Boombox used for e-caller

[Yak Angler]

Just wondering if anyone has tried using a boombox type battery operated stereo as an e-caller. I tried to find the parts needed to make the homemade one that are listed in the other thread but they are not available locally so i thought one of those boomboxes would be an option when used with an mp3 full of downloaded calls.

I know they sell waterproof versions that alot of contractor's use on job site's that are made by Dewalt, Makita, etc. and the one made by sony that they have in the employee gym at my work is very loud as well.

Just thought someone on here might have tried this before

Thanks

[SD Handgunner]

Yep actually used one with a CD Player many, many years ago. It worked ok, but the one I used (borrowed from the kids) was a bit big. I am sure there are much more compact ones available today that would work fine.

Larry

[torpedoman]

Get an old Walkman c.d. player there must be tons of them laying around abandoned in favor of i pods. Record calls from VarmitAls site and burn you own c.d.'s.

[Yak Angler]

Yep actually used one with a CD Player many, many years ago. It worked ok, but the one I used (borrowed from the kids) was a bit big. I am sure there are much more compact ones available today that would work fine.

Larry

The boomboxes today are fairly small and have a decent amount of volume as well. I have downloaded a few calls from Varmint Al's site and they play really well on my wifes ipod attached to one of those docking station/speaker set-ups she has for it, tonnes of volume and really crisp sound but it doesn't run on batteries it has to be plugged in. I would think a good sony boombox with a remote would work even better, i might buy one tomorrow from Wally world that way if it doesn't workout or the first time it get's wet it stops working I can just take it back and buy a fox pro.

Its too bad Radio shack got bought out in Canada a few years ago because the company that took them over doesn't carry any of the parts needed to make some of the callers you guys are able to. I could probably order all the stuff online and have it shipped but by that point I would have spent just as much as buying one.

[Glanceblamm]

The good news is that one does not have to use a cassette tape any more which can greatly sap the batterys in the cold.

The digital sounds (read CD or Mp3) play fine in the cold but without much volume for calling on the lower end players. This can be corrected though with the Radio Shack mini-amp as told in Redneck caller and other home built threads.

[Yak Angler]

Well since I had no luck and searched everywhere locally for the parts needed to make the homemade e-caller. I think i have come up with the ultimate e-caller. I have downloaded all of Varmint Al's freebie calls and I just purchase a battery powered guitar amplifier. It cost $ 200.00 and is about the size of a 5 gallon bucket and weighs approx 15 pounds, it has an internal rechargable battery thats good for 10 hours of use at max volume which i don';t think i will use very often because this thing is about 5 times louder than any foxpro call i have ever heard. Sound quality is much better too and my Ipod connects to it very easily.

I will be trying to get out for the first hunt with it this saturday so i will post results from the field afterwards, but for 1/3 the cost of the top of the line foxpro i think this will work much better due to the volume capability if needed on windy days and much better sound quality.

I am at work now so i can't remember the brand name and model of the amp off hand but i will post it later tonight when i get home.

[Dee]

15 pounds? That sounds more like a step BACKWARDS, than forward on calling. Probably will work though.

[Glanceblamm]

My first was like that Adam. I had built a wooden box similar to a medium size tool box that housed a motorcycle battery, an eight track player, and a 40watt pioneer automotive amp. The speakers were mounted on either end and the sound came from a Johnny Stewart cassette placed in the adapter that one could used to buy for playing a cassette in the eight track.

It felt like it weighed 20lbs on the way out but around 40lbs on the way back so I only took it once

What you really have to consider is the overall sucess rate which is around one predator for every 10 calling sites. You can do better than this as you gain experience on the call locations along with doing some mixing of the sounds using howlers alone or howlers in conjunction with the predator calls or other coaxers. Sometimes it is best to just shut up once you have their attention and let them hunt you down. It is for these reasons that it is great to have a remote for a caller, or at least be able to manually shut it down when necessary.

[Yak Angler]

15 pounds? That sounds more like a step BACKWARDS, than forward on calling. Probably will work though.

It should help balance out carrying my gun with the other arm . Other than being connected by a cord,  sound quality and volume will easily surpass anything currently avilable through the manufacturers and the price is a significant advantage also. But to each his own

Wow with all that stuff mounted in there , i think you might be a little conservative on your weight walking in , the motorcycle battery itself must have been close to 20 pounds alone. This amplifier isn't bad to carry, has a padded leather carrying handle to make it a bit easier. but i could see you guys who hike alot into spots wouldn't want one quite this heavy. My spots have great natural cover and just a short 5 minute walk , so carrying it will be no problem at all. Once i get things set up the way i want i am planning on buying 50 feet + of cable to help seperate the call from my blind a little more too and it will be covered in a burlap sheet to conceal it against the hay bails.

[Yak Angler]

For those who might be interested the battery powered amp is made by Traynor and the model is TVM10. There are other companies who make similar units. The cost in canadian funds was $ 200.00,  if you hunt in windy areas like i do it will certainly pay dividends due to its sound quality and volume, but the trade off's are its water resistant not waterproof and larger/heavy than a foxpro, etc would be. If you want to hear one just go to any local guitar/music shop and have them demonstate it for you, thats what i did and i left the store with mine right after i heard it.

when hooked to my ipod it gives me the ability to have who knows how many thousands of calling sequences on hand if i can even find that many to download. I have about 50 different calls loaded onto it right now and suspect if they don't bring a yote in nothing else will either.

The first in the field/hunt test will probably be this saturday

[Dee]

Give us a report. It's too heavy for my aged ole butt to tote around but, I would like to hear how it worked.

[Yak Angler]

Field test results:

- call worked very well no issues with the cold effecting the volume or MP3 player. the weather conditions were about -10 and the wind was very strong at about 50-60 kph into my face.
- no coyotes were called in but when i got there to set up the farmer just got done shooting a case of clay targets so im sure it would have taken a retarded coyote to come out into this field regardless of what calls were being used. but i wanted to test the caller so i decided to try it out for about 2 hours anyway.

So far I couldn't be happier with how it works , the only draw back is size/weight at this point but i don't plan to use it for any longer walking spots . mouth calls are my go to for those types of spots anyway. The crow calls i loaded onto it had them swarming me on several occasions but i wasen't going to try and shoot them with the .270 which is all i had with me,  so i think the next time out will produce some yotes hopefully.