18 replies to this topic

[alexgee926]

i finally decided im not 100% content with the sounds quality of my home made e caller, it has worked awesome for the price but im gonna go ahead and step it up a notch. I have read great reviews about both the foxpro spitfire or wildfire, and the primos alpha dogg. Before i make up my mind id like to get some of your opinions on the two calls, and which you think is better. theyre both around the same price but i want to buy the one with best sound quality, longest battery life, and good customer service.

[Frank]

One of my calls is the Spitfire. I cannot really say how good or bad of a call it is yet, as I have only used it a few times... mostly with bad luck. Specifically the remote and call box itself not working on several occasions. HOWEVER, since Foxpro replaced nearly every part in it (a "slight" exaggeration) for free, it "seem"s to be working fine. At least on the neighborhood dogs. I will know more after this next week.

The Wildfire was not out yet when I purchased my Spitfire, and I would have bought it over the Spitfire. Just too many (nice) extras for only a few dollars more.

I have one friend that has owned a number of e calls, perhaps 4 or 5 Foxpros, their more expensive models. If I remember right, he has stated he's had problems, again, with their remotes on most, if not all of them. Earlier this year, he purchased the Alpha Dog & in his opinion, it is hands down better than Foxpro. Now, this is after he called in only 2 coyotes with it (early this yr), and I have not spoken to him about it since. And keep in mind, the Alpha is still a fairly new call. But hey??

As far as any or all reviews go, you have to read between the lines sometimes. For example, some folks give high star ratings over all, and then in the body of their note, state the remote (or other) problems they had. I've seen this often!. And Foxpro has been notified by various folks (more than once), including myself, both by phone & in writing, with no feedback or idea of what they intend to do or not do to my knowledge.

The other (excellent review rating) is when someone rates how good a call is by ONLY the # of animals they call or don't call in. Can you imagine the ignorance of this? I've even talked to other callers first hand with them telling me how bad a certain call is since they hadn't called anything in with it, after the FIRST time using it. So, like I say, one has to read past the (face value) star ratings.

Now, with all that said, I DO like Foxpro, and own 2 of them. Their service is 2nd to none, & a good thing too, as odds are better than fair that one will need it... from what I've read & seen!

Also, I am NOT promoting the Alpha Dog. Not one bit! I am merely only trying to state my, & my friends experience and what I have read about and talked to others in person on is all. Perhaps a good idea is to go to someplace like BassPro or Cabelas and compare the two calls in person. Contact A.P. Jones from ALLPREDATORCALLS.COM (on the net) and get his say might be another.

Finally, most, if not all 8 battery e callers will have low battery life. Sometimes VERY low.

Just my

[alexgee926]

u stated some very interesting things. It seems like the more reviews i read, the more confused i get LOL! Some people have said that they were able to use the alpha for over 15 stands of about 20 minutes a piece on the same batterys, while others have said it has a very poor batter life, im guessing battery quality may have something to do with this? Also i have heard the foxpro has poor battery life, but that isnt a very big issue considering it only needs 4 batterys. The only two things holding me back from getting the spitfire or wildfire is that i have heard the speaker isnt loud enough for windy hunting, remote issues, and drastic sound level from 4 to 5. I like allot of the features on the alpha dogg, but it is a fairly new product, and i have heard bad things about some of primos previous e callers. Its a tough decision, just dont want to regret my choice after forking out the $$ lol.

[Frank]

Exactly... Considering the newness of Primos e calls, it may be the safest bet to go with Foxpro, & is what I would likely do also.

You are also correct on the Spitfire having too low of volume. I helped solve that by buying an external speaker from Foxpro, but of course that jacked up the cost another $55. That is another reason to go with the Wildfire, as it supposedly has a higher volume. But I do not know that for fact. Again, it would be really nice to compare at a store carrying several models. Be sure and call A.P. also.

Yes, the 4 battery calls have a MUCH higher battery life than the 8 battery calls. However, with the external speaker on my Spitfire, battery life will be reduced significantly if playing both speakers at the same time... which I have / will, & why I got the extra speaker in the first place. Oh, & battery quality will definitely make a difference as you pointed out.

As with most things when first learning, the more you learn the more you get confused, but then becomes clear(er) eventually.

Sounds like you have a good handle on it. Main thing will be to just take your time checking out all your options. I can't imagine going wrong with Foxpro, and not sure I could say the same about any of the others out there. Mostly 'cause I don't know enough (about the others). lol

Good Luck

[OrneryOlMofo357]

I have had different results apparently than Frank and his friends have. And while I have not personally used a Primos call, I can speak about the 3 Foxpro's I have owned. Decent rechargeable batteries in a Fokpro give Me great battery life. My FX5 would run for 3 hours worth of stands with no problem. The Fury I have now I can get the same results with. this is while using 2 speakers. I use an Sp55 ext speaker with it and the volume is great, and battery life good as well. I normally use full volume while calling, and the "buisiness" of the sound dictates battery use as well. For instance a sound that just emmits a sound occasionally vs a sound that squaks continuously makes a big difference in battery life. The old Foxpro 416B was amazing when it comes to battery life, but it only held 16 sounds and the amplifier was not near as loud. My main rebuttle in this thread is, If you can buy a E Caller with the features and above all.. " Customer support" Buy it. Im sticking with Foxpro for these reasons. Your choices are out there, so take a good ammount of time researching the caller that you are interested in prior to purchase. Calls that are new to the market are gonna be "iffy" as to customer support. Choose wisely and then spend the money. Its up to you. These are just My thoughts, and others will vary. Good luck with whatever caller you get!
BTW Foxpro is not made in China, unlike other offerings.

[Frank]

Yeah, the 416B is my other Foxpro... Best call ever made IMO... Grant is right on, with the only difference being that my 416 amp is actually quite loud. M U C H louder than my Spitfire with its speaker.

I just can't recall the volume difference between the 416 and say a FX5, when I hunted with my friends & their higher $$ calls. I will say this however... One time I dropped off a partner & then drove perhaps 3/4(?) of a mile away, and later on, he told me he could hear my 416 loud and clear... and not in so nice a tone of voice either. LOL

Anyway, while the 416 might not be quite as loud as some other Foxpro models, & definitely not as loud as Foxpro's loudest, most expensive models, it is more than loud enough IMO... especially when compared to the quiet Spitfire (comparatively speaking).

[OrneryOlMofo357]

I will say that I was not trying to refute Franks post in any way. However He is right. the little 416B was a Gem, and I kick Myself for selling it. I doubt that 4 aa batteries in ANY caller could bring you so much joy! I was typing My first response at the same time that Frank was. But if you are shelling out good hard earned cash, Its worth looking into the maker of the call. For example.. Minaska made some great calls. They were however sold later, and getting service now is really tough. Once again Customer service is important. Id look at Mojo's callers and Primos as well, But it would be dependant upon Customer service before I would purchase.

[Shoot-it]

i have the spitefire for what I paid it does the job it could be louder and sometimes the remote doesn't work right away but you learn how to use it after awhile.My up grade would be the cs24 that thing looks like it could really get the sound out there.

[alexgee926]

i think im gonna go with the wildfire, i just dont want to take the risk of buying the alpha dogg considering its fairly new still, and have already heard allot of bad things about it, also im not really interested in 8 battereys to run my e call lol. does anyone know if the wildfire comes with hunting sequences already or are you able to make your own?

[OrneryOlMofo357]

Order it right from Foxpro, and you can choose your 50 sounds.

[alexgee926]

i noticed there is a wildfire I and a wildfire II. Does anyone know what the difference is?

[86mcss]

great thread with great replies. i am also in the market for an e-caller but am not ready to take the plunge (buying more reloading supplies).

please let us know which caller you go with and let us know how well it does or doesnt work.

[BCF]

I have the spitfire. It's not as loud as hand calls, but it works. You can change the SD card, so really - you can have as many sounds as you're willing to carry those little chips. They have some sort of new decoy that you can attach to it, as well as external speakers.

To be honest, I don't really use it- I prefer hand calls for many reasons, but I keep it around for night hunting, and for hunting in areas with mountain lions and bears.

If I was you, I'd just get some hand calls, and learn to use them. It's just more satisfying, and they're easy to use. Really nothing to it. Once you call one in, you'll know you're doing it right.

Out in Victorville, you should have plenty of chances to practice.

[Frank]

My (re-furbished) spitfire & external speaker worked just fine this week. Wish I could say the same about the nut behind the stock Oh well, just more left for "seed"...

Oh, and my friend's Alpha dog also worked great... Unfortunately he isn't any smarter than I am, missing twice as many coyotes as I did. Hmmmm, glad he doesn't check this site much anymore.

Bisley, in case you see this, Badcoyote (Alpha Dog owner) was with me only on my "northern" locations, with him and his dad heading home a couple days before us.

Anyway, alex, the wildfire sounds like an excellent choice. And no, I never heard of a I or II wildfire, but nor do I keep up with all the new stuff either.

Keep us posted on your calling results, and good luck...

[seebass]

You can load mp3 sequences on the foxpro, but the calls they load loop for continuos sound. I only use like 6-8 sounds and half of those are this sequence: female invite, challenge barks, coyote growls, them finish it with pup screams. Other than that I stick to 4-5 sounds. Good luck!

One thing is use good nimh rechargables. I use 2300mah and they will go for hours of call time.

[jawbreaker]

I'm selling my FX-5 if any of you are interested in one of those.

[alexgee926]

Just got my foxpro wildfire today. So far i like it allot, the sounds quality is really crisp, easy to use, controller is nice and also has foxbang, unit is small and compact. I think the cons of this e call is that the volume is just simply not loud enough, especially on a windy hunt, i think they made it this way so you almost have to order theyre external speaker, other than that no complanits, ill be taking it out soon to see how it does and keep you guys posted.

[alexgee926]

im kind of confused though, i thought the tx9 could only cary 35 sounds at a time, but i just loaded more to my wildfire and its letting me play them all on the tx9 i have 40 calls loaded on there.

[pveh]

I use the spitfire with cs24? Speaker. I have used this set up for about three years and called in tons of totes of which I have shot about 20. I also use a mojo critter decoy set up. I started with a promos power dog but the remote never worked right even when they replaced it. I don't find myself using more than ten different sounds at most so the spitfire is fine for what I need. I would definitely recommend fox pro for their e callers.