Home made tip-up alarm ideas wanted!!!!

[mnhunter2]

Have been spending a lot of time night fishing with tip-ups and would like some sort of alarm system that will buzz in the permaent house when the flag goes up or the line spools out, there are some good ones for sale but I would like to make my own , anyone have any ideas?

[Mike Walerak]

Use wireless doorbells. I have done some experimenting with them and found them to be more reliable than some of the comercial ones. You will have to take a look at them and do some experimenting them until you find one that works for you.

mw

[tunrevir]

Spend the money on a strike sensor system with two transmitters. It is a pager and a transmitter that signals you when the flag trips. The transmitter lights up so you know which tipup is up and the pager beeps immediately letting you know how long the fish has had it. They have a range well past 250' with fresh batteries. Mine have worked flawlessly for 15 years now. I think the new ones run about 60.00 for 1 transmitter and one pager and each additional transmitter is around 25 bucks. Not home made but very effective and well worth the cost IMO.

Tunrevir~

[icemac33]

I second tunrevir. Yes, not homemade, but worth it. They will also cover you for all tip- up fishing and are good for night shore-fishing. My two favorite personal tips for them are:

1) I put a 5 gallon bucket over my frabill thermal tip up at night and place a candle on the tip up. You can see the bucket glowing from a ways off and keeps the tip-up ice and snow free. You don't have to be able to see the tip-up with the pagers.

2) We will occasionally stay at a hotel on our way up nort'. You can set the transmitter inside your topper or trailer and tie it on to a latch with a little string extension. Bring the pager into the motel and not worry about some scumbag trying to snag stuff from the topper or trailer.

I see them for $50 for the set and they are well worth it.