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What a good find!
Steve,
Your right, that is an excellent site for getting hold of a PTT mic system. In fact it looks better value than Maplins own effort! Thanks for that helpful post, thats the first time I've seen that site too. All the very best. Neil |
Bike Comms
I'm interested in a bike comms set-up but any highly recommended systems seem to be thin on the ground
BlueAnt Wireless Australia & New Zealand site - BlueAnt Bluetooth InterPhone Motorbike Helmet Handsfree and Intercom Kit I like the look of this blue tooth set from Aus but have yet to hear any user feed back. H |
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There is an international organisation run by the United Nations that polices the worlds airwaves. Different frequencies are made available in different parts of the world in order to avoid congestion and interferance. Also radio signals can travel enormous distances by way of "propergation". VHF and UHF (50 Watt) are usually line of sight (30 miles or less) but H.F and VLF can bounce around the earth quite easily (9,000 miles possible using only 1 watt and a good aerial). It follows that radio frequencies do need to be allocated according to the area you operate from. The closest thing to an international radio frequency I know of is the 446Mhz Low Powered (PMR) radio system which is used throughout the E.U.
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I use an old autocom system on my road bike. It was expensive but the range is pretty good.
It is PTT which I like. Clear speech up to 100mph easily and understandable at speeds over that.(sorry officer) Uses a Kenwood radio that is rechargable or can be powered off the bike. Very good for keeping a group together in traffic without having to stop and wait. Also good for the "which bloody exit should we be taking of this roundabout" kinda situations. |
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Each country polices its' airways. Some countries are so close they have to cooperate ... some countries power over the top of other countries (somethimes this is political ...). The 'international organisation' comes to some sort of consensis of what frequencies are used for what and area distribution. Some member countries chose to ignore that from time to time and band to band. They have no policing function!!!!! Like within the UN itself .. cooperation is the name of the game. For the majority of the time and spectrum it works .. but there are places where it goes wrong. And they mostly effect the 'free' areas .. commercial intrests have money to loose. Places like Australia can set there own stuff up - because they are far enough away from other to do that in some bands .. North America similarly. As for China... well look at the problem of trying to get a vehicle there to start with! So seperate systems, laws etc exist and make 'global' things a dream at present. |
Hey there,
I can't recommend the Starcom1 guys enough StarCom1 Motorcycle intercom helmet audio communication system bluetooth I used the starcom1 advance system and it was fantastic at pulling together all my comms needs - including the MP3 player, the GPS, the mobile phone and the PMR Radio. Radio wise - I'd always go with the PMR - whilst not legal in all parts of the world they're so low powered and on such a low band, that they don't cause any issues and most importantly, don't get noticed. m |
I’d agree with this
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It’s developed a slight fault with one of the audio out sockets but I’ve not sent the unit back yet, sure it’ll be dealt with in the same way. The Bluetooth is C**P with audio (mp3) but for instruction from the Zumo its sweet. Radio wise, can't comment, not done bike2bike |
Autocom
I've used a PMR radio and a Maplins kit with the headset, mic and PTT button and found it to be pretty useless at anything over about 30mph. Fairly quickly, we tended to use it just to attract each others attention with a blast of static in the ear, then within a couple of weeks later I ripped it out of my helmet and threw it away as it pretty much just fell apart.
For my forthcoming trip to South America, we have gone for some Autocom systems, which allow connection of ipods, phones, gps etc as well as bike to bike comms. It also does VOX operation and has filtering for wind noise. Seems to work very well when I've tried it over here, and looks pretty well made. Time will tell how it holds up on the road. The autocom website has some interesting video comparisons with the starcom unit, though I have never seen or played with one of the starcoms so can't really comment. |
Autocom......
Yep, the Autocom gear is good! Used it as rider to pillion for a while and its great. A pal bought a pair of walkie talkie and headset sets from Lidl the other week so I'll try plugging the walkie talkie into my Autocom box and see how we get on. Has anyone else done this?
Did have a bit of problem with helmet noise tripping off the VOX all the time but that was easily cured by fitting the Open Face Helmet conversion kit (even though I've got a full face lid), which consists of an extra foam cover which slips over the mike. Costs about £2, worth it! Found I could ride at 80mph standing up on the pegs with the visor open and the Vox didn't cut in once. |
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road + speed + conversation = accident bike to bike systems are exactly the same as a car driver on a mobile, attention should be on road / traffic / surface conditions. pre-plan routes and organise stop-off points.
Use your mobiles on vibrate if needs be. these B-2-B systems should fall under the same legal guidelines for mobiles. And allmost all the fun of riding a bike is the feeling of freedom, you at one with the machine and the road, not some mate chattering in your ear!! Thats my opinion anyway. I dont want to start a flame war. so sorry if you do not agree. Thanks Password |
Point taken but how are riders under instruction for example, supposed to receive this instruction without them. Is the instructor supposed to signal them to pull in every time they forget to cancel an indicator, just to tell them that?
I disable the ringing tone while riding and use my mobile for satnav only. Although it's possible, I will make no attempt to make or receive calls while riding. The reason I'm trying to set up a bike to bike system is that I'm travelling to Assen for the Moto GP in June but I'm also taking one of my mates with me. He's never driven a car abroad before, let alone ridden a bike. The comms are just to help him if we get separated and to help with giving him directions, not to chatter on about what we having for tea, etc. |
Cheers Craig
I take your point about Instructors, also police and paramedic riders use com systems. The differance is that most instructors employ a one-way system so the student does not have to respond and can maintain concerntration. essentialy they are passive receivers of information. Police and paramedic riders use open com systems however they are advanced motorists and undergo levels of testing and evaluation the far exceeds the majority of bikers. If you feel comfortable with using a com system then investigate them further by all means, i can see that they could be useful in certain situations however i am still of the opinion that they are more of a hazard than people realise and are open to misuse. good luck and enjoy the trip :Beach: Greg |
Bike Cops can be Tossers Too...
Don't be too in awe of bike cops! I'm a former MoD Police bike Cop (13 years Special Escort Group) escorting Nuclear Weapons from Faslane to Aldermaston and other places (I'll have to kill you if I say more)! Before that I was Met (7 years). The point I'm trying to make is that I have come across many bike cops who ride like real amateurs and take ridiculous risks. I once knew a Met bike cop who had so many accidents that the force's insurance company refused to provide cover. I have seen some bloody idiots riding police bikes over the years and thats a fact. Some of these have even gone onto being ROSPA/IAM Riding Instructors in their spare-time! The Police bike training course I took and passed (class 1) was conducted at Chalk Farm, London in 1980. It was apparently the best bike course anywhere in the UK at that time. In my class of 6 candidates only 4 passed the other 2 returned to their normal duties. One of those that failed the course is still a very good friend of mine. I can honestly say that he is the BEST rider I have ever known or seen. Some people are just natural born motorcyclists. I couldn't understand how he came to fail the course. A good motorcyclist is above all a SAFE rider (safe to himself and all other road users). It has nothing to do with speed at all it's all about DEFENSIVE RIDING. The point I'm trying to say is that don't be too over-awed by people who tell you they are ex this or ex that, it means nothing... Sonic Communications (International) Limited - Tel: +44 (0)121 781 4400 I understand that SONIC have supplied most forces with their bike communications equipment. The actual Radios are now supplied by Airwave (Tetra) which is an o2 company. This digital radio system has improved bike comms immensely compared to the old days when it was common to find radio blackspots all over the UK. The new Tetra system is very expensive though. Police motorcyclists use VOX mics which means they can easily talk to Force Radio whilst still controlling the bike. Apparently SONIC does sell to the general public too but I think their prices are expensive. |
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