Radio comms: CB, 2-way, Blue tooth? Cans and string?

Decent radios give several miles of cover.

CB is another option, then for distances over that you're looking at mobile phone.

I use Kenwood 2ways, .5w on PMR Freq's give about 2 to 3 miles out of town and my 5W licensed ones have been up to about 8 or 9 at very best.

 

Depends on the distance you want to cover (bike to bike); whether you want to have lots of people on the same "chat"; and whether you really want to communicate with cars....if so, for the latter, then you need a radio...Autocom units work very well, and no, not just because I'm selling mine! ;-)

The reason I say a radio, is because the car driver won't easily be able to use any of the bike specific intercoms.

If you want big distance, the answer is also radios....again, using something like an Autocom, or the new Sena "push to talk" unit (can't remember the name, but that also needs a helmet headset).

For decent distance, and also for multiple rider "chat", you are looking at the units from Sena (SMH-10), Interphone (F5...excellent, I have this now), Midlnd (can't remember the name), and Scala (G9). All excellent units, although they vary in price.

If you only want rider to pillion. Look at the Sena SMH-10, as it is cheaper, or it's little brother the SMH-5, which is cheaper again.

Good reviews exist here... Motorcycle Intercoms - Radios - GPS - webBikeWorld

 

David can we infer that the F5 has replaced the Autocom and that in your opinion it is an improvement ?

 

Autocom doesn't replace radios - it is used with radios. The other half and I first tried just radios for bike to bike communications, but noise meant that they were useless unless stationary and right next to each other. We then bought the Autocom magic boxes, which take a little while to set up (particularly mike position and loudness), but are great. Andy has the satnav connected to his so he can receive directions and then relay them to me and we can talk to each other.

 

Sorry, I should have been clearer....the Autocom is an intercom, and you use it WITH radios for bike to bike. MrsC is quite correct! That is what I meant.

Is the F5 better than the Autocom?

For quality? No. For simplicity? Yes.

The F5 is very good, and we changed because MrsD doesn't do plugging in...plugging in to the helmet, then plugging into the bike for power (our choice, you don't have to do that). Not such a hassle, but we decided to change, and it works for us.

 

David, do you normally wear ear plugs and could the F5 be used effectively with ear plugs ?

 

Cobra MT975 Motorbike Walkie Talkie Radio Intercom + VOX/PTT Close Face Headsets | eBay

We have 4 of these and they work well bike to bike for well over a mile. The thin speakers have fitted into the helmets fine and the microphone velcros to a small pad in the front of the full face helmet. Can hear each other even at 70mph + even with my noisey Arai. The VOX which activates the radio when you speak is rubbish; as it activates all the time with wind noise. We use the push to talk button which can be fixed on anywhere on the handle bar but you will need to thread the cable from the radio down your jacket sleave and keep the radio in a pocket in your jacket.

We only use them for longer trips as they take a while to set up but for the price not bad.

 

Yes, I always wear earplugs....habit. In the case of the Multi, sadly it is also a necessity as I haven't cracked the wind noise problem yet... CP Flaps/Hiss Flaps look promising, as does (maybe) the F.Fabbri screen.

Volume on the F5 is acceptable up to around 90mph. I haven't had the opportunity to test it beyond that. Phone calls are rock solid, music is fine, radio is passable (due to rubbish signal), and the voice commands are good too. It is also very easy to use too, with both phone and Zumo 660.

To be fair though, I think you'd be happy with any of the Scala, Sena, Midland, or Interphone. Battery life is also excellent, as is fitting. Oh, and the few times I've taken calls on the bike, I've had to tell people I was riding, as they couldn't tell. That's a good thing I suppose, but I don't really use it for that so much.

 

MJW61 Hi, I use a Sena, very good easy to use on the move. I ride with custom earplugs all the time and have no problems with the Sena, I listen to music, satnav and phone calls. The sena can also link to three other units so if riding in a group you can link with others and have a good conversation although sometimes my mates and myself end up talking B******S because we feel the need to say something. It works up to about 1km although factors such as building etc can reduce the effective range. As for battery life once fully charge lasts most of the day.

 

So what you want is 'radios' using something like an Autocom.

The radio can be tuned to whatever frequency, so you'd be able to pick up traffic on the same frequency as you.

You may also want a PTT (Push To Talk) button mounted somewhere on the bike.

Not sure how easy it would be to change radio frequencies on the fly, but if you mount the radio somewhere accessible, then you should be fine. As I understand it, an aerial would only be needed for BIG distances....depends on what you want.

 

Oh, you could use the new Sena PTT device.... That works with radios, but you'd need some kind of headset... E.g. Sena SMH-10, Interphone F5, Scala G9, etc.

 

Right, so what you want is a "single" headset...most of the manufacturers do this...mated to a Radio. Your wife will probably be able to just have a speaker and mic set up in the car. Or hold the handset. You may also want to fit a PTT...Sena or similar....

For quality...Autocom.

For ease of use (not that the Autocom is difficult)...Sena, Interphone, Scala, Midland....

Radios? No idea.....

 

....that's what the PTT button is for... ;-)

The radio can then be somewhere on the bike, or in a bag, and you can 'talk' when you 'Push To Talk'. The range of the radio depends on the radio itself, and yes, for really 'long' distances you will need an aerial. Having said that, I think the really good radios go over 5km...you'd have to check though.

The only issue would be is you want to change frequencies 'on the fly'.... Obviously then you would need access to the actual radio to change frequency. Not a problem in a car, but could be an issue on the bike.

You are essentially looking for 3 items:

1. Headset
2. Radio
3. PTT device to control the radio (can be fitted to the handlebar). An example is the Sena unit, but there are others. Oh, and don't confuse the Sena PTT with the SMh-10 or 5....those 2 are 'headsets'.

As Andy has mentioned, webBikeWorld has good write ups and reviews.

 

No.....that's the 'pro' kit from autocom. You can get that, but it's meant to be a permanent fixture on the bike. Perhaps under the pillion seat if there is space.

You can also get a 'personal' unit...wired or wireless (I have wireless) that can be plugged into the bile for power. You can then have the unit and radio on you, rather than the bike, or in a small tankbag. The pro unit could also go I'm a tank bag too... Check out the autocom website for ideas.