Which e-caller???

T

tacgnut

New member
I'm in the market for an electronic caller and will be my first one so I 'd like to get one that sounds good, holds up well and is easily maintained.
I've hunted with different guys that had FX5s and they appeared to work well but the sound isn't as good as it could be, they did not have external speakers either. Not sure how much that wouold matter, probably deplete the batteries quicker.
I've also looked at Minaskas website and like the options and features available for those and the fact that they come fully loaded with 100 sounds. I've been told that they have better quality audio and a bit better range.
One of the Minaska models has the built in decoy. Is the decoy essential when predator hunting or would it be better to have one seperate from the caller. Don't know if that would be a desireable option to have the decoy attached to caller as far as battery life if there is one main battery or if has its own power supply??

One thing that I do like about the FX5s is that the batteries are easily replaced when the unit is drained, vs. the rechargeable NiCad on the Minaska. Pros-Cons???

Thanks
 
I have used several Johnny Stewart callers over the years and got great service out of them.But I wanted to be able to change sounds while the caller is away from me.

I bought a Minaska All In One caller,because I was looking for more volume,and a built in decoy.

I only use the decoy when I am Bobcat hunting but many folks use it for coyotes too.

The sounds are real good and easy to down load to your caller,even a nitwit like me was able to figure it out.

It is a great caller!!!!!!!!!!
 
Yeah, good luck! Took me several months before pulling the trigger the first time, and now I have 3 of the biggest names, and am thinking I need the 4th one!

It depends on your specific needs and wants. The way you hunt, what you hunt, where you hunt, how you hunt, and what you'll be satisfied with. (Coyotes are satisfied with most everything out there!)

Do lots of searching in the electronic calls forums, you'll identify the cheerleaders, the crowd, the soap boxers, and the brand loyal, among many others! Take it with a grain of salt and just make up your own mind based on what YOU want.
 
I can tell you this, I have heard a W.T. , a Minaska, and an FX-5 all played side by side one right after the other, and while I'm not what you would call an audiophile, I'm not tone deaf either. For the life of me, from 20 feet away, I couldn't tell which one was playing without looking.Having said that, I do own a Scorpion, an Fx-5 and a 416b. Don't believe a coyote can tell the difference either. Go with your gut.
 
Every last one of the bigger name callers sound better than they have to. A scratchy 45 rpm will still call predators today as well as they did 50 years ago. It's the hunter/buyer that desires a better sound. The animals will respond to the squeaks of Styrofoam rubbed on glass.
 
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Every last one of the bigger name callers sound better than they have to. A scratchy 45 rpm will still call predators today as well as they did 50 years ago. It's the hunter/buyer that desires a better sound. The animals will respond to the squeaks of Styrofoam rubbed on glass.



Well put and even the best caller will do nothing for the worst hunter. GO with your gut.
 
My wife makes me Mr. [beeep] and I can only squirrel away small amounts of money at a time. I'm making my own. I bought a 1/2gallon Igloo cooler today. It gets camo painted soon.
I also have collected about 125 free mp3 sounds and a couple of long sequences to use in my e-caller. I'll call it my i-caller as I'll be using my i-pod.
 
I have the FX3 and if I can get of the road this season at all I'm thinking about upgrading to the FX5 for 200 bucks.
Plus you can get the rechargeable batteries for the fox pro
IMHO I would go with the FP
 
I've only owned the FoxPro FX3 and the Johnny Stewart Preymaster. JS makes a good product for the money and they work fine I just didn't like the loose wires. Tried the Aetec wireless remote setup and it worked fine, just not what I wanted. Then I bought the FX3 and loved it. great sound, lots of volume, tons of different sounds. Just a few quirks. Didn't like fooling around with sounds when you had coyotes coming in, to time consumeing. A couple of weeks ago I bit the bullet and sent the FX3 back to FoxPro to have the FX5 upgrade done to it. Just got it back today and I can't wait to try it out. I love the 4 presets you can add. No fumbling around scrolling thru numbers trying to set coaxers and fooling around with setting the volume. Now I just hit 1 of the preset buttons and I get the right sound at the right volume. None of the good ones are cheap and we sometimes forget that they're just a tool and won't necessarily make you a better hunter. They just give you the ability to play some sounds you can't make with a mouth call. In fact my hunting partners and I were just talking about how we want to use mouth calls more this next season. Get back to our roots, so to speak. By the way, azmastablaster, FoxPro has gotta love you!! Do you own stock??
 
Ducksoup, my wife says I need to buy the foxpro stock or get Mike Dillon to adopt me.Its funny how every time I buy one they come up with new improvements and...well you know how it goes.The 416 worked well for many years, then comes the fx-3, bang.Next, its the scorpion,wow gotta have one.At that point I emailed Mike Dillon pleading with him to not introduce any new improved callers. His return email informed me that for a mere $200 I could upgrade my poor old fx=3 to an fx-5. One week later the fx-5 was out in the desert doing its duty.I believe I'm done with upgrading callers.But, I just picked up my second black rifle last week from Dan Carey, a sweet tackdriving .204 to go with my .223 bushy. Figured I was done looking for ARs until this recent thread about the R-25. My wife will ban me from this site if I don't quit this.....
 
azmastablasta,
You don't have to tell me or my wife how addictive this sport is! So far this year I've bought 3 long guns, all Remington 700's, and a Ruger MKII .22 pistol. One gun I'm really excited about is a switch barrel, custom Remy 700, in .17 Fireball and the other barrel is chambered in .17 Remington. Both barrels are Shilen SS match. Can't wait to use it on coyotes this fall.
 
Quote:
I'm in the market for an electronic caller and will be my first one so I 'd like to get one that sounds good, holds up well and is easily maintained.
I've hunted with different guys that had FX5s and they appeared to work well but the sound isn't as good as it could be, they did not have external speakers either. Not sure how much that wouold matter, probably deplete the batteries quicker.
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Add the external SP-55 or a TOA SC110 horn speaker to the FX5 and it will sound better. I don't believe you'll notice much difference in battery usage as long as you're just playing one speaker.
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I've also looked at Minaskas website and like the options and features available for those and the fact that they come fully loaded with 100 sounds. I've been told that they have better quality audio and a bit better range.
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I like the BCB better too, but Mike at Foxpro will tell you that his caller's amplifier has a better sound to noise ratio. The BCB is stereo and the FX is mono. Try playing them with stereo music files. The BCB can even double as a boom box.
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The remotes use the same RF chip, but every caller I've tried, FX or Min, had a different range. The big difference is the look and operation of the remote. The FX remote has more features. The minaska remote is easier to use.
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One of the Minaska models has the built in decoy. Is the decoy essential when predator hunting or would it be better to have one seperate from the caller. Don't know if that would be a desireable option to have the decoy attached to caller as far as battery life if there is one main battery or if has its own power supply??
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Yes, using the same battery for the decoy as the caller uses the battery faster. Having a built-in decoy is handy, but so is a separate unit.
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One thing that I do like about the FX5s is that the batteries are easily replaced when the unit is drained, vs. the rechargeable NiCad on the Minaska. Pros-Cons???
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You've got bad info. Either one is easy to charge or change. FX5 uses an 8xAA holder - alkaline, Ni-Cd, or NiMH, or even Lithium. Easy to change or you can recharge the FX5 with Ni-Cd or NiMH with a wall charger or a regulated 12v using the truck's accessory socket. The batteries and chargers for the FX are extra accessories. The BCB comes with a sealed lead-acid gel cell. It can be recharged on the fly using a direct wire from the truck's 50A accessory circuit. The SLA is faster to recharge than any 8xAA battery pack.
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The standard-sized SLA battery will not fit in the FX case, but the 8xAA pack fits in the Bandit no problem.
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Thanks

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They both work to call coyotes. If you like the smaller form and light weight, the FX5 is for you, but you may want the rechargeable batteries, extra speaker, or external battery for better performance. About $680 (with 50 sounds) + shipping + $30 rechargeable batteries/110V charger or $65 12V fast charger kit or $60 12V SLA/Case/Charger + $54-90. external speaker + $30. for a case + $25. for 16 sounds.
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I've got a couple of each, FX3, FX5, and a couple of Big Country Bandits. I prefer the Bandit, bigger form but a lot easier to carry with the horn speaker and SLA battery built in already. $580 + shipping + $20 car charger.

 
I have both the WT2030 and a Minaska Ultimate, love them both. I have had every major caller made in the past. A caller has to be pretty good to last around here. The Minaska has a better battery system than the WT. Sounds are close and with the Minaska I can program it with any sound I want. But then what do I know, I've only been calling predators for 48 years.
 
tacgnut,

When comparing batteries it is important to look at the capacity of the batteries. We use 2,500-2,700mHA batteries in the FX series batteries not 1.3AH Gel Cells. The lower capacity batteries can be charged quicker to thier full capaicity but that is due to thier capacity not the chemistry. The lower capacity battiers will also run down quicker.

If charging batteries in your vehicle is important to you we offer a fast car charger for our callers.

If stereo is important to you we offer the Scorpion and the OCC with these to callers you can indepently turn each of the speakers on and off with the remote they also include 100 sounds.

Decoys can give you an advantage in many situations.
Some like them built into the caller and others like them separate, this a personal choice. The OCC has a built in decoy.


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I've been told that they have better quality audio and a bit better range.


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Can you tell me exactly what you have been told and explain to me what you or they mean by "better range" and "better quality audio" so that I may better be able to comment on those topics.

Thanks for considering our products!
 
I use the Wildlife technologies. Used a Foxpro for two years night calling and only had one come in. With the Wildlife tech we call them in all of the time. I am a firm believer.
 
Write down what you want in a call. Those are your requirements. Then put each caller in a column and start going through each one against the your requirements. You can even put different weights regarding what means more to you then other requirements. Add the columns up and Hecto-presto you will have one that best meets your requirements.

I would also start reading the threads on this site.
 
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I use the Wildlife technologies. Used a Foxpro for two years night calling and only had one come in. With the Wildlife tech we call them in all of the time. I am a firm believer.





DITTO /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

My hunting bud had a FoxPro and after a year hunting with my WT he bought a WT. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif Get out there with someone and let the field experience lead you to your new caller.


Highwaystar
 


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