluetooth speaker and my cellphone. I've called in a fox with my phone for a good closeup pic, he came a'running right up to us.

It works. I’ve done just that to lure a Bull Sparrow I was trying to eliminate out of a cedar row. If they are close enough to hear it and in the mood, they will come. I can’t see you getting the reach of a caller but, I can vouch. It can work.

[GrandSlam]

Do you find certain distress sounds work better than others?

[Big Lou]

Originally Posted by GrandSlam

Do you find certain distress sounds work better than others?

Yes and no. Some days you can do no wrong and it seems that anything will pull them. Other days, it can be a process of figuring out what is working. Sum of it is, sound like something small and fuzzy, in pain, vulnerable. They are creatures of opportunity. Just need to trigger them.

[elkhunter11]

I picked up an auxiliary speaker for my Foxpro today, since they were on sale. Hoping for a bit more volume.

[waldedw]

They work good but also drain the batteries faster

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by waldedw

They work good but also drain the batteries faster

If it brings in more coyotes, I can live with that. And for $110, I will give it a try.

[waldedw]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

If it brings in more coyotes, I can live with that. And for $110, I will give it a try.

Did you get it at Cabela's ?? I picked mine up there on sale last fall for $89

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by waldedw

Did you get it at Cabela's ?? I picked mine up there on sale last fall for $89

Cabelas $109, sale ended yesterday. I also ordered some Gun Club target loads for $120/flat. They had no stock for the Gun Club, so I will pick it up in store when it arrives.

[waldedw]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Cabelas $109, sale ended yesterday. I also ordered some Gun Club target loads for $120/flat. They had no stock for the Gun Club, so I will pick it up in store when it arrives.

They work good, you'll be happy with the speaker.

[6MT]

Sorry to reopen an old thread. I’m looking at a FoxPro e-caller. Can one use an external battery pack on these? I see the battery life isn’t great (especially in colder weather), and I’d like to use a high capacity lithium-ion battery. Do these units have a plug in for an external battery?

[Big Lou]

Originally Posted by 6MT

Sorry to reopen an old thread. I’m looking at a FoxPro e-caller. Can one use an external battery pack on these? I see the battery life isn’t great (especially in colder weather), and I’d like to use a high capacity lithium-ion battery. Do these units have a plug in for an external battery?

I presume that’s precisely what Ed was describing that he has done Andy. I think he’d be the one to chat with. To the best of my knowledge, no, they do not have a jack for an external power source. Perhaps the Snow Crow type models would but we aren’t talking about a jumbo sized unit for multiple hours of continuous use.

I’m not going to argue with any complaints of battery life but, I get great performance. I’m almost always running an auxiliary speaker, as well as the front horn speaker in the caller itself. I’m just running NiMH rechargeable AA in a set of eight. I recently went four outings on a single charge. Probably around 22-24 sets; they were still plugging along just fine and I go out in every bit as nasty of weather conditions as the next guy. My caller is by all standards, pretty old, so, I can’t speak with any firsthand experience about what may plague newer models. Logic would dictate that by all accounts, they should be better in that capacity. Pun intended.

[6MT]

Well, I want to utilize a high capacity lithium ion battery. I see that my FoxPro ShockWave has a charging connection on the front of the unit. If I wired up a LI battery to that port, would it run the unit? And as others have suggested, should I put a 5amp fuse on the positive lead?

[waldedw]

Originally Posted by 6MT

Well, I want to utilize a high capacity lithium ion battery. I see that my FoxPro ShockWave has a charging connection on the front of the unit. If I wired up a LI battery to that port, would it run the unit? And as others have suggested, should I put a 5amp fuse on the positive lead?

I'm not sure if you can run it through the external charging port as I never tried that, my unit has that external charging port also. I took the 8 AA battery pack out and installed an in line 5 amp fuse to the positive wire as per foxpro instructions, then connected it to the external battery pack. Your Lithium Ion battery should work fine as that is what Frank uses on his, my battery pack is just an ordinary lead acid battery 12V 9AH and will run the caller and external speaker for day's before I need to charge the battery.

[ramonmark]

Originally Posted by GrandSlam

Can anyone recommend a reasonable priced e-caller? Looking to get into coyote “dispatching” and just starting out.

I have a fox pro it's about 6 years old works good. Honestly though, lately I've just been using my phone with an external Bluetooth speaker. You can get a really good Bluetooth speakers for less than a hundred bucks. The reason I don't use the fox pro so much as I find the buttons on the remote or the LCD screen on the remote is hard to use and it's really really cold. It's pretty easy just to keep the phone on the inside of the jacket and pull it out when you need it.

[GrandSlam]

Originally Posted by ramonmark

I have a fox pro it's about 6 years old works good. Honestly though, lately I've just been using my phone with an external Bluetooth speaker. You can get a really good Bluetooth speakers for less than a hundred bucks. The reason I don't use the fox pro so much as I find the buttons on the remote or the LCD screen on the remote is hard to use and it's really really cold. It's pretty easy just to keep the phone on the inside of the jacket and pull it out when you need it.

Is there a particular app you like on the phone?