# Making your own squawk box e caller snow goose call. Easy!



## Midwestduckhunter

Northern Skies Outfitters. Squawk Box E caller snow goose call. Saw this on another forum, so I thought I would post on Nodak for others to see. The process below is how to make one of the best ecallers sold on the market by yourself. It is not exactly the same but about 95% the same. I'm guessing you could make this unit in a couple hours and save $300 or more in the process. Plus knowing who sells these units for $500 plus makes it that much sweeter making your own for a fraction of the price. I have ordered all the parts and plan on making several of these. PM me with questions. I will also likely sell some at my cost and save you $300.

I see a lot of questions on how to make your own ecaller popping up as usual during this time before most people start hunting snows for the spring. Who wouldn't like to have a crisp sounding, portable, last all day ecaller that doesn't break the bank. I certainly do, in fact I like having 3-4 of them. So here is my part list on how to NOT spend an ridiculous amount ($300-$500) on a commercially made ecaller and virtually make 2-3 for the exact same price. (Note; may be able to find parts cheaper elsewhere)

The housing- 12.99
http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/store ... 00028-0140

The amp- $18.90
http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PLMPA35-Chan ... B004HJ931M

The Speakers- (2 to 4 depending on your preference)- $45.80-$91.80
http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PHSP4-6-Inch ... power+horn

MP3 Cable to Amp- $2.53
http://www.amazon.com/Cables-Unlimited- ... rds=3.5+mm

12 Volt Rechargeable Battery-(1 or 2 will run ecaller all day) $17.99 (Note: I use a piece of wood to seperate this battery from the amp so that it sits tightly and doesn't have to be removed for charging. )
http://www.amazon.com/Volt-Rechargeable ... chargeable

Now your going to need 1 duplex 120v outlet, with faceplate. On these you need to break the copper connection that sits in between the screws so that your channels from the amp are separated. NOT doing this will lead to overheating of amp. These will have to be inserted into the casing but using a saws all to make a hole big enough for the outlet to set with the faceplate covering it. One channel of the amp goes to one part of the outlet, and the other channel goes to the remaining.

You will need 1-2 Male 120v plugs. I say 1-2 because you can connect 2 speakers to 1 plug, just pre-twist the wire together before you put it inside said plug. If you want to have each speaker have an individual plug you will need outlet extensions. I recommend NOT doing this.

Misc Wires for connects, and its always a good idea to have an extra fuse for amp.

If needed I can provide pictures of completed product, but with a little intuition you will bang out an ecaller in virtually no time.

Total Cost with 1 batteries, 4 speakers and misc parts(roughly)- $157 + shipping of parts.

Adding a remote is at your discretion, I personally haven't found the need for them, but adding one is simple and easy and will add anywhere from $10-$25 per unit.

Good luck, and remember "Save the tundra"


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## possumfoot

if you decide to build some to sell, i would gladly take one off your hands. minus the battery. ( i use an electric wheelchair battery).


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## Bruce

Only amp link works.


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## Midwestduckhunter

Bruce said:


> Only amp link works.


Your right. They are all fixed now. Have at it and make a great ecaller


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## WingedShooter7

Good stuff here, run the same unit(s) myself. After opening up the "commercially" made ecaller I couldn't help but laugh at what a complete joke his pricing is.


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## themaskedmallard

It amazes me no one has opened up a Squawk Box before this and posted this exact thing, I guess there is a sucker born every day as they say. Good Ecallers that are easily made for fairly cheap. Can they be improved? Absolutely. But they work plenty well enough for most people. Good call on juviesoup part on the refuge for sharing.


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## SASKATOONGOOSEHUNTER

Nice post. I like how you sourced everything out.

If you have pics, might as well post those as well.

I just went ahead and bought a Goose Getter last year, too much hassle getting stuff shipped to Canada but I'd love to build a few some day..


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## Dedbrd

On the wiring diagram of the amp it calls for the orange wire to the radio. Do I disregard it??


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## waterfowl101

I was wondering the same thing!!


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## WingedShooter7

Red and Orange tie together if I remember correctly.


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## Old Time Waterfowler

whats everyone using to produce the sounds in side the box a mp3 player, cd player? any pictures of the unit you built that you can post showing the inside and out side of the box.


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## Old Time Waterfowler

forgot to add that this might make a good predator calling box might be a little loud with the amp but you could have the caller and attach a decoy and small speaker all in one small box kinda like a mojo.easy to pack in and out. what does everyone think?


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## juviesoup

Nice to see this thread made it over here too! For those of you wanting some pictures of the unit, here are the ones from the Refuge thread. Feel free to PM me with any questions regarding these, want to help out anyone I can save themselves some serious cash. Tell all your buddies to stop wasting money!

This is the inside, however there should be alligator clips on the end of the wires coming off the amp that go to the battery. Had this amp give out due to some unforeseen conditions and haven't replaced it yet. My 6 working units are located across the state, but will have my hands on one within a few days to add more updated pictures.


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## Kelly Hannan

That's awesome. I'm a sucker, I jumped all over it. Should have almost all parts by the weekend


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## juviesoup

Old Time Waterfowler said:


> whats everyone using to produce the sounds in side the box a mp3 player, cd player? any pictures of the unit you built that you can post showing the inside and out side of the box.


Spaced out adding that part on the original post on the refuge. Will add it now for those interested. I recommend a battery operated MP3, and the so called "modified" version that comes with a SB is nothing special. Battery will allow you to replace it if it fails due to cold or dies in the heat of battle, unlike an Ipod.

What we need is a MP3 player that runs off AA or AAA batterys, we then can run it off a D cell battery obviously allowing for multiple days even weeks of use off a single battery. Bottom line AA, AAA, and D batteries are all 1.5 volts therefore any of the 3 will work.

This is basically the exact same MP3 that comes with the commercial version
http://www.amazon.com/Ecloud-ShopUS-Bla ... player+aaa

What you will then need a D cell battery holder,
http://www.amazon.com/JAMECO-RELIAPRO-B ... ery+holder

All you need to do is run two wires one for positive and one for negative from the batter holder (that one already has it) to the MP3. Best way would be to solder the wire into the mp3 player.

:thumb:


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## bassinmeyer

Any idea how long mp3 would run without modifying for the D cell battery. Thanks for the links I have received my parts and just have to assemble and pick up an mp3.


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## juviesoup

bassinmeyer said:


> Any idea how long mp3 would run without modifying for the D cell battery. Thanks for the links I have received my parts and just have to assemble and pick up an mp3.


Depends on how long your running them, I would say you'd be able to get at least a couple hunts out of one. At least that's what we've been getting, with a D cell multiple hunts is no question.


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## ndhunter44

Is there a way you could add a picture of the outlet without the face plate on. I'm interested to see how you cut it to room for the outlet itself. Thanks


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## juviesoup

ndhunter44 said:


> Is there a way you could add a picture of the outlet without the face plate on. I'm interested to see how you cut it to room for the outlet itself. Thanks




Just cut a hole big enough for the outlet to sit in.


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## Kelly Hannan

I think it is awesome that you are taking the time to walk us all thru the build process. Thanks :thumb:


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## juviesoup

Kelly Hannan said:


> I think it is awesome that you are taking the time to walk us all thru the build process. Thanks :thumb:


My pleasure! I hate to see people waste money on something they can do themselves, alot of money at that!


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## ndhunter44

Perfect thanks


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## buck&amp;duck

Where on the outlet do you cut the copper connection


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## juviesoup

buck&duck said:


> Where on the outlet do you cut the copper connection


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## Kelly Hannan

You are using the outlet to plug speakers into?


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## juviesoup

Kelly Hannan said:


> You are using the outlet to plug speakers into?


Correct.


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## Kelly Hannan

why the outlet as opposed to headphone jacks?


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## Kelly Hannan

I got my box, speakers and amp today. Of course I had to play right away and in the process I tried to switch the filter setting on amp. The little plastic lever broke, do i really ever need to move it? What does it do


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## Dedbrd

So I have everything assembled and the left speaker doesn't work(green wire). Left speaker works with the black wire! Switch out amps, same thing. Any suggestions???


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## Kelly Hannan

check green wires did you use the same plug in for amp?


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## Dedbrd

Swap both amps and both harnesses used both with each other.


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## Kelly Hannan

Just for kicks, try other speaker on green side. I know you said it worked on black side. What about polarity?


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## juviesoup

Kelly Hannan said:


> I got my box, speakers and amp today. Of course I had to play right away and in the process I tried to switch the filter setting on amp. The little plastic lever broke, do i really ever need to move it? What does it do


You can open up the front of the amp and try to switch it back, otherwise I don't think itll make a huge difference.



Dedbrd said:


> So I have everything assembled and the left speaker doesn't work(green wire). Left speaker works with the black wire! Switch out amps, same thing. Any suggestions???


Did you try using a different outlet, making sure both colors are on the same L/R as in Green upper L/R and black lower L/R? Is the copper part cut on the outlet like mentioned? The amps are built pretty cheap but I can't imagine getting two faulty amps at the same time


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## Dedbrd

I hot wired the speaker to the amps. I used both harnesses on both speakers and both amps. So I wired everything 8 times. Everything works on the right (black). I have the outlet set up right. I tried switching the wires. I don't know!!!


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## juviesoup

Dedbrd said:


> I hot wired the speaker to the amps. I used both harnesses on both speakers and both amps. So I wired everything 8 times. Everything works on the right (black). I have the outlet set up right. I tried switching the wires. I don't know!!!


I guess I'm not sure what you mean by hotwired the speakers to the amp? If you did that what did you use the outlet for?


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## Dedbrd

I didn't use the outlet to test the speakers. I just hook the wires to the amp wires. I didn't want to put everything together and the take it back apart, AGAIN!!!


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## Kelly Hannan

maybe only getting one signal out of MP3??? I don't know either.


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## juviesoup

Kelly Hannan said:


> maybe only getting one signal out of MP3??? I don't know either.


Could be this. Try using a different AUX cable or MP3 or both. Other than that I'm not sure what it could be. Is that channel connected all the way into the amp? I find it hard to believe that both your amps could be faulty, but weird things do happen, especially on $18 amps.


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## Kelly Hannan

so far mines working good. Waiting on the correct battery to arrive. I'm a little concerned on the volume, but won't know til I get it out in the field


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## juviesoup

Kelly Hannan said:


> so far mines working good. Waiting on the correct battery to arrive. I'm a little concerned on the volume, but won't know til I get it out in the field


Volume should be no issue if everything is set up correctly. We've had them LOUD before.


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## juviesoup

Kelly Hannan said:


> I got my box, speakers and amp today. Of course I had to play right away and in the process I tried to switch the filter setting on amp. The little plastic lever broke, do i really ever need to move it? What does it do


Just checked back into this. You need to keep the filter in the middle for it to be the loudest/clearest. That may be what your saying about volume issues.


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## Kelly Hannan

time will tell, just doesn't seem very loud to me. But just in the yard


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## juviesoup

Kelly Hannan said:


> time will tell, just doesn't seem very loud to me. But just in the yard


I wired in a couple remotes today on mine, and was curious about what you were saying. Going left or Right from the middle causes the sound to decrease by 30-40% I would say and kind of lose those clear barks you'd on most tracks and just become kind of a muffled noise.


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## Kelly Hannan

ok good to know. Glad I took mine apart and put it back in center. some day I might invest in a better amp, but for now it works good


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## Honker slayer

juviesoup said:


> Kelly Hannan said:
> 
> 
> 
> I got my box, speakers and amp today. Of course I had to play right away and in the process I tried to switch the filter setting on amp. The little plastic lever broke, do i really ever need to move it? What does it do
> 
> 
> 
> Just checked back into this. You need to keep the filter in the middle for it to be the loudest/clearest. That may be what your saying about volume issues.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by the filter?


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## Kelly Hannan

top right corner is a little black tab that you can slide left or right. In playing with mine it broke off. I had to take apart and put back in center to get best sound and volume.

I had already returned it to center before turning it on. Maybe my MP3 doesn't go loud enough


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## Kelly Hannan

Just for the record, I dropped a channel to. Tested both speakers. Guess I will invest in better amp


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## Kelly Hannan

after further review I didn't drop a channel. It was the player I had hooked to it.


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## Dedbrd

So I finally looked at my player and it turned to out NOT to be the amp, but the 2 new aux. cables from Radio Shack were mono not stereo!!! The player ROCKS now with the cable from the "mart"!!!


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## Dedbrd

What and where do I get a remote from????


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## juviesoup

Dedbrd said:


> What and where do I get a remote from????


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LMI ... 1_2&sr=8-2

These are the ones I've been using with decent success.


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## Drundel

I'm gonna start working on mine soon, anyone have any modification or improvements to this design? Maybe a different AMP/speaker?

Thanks


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## Kelly Hannan

only thing I wish I would have done different is 4 speakers instead of 2


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## juviesoup

Kelly Hannan said:


> only thing I wish I would have done different is 4 speakers instead of 2


Buy 2 more. Wire 2 speakers into one plug, problem solved.


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## Kelly Hannan

instructions for amp said not to do that.


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## the professor

Kelly Hannan said:


> instructions for amp said not to do that.


If your amp has 8 ohm outputs on the speaker connections, you can parallel two 16 ohm speakers, which creates an 8 ohm load. If the amp is 4 ohm stable, you can parallel two 8 ohm speakers on each channel. Most outdoor horn speakers are 8 ohm, so if your amp is only a two channel amp, you'll need it to be rated for 4 ohm loads to run 4 speakers.


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## snow

Curious about who is liable for copy right infringments here? I see the squawk box is a registerd trade mark,so does the inventor go after "nodak outdoors" then the person who started this thread?


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## Chuck Smith

Only if they try to sell them commercially.

Otherwise copy right infringement isn't an issue.


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## juviesoup

Kelly Hannan said:


> instructions for amp said not to do that.


For the actual amp? We've been doing it the entire time we've been using these callers with no problems.


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## juviesoup

snow said:


> Curious about who is liable for copy right infringments here? I see the squawk box is a registerd trade mark,so does the inventor go after "nodak outdoors" then the person who started this thread?


 :rollin:

Is someone getting a little butt hurt? The name is a trade mark. Pulling a bunch of cheap parts and pieces off of amazon and putting them together then up charging people however isn't. I can think of two other companies that are selling for profit that are almost a carbon copy of these, better get the lawyers together and start sueing people. I'm sure those court cases would hold up pretty well.


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## Midwestduckhunter

snow said:


> Curious about who is liable for copy right infringments here? I see the squawk box is a registerd trade mark,so does the inventor go after "nodak outdoors" then the person who started this thread?


Nice threat. Haha.


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## the professor

snow said:


> Curious about who is liable for copy right infringments here? I see the squawk box is a registerd trade mark,so does the inventor go after "nodak outdoors" then the person who started this thread?


You forgot to post a link to another vendor that sells an E-caller under the name "squawk box." Either that or you don't understand trademarks.


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## juviesoup

the professor said:


> snow said:
> 
> 
> 
> Curious about who is liable for copy right infringments here? I see the squawk box is a registerd trade mark,so does the inventor go after "nodak outdoors" then the person who started this thread?
> 
> 
> 
> You forgot to post a link to another vendor that sells an E-caller under the name "squawk box." Either that or you don't understand trademarks.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Snow, keep the idle threats coming.


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## snow

juvie,undo your undies,like I stated I was curious,no threats and I could careless.Pretty sure northern skies would be all over this if they had a legal stand or maybe its really not a money maker for them,after all how many guyz out there chase spring snows w/o a outfitter? few 100 thru the central plains...maybe?


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## Midwestduckhunter

snow said:


> juvie,undo your undies,like I stated I was curious,no threats and I could careless.Pretty sure northern skies would be all over this if they had a legal stand or maybe its really not a money maker for them,after all how many guyz out there chase spring snows w/o a outfitter? few 100 thru the central plains...maybe?


I'm sure the owner isn't happen about people making the same thing which is likely why the thread was started anyways. Sounds like your not happy either. 500 different freelance spreads in the midwest times 3-4 e-callers, couple thousand e-callers. Sounds like he is likely losing money off this thread. I know I have made 3 for my self and dozen for others I know alone.


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## birdflu2010

Im going to be putting one of these together this week. I have a couple questions.

How is everyone connecting wires to amp? I don't really see any plugs or anything.

I assume you are plugging one speaker into each outlet?


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## the professor

birdflu2010 said:


> How is everyone connecting wires to amp? I don't really see any plugs or anything.


Solder & heat shrink insulation or butt splices & or terminal strips.


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## birdflu2010

Just got it put together this past weekend. Sounds awesome. Looking forward to shooting geese over it this spring.


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## nodakgreen

the professor said:


> birdflu2010 said:
> 
> 
> 
> How is everyone connecting wires to amp? I don't really see any plugs or anything.
> 
> 
> 
> Solder & heat shrink insulation or butt splices & or terminal strips.
Click to expand...

Any chance I could hassle you to upload a pic of the connections, or text me some close up's?


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## the professor

nodakgreen said:


> the professor said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> birdflu2010 said:
> 
> 
> 
> How is everyone connecting wires to amp? I don't really see any plugs or anything.
> 
> 
> 
> Solder & heat shrink insulation or butt splices & or terminal strips.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Any chance I could hassle you to upload a pic of the connections, or text me some close up's?
Click to expand...

Waiting on a new amp to ship, but if I remember I'll snap some pictures when I install it in one of my boxes. The rest of my ecallers are buried under decoy totes and blinds right now.


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## birdflu2010

Took this baby out last weekend. Worked like a charm. If you have any doubts on it being loud. It is really loud.


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## death trap

If you guys want to make your caller louder add one of these.
http://www.amazon.com/Upbeat-Audio-T613 ... boosterroo


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## coy

anyone have a diagram or photo's on how to wire in a remote. THis is a pic of the one I want to install. Thanks


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## juviesoup

coy said:


> anyone have a diagram or photo's on how to wire in a remote. THis is a pic of the one I want to install. Thanks


Did it not come with instructions? I can get you a diagram within the next day or so. Its pretty simple.


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## coy

Thanks Juviesoup, did not come with instructions,but u are right it was very simple once I actually took the time to look at the wires that were all labeled nice and neat for me. Pretty self explanitory. Thanks again.

Now that I think of it,I do have one question. There are 2 black ground wires on the remote box. I only hooked one up, to the negative terminal on the amp. Is this normal, or should the other ground wire be hooked to something? Seemed pretty redundant to tie it into the negative connection going to the battery. Thanks..


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## goose killer

I made the same ecaller last year. I used a water proof electrical box like that goes on the house side of your house. So all the plug ins are completely water proof. Works slick.


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## juviesoup

coy said:


> Thanks Juviesoup, did not come with instructions,but u are right it was very simple once I actually took the time to look at the wires that were all labeled nice and neat for me. Pretty self explanitory. Thanks again.
> 
> Now that I think of it,I do have one question. There are 2 black ground wires on the remote box. I only hooked one up, to the negative terminal on the amp. Is this normal, or should the other ground wire be hooked to something? Seemed pretty redundant to tie it into the negative connection going to the battery. Thanks..


Glad to hear you got her whipped!

I believe I have them both tied together running to the negative. If it works with just one hooked up, might as well stick with that.


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## Drundel

I finally started working on mine. Below are most of the parts, plus a 12v battery, a 8 GB SD card for music, misc heat shrink to seal the connections. I'm gonna mount the speakers to some PVC to keep them off the ground.



Code:


	[url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0073WTG6M/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1EXP53KY6DILM&coliid=I3SY3CC4YBGVHM]
	Amp[/url]

	[url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BQM8SFA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1EXP53KY6DILM&coliid=I3TRFSZNPIXT7D]
	Speakers[/url] (4)

	[url=https://www.amazon.com/Wise-Outdoors-5601-40-Small-Utility/dp/B00E6MZ832/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1483462032&sr=8-7&keywords=action+box+white]
	Housing[/url]

	[url=https://smile.amazon.com/Mediabridge-16AWG-2-Conductor-Speaker-White/dp/B00N18VEJ4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481253420&sr=8-2&keywords=white+speaker+wire]
	Speaker[/url] Wire

	[url=http://www.markertek.com/product/sw11/switchcraft-11-1-4-inch-2-conductor-open-circuit-chassis-mount-jack]
	1/4 jack[/url]

	[url=http://www.markertek.com/product/sw280/switchcraft-280-1-4-inch-2-conductor-phone-plug-solder-terminals]
	1/4 plug[/url]


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## juviesoup

If anyone is interested in having one of these set up for them and sent ready to go, shoot me a PM. Guarantee it'll be cheaper than any other caller on the market, we basically are doing them for cost plus a little for our time. Have a better amp figured out, remote, speakers, and some other additions that I think people will be happy with.

Also have a custom track, but as I'm not a sponsor on here yet I can't disclose the price or what it sounds like.


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## duknut1975

I looked but did not see wher you mentioned what speaker wire you are using? I bought some cheap lamp cord to start with but am wondering if its thick enough wire?


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## Drundel

duknut1975 said:


> I looked but did not see wher you mentioned what speaker wire you are using? I bought some cheap lamp cord to start with but am wondering if its thick enough wire?


https://smile.amazon.com/Mediabridg...1481253420&sr=8-2&keywords=white+speaker+wire

This is what I brought.

What ga is the lamp cord? The ones I buy at home depot are either 16 or 18 and should be fine. I bought this because its white already.


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## duknut1975

Drundel said:


> duknut1975 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I looked but did not see wher you mentioned what speaker wire you are using? I bought some cheap lamp cord to start with but am wondering if its thick enough wire?
> 
> 
> 
> https://smile.amazon.com/Mediabridg...1481253420&sr=8-2&keywords=white+speaker+wire
> 
> This is what I brought.
> 
> What ga is the lamp cord? The ones I buy at home depot are either 16 or 18 and should be fine. I bought this because its white already.
Click to expand...

I think it is 18ga. Seems to work ok and is white and just a couple bucks cheaper than what you posted. Thanks!


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## Drundel

I finally took some pictures of mine.


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## teamoutlaw

I have had 3 of those pyle amps already and all 3 went bad. one after 2 hunts, and 2 bad out of the box.


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