Communicators, What is everyone using?

O

OB_hayaman

Registered
I am also looking for a good solution of communicator. I have a pair of Motorola slk280 that I used for winter skiing. This FM walkie talkie has a accessary of an earpiece with a small voice activated mic. I will buy one and post result later.
 
AutoComm is the best hands down, it is not cheap but it is the best.I have it wired in to the helmet hooked up to a Valentine 1 laser /radar detector and have not even been pulled over in 5,200 miles. Bottom lime this combo works!
 
I have some miles with the Autocom as well. I have tried other systems too but have never had much luck with anything else.

Some of the Autocom features that I like:

1. The Pro system is capable of being either hardwired to your bike (via switched) so that you hardly think about it, or you can have it powered fro a 9v battery... Really nice if you have multiple bikes or want to use the system for hiking, skiing, etc.

2. The whole system is "modular" meaning that you buy the parts you want and don't have to buy parts that you don't want. I originally bought mine because I was riding on the back of HIS motorcycle, and I wanted to be able to talk to him without yelling. Then we added a Walkman, then the bike-to-bike, then the cell phone...

3. The Pro system has a really cool feature... It senses ambient noise, so it turns up the volume on your earphones as you go faster, and down again when you come to a stop, meaning that the volume is always correct. THIS is a big deal... Especially on fast rides.

4. The radios you buy (there are two... Get the better Motorolas) are crystal clear and have a 15 mile or so range, and is even upgradable from there. Nothing else has that range and clarity for bike-to-bike communication.

5. Wingers use the Motorola frequesncies, too, so the only other people who regularly use bike-to-bike communication will be able to communicate with you, and vice-versa.

6. Cell phone input. This is WAY cool to have a phone call going at 100mph.

7. I bought a mini disc player to take with me on rides. It's recordable and it doesn't skip. Nice! Pro communicator provides the power to it so I don't have to worry about batteries (if the communicator is hard wired.)

8. When riding as a pillion, I get full duplex, like a telephone, rather than some systems, where you have to talk one at a time, walkie-talkie style. Nice for real conversation.

9. If we have music and a conversation going at the same time, we can adjust volumes for each seperately. This is great. I have mine set to mute the music about halfway when he starts talking, but not mute it completely. It goes back to normal volume when he stops, which could be high or low depending on our speed.
 
System wasn't cheap... I paid about $1700 for two of everything (two people = two headsets, but one system). I am including the Motorolas, the Pro system, the headsets, and some of the harnesses and accessories. I am not including the Minidisc player or cell phone, but you might already have those.

Mental note: system is NOT compatible with digital "PCS" style phones. It is only compatible with analog cell phones. The jacks on the phones are different.

BTW... When I first bought the system, I didn't have all of that planned... It just kinda grows on ya. The Pro system and a headset to get you started will only run about $300 to begin with, then you can piece it together... Which is nice, in case somethint goes wrong or you want to upgrade something....
 
Me and my riding buddies are going to buy some communicators. We are wondering what are the best? Is the chatter box good? Is there somthing better? I also want the intercom feature for me and the wife. Thanks
 
Josie, the AutoComm pro 3000 is compatible with the Motorola Digital StarTac CDMA phone as well as the Nextel system. I got mine right from the importer TopGear in NY. Like you said it can be purchased piece by piece so it doesn't kill the wallet. What mini-disc are you useing the Sony or Awia? What model#.
AutoComm makes more than one cord for cell phones.
 
If you want best of everything go with an Autocom pro system. It gets you intercom with the ability to add a 2 way radio and you can also plug in a walkman or radar detector or cell phone. They can be reache toll free at 1-888-851-GEAR. The stuff is pretty expensive but it works well.
Jim
 
Hmmmm...

When I bought mine about a year and a half ago, there wasn't a way to do a digital phone. Sorry about the misinformation. Maybe they have come up with some new stuff... FYI, I bought an analog cell over a digital cell for this reason.

I don't know the model nubmer of my Minidisc (I am away from home now and can't check...), but when I bought that around the same time, there really wasn't a whole lot of options there. I bought a Sony, and there were only three models available to me at the time. One had the recording capability built in, one had playback only, and one had playback with an AM/FM stereo. I bought the one with the playback/stereo. I don't think that Awia was making Minidiscs yet (It's Sony's technology, isn't it? Kinda like beta cassettes, JVC with VHS-C and Sony's 8mm... Other manufacturers have to purchase the rights before they can make equipment... Right?)
 
Sure, Greg... I will look into it for you as soon as I get home. I never had a problem getting that kind of range out of my system, and I never had them "stepped up" or anything (I know that some people can have radios sometimes illegally "stepped up" in power for greater range, but the FFC doesn't allow it...)

But no, this is a stock system.

I bought my radios through Autocomm, and like I said, that was about a year and a half ago. Dunno the model number... I will check when I get home.

I am sure that if you really wanted, you would be able to get a more powerful radio than even Motorola has... Why can't you get what cabs or landscaping crews use? I mean, it's not going to be cheap, but I am pretty sure it's possible.

I was in a Radio Shack once recently, getting a cord for my "JosieCam" and I seem to remember that they had available a pretty nice radio. I don't know what kind of range it had (don't remember) but you might want to check it out, as I seem to recall that it's range and clarity was pretty good...

'Course, I don't know if it's compatible in it's frequencies with everything else...
 
Oh... To comment about the Chatterbox/voice activation thing....

Simply put, there is no way that a company can make anything near the quality of an Autocomm at that price... What are they each, $50? $75? Yeah, I agree... You get what you pay for. Don't let that give you the impression that communcators as a whole are crap.

One of the nicest things about the Autocomm system is it's ability to come on only when you are speaking (not when the wind is blowing) and immediately (so it doesn't crop your sentences.) I love it. Very happy.
 
Do the Cbox units pick up lots of wind noise? I was looking at the hjc-90 I can get it for $90 and only need to buy one more head set. I am only interested in intercom function though.

Do any of you have experience with J&M? A local dealere carries that brand here in town. Thanks
 
amen about autocom
as for the question about the chatterbox above...
we didn't buy it
because it sucks
in the business of communicators the old adage holds true:
you get what you pay for
simple as that
the autocom system is very expensive
but it is the only system you shall ever buy
and you can use the motorola radios off the bike
off the system
to keep in touch up to 5 miles (a more realistic distance than josie's 15)

i have seen/used every other system
i know folks who have paid 300$ for a system
and then had to get 3 different systems
that was 900$
and the average distance they could talk between was about 400 FEET !!!

it's true
that autocom system price is unreachable for a lot of people (maybe most people)
but there is NO substitute
J & M tried to do something similar
it isn't as good
and it's just as expensive

greg
 
Yeah, Autocomm, Autocomm, Autocomm...

Worth every penny. Besides, if we all agree to use this system now, then when we get together and ride we will all have the same system, and we can talk to each other. Cool!

(For those of you who do not know, there is not necessarily a standard to communicate by, so many times differing systems can't communicate with each other... Need to be same frequencies, which ususally means the same brand...)

By the way... On those radios... I forgot to tell hayaman that he will likely be able to use those skiing radios he has, meaning that he won't have to buy another system... Only the pro main unit and the headsets...

Oh... And the 15/5 mile thing... Autocomm made available two different radios... One was about 5 miles, and the other was about 15. Like the 'Busa, it's not really how far or how fast it will go, but how well it works at reasonable speeds or distances. 7 miles is crystal clear for me.

'Course, I have never really sat down and tested the system, so I can't legitimately tell you that it's 15 miles and not 12... But I think that saying somewhere around 15 is pretty normal...

One thing about those radios... If you are somewhere high (like on a mountain, which isn't uncommon here) and you are operating on a new battery (not hardwired to the occillating electrical system of the bike) and you are somewhere quiet enough to really concentrate on the signa, you can often recieve voice from 50, 100, or even 200 miles away. Don't laugh. I distinctly rembemer hearing broadcasts (albeit powerful ones) from a rooftop tower in Allentown, PA when I was in Burlington, NJ. That's about 200 miles... And yes, he could hear me. All on a 9 volt. 'Course, his system was unbelievable, I am sure...

Remember that cop radios, cab drivers, etc, all work on similar principal, and they all work in an area bigger than 5 miles. The radios are expensive, but worth it.
 
listen carefully
"J&M costs just as much as autocomm but performs about 20% as well"
that is direct quotes (almost word-for-word from several articles written on the subject)

buy autocomm
plain and simple
it's the best
and worth the money
if you can swing it

don't feel bad if you can't
it is very expensive

for the record
so you know
the aucomm system is used by:

95% of NASCAR drivers to talk with their pits
100% of F1 drivers
about 80% of IRL guys

that is why it is so good
it is the only system that allow clear communication at over 200 mph
even in the open cockpit of the IRL/INDY car

greg
 
wait josie
there ARE 2 systems
one is 2 miles
and one is 5 miles
there is NO 15 MILE SYSTEM available to the public
at that frequency you could never get 15 miles
so one wouldn't be invented
to have a carrier signal at that frequency to get 15 miles would take more power than your car battery could provide

check again..
it's 2 miles (family band radios)
vs. 5 miles for workman/professional band motorolas

let me know
greg
 
there are, of course, exceptions to the rule that have to do with atmospheric conditions at the time
but the radios are rated at 5 miles and 2 miles
i have checked and rechecked the motorola site
check it out yourself

get back to me

greg
 
Byhalia ,what we didn`t like about the Chatterbox`s was limited range ,unclear voice transmissions, could never set the voice activated microphone correctly.The price.
 
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