Bike - Bike Intercoms
 

Can I have some peoples advice/opinions on bik-Bike intercoms.

Have people used them?
Are they reliable?
What range do they have?
How long in their battery life?
Are they rechargeable or need new batteries?

Only thoughts I have are to buy some of those new Motorola Handsets BUT can I connect VOX headsets to them? How much? Where from?

Any other ones out there?

Many thanks in advance, Tony.

we tried those `walkie talkie` type radios,like you can get in argos or mobile phone shops,we thought "voice activated hands free talking" sounded perfect for bikers.and they were less than half the price of proper biking kit.
unfortunately,voice activated also means noise activated and all you can hear is wind through the other riders lid, added to yours!
now we know why the proper stuff is so pricey!!

------------------
dave

I'm interested in learning more about these radios equipment. Could you post some links / company names?

Thanks

------------------
A.B.
www.ShortWheelbase.com

Hope this is of some interst to you..

I finally bought a set of Motorola TA200 Radios and some hand free kits from a paragliding shop..

the kits work with either the Motorola radios, the linus (?) radios and a version is available for the Kenwood radios.

the shop: http://www.sickandwrong.co.uk/ are really good blokes who ride bikes aswell and have a wealth of experience..

The hands free kits are @£38 each and I opted for a push to talk button which is on a long lead and I can velcro to either my helmet or my petrol tank. It cuts out the need to have voice activated which noise can set off.. Ask the lads about them as they are really good and fit inside helmets without any problems..

What speeds can we do:

They work really well upto about 40mph. So around towns - which is their intened use - they do the job. Noise above 40 means you need to speak really clearly.

I am working on positioning the microphones in front of the mouth rather than on the jowl padding to the side of it.. will let you know the results...

What radios are on offer:

The motorola TA200 (@£70)has a good all round use - runs on AA bateries or rechargables - but since I haven't wired a recharger into my XTZ660 I can't charge so batteries do the job - they are after all available from pretty much anywhere.

Try: http://www.mwc.co.uk/acatalog/shop_index.html

or: http://www.mobileedge.co.uk/manufact...rola/ta200.htm

These seem to be better than the TA288 or the new TA6220(?) - Both offer built in rechareable batteries and encryption but their after-market products are not up to standard - head sets are not universal and the plugs a re non-standard (Trust me - I tries to make an adaptor for the TA288 and you can't get the plugs)

The alternatives are: Kenwood - I think this is the TK3101 - @£160 and others - the quality is probably better but the price refplects it...

Other are Linux - don't know much about these yet....

In general:

Short Range Business Radio, or PMR446, is the licence fee free radio communications product which enables users to communicate over a distance of up to one mile. All of the above fit into this cateagory.

Hope some of this help,

Tony.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by A.B.:
I'm interested in learning more about these radios equipment. Could you post some links / company names?

Thanks

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Tony,

Thanks for the info. I thought we were talking about some bike specific intercom. I have 2 Cobra FRS (same as SRBR) units with the push to talk cable/ ear peace. I didn’t think these would work well on a bike. I better try those like you did.

Thanks for the links.

------------------
A.B.
www.ShortWheelbase.com

Just a 'heads-up' here - be careful when crossing borders into some lesser developed countries with these intercoms. Many lesser developed countries are very hostile to the idea of any 2 way radio equipment being brought in - Algeria and Angola being two that I know of from personal experience.

A bike-to-bike intercom that is part of the motorcycle would probably be less conspicious than two hand-held walkie-talkies, and probably create less grief for you.

Under international law, all countries have the right to require (their own local) licences for any radio transmitting apparatus. Normally this formality is overlooked for things like cell phones, pagers, and 'built-in' transmitters such as car alarms and car door openers. But when the transmitter is fairly obvious as a stand-alone transmitter - such as a walkie-talkie is - you could be in for an unpleasant surprise either at the border, or from any police or military who see you using it.

What kind of intercoms are "part of the motorcycle"? The diagram at http://www.autocom.co.uk/config_c5prom1.htm shows that we still need a 2-way radio on both sides (Motorola or Kenwood) for bike-to-bike communication.

dont give up on your FRS radios yet. Take a look at this site. The headset works great. I have it hooked up to a Cobra handheld CB and get good results up to 80mph. I tried it on with my sons Cobra FRS radio. The sound quality is better on the FRS than the CB but the range is much shorter. 3 or 4 city blocks for the FRS. 3 or 4 miles for the CB. If you are only doing bike to bike the FRS should do fine.


http://www.alfenterprises.com/rf_limited_ch550.htm

Regards,

John

We have used three different makes, and have settled on a chatterbox system. We have been using the 2ch. sport system because it was affordable compared to others, and is clear from 55-80MPH.

To save time:
1) connect your system to charge from bike power
2) use a push to talk button to keep the channel quiet
3) make the connection to your helmet only one plug
4) try different mic positions, the closer to your mouth the better.

Although this seems basic, the extra work to get set up right will make your riding safer, more enjoyable, and you will have less to fix. If you have to, spend a little extra to do it right once.

Motorola have brought out radios called the "Walka-Talka". It's a small unit, (Australian $500ea) and has a good range (apparently) of 3km. Has its own hands-free and can be rigged push-to-talk as well. The biggest advantage is that it has its own FM frequencies that Motorola 'owns'. Therefore, no CB chatter etc. On the other hand a radio that can talk to other travellers, especially over the vast distances Australia has to offer, may be a preferred option. The prices for the licence to operate such a radio can be prohibitive - but - you can hire radios from a number of organisations. For example, you can get small HF sets with RFDS (Royal Flying Doctor Service) frequencies already installed. For a bit more you can even hire a Sat-Phone. One item worth considering is an epirb - personal locator beacon. These can also be hired and will 'code' your details such that in the event it goes off, people know it's you and have a rough idea of the number in your party, what your rough plan was etc. This has already saved lives in Aussie.

Just thought you might like to know.

Another option in Aussie (not here yet but shortly) is the arrival of 'bluetooth' technology. I realise this isn't a player for less developed nations but it does mean you have an option to hands-free a pair of mobile phones and communicate direct from bike to bike. The technology is being developed right now and should be available within six months. Again, just for info and maybe not that helpful in the middle of Eqypt. Certainly would attract less attention than handheld radios down the track though ;-)

Gair