WOLF | ICON Series (Video)
We had our first sneak peek of Wolf’s ICON alarms back in April when they released the first spec on these alarms and first impressions were WOW – these are going to be seriously feature-packed, to say the least! Well the alarms have finally arrived in the flesh and we’ve been lucky enough to be some of the first people to get hold of them and see the finished product.
There are three alarms in the ICON range, the Q, Q2 and Qi, and two receivers, the HUBB and Qr HUBB. The first thing you’ll notice is that they are far from compact and certainly not a cheap piece of plastic made in China; these are a serious bit of kit, relatively beefy and solid feeling. We were immediately impressed with the build quality and it’s great to hear the whole lot are built right here in Britain! In fact Wolf is so confident that it offers a full three-year plus warranty on all ICON devices.
So what does the ICON series offer the angler? First things first, roller wheel or vibration sensing; this is usually one of the main dividing factors for anglers. The alarms feature a high sensitivity roller wheel with eight sensitivity settings (expandable to 16 on the Q2 and Qi via the HUBB) with dropback differentiation and recoil elimination. Effectively this stops the rocking motion found on some magnet rollers. The Qi alarm then also features UltraSens vibration detection… yes, BOTH roller wheel and vibration sensing! The two functions can be used independently of each other, or both at the same time, allowing the alarm’s smart auto sensing to switch between the two. Seriously impressive stuff!
Each of the three alarms are based on the same body design, with some additional features on the pricier models. Easy to grip dials are used to adjust the main functions including volume, tone and sensitivity (separate roller and vibration dials on the Qi) while other functions are controlled by soft touch buttons. There is also a non-slip rubber grip and rod protector so that your rods don’t slide forward on the take. The alarms are simply turned on by rotating the sensitivity dial from the off position, ensuring that the alarms are not accidentally turned on/off. The Qi alarms also feature a special hard case that switches the alarm off automatically!
The alarms feature highly visible, dual LEDs with changeable colours (seven on the Qi, four on the Q and Q2), which indicate forward and backward motion, as well as having adjustable brightness (LEDs off in stealth mode) and latching times. The alarms also have an adjustable night light, with the Qi featuring an auto night light that automatically dims according to the inbuilt light meter.
Other buttons include a menu button to change settings such as colours and brightness; pairing button to link to the HUBB System and a mute button which will mute the alarm and receiver following a notification on the HUBB. There are also two ports, the smart Indicator port and IQ port, both of which are fully weather sealed. These are used to link up other ICON accessories to come and indicators (even those from other reputable brands)! The entire alarm is weather sealed with water resistant electronics, meaning they will be able to take the worst of the weather without missing a bleep!
The Qr HUBB is a more conventional receiver, while the HUBB itself is a whole new beast, but let’s get on to that later. As you might expect, the two handsets replicate all of the settings on the alarms as standard – change a setting on the alarm and this will automatically update on the receiver. They are also fully weather sealed, have an extended battery life and incredible range (2km line of sight on the HUBB – not that you’d ever want to test that in a real fishing situation)! The receivers provide battery and signal strength for your paired devices, as well as an anti-theft function so you can always ensure you are connected. Another handy function is the global mute, which can be used to mute all paired devices with one click of a button!
Now on to the beastly HUBB! Unlike most traditional ‘receivers’ on the market, which simply receive a signal from the alarm when sounded, the HUBB is a two-way system, both receiving and transmitting data. This brings a whole new level of control to the user, enabling you to control your alarm from the comfort of the bivvy. Volume, sensitivity, brightness, night marking and range testing can all be controlled on your receiver. This is a real game changer!
Another neat feature of the HUBB is an LCD display to easily navigate menus and view the Event History – this literally shows you what indications last took place and when! There is also a built-in torch that can often come in handy too.
Thankfully, both the HUBB and more affordable Qr HUBB can be used with each of the alarms, so you don’t lose out on features depending on which alarm you buy. They can also be linked to all new devices featuring the HUBB LINK so keep your eyes peeled!
RRP: £various
WEBSITE: www.wolfint.com
To find out more about the Wolf ICON alarms, watch the video below.
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