I need your help with home made wireless Caller

J

jart

New member
I want to make an e-caller using a MP3 player as the source and I'm thinking of using an AW811 wireless speaker to produce the sound. The speaker uses the 900MHz technology and has a 20-watt internal amp with a frequency output of 20Hz-20kHz. It's supposed to operate up to 300 feet from the transmitter. My question is; Is there such a thing as a battery operated transmitter that can transmit directly from my MP3 player to the remote speaker and if there isn't what do I need to do? Radio Shack has a 900MHz Wireless Audio-Link Transmitter but I'm not sure that it is what I need.

Speaker: Outdoor Speaker Depot

Transmitter: Radio Shack

Thanks for any advice you can give me.
Jim
 
Greetings , I am using a set of Cobra 900DX 2 way radios hooked up to my MP3 player. They are an older set of radios and work very well. Search the other posts, there was some really good info on this topic posted recently.
 
All you need is a Nady 151 VR LT wireless Mic(comes with transmitter and receiver),mp3 or cd player and a speaker.
 
Thanks for the help. I was looking at horn speakers but they all had poor frequency responses, usually less than 10kHz at the high end. That's when I ran across the AW811 with it's 20Hz-20kHz frequency response. It comes with a transmitter but I believe it has to be plugged in to 120 A/C. If I go with the Nady wireless mike then I need to find an outdoor speaker with good frequecy response and an amplifier. Got any ideas?
Jim
 
Originally posted by jart:
[qb] I'm thinking of using an AW811 wireless speaker to produce the sound. The speaker uses the 900MHz technology and has a 20-watt internal amp with a frequency output of 20Hz-20kHz. It's supposed to operate up to 300 feet from the transmitter.
[/qb]
Click to expand...
That speaker looks huge! It takes 8 C batteries. If you're that concerned about the frequency, use a car speaker. The reason why most people use a horn speaker is because of their efficiency. It doesn't take much to push them. I've never tried a car speaker, but a little 3 1/2" I would think would do the trick, but you may need more to push it.

Mike
 
Thanks for the link to Robert Cobb's info on building a caller, it's a big help. He used the Power Horn but I want to find something with a better frequency response than 500Hz-10kHz. I was looking at the Acoustic Research AW811 which was rated at 20Hz-20kHz on one web site and rated at 40Hz-15kHz at Best Buy. I believe Best Buy's rating so I'm still looking for somewthing workable that can reproduce highs >20,000Hz. I may have to lower my sights but hopefully not.

Right now here is where I'm at:

iRiver 512MB MP3 Player w/backlight, $130 on sale at Circuit City

Nady 151VR-LT Wireless Microphone System, $78 at ElectronicAccessory.com

Mini Audio Amplifier, $13 at Radio Shack

Speaker - undetermined

Thanks again for the help.
Jim
 
Mike, you're right about the AW811 being huge. I saw in one of the ads for it that it can also be used as a small side table. Since most of my calling stands are less than 200 yards from my truck the weight wasn't important. I have a compact system, not wireless, that I carry in my fanny pack when I have to cover a lot of ground on foot.

Jim
 
Jart,
Quick question for you. Any feedback when hooking up you mini amp with the 151? Also, take a look at the amps frequency. I have one as well, but I don't use it anymore, since the MP3 and my Nady 351 seem to be power enough, but I believe the frequency is not much better than that 14K or so.

Mike
 
Mike,
My wife just picked up the mini amp from Radio Shack for me and you are absolutely correct about the frequency range - 100Hz-10kHz. It will go back the next time I go into town. I haven't ordered the Nady Wireless Mike yet, was going to do that tonight, but now will have to do some more looking. It seems that the 351 is a replacement for the 151 which has been discontinued. I thought $78 was kinda low. I wonder what the difference is.

The only reason I'm concerned about frequency response is that I've convinced myself that coyotes and other predators are less often fooled by e-calls than hand calls because the commercial e-calls don't reproduce frequencies above 5kHz. Since I'm putting the caller together myself I thought I'd try to get the best frequency response I can. Even if I have to settle for 10kHz that's more than 5kHz above the commercial units as per Wildlife Technologies:


I have ear problems and blowing loud high pitched squeals and such right next to my ears borders on painful, hence the e-caller.

Jim
 
On the Radio Shack Mini Amp. The rating of 10khz max is for the small speaker that comes with the amp. The amp itself is only signal amplifier and does not contain any type of audio transformers comonly used in audio aplifiers. It does not attenuate the frequency, so whatever you put in - you get out. Keep the amp, it's a good one for the money.

You should not get any feedback at all using the amp and the nady when properly hooked up unless you wire them to a common power source. There are ways to eliminate that as well. It's a great combination that can blow your socks off. High volume for windy days is no problem.

As for the differences in the 351 and the 151. the 351 is a smaller solid state/surface mount version of the 151. it has better sound and the reciever is half the size of the 151. Frequency Response: 25 - 20,000 Hz ± 3 dB I have used both and it's well worth the difference. Get one new on E-bay for $89.

The best horn I've found is the speco SPC-5. Light and compact with 15khz rating. you'll have to go with an automotive cone speaker to get better than that. There are some nice watterproof marine versions out there.
 
Originally posted by ArkansasElkHunter:
[qb] On the Radio Shack Mini Amp. The rating of 10khz max is for the small speaker that comes with the amp. The amp itself is only signal amplifier and does not contain any type of audio transformers comonly used in audio aplifiers. It does not attenuate the frequency, so whatever you put in - you get out. Keep the amp, it's a good one for the money.

You should not get any feedback at all using the amp and the nady when properly hooked up unless you wire them to a common power source. There are ways to eliminate that as well. It's a great combination that can blow your socks off. High volume for windy days is no problem.

[/qb]
Click to expand...
Thanks. You just answered my two biggest issues! I don't use an amp unless I'm crow hunting on a windy day and yes, couldn't do it due to the feedback from the same power source! DO you use a cap to fix that? I'm glad to hear about the freq. response as well. Sorry to misinform you Jim.

Mike
 
you will have to wade through a lot of junk, but there is some good info on this website.

I also have a tutorial I wrote here on my website

Look up Isolation transformer here for more info. For single source power feedback, put in inline between the battery and the amp.

Black = Batt neg
White = amp neg
red = batt pos
yellow = amp pos

You can get it to all but make your ears bleed and be absolutely crystal clear. Not that that much volume is necessary, just good to have.

I have what I believe to be the best comercial unit made (wont mention names, but no slams intended, just mho and facts) and the homebrew sounds better and will go louder. If you get it right, you won't be dissapointed.
 
What a lot of great information from everybody, thanks. Arkansas Elk Hunter, I think that info on the isolation transformer will really make the difference in helping me get the caller I want - a crystal clear ear bleeder as you say.

I'm not trying to go the cheapest route possible it's just that the commercial units aren't set up nor do they operate the way I would like them to. I want to be able to see the name of the call actually being played, not just a number on the remote controller identitying what I hope will be played. And I want the speaker to reproduce frequencies a lot better than 500Hz-4kMz at a loud, clear volume. What a lot of y'all on this forum have accomplished in creating your own callers is amazing. I am an electronics/audiophile illiterate and if the info I got from you enables me to assemble a decent caller that meets my needs for not much more than a couple of hundred bucks, why can't the commercial folks do the same in their $300, $400 and $500 units?

All of the components have now been ordered and I just have to wait for the UPS guy to bring them to me so I can get them assembled. Then I have to figure out what kind of container I will put it all in. I really like the Camouflage Energizer Outfitter Sport Lantern but I can't find one anywhere on the Net. I'll keep looking and if I can't find one maybe I'll go the coffee cup route and a nice camo storage bag.

Again, thanks everybody for your help and I may be back for more advice once I start putting it all together. This is one great forum.

Jim
 
Someone was finding the light at a store called Rural King and Meijers up north. Might try there is you find one local. Otherwise I think Energizer discontinued them.

I'm not knocking the comercial callers. Like I said I own one and love it. It has attributes that my home brew does not and thats why I own it. It takes tons on money to develop, advertise, and produce a comercial unit. Your time is free, theirs is not. They also have to produce the call so that it can be sold for 250% of the maunufacturing cost just to feed all the distributors and retailers. Thats true in any industry. Try manufacturing something for retail.

There is a place for the homebrew and the comercial unit. I get a kick out of building them, but I like to use both.
 
Well said Arkansas Elk Hunter. I'm a retired retailer and I know very well about those markups at each step of the way from design to consumer. I've been retired for so long that I forgot how tough it is to make money in a limited market.

Jim
 
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