Homemade wireless electronic game calls?

[Rock Knocker]

Its the time of year to get ready for coyotes and I am sick of blowing into a distress call untill my face is blue.

Im looking into a Foxpro Fury, but I am very intrigued by making my own with a wireless transmiter and reciever. I have found some info online about making them but I was just wondering if any of you have any experience with them.

 

[Varminterror]

I built several units in the 1990's, but frankly, the way things are these days, an iPod and a remote contolled dock unit is hard to beat. And iPhone or droid with an externally powered set of speakers is also another option.

Your level of programming and small electronics expertise could determine how far you go with making your own callers. Back in the 90's, I was building around cassette tapes and/or CD players as head units, then adding in amplifiers, relays, speakers, volume control heads, etc etc. Back then, I was using wired remotes (50yrds of wire), but these days, getting remote control units is pretty simple.

Spend an afternoon at RadioShak and you'll find pretty much everything you need. Again, for 2012, the common sense move is an MP3 player as your head unit. An MP3 player, some components for a remote controlled dock, an amplified speaker, a "project box", and a battery and you'd be set. Beyond that, you can use a remote control head on the amplifier (speaker power supply), then use the MP3 unit aux jack into the amp.

Or, more conveniently, an IR repeater (or bluetooth transmitter) hooked up to the MP3 player in hand, linked to a receiver with the amp and speaker on the calling unit. That way you could use the MP3 player as the remote (volume control, sound selection, pause/play, etc etc).

So as you can see, the possibilities are pretty broad. You really just need to decide what you want out of your caller, and build a unit to suit. The compact electronics available today make it a lot easier than it used to be.

 

[Rock Knocker]

Thanks for the help, my knowledge of electronics is limited but this seems pretty simple.

My plan was to use a MP3 player hooked up to a wireless transmitter and have the reciever hooked into a small Radio Shack amplifier to run a horn speaker. Almost seems too easy but these would be the components http://www.nady.com/151vr.html for the wireless transmitter and reciever.

My two main goals are sound quality/volume and to have a wireless range of at least 150 yards.


My internet is having some problems for some reason I will try to get links up later for the amplifier and speaker I am looking at.


Speaker: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104031

Amplifier: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062620


Any ideas how this setup would compare to a Foxpro Firestorm, considering wireless distance and sound?

 

[ChrisNZ]

Read the review by "WW" on the last item

Answers a few questions about the amp suitability

Chris-NZ

 

[Rock Knocker]

Perfect, I had not seen that review. Thanks.

 

[Varminterror]

The only caution I would give you about using audio type speakers is that the rasp and high pitch of coyote calls can tend to wear out speakers quickly (a guy I knew that ran an acoustic studio said that "coyote calls are like filling a speaker cone with gravel and playing a song with a lot of bass"). Horn type speakers (outdoor speakers) might not have the even toned clarity that audio speakers provide, but they're more durable and will withstand the harsh sounds of a coyote call without distorting over time.

On a SOMEWHAT related note, I was at dinner last night with some family (since we're all back home for the week), one of my cousins brought up his caller method that I thought was intriquing. He uses an iPad and a bluetooth transmitter to wireless outdoor speakers, then runs youtube videos of other guys calling! He said the only problem is that you have to pay attention so you know when they're going to talk, but other than that, he's dumping dogs!

Not that I'd recommend that technique, but I thought it was at least interesting.

The nicest part about using an MP3 player, compared to the old cassettes, CD's, or even factory made callers, is that those remotes (or cassettes or CD's) are made to have all of the slots filled. My FoxPro E-callers won't run at all if there isn't a sound in every slot. But when would I ever use 200sounds on a single hunt? I want my 4 sounds, and I want to be able to switch between them easily. FoxBang is pretty awesome, and FoxFade is awesome (but excessive), but they're really just a luxury.

Now on the other hand, if you can build ONE, you can build 2. If a guy put 2 speaker units in a project box, you could have a microphone and a relay (one way activated) that would cut off the bluetooth feed and activate a second mp3 player (picturing iPod shuffle inside the project box) that was loaded with Ki-yi sounds only. The mic picks up your shot, cuts off your MP3 remote feed, and switches to the Shuffle with the Ki-yi. Pretty much a make-shift FoxBang without remote shut off on the head unit.

If a guy were REALLY slick, he could program the microphone relay to send a signal back to your MP3 head unit that would basically select "track number x" which would be the ki-yi sound. That'd eliminate the second MP3 player, but require a 2 way repeater, and some slick programming.

Now look what you've done! I've gone and gotten myself all excited, I'm going to have to go build one myself now...

 

[Rock Knocker]

Yeah the amplifier and speaker were the only two components I was sceptical about, but the amount I will use it if in two or three years I have to replace a $25 speaker, i dont care.


My only real problem is I keep looking at that dang Foxpro Firestorm, it really has my drooling.