Converted my Foxpro Shockwave to a rechargeable...DIY

[hcb]

I hunt hogs, coyotes, and bobcats at night. I bought one call then, after a year plus of hunting and realizing I would stick with it, I bought a Foxpro Shockwave. It's not a cheap call. I only use it occasionally, depending on where I'm hunting. Recently I had just set up and hit the call to do a "coyote locate" and it sounded like someone was running coyotes through a chipper shredder. %$#&, the batteries were low. I hate having to tend to a call on a stand. This wasn't the first time, but it was the last time. I changed my call to an aftermarket battery pack and it worked great and I wanted to come here and share what I did in case it might help others.

First, the call uses 10 AA batteries. They are in series meaning the game call gets 15v nominal...but only as much current as can pass through a AA battery (or 10 of them in a row), which is not much. This fact is probably why you read favorable comments/reviews from others about their calls performing better with lithium batteries which can support higher amperage output. That is, it's not "news" that some game calls perform better when they are connected to higher-current power sources.

I had a battery pack I'd bought on Amazon for another project (powering my thermal scope) but was too big (size/weight). It charges off 12v and only has a 5v USB A output but, when the power is on, the 12v charge port doubles as a 12v output! Score! On Amazon it's the "TalentCell Rechargeable 12V 6000mAh/5V 12000mAh DC Output Lithium Ion Battery Pack" for blah blah blah, $33.99 which is considerably less expensive than the Foxpro battery pack for this call.

I cut a notch in the battery compartment door for the cable to pass outside the unit, snipped the factory connector off the Foxpro call that had connected to the battery pack it came with, and crimp connected a DC power connector I had from who knows what previous project (these things breed...). I can put the battery door back on, with the cable running outside, and just plug it into the external battery. It's super easy to connect and the battery pack charges off my cigarette lighter (I also had a cigarette lighter adapter with the correct plug on it to charge this in my truck). Obviously, you need to check the polarity of the devices and connect them correctly, but that's easy.

I could just be imagining it but I swear the coyote locate call, which I play at full volume (hence it draws the most current from the battery that it can, as opposed to a lower volume), never sounded as clear as it does now.

If you're wondering about the voltage level: the factory battery pack, using 10 AA batteries supplies a nominal 15 volts but that can actually be as high as 16v or so depending on the AA batteries you use. The Foxpro rechargeable pack shows to be 11.1v. 12v from this battery pack falls nicely in that range.

FWIW.

--HC

 

[1trkyhntr]

I suspect that you have voided your warranty.
After you "cut a notch", and "snipped the factory connector" do you expect Foxpro to warranty the call? Modifying the call to accept an aftermarket power supply is a big risk IMO. I'll stick to an approved power supply.

 

[Threewolves]

HCB, great write up and thanks for coming up with a cheaper better way and don't worry about the warranty it does not last for ever.

 

[hcb]

That's a fair assessment and good information re the warranty for those who might be concerned with keeping their warranty. I wasn't worried about the warranty as I've had it about a year and it's not given trouble yet; I don't expect it to fail at this point. I'm not sure how long the warranty is/was. But, for others who might consider doing this, it is a good point to consider.

--HC

 

[hcb]

Thank you, Threewolves. I never considered the warranty; it was not a concern to me. Right or wrong, my take on electronics is that if it lasts past initial power up and use, it's probably good to go for the duration of however long I will want to use it. After dozens and dozens of uses of the unit, and being almost a year old (and having a fair amount of experience with simple electronics work like power supplies), failure didn't cross my mind. Feeding 12v DC into a device that can handle 15v DC and 11.1v DC, and carefully checking polarity...meh, not a challenge. Of course, I've tanked slam dunks before and if I did manage to brick that sucker, it would have been on me and I'd buy another one. And I would buy another one, it's been a good piece of equipment.

Thanks again.