Smart Programming using one directory or many
If it's your first shot at organizing a sound list, it may be tempting to group all your sounds together into rabbits, coons, birds, crows, etc. A lot of guys do that. They learn to live with it, going from one end of the file system to the other to find a fox or bird or a coon. It works OK on the computer. It doesn't work too well on a hunt. Turn off the computer. Turn on the remote. The rabbit is playing and here comes a coyote. It's time to switch to a coaxer. That's the scenario, common enough on a hunt. The goal of the programming is to make it as easy as possible to switch from a cottontail to a coaxer. Ideally there would be a coaxer right next to every rabbit on the caller so you never have to look very far.
There are a couple of ways that work to change to the sound on any brand name remote, usually press 3 buttons, or scroll and send, or press a preset. That is easy enough sitting at a desk given the freedom to move around. On the hunt, when a coyote pops out at 60 yards, doing the "trot and stop," changing to the coaxer needs to be one-button and no-look. Without any movement, change sounds, turn your head or body no faster than the second hand on your watch, and keep your eyes on the target. Prepare to lift your weapon.
Foxpro and others use a single directory and number their files sequentially. Punch in three numbers and the caller plays the number... or scroll and press send... or press a preset. Minaska, WT, and some others use ten or more smaller directories, each with 10 files in them. Sound changes usually take about three key presses.
Back to the hunt, whether you stand alone in a brushpile or pair up with someone else and rotate the calling open fields, with either kind of file system, it will always be easier to change from #3 to #8, than it will to remember #17 and #86.
Here is an alternate "programming" designed to play well on the caller even if it doesn't look too good on the computer. First, put your best sounds into groups of ten. The example uses two birds, three rabbits, a loud distress, a fox, a crow, a coaxer, and a distressed canine INTO EVERY GROUP OF TEN, always in the SAME order.
This kind of organizing and numbering is confusing and time-consuming, but it pays back in fur. The keypad may have to be modified slightly so you can find the keys by feel.
0 - Bird
1 - Bird
2 - Baby rabbit
3 - Cottontail
4 - Jackrabbit or Hare
5 - Larger misc. barnyard, bird, or mammal distress
6 - Red or Gray Fox, barks, fights, or distress
7 - Crows or Raven calls or distress
8 - 50% Volume coaxer, rodent, or lip squeak
9 - Distressed Coyote or domestic Canine.
You're never too far from the sound you might need, a few lines up or down on the lcd, or just ONE BUTTON PUSH on some callers. Ideally, you should be able to push that button without looking at it. Back to the hunt, changing from a cottontail to coaxer is as simple as changing from #3 to #8. Changing from #3 to #18, or changing from #13 to #28, or #23 to #118, will do the same thing, change from a cottontail to a coaxer, as long as the last digit is a 3 to an 8. Regardless, the best sound change on any caller will be one-button, no-look, and take no motion.
Using some of the better sounds from the Library, here's an example of 12 fully programmed banks. Every number that ends in 0 or 1 is a bird.
| JS | JS | JS |
| 000 JSSqBird | 010 JSSqWoodp | 020 JSBabyWoodp |
| 001 JSYhammerWoodp | 011 JSRedShaftFlicker | 021 JSDQuail |
| 002 JSBabyCottontail | 012 JSBabyJackrabbit | 022 JSFrightBabyCottontail |
| 003 JSHPCottontail | 013 JSGrownCottontail | 023 JSDesparateCottontail |
| 004 JSJackrabbitVittles | 014 JSSuperJack | 024 JSGrownJackrabbit |
| 005 JSFawnBleat | 015 JSKittenD | 025 JSWtailFawnCries |
| 006 JSGrayFox&Raccoon | 016 JSBabyRedFox | 026 JSRed&GrayFox |
| 007 JSCrowDeathCry | 017 JSCrowOwlFight | 027 JSCrowFight |
| 008 JSRodentD | 018 JSDRodents | 028 FPVoleSqueaks |
| 009 JSCoyPupD | 019 TTCoyoteFight | 029 TTDogginCoyote |
| FP | FP | FP |
| 030 FPFemCardinal | 040 FPWoodpecker | 050 FPMadStarling |
| 031 FPFinchD | 041 FPWackyWdpckr | 051FPGrayCatbird |
| 032 FPBigRabbitD | 042 FPMadRabbitD | 052 FPScreamnRabbit |
| 033 FPEasternCottontail | 043 FPCFCottontail | 053 FPLilsCottontail |
| 034 FPLightningJack | 044 FPLilJack | 054 FPWaningJack |
| 035 FPKittenD2 | 045 FPGraySquirrel | 055 FPFlyingSquirrel |
| 036 FPPtGrayFoxPup | 046 FPScreamnGrayFox | 056 FPBabyRedFoxD |
| 037 BAYoungCrowD | 047 BAMourningCall | 057 BAdultCrowDist |
| 038 FPYoungRatD | 048 FPAdultRatD | 058 RARodentD |
| 039 FPCoyDeathCry | 049 FPCoyPupScreams | 059 FPCoyPupDist3 |
| MO | BB | LB |
| 060 MOWoundedWoody | 070 BBYHam | 080 FPWailNWdpkr |
| 061 MOSuperRooster | 071 BBQuailD | 081 LBTurkeyPoult |
| 062 MOBabyJack | 072 BBBabyCottontail | 082 LBBabyRabbitD |
| 063 MOSandhillCottontail | 073 BBGrownCottontail | 083 LBCottontail |
| 064 MOJumpinJack | 074 BBGrownJackrabbit | 084 FPSnowshoeHP |
| 065 MODomCatD | 075 BBYoungDeerD | 085 LBKittenDistress |
| 066 MOGrayFoxD | 076 BBGrayFoxPup | 086 LBGrayFoxPupD |
| 067 MOCrowSmallFlock | 077 FPCrows2 | 087 LBBabyCrowD |
| 068 MOMadlLips | 078 BBRatDCoax | 088 LBRodentD |
| 069 MOHurtPup | 079 FPFemCoySub | 089 FPCoyFemWhimpers |
| OP | WT | JS |
| 090 FPRedBelWdpckr2 | 100 FPRedBelWdpckr1 | 110 JSMeadowlark |
| 091 FPPrincesBirdD | 101 WTPileate | 111 JSGobblerDistress |
| 092 BSCottontail | 102 WTCotailY | 112 JSBabyJacksD |
| 093 FPPursuitJack1 | 103 WTJackrabY | 113 JSSnowshoeHareD |
| 094 OPBuckshotJack | 104 WTJackrab | 114 JSHurtnJack |
| 095 FPHeronDistress | 105 WTGoatD | 115 JSKidGoatD |
| 096 FPSTGrayFoxPup | 106 WTGrayFox | 116 JSRedFox&Cottontail |
| 097 FPRavenDuet | 107 WTCrowMob | 117 JSCrowComeHere |
| 098 FPFreakySqueaks | 108 WTMouseD | 118 WTMouseV |
| 099 DKCoyPupD | 109 WTCoyAdultD | 119 JSCaninePups |
Files renamed to fill a caller with banks (000-099).
000 JSSqBird.mp3
001 JSYhammerWoodp.mp3
002 JSBabyCottontail.mp3
003 JSHPCottontail.mp3
004 JSJackrabbitVittles.mp3
005 JSFawnBleat.mp3
006 JSGrayFox&Raccoon.mp3
007 JSCrowDeathCry.mp3
008 JSRodentD.mp3
009 JSCoyPupD.mp3
010 JSSqWoodp.mp3
011 JSRedShaftFlicker.mp3
012 JSBabyJackrabbit.mp3
013 JSGrownCottontail.mp3
014 JSSuperJack.mp3
015 JSKittenD.mp3
016 JSBabyRedFox.mp3
017 JSCrowOwlFight.mp3
018 JSDRodents.mp3
019 TTCoyoteFight.mp3
020 JSBabyWoodp.mp3
021 JSDQuail.mp3
022 JSFrightBabyCottontail.mp3
023 JSDesparateCottontail.mp3
024 JSGrownJackrabbit.mp3
025 JSWtailFawnCries.mp3
026 JSRed&GrayFox.mp3
027 JSCrowFight.mp3
028 FPVoleSqueaks.mp3
029 TTDogginCoyote.mp3
030 FPFemCardinal.mp3
031 FPFinchD.mp3
032 FPBigRabbitD.mp3
033 FPEasternCottontail.mp3
034 FPLightningJack.mp3
035 FPKittenD2.mp3
036 FPPtGrayFoxPup.mp3
037 BAYoungCrowD.mp3
038 FPYoungRatD.mp3
039 FPCoyDeathCry.mp3
040 FPWoodpecker.mp3
041 FPWackyWdpckr.mp3
042 FPMadRabbitD.mp3
043 FPCFCottontail.mp3
044 FPLilJack.mp3
045 FPGraySquirrel.mp3
046 FPScreamnGrayFox.mp3
047 BAMourningCall.mp3
048 FPAdultRatD.mp3
049 FPCoyPupScreams.mp3
050 FPMadStarling.mp3
051 FPGrayCatbird.mp3
052 FPScreamnRabbit.mp3
053 FPLilsCottontail.mp3
054 FPWaningJack.mp3
055 FPFlyingSquirrel.mp3
056 FPBabyRedFoxD.mp3
057 BAdultCrowDist.mp3
058 RARodentD.mp3
059 FPCoyPupDist3.mp3
060 MOWoundedWoody.mp3
061 MOSuperRooster.mp3
062 MOBabyJack.mp3
063 MOSandhillCottontail.mp3
064 MOJumpinJack.mp3
065 MODomCatD.mp3
066 MOGrayFoxD.mp3
067 MOCrowSmallFlock.mp3
068 MOMadlLips.mp3
069 MOHurtPup.mp3
070 BBYHam.mp3
071 BBQuailD.mp3
072 BBBabyCottontail.mp3
073 BBGrownCottontail.mp3
074 BBGrownJackrabbit.mp3
075 BBYoungDeer D.mp3
076 BBGrayFoxPup.mp3
077 FPCrows2.mp3
078 BBRatDCoax.mp3
079 FPFemCoySub.mp3
080 FPWailNWdpkr.mp3
081 LBTurkeyPoult.mp3
082 LBBabyRabbitD.mp3
083 LBCottontail.mp3
084 FPSnowshoeHP.mp3
085 LBKittenDistress.mp3
086 LBGrayFoxPupD.mp3
087 LBBabyCrowD.mp3
088 LBRodentD.mp3
089 FPCoyFemWhimpers.mp3
090 FPRedBelWdpckr2.mp3
091 FPPrincesBirdD.mp3
092 BSCottontail.mp3
093 FPPursuitJack1.mp3
094 OPBuckshotJack.mp3
095 FPHeronDistress.mp3
096 FPSTGrayFoxPup.mp3
097 FPRavenDuet.mp3
098 FPFreakySqueaks.mp3
099 DKCoyPupD.mp3
This kind of organization works well on a Foxpro too. The TX-500 remote (Fury, CS series, Prairie Blaster) has direct numerical entry, scroll and send, or a series of presets. Just using the keypad, all the coaxers are accessed by playing numbers 8, 18, 28, 38, 48... With this set up, and JS sounds in bank 0, 1, and 2, the JS birds are always going to be 000, 001, 010, 011... I couldn't tell you the name of the file, but you always get a bird with any number ending in 0 or 1. Better, you're never more than a few lines away from the next coaxer or pup distress if you want to scroll the lcd and hit send.
Shortcut to using your Foxpro remote - Using the two preset buttons on the TX-500, press mute, pick a bird or rabbit and store it to P1 at volume 27, then pick a coaxer and store to P2 at vol 18. Hit replay and mute, let it rip. Unlike the Minaska, if the caller is muted, it stays muted until the mute button is pressed a second time.