Occasionally things go wrong – so to make life a little easier when they do, we’ve prepared some troubleshooting guidelines to try and get your customer back out the door with their caller working again.
1. CHECK THE BATTERIES
The number one issue with ICOtec callers is due to poor battery quality or charge level which will either mean the caller or remote only works intermittently or not at all. Please first try new batteries (ideally DURACELL). The better the battery, the better the performance, especially in cold temperatures. We recommend you use Duracell batteries to make sure you are using the best. Also, be sure the batteries are installed in the proper direction (a common oversight). Be sure your customer’s batteries were new when they are installed in the machine and in the remote.
To double check the battery level in the remote do the following:
Gen 2 GC300 & Gen 2 GC350 Remote Battery Check (MN21 12v)
Press and hold down any call button and observe the green LED. If the LED either flickers, flashes or dims then there is a low battery level in the remote and the battery should be changed prior to continuing.
Gen 2 GC500 Remote Battery Check (PP3 9v)
Please see the battery level indicator on the LCD screen
2. REMOTE NOT TALKING TO UNIT
Occasionally your customer’s unit batteries may die whilst the unit is running. This can sometimes disrupt communications between the main speaker unit and the remote control. The remedy for this is very easy and you will need a paper clip or a small pin and use either as follows:
Gen 2 GC300 & Gen 2 GC350 Re-Pairing
Turn the power switch on, find the small hole on the speaker unit to the left of the power switch, insert the paperclip or pin to depress the microswitch inside the unit. The Red power LED will now flash. Immediately press and hold one of the call buttons. Your caller should respond within 3-5 seconds. If this does not cure the issue, please turn off the unit, re-check the batteries to ensure they are not dead and try the re-pairing process once more.
Gen 2 GC500 Re-Pairing / Syncing (Also needs to be done if more calls have been added to the SD Card)
If your customer updates the calls on the GC500 SD card or your customer finds the remote is not ‘talking’ to the speaker unit then the remote needs to be re-synced with the speaker unit. This is a very simple process, but it needs to be done properly or the caller will not work.. The steps to achieve re-sync are as follows:
- Switch the caller and the remote ON
- Plug one end of the “SYNC” cable into the SYN port on the back of your GC500 and then plug the other end into the port on the left hand side of the remote.
The SYNC cable is the 3.5mm stereo jack to 3.5mm stereo jack cable supplied with the machine - After a few seconds the screen will show “UPDATING SONGS” – and above this the the display will scroll through the calls on the SD card. The display will then flash “OK” 10 times – and will then return to the (now updated) call list.
- Switch off the remote and the speaker unit and disconnect the cable
- Power the remote and the base unit back up – and the remote and base unit should now be synced with each other
3. NO SOUND..?
If your GC300, GC350, GC500, Nightstalker or Outlaw is powering up – but is silent it may related to the speaker itself. To test, try a set of headphones / earphones in the external speaker port and see if you get a sound there (NOTE – don’t put the headphones on / in your ears as it will be loud!). If you get a sound through these – but not through the main speaker, it suggests the speaker is at fault – so head to point 4…
4. STILL NO JOY…?
Contact us and tell us what the problem is.
Please contact us via email: rob@bestfoxcall.co.uk and we’ll tell you what to do next. Please do not send the caller back to us WITHOUT contacting us first as it often can be fixed over the telephone. If you do send it back you will have to stand the cost of postage until we inspect the caller to see if it is not working due to misuse, wear and tear or a manufacturing fault.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE GEN 2 GC350 REMOTE
Your customer may complain that the battery in the remote is draining very quickly. This is because your customer MAY have left the ON/OFF switch in the ON position, thinking that this switch turns the remote on and off. THAT IS NOT THE CASE – as this switch ONLY controls the backlight. This switch should be kept on the OFF position unless the customer requires the backlight. Leaving the switch in the ON position will drain the battery very quickly. PLEASE NOTE: The remote will function whether this switch is in the ON or OFF position.