Vimarco FNX Alarms

If you’re in the market for a luxurious set of high-tech bite alarms, there’s some pretty lovely stuff on offer right now. Fox and their new RX+ alarms, Delkim’s 25-plus-years flagship TX-i Plus, and of course E.C.U’s with their old-school looking-vibe MK1 R-Plus. But, there’s a new player knocking on the bite alarm cabinet door. It’s the world’s first touch panel alarm; goes by the name of FNX; and is 100% made in Poland…

The Big Questions

Made in Poland you say…
That’s correct, and that’s probably the reason why you’ve never heard of Vimarco until you read this review (or saw the product video we’ve put together for our YouTube channel: CARPologyTV), but this Poland-based company has been churning out high-end bite alarms since 2009. Their business model and ethos is based around high value quality and reliability - and it’s clearly working having won a number of awards for the alarms over the years.

Vimarco FNX: the world’s first touch-screen alarm

Credentials sound impressive - tell me about the alarms themselves?
We’ll start with the “exclusives”. Precise reinforced acrylic touch panel display which is weather-proofed. Battery Level Checker. Four travelling LEDs which go up or down depending on the direction of the bite on both the head and the receiver and have an eight-second memory after the bite. And outputs on the new Vimarco Swingers and Hangers offer the ability to colour match their LEDs to the colour of those selected on the bite alarm. You can easily change the bottom screw and roller wheel by yourself without sending it back for service.

Holy smoke! Now I can see why these are so popular in Poland. Can you give me some more detail on the touch-screen?
Sure, but we’ll start with the tech. Using Vimarco’s new FNX technology, it means they have eliminated the reed switches that are used in most standard bite alarms and replaced it with a Hall Sensor. Reed switches are often made from glass and can break very easily when the alarm is dropped or knocked. The Hall Sensor increases sensitivity from three or four impulses per full rotation of the roller wheel to eight per rotation. The reinforced acrylic and ABS touch panel is so hard-wearing that Joe, our videographer, actually kicked and threw the alarms onto the ground during the video and they showed no sign of damage - so not only are they advanced in tech, they’re bloody tough too.

They are compact too

Those travelling LEDs look pretty cool…
They are! To start with, there’s eight different LED colour options which can be changed at any time by simply pushing on the corresponding button. You can also adjust the brightness of those LEDs in four increments. And whilst we’re talking about illumination, there’s also a Night Light which is bloody handy.

What about sounds?
There are eight different volume levels and tones, which vary from a lion-getting-his-testicles-slammed-in-a-drawer deep to a standing-on-a-dog’s-foot high. Talking of volume, there’s a Mute feature - i.e. no more ‘bleep, bleep, bleeping’ when setting the bobbin - and there’s also a Low Battery Warning so there’s no excuse for waking up and finding you’ve missed a take.

The receiver has six channels for six bite alarms

Is there a receiver available?
Obvs. And it’s the most battery-friendly one we’ve tested to date. It’ll pick up a signal at 150m (and no, we’re not suggesting you should be 150m off your rods), and will inform you of a bite via sound or vibration. In terms of tech, it mimics the alarm head: same tone, same LED colour, same directional travelling LEDs, same Battery Level Check, same Low Battery Warning, same… Yeah, you get it. And what’s also bloody brilliant about the receiver, is it’s charged via a Micro USB - and a car charger is included in the price. Plus there’s a built-in automatic torch which activates on a bite, or it can be turned on manually.

I’m uber impressed… But how do the figures stack up?
You’ll be pleased to hear they are pretty kind on your wallet. A single head retails for £75.00 and the receiver is £90.00. You can also purchase ‘presentation packs’, which includes a receiver and carry case, and these are available in Two Alarms (£269.99), Three Alarms (£329.00) and Four Alarms (£389.00). For more information, check out the website at: vimarco.co.uk