A. The low battery LED blinking can be a normal occurrence under fairly loud volume conditions. During loud passages in sound you are demanding a lot of current from the battery. This pulls the battery life down for brief period and the low battery LED is detecting that. To maximize battery life you should choose the speaker that is best suited for the sound. If you play one speaker at a time, for example, you can practically double the battery life. Another option would be to use our SLA battery pack.

If you choose to play your unit with both speakers operating at full volume, you will have close to 15-watts of output power and this can run the internal batteries down very quickly.



Q. How long should I charge my batteries?

A. A good rule of thumb when charging batteries with the standard wall charger is to let them charge about twice as long as you have used them. If you were playing the unit at very high volumes, then you may want to charge it about four times as long as you were playing it. Make sure that the overall charge time does not exceed ten hours.

A. To use an external battery with the FX3 or FX5 you will need a 5.5/2.5mm coaxial connector with the center being positive. You can use up to 15VDC to run the unit. You need to be sure that you disconnect the internal batteries or remove them from the tray and just plug the empty tray in. It is also recommended to use a 5 amp inline fuse as well.

You can connect an SLA to the charge jack. If you do this, you must disconnect the internal battery.

FOXPRO does offer a 12V 8Ah Gel Cell Battery with 5a inline fuse, charger, all applicable power cables, and a nice carrying case for $64.95. FP P/N: 12 Volt SLA Pack.

If you have a large 12V SLA and you have 8 AA alkaline, they will both have a terminal voltage of around 12 volts so the power output will be the same. The SLA will certainly last longer because they have a much larger capacity. The alkaline batteries have high impedance and they will collapse very quickly as compared to the SLA.

A. Battery life is affected by many different factors. Most folks who are experiencing these issues are probably using regular, alkaline batteries. Please be aware that alkaline batteries are not recommended for getting maximum results when using the FX3 or FX5.

Alkaline batteries have higher impedance than NiMH batteries. The FX3 and FX5 both can have immense appetites for power when playing at full volume. When the unit is demanding high current at a fast rate from alkaline batteries, the alkaline batteries are unable to satisfy the power demands for a long period because of their internal impedance.

NiMH (nickel-metal-hydride) batteries have a much lower impedance and are able to supply the unit with the required power easier.

Although you may notice that alkaline batteries are rated a 1.5V and NiMH batteries are rated at 1.2V, this should not be viewed as the NiMH batteries are not the best bang-for-the-buck. Alkaline batteries may be able to provide more of an initial "kick" over the NiMH batteries, but under load conditions, the alkaline batteries will begin to sag very fast and that 1.5V can be quickly reduced to nothing in no time at all.

Take the following formula into consideration for helping to maximize your run times: twice the volume will require four times the power. Therefore, backing off the volume even a little bit will drastically increase your runs times. If your situation requires extreme high-volume applications, you may want to consider the 12V SLA battery pack for better extended performance.

The heat that is sometimes felt on the batteries when playing at loud volumes is a result of large current demands to develop the high output volume. You should not be concerned unless they become too hot to touch.



Q. How can I identify if I have the right charger for my unit?

A. Voltage and current ratings alone will not be enough to determine whether or not a certain charger is compatible with your unit. We can often times inform you of compatibility based upon the printed part number on the charger itself to see if it is a valid FOXPRO charger.

If you are operating a 48, 416, 532, or XR6 the output of the charger should be 9VDC, 200mA. Equally important is whether the charger is tipped negative or positive. On the charger you will see something similar to this:

( + ) - - - ( o - - - ( - )

This will indicate that the center of the plug is negative and the outside is positive. If reversed, it could have very negative effects on your unit.

The AR4, FX3, and FX5 will have the opposite polarity:

( + ) - - - o ) - - - ( - )

This indicates that the center of the plug is positive and the outside is negative.

It is always best to use the appropriate charger on your equipment. FOXPRO sells and has all chargers readily available for you if you should need a replacement.

If you are attempting to wire up your own external battery for your FX3 or FX5 you will first need a coaxial power connector (5.5mm OD, 2.5mm ID) with the center pin positive. It is recommended that you connect a 5A inline fuse on the positive lead.



Q. If am using NiMH batteries, can I switch to alkalilnes if they suddenly go dead?

A. Absolutely. For the 48, 416, and 532 just unscrew the speaker/ring from the front of the unit to gain access to the battery tray and replace the NiMH batteries with alkaline batteries. It's easy to carry to a spare set of batteries in your shirt pocket. We recommend that you place some tape around the battery holder in order to keep the batteries from popping out if the caller is banged against a tree or dropped.

With the XR6, AR4, FX3, and FX5 you can just remove the battery compartment door on the back of the unit, pull out the battery tray, and replace the NiMH batteries with alkaline batteries.

Additional plastic battery trays are available for purchase from FOXPRO should you decide to keep extra batteries trays ready for fast changing in the field.