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Bike to Bike Comms - Are these any good?
I am looking at ways in which I can keep in touch with my mate when out on the road. We both ride BIG trailees (XT600E and XR650) and it's nice to keep in touch when on the move. I found these things on the web - Motorcycle Handsfree Communication Kit --- muuk - The New Technology Store which uses this throat mic - CoolTalk VoiceBox Sport --- muuk - The New Technology Store
Has anyone any advice regarding these gadgets???? Thanks |
I'm surprised no one can help me with this one, surely there must be someone else who has a need for bike to bike comms? :helpsmilie:
Neil |
Curates Egg!
like a Curates egg that one!
theres good......& bad....... The Good VOX voice activated so no need to push buttons and get distracted, but also every sneeze. whimper, etc will be transmitted to your buddy! so he WILL know how scared you were coming down that shale hillside! Long Range lightweight useable off bikes as walkie talkies. great for Rallies/ shops/ fairs/ etc THE BAD rechargeable.... what happens when they go flat? do they take batteries too? exspensive for what they are, I got a pair of walkie Talkies similar for 25 quid, 3 KM range. OK, without the headsets & the VOX capability. Headphones & Mikes look uncomfortable. martyn |
I've never been a fan of throat mikes personally, but that probably comes from experience of Army one's which were either too loose and didn't pick anything up or too tight and stuck in.
But perhaps things have moved on? |
Never met a throat mic I liked they all suck, on the 351's (radios) we used to use we modded them it work with hand held mics, always better to let the squad leader do the yacking whilst you watch for the bad guys, I was always the better shot.
Now considering that I passed my DAS last year and the instructor had STATE OF THE ART KIT again it sucked at anything past 50mph. If you must talk do it at petrol stations, make up some foot signals so you know what’s what, and get the guy in the rear to flash lights when he wants to grab your attention, then he can move up to the front and do his foot stuff. See Easy, not rocket science is it? |
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Before I start - I should say that, I don't have personal experience of that exact system so feel free to disregard everything that I say!
But, I will reinforce Alex and Judadredd's opinions, that throat mikes are not the way forward, especially VOX activated. For all the reasons already stated, too tight, too loose, too receptive, too ignorant, too good at picking up whimpers or tears etc. Does anyone know if you can buy PRRs? That would be a perfect bike to bike system, pressel operated, hardy, comfortable and works on batteries for hours.. Joel |
What's the legal status of these things?
I know you can get them in Europe and the States, but how for instance will you be looked upon in Russia, the Stans or the Far East, with any walkie-talkie?
Of course the ideal for me would be something I can connect to my iPod too, and even to my dinky little voice recorder, so I can record my thoughts as I drive along. I would do footsignals, but it'd be hard in this: http://www.paisleypeking.co.uk/bugracer/front_02.jpg |
Just found these -
Maplin > Helmet Speaker and Microphone Kit Taking into account what you all say, these might be better as they don't rely on a throat mic... What do you think? |
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Look's like they could do the trick. Be interesting to hear ('scuse the pun) what people say about wind noise etc??
The concept of inter-bike comms is a great one, and i'd be interested to here what people have used. Neil, What do the police use? They need to have comms on the move for sure??? How well does it work? |
When I left the job they were changing over from VHF/UHF transceivers to Airwave (Tetra) which is owned and operated by Cellnet. This new system uses local digital re-broadcast facilities and I am told that the Police are very happy with the quality and reliability of voice comms using Airwave. The police authorities are not so happy because costs have doubled! The Tetra system is not available to non-emergency service users and in any case it would be too expensive.
For years the old UHF/VHF radios were plagued by poor reception in low lying areas which was a big problem when you were relying upon the system to be tasked with emergency "flash" calls. The issue helmets and mic system were pretty high tech stuff and if the radio system worked they worked very well indeed. If my memory serves me correctly most forces used to use a company called "Sonic Communications" for radio equipment including most specialised Motorcycle kit. I am experimenting with 2 simple 446 Mhz handheld personal radios (producing about half a watt with a range of about 2 miles max) with the intention of reliable and quiet voice comms between 2 bikes. The Maplin PTT (Press to transmit) mics seem the way to go... £80 for the 2 radios and £60 for these mics, not bad... |
We used these a couple of years ago - not sure if they're the exact model we had, but they're from the same range. Cost around £100 for a set of walkie talkies and closed-face bike kit.
Two Way Radios : Cobra Radios : Cobra Microtalk MT200 PMR446 Walkie Talkies Two Way Radios : Motorbike Handsfree : Motorcycle Handsfree PTT Closed Face MT550 MT750 They have a push to talk button which is easy to use. Mike and ear piece easily fit in your helmet. Reception was still good using foam ear plugs, but but as mentioned before, anything over 50mph and you can't hear much. Using foot/hand signals is great, but only if you can clearly see the other rider. Being stuck in fast moving traffic 4 lanes wide in the middle of Paris during rush hour with only one bike having sat nav made buying these worth every penny for us. If you're on the same channel as others, of course you'll hear them - we had a signal come through from a construction yard where a crane was dropping a huge i-beam into place. "Left at bit, left a bit, left a bit, slowly ......" - it was so temping to say "Noooo right a bit, go..." :). We also seemed to pick up the police radio channels a lot, both in France and Spain. |
Does anyone know if there's a standard frequency which is OK to use worldwide? Or would/could there be difficulties with these in different countries? How for instance are these received at border crossings into say the former Soviet Union? Or is it a case of having to "hide and hope"?
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U.K 446 Mhz PMR radio band is O.K to use anywhere in the E.U. These low powered radios are licence free and can be found in shops throughout Europe... Even in areas where they are unlawful, they are so low powered that their use is very unlikely to cause interferance or come to the notice of law enforcement.
I seldom go over 50 MPH on my bikes - a XT600E/XBR500 (both big Jap thumpers) and they don't like prolonged high speeds.That said they will happily stomp along all day at 60 MPH. So wind noise isn't likely to be that much of a problem. I never experienced any problem using force radio in the Special Escort Group. I think the use of bike to bike comms is often overlooked by many riders without basic radio knowledge. They can turn a boring ride into a very interesting one... Providing of course they are used properly with safety/defensive riding in mind. :mchappy: |
another site
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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. |
Hi all.
I had the Lidl bike to bike setup but it didn't work on the road (ok in the front room). No problems taking it back. Question,; Most of the intercoms use a speaker type earpiece. Do you guys use ear plugs with them? I'm thinking that they must be soooo loud as to overcome the background noise and as such can't be doing the hearing much good. |
Autocom
Yes - wear earplugs! They're not broadcasting into your ears all the time though and earplugs, by lowering all noise across the spectrum, will allow you to discern the intercom more easily when it's noisy.
We took Autocom to Africa with Cobra MT750s. Worked like a treat, especially in town where we risked getting lost a lot. Luckily, the Police weren't interested although we know that 446 frequencies aren't legal in many places outside europe. |
Autocom
Cheap is no good when you're talking comms. I've used a few over the years, Sonic, Nady, Oxford etc. and not one of them has come up to the quality of Autocom. Does exactly what it says on the box .. I have a Super Pro AVI on my GS and an Active Seven on my Pan and both are crystal clear Rider to Passenger and Bike to Bike at an indicated 140 mph, (I could hear the missus yelling at me to slow down so maybe thats a downside to it!!!), no external noise at ANY speed as the Mic only activates when you speak.
Bike to Bike distance with just the standard Kenwood radio is not too bad either, motorway cruising probably about 1.5 - 2mls, out in the countryside or built up areas a little less, but as I said thats with the basic radio's, you should be able to get further if you want to spend a lot more!. Autocom - Home of the World's best Motorcycle Communication & Entertainment systems check the comparison between Starcom and Autocom |
Scala Q2
I have just started using a pair of these and can highly recommend them.
No problems setting them up (pairing) and they work as you'd expect. Having comms with another rider transforms the ride. The radio works well and station changes with gloves are easy. I have yet to try the cell phone as I don't have a bluetooth phone (yet) but have paired it with a friends and everything worked as it should so I am not expecting anything different on the road. Overall, very happy and would recommend |
We've been testing the scala rider2 for a month now in anticipation of a transfrica trip this september.
We've found that it will work very well for bike to bike up to 300m and at speeds up to 160km/h. mounting the ear pieces was easy in the arai tourX, but needed a dot of superglue fir the bmw enduro helmet. it works for a whole day's riding, and takes an hour to charge (by the way the charger is same one as some nokia phone!) Havent tried the radio, i think it might be good for daily commuters, but for cross continent travelling a think an ipod with an fm transmitter might be good (though your concentration will drop and your speed will rise listening to eminem!!) i have mine paired via bluetooth to a nokia 6110 navigator phone, and it works very well, using both the gps and phone function of the unit. have not used it to place calls, but only to receive. folks at the other hand had no idea i was on the bike. (though for safety reasons, suggest when a call comes in u slow down/stop on the side of the road). the switch from bike to bike intercom to phone/gps instruction is seemless andworkd very well. now one draw back, my better half talks a lot!!!!! best j |
My budget Maplin set up has finally given up the ghost after 3 years sterling service. I'm now in the market for a replacement bike to bike comms set up. I have about £200 to spend but would prefer to limit the new system to £150 max.
Any suggestions? |
Thumbs up for blueant
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BlueAnt Interphone BlueTooth Motorcycle Intercom We've been using it for 3 years and the battery holds just as well as when it was new. On recharge and we are still able to travel for 5-7 days without recharging them. Here is the updated link. F4 Interphone Motorcycle Kit - BlueAnt Wireless we recommed it above and beyond any wired device, also integrates with phone, GPS and music (as long as they use bluetooth ie for a smartphone). |
intaride
we r on the road heading through Laos and China to Uzbekistan and have used Intaride, Bike to Bike Radio, kit 15 and so far (2,500km) has been good. we can cover more than 1km between the bikes, radios last 2 days with one charge and all looks solid and works. best
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