Kizmo
New member
Well, the box from allpredatorcalls.com hasn't even made it into the trash yet, but I managed to hit 4 stands last night with my new Shockwave. I guess I could be considered somewhat of a connoisseur of Foxpro calls, since I also have an FX5, a Fury, a CS24 and a Krakatoa.
Since I am now a self-proclaimed connoisseur, I'll give you my 15 1/2 hour impression of the good and the not-so-good, sort of in the order of my perception of their practical importance. Though it might appear that I'm a FoxPro fanboy, I promise you that I am one critical SOB when it comes to equipment.
The Good:
1. CLARITY: This is the clearest sounding electronic call I have ever heard. Absolutely no distortion even at max volume. There is a distinct improvement over all other FoxPro models I own. Improvement is especially noted in the older, non-24 bit sounds. They are virtually as clear as the 24 bit sounds now. Sound quality for distress sounds of all "flavors" is incredible, and for most coyote vocalization as well. One would expect this with the unit having two tweeters. Coyote vocalizations with a lot of bass (a minority) don't "pop" quite as much to my ear as the higher pitched ones, but are still excellent.
2. Foxpitch: This feature allows you to change the pitch of the sound up or down to a value of +9 (higher pitch) all the way down to -9 (lower pitch). It also speeds up or slows down the recording as well, kind of like you did when you were a kid playing with an old record player. Bay bee cottontail on "+9" (the highest setting) sounds like a different call. I think this effectively gives you an almost infinite supply of different sounding calls. No longer do you have to give up using your favorite calls when you're hunting a shot-at, edjumucated coyote. Just crank the pitch and speed up or down from where it was before and let it play. There is a separate button on the remote for Foxpitch, so it is easy to access. Speaking of the remote, that leads us to...
3. The remote (the good): I listed this as #3, because, even though it's cool, I had no problems with the TX-500. Although the new remote is very intuitive to figure out for basic use(I didn't even read the instruction manual), there is definitely going to be somewhat of a learning curve when it comes to accessing all the bells and whistles instantly. I had it out to about 50 yards (I've got a real bright light) and had no problems. Using Energizer lithiums, the battery bar hasn't moved. It definitely boots up quicker than the TX500, and MOST of the graphics are a lot bigger and easier to read (see the not-so-good). It's very easy to program favorites and you can have an unlimited # of them, but you don't want to because that defeats the purpose of favorites. Also, there are FOUR preset buttons you can program for your really, really favorites. That's as many presets as my FX5 had favorites. All the buttons are also actually illuminated, so no longer do you have to periodically top off the glow-in-the-dark face with a little light. Finding a call on your master list is MUCH easier because the calls are grouped in categories like "rabbit distress", "coyote vocalizations", etc. No longer do you have to spin that knob through 100+ calls.
The Not-So-Good
1. Volume: Simply put, this isn't as loud as my CS24. However, I rarely play my CS24 over 30, because some files can get distorted. This thing at 40 sounds like my CS24 in the low 30's. However, since there is no distortion, you can crank this baby up all the way. Ergo, I would say that the Shockwave has as much "functional volume" as my CS24.
2. The remote (the not-so-good): Remember when I said that MOST graphics are easier to read than on the TX500? Well, two of the most important things I look at my remote for (volume level and time on stand) are actually displayed SMALLER on than on the TX500. With contacts in, I had a hard time reading both them. Switching between favorites is, I think, very slightly slower ( a second or so) than the TX500 because you have to scroll through your favorites list. However, since you have 4 preset buttons now, I don't think this is a biggie.
3. The rubber things: Though I have not experienced any problems yet, I am concerned about the long-term integrity of the rubber cover over the USB port at bottom of the call, where it will be sitting in the wet grass. The rubber strap-snaps holding the speakers seem OK (just), and I suppose they are a lot quieter than plastic contrivances would be. The call is definitely quiet to carry and set up.
The Meh (aka the jury's still out)
1. Foxmotion: I thought this was going to be the cat's meow feature. It sounded cool in my living room, but out in the woods, I couldn't tell a whole lot of difference. Maybe it's because in my living room I was facing the call and it was facing away from me last night. I'll get in front of it out in the woods and let you know.
2. Foxblend: Yes, you can blend any two calls. Yes, it sounds great to do "Coyote Growl" and "Coyote Pup Screams" at the same time. For some reason, though (probably because I didn't read the #@$^!! manual), it just seemed to be too labor intensive to get the sounds and their volumes matched just right. This is probably due to my incompetence.
Overall, I think this is the best of the many FoxPro calls I own, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a top end call. It has now replaced my CS24 as my "go-to" call.
Edit-Mz. Kiz reminded me of another thing to add to "The Bad". There is no longer a little green light to help you find your call in the dark. Probably be a good idea to put a little piece of reflective tape on it. And yes, before someone tells me you can just push a button on the remote to get the call to sound off, I've had times with my other callers when I have turned off the remote before I remembered to go get the call. Sometimes when you do this, the remote and call won't re-connect, so the remote is useless. That little light has saved my butt a time or two.
Since I am now a self-proclaimed connoisseur, I'll give you my 15 1/2 hour impression of the good and the not-so-good, sort of in the order of my perception of their practical importance. Though it might appear that I'm a FoxPro fanboy, I promise you that I am one critical SOB when it comes to equipment.
The Good:
1. CLARITY: This is the clearest sounding electronic call I have ever heard. Absolutely no distortion even at max volume. There is a distinct improvement over all other FoxPro models I own. Improvement is especially noted in the older, non-24 bit sounds. They are virtually as clear as the 24 bit sounds now. Sound quality for distress sounds of all "flavors" is incredible, and for most coyote vocalization as well. One would expect this with the unit having two tweeters. Coyote vocalizations with a lot of bass (a minority) don't "pop" quite as much to my ear as the higher pitched ones, but are still excellent.
2. Foxpitch: This feature allows you to change the pitch of the sound up or down to a value of +9 (higher pitch) all the way down to -9 (lower pitch). It also speeds up or slows down the recording as well, kind of like you did when you were a kid playing with an old record player. Bay bee cottontail on "+9" (the highest setting) sounds like a different call. I think this effectively gives you an almost infinite supply of different sounding calls. No longer do you have to give up using your favorite calls when you're hunting a shot-at, edjumucated coyote. Just crank the pitch and speed up or down from where it was before and let it play. There is a separate button on the remote for Foxpitch, so it is easy to access. Speaking of the remote, that leads us to...
3. The remote (the good): I listed this as #3, because, even though it's cool, I had no problems with the TX-500. Although the new remote is very intuitive to figure out for basic use(I didn't even read the instruction manual), there is definitely going to be somewhat of a learning curve when it comes to accessing all the bells and whistles instantly. I had it out to about 50 yards (I've got a real bright light) and had no problems. Using Energizer lithiums, the battery bar hasn't moved. It definitely boots up quicker than the TX500, and MOST of the graphics are a lot bigger and easier to read (see the not-so-good). It's very easy to program favorites and you can have an unlimited # of them, but you don't want to because that defeats the purpose of favorites. Also, there are FOUR preset buttons you can program for your really, really favorites. That's as many presets as my FX5 had favorites. All the buttons are also actually illuminated, so no longer do you have to periodically top off the glow-in-the-dark face with a little light. Finding a call on your master list is MUCH easier because the calls are grouped in categories like "rabbit distress", "coyote vocalizations", etc. No longer do you have to spin that knob through 100+ calls.
The Not-So-Good
1. Volume: Simply put, this isn't as loud as my CS24. However, I rarely play my CS24 over 30, because some files can get distorted. This thing at 40 sounds like my CS24 in the low 30's. However, since there is no distortion, you can crank this baby up all the way. Ergo, I would say that the Shockwave has as much "functional volume" as my CS24.
2. The remote (the not-so-good): Remember when I said that MOST graphics are easier to read than on the TX500? Well, two of the most important things I look at my remote for (volume level and time on stand) are actually displayed SMALLER on than on the TX500. With contacts in, I had a hard time reading both them. Switching between favorites is, I think, very slightly slower ( a second or so) than the TX500 because you have to scroll through your favorites list. However, since you have 4 preset buttons now, I don't think this is a biggie.
3. The rubber things: Though I have not experienced any problems yet, I am concerned about the long-term integrity of the rubber cover over the USB port at bottom of the call, where it will be sitting in the wet grass. The rubber strap-snaps holding the speakers seem OK (just), and I suppose they are a lot quieter than plastic contrivances would be. The call is definitely quiet to carry and set up.
The Meh (aka the jury's still out)
1. Foxmotion: I thought this was going to be the cat's meow feature. It sounded cool in my living room, but out in the woods, I couldn't tell a whole lot of difference. Maybe it's because in my living room I was facing the call and it was facing away from me last night. I'll get in front of it out in the woods and let you know.
2. Foxblend: Yes, you can blend any two calls. Yes, it sounds great to do "Coyote Growl" and "Coyote Pup Screams" at the same time. For some reason, though (probably because I didn't read the #@$^!! manual), it just seemed to be too labor intensive to get the sounds and their volumes matched just right. This is probably due to my incompetence.
Overall, I think this is the best of the many FoxPro calls I own, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a top end call. It has now replaced my CS24 as my "go-to" call.
Edit-Mz. Kiz reminded me of another thing to add to "The Bad". There is no longer a little green light to help you find your call in the dark. Probably be a good idea to put a little piece of reflective tape on it. And yes, before someone tells me you can just push a button on the remote to get the call to sound off, I've had times with my other callers when I have turned off the remote before I remembered to go get the call. Sometimes when you do this, the remote and call won't re-connect, so the remote is useless. That little light has saved my butt a time or two.
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