Radios and bike-to-bike com systems

[paulmbowers 236]

I am a BIG FAN of bike-to bike communications. I rode for 25 years before ever trying them, and the difference in safety and enjoyment of riding has me completely sold.

I have a spare set-up with which I hooked up BikeSlut a couple weeks ago- the only thing he didn't like was my singing. He has poor taste.

Anyway, if anyone else is interested, I'd be happy to write up the system I use and recommend.

Sure wish we had them last night.

fn

[Strega 0]

I am a BIG FAN of bike-to bike communications. I rode for 25 years before ever trying them, and the difference in safety and enjoyment of riding has me completely sold.

I have a spare set-up with which I hooked up BikeSlut a couple weeks ago- the only thing he didn't like was my singing. He has poor taste.

Anyway, if anyone else is interested, I'd be happy to write up the system I use and recommend.

Sure wish we had them last night.

fn

I'm interested in your setup. If you could post how it's setup, cost, etc, that would be very cool.

[Crawdaddy 96]

I am a BIG FAN of bike-to bike communications.

I have cheapo set of walkie talkies for the dirt bikes.....they're advertised as having a 24 mile range but that must be on a lake ......don't use'em too much.....I have a Chatterbox for my road bike helmet.....it was good back in its day.....battery is dead now......

[paulmbowers 236]

Ok, for the one request so for:

There is a LOT of junk out there, chatterboxes, FRS, Rino/w gps, gmrs, etc, etc. Throat mics, ear mics, plenty of cheap ways to try to do it. There are much cheaper radios, much cheaper headphone/michrophone combinations. Personally, I see this as a piece of safety equipment.

The simple way (thee are other ways) is to buy the kits from Baja Designs. BD has the world's crappiest website, so I had to clip a piece to show you:

Fortunately, it does not come with the radio you need. It will work with a multitude of radios.

The radio used by most riders is the Yaesu FT277r, and looks like this:

Buy it at Ham Radio Outlet in Kearny Mesa for $159.

You should be aware that an FCC ham license is required to lawfully transmit with this radio, and if you intend to operate illegally, it's a bad idea to mention your intent at Ham Radio Outlet. Even worse is to suggest, in any way, a group, clup or organization that would support the illegal use of amateur radio frequency spectrum. It is legal to purchase and own this equipment for listening to the legal transmissions of licensed ham radio operators.

The advantage, however, of taking the one-hour exam to get your tech license is that you can then use repeaters. And why would you want to do that? Nearly everywhere we ride locally, you can communicate with a mountain top repeating station that will expand the range of these small radios to nearly everywhere. If you're geeky-er than I am, you can hit telephone patches as well. Because not all areas are covered by cell phones. If SDAR were to have an accepted radio protocol, say, after losing comms with a rider for over 15 mins, we all switch to the repeater freq, we could all be back in touch in seconds. But for everyday riding, folks just use these bike-to-bike without clogging the airwaves.

Seriously, these radios are practically indestructible, and as they're waterproof, I wash mine in the sink when they get dirty.

They are 5 watt radios- about as powerful as a talkie can be. Realistically, the range can vary from a few hundred feet in deep woods or canyons to several miles in open areas.

I usually carry my extra setup with me if I have my car or truck, and if you'd like to try it out, just let me know. They install in your helmet and camelbak in about 15 mins.

Questions?

fn

[bikeslut 1]

I must say- fn's singing left much to be desired left much to be desired, but the system kicked ass...I think the best set up is one radio at point and one at sweep...(Other than everybody on a radio). It worked well, was easy to use and easy to turn off ;-)

[sandiegoland 0]

I must say- fn's singing left much to be desired left much to be desired, but the system kicked ass...I think the best set up is one radio at point and one at sweep...(Other than everybody on a radio). It worked well, was easy to use and easy to turn off ;-)

I used to bring radios on rides, but no one was listening...

[Strega 0]

Once I get back from Mammoth this coming weekend, I will look into getting this setup. Thanks for the reply, I've been looking for a solid communications setup, as I do believe this is as much a convenience as it is a safety item I want to have.

[Crawdaddy 96]

Once I get back from Mammoth this coming weekend, I will look into getting this setup. That being said, I've had MANY problems finding ear pieces that worked well with a helmet, that didn't fall out every time I put the helmet on, etc. Do the ear pieces mount in the helmet?

The Chatterbox speakers mount inside the helmet....

[Strega 0]

Caught me before the edit I made, hehe. Read more carefully and had to edit my response. I'd like to get this setup in the dirt and road bike helmet. This would have been handy for Bar 10. Next year eh??

How early you gonna leave on Fri morning? Sean meeting you in Ramona or you headed our way?

[Crawdaddy 96]

Caught me before the edit I made, hehe. Read more carefully and had to edit my response. I'd like to get this setup in the dirt and road bike helmet. This would have been handy for Bar 10. Next year eh??

How early you gonna leave on Fri morning? Sean meeting you in Ramona or you headed our way?

Plan is to leave Ramona around 9am.....motel by 3pm.......brews, blues, & BBQ around 5pm.....

[paulmbowers 236]

I rode with 3 other guys with radios for Barstow-Ridgecrest.

Very helpful.

fn

[RogerTOWM 0]

I am a BIG FAN of bike-to bike communications. I rode for 25 years before ever trying them, and the difference in safety and enjoyment of riding has me completely sold.

I have a spare set-up with which I hooked up BikeSlut a couple weeks ago- the only thing he didn't like was my singing. He has poor taste.

Anyway, if anyone else is interested, I'd be happy to write up the system I use and recommend.

Sure wish we had them last night.

fn

I have used a chatterbox for intercom and bike to bike communications on my road bikes in the past. It worked well for the intercom feature. I had it mounted on a full face street helmet. The helmet speakers worked alright until I got up to 50 mph and over. Then the road noise makes the bike to bike feature hard to hear. I didn’t like the extra weight on the helmet so I mounted the unit on the bike instead. If I were to use it for dual-sporting I would helmet mount it again.

My Harley came with an intercom / CB radio. The speakers are helmet mounted, but you can also pipe the CB through the bike’s speakers. I hear the intercom well at all speeds. After about 50mph I don’t hear the CB well so I just use the bikes speakers for the CB.

I have a ham license. I was able to study and take practice tests over the internet. After I started scoring high on the practice tests I went and got my license. In the past you had to know Morse code. That is no longer a requirement. It is easy enough that even I was able to get licensed. The ham has the best range and if you know how, you can use the repeaters and call anywhere in the world. That is a good way to get help. I guess I need to get cracking and learn how to use the repeaters. I have a dual band radio, although not cheap it was the best way to go so I did not have to buy two radios. My Jeep club uses both hams and CBs. It makes things much safer for all involved.

All three of these systems work. Each has its advantages, but for the most versatility and best range I would have to vote for the ham system. I would encourage to you to obey the posted speed limits on the road and get an operators license for the ham (it’s not hard or expensive).

I have not gotten a head set for the ham but this sounds like a good idea. Ham Radio Outlet in Kearny Mesa is a good local place to do business with. Now I have to find someone who wants to listen to me.

[darylhunter 1]

I bought an intercom controller that came with a headset for use with my Icom VX-6 ham radio.

The intercome worked OK but the ear pieces for the headset were too big to fit inside my helmet.

I'll have to look into the Baja Designs version.

For now, I just use a clip on speaker-mic that attaches to my back pack. Works pretty well but I have to take my hand off the bars to squeeze the mic button to talk.

[paulmbowers 236]

The Baja Designs stuff was originally reboxed products made by Avcomm. Avcomm started out making this equipment for the aircraft industry, and has since branched out significantly into the world of racing.

BD seems to have found a different manufacturer, because the latest stuff is not branded Avcomm, and seems to be of reduced quality. I've sent two ptt switches back for replacement recently.

You can put together an Avcomm kit with essentially the same pieces from Racer-X in Santee. The tricky part is the push-to-talk switch. BD makes a nifty little bracket that mounts on your clutch lever with a single hole. Avcomm does not make a bracket like this- they have an assortment of buttons available, including a velcro strap to wrap around handlebars. If you're electronically gifted, you might be able to use your horn button, like my buddy Brian did- he moved the horn to the high-beam flash button. Works great.

With the Avcomm units, you have a choice of connectors on the PTT switch- either RCA or something called nexis. My primary system is the RCA- it's dead-simple and if pressed (ha!) I could but a replacement anywhere. But the nexis works fine as well. Either will happily disconnect in the event of an unplanned dismount. Not that I have any experience with that.

For an Avcomm system, you buy a helmet kit, a universal harness, and an adapter for the radio. When you buy the VX170, you also need a small cable that is made by Yaesu for speaker/mic. Ham Radio Outlet will help you with that- you need it for either the Avcomm or the BD solutions.

It sounds complicated, but it ends up as a nice package. Radio goes in your Camelbak, vest or fanny pack. You have a single cable that plugs into your helmet, and a single cable that plugs into the ptt switch on the handlebar. My Camelbaks have a little pocket right on top for an iPod. I had a tailor lengthen the pocket inside so it fits my vx170, with the antenna sticking out the very top. You can see it here.

You can buy cooler antennas from Smiley antenna- they're a local company. The antenna for a vx170 is only 20 dollars and they DO make a difference- I've used them side-by-side.

The comms are amazingly clear. When riding, if nobody is speaking you hear NOTHING from the system. No static, no tones, clicking, nothing. When someone in your group is talking, you hear their voice, and maybe a little background noise, depending on their bike.

fn

[zracing 0]

That is a great write up!! I tried some moto-comm helmet mics with my garmin rino with no success. Since they were not the high grade noise canceling mic, every time someone would talk the engine noise was too loud. Thanks for the info.

Z.

[paulmbowers 236]

That is a great write up!! I tried some moto-comm helmet mics with my garmin rino with no success. Since they were not the high grade noise canceling mic, every time someone would talk the engine noise was too loud. Thanks for the info.

Z.

The rino is a great concept, but they are GMRS radios, and VERY limited in range. I like the idea of having a GPS fix on a riding buddy in case something happens, but it only creates a "fix" on the last transmission. BTW, you are supposed to have a ham license for those at full power...

fn

[Jaynen 0]

I've thought about this and even the bluetooth ones so it works on the street also or for GPs directions as well as bike to bike.

The safety of the HAM radio is nice in the boonies tho.

[ShocknAwe 0]

I used FakeName's system this weekend and it rocked. We were flying through the trail and I could hear him like he was singing in my ear. It made a great ride better. He gave heads up for dangerous terrain a few seconds before I encountered it. I'm sold! His battery died before the singing started.

Shock

[Strega 0]

Is that radio a 1 or 2 pin connector, so when I purchase the Baja Designs Mic/Headset I get the right one.

Thanks.

[bikeslut 1]

I used FakeName's system this weekend and it rocked. We were flying through the trail and I could hear him like he was singing in my ear. It made a great ride better. He gave heads up for dangerous terrain a few seconds before I encountered it. I'm sold! His battery died before the singing started.

Shock

Great! I get the singing, you get the warnings!

FN paul- can others purchase radios and set to the same freq as you?

[paulmbowers 236]

If you buy the VX170, yes, they can be set for the same freqs. The radio systems WILL work with other radios- a wide variety of them- but I consider the vx170 to be the best solution. I bought mine because a bunch of buddies were using them, and, because I'm such a geek, THEN I did my research. After all that research, the VX170 is still the best choice. I like them so much I now own 3 for location photo shoots.

If I had boat(s) I might opt for the standard/horizon uhf/vhf unit, but it limits the number of freqs on the 2 meter band, and needs dealer programming.

There are several hundred programmable frequencies on the 170, not just A,B,C,D like many radios. The 170 can also be easily but illegally modified to use the legal FRS frequencies.

fn

PS: I hope Strega gets one, just so I can say "roger, Roger!"

[Jaynen 0]

Guess if I was gonna splurge on this I would want to make sure other people would have compatible systems.

Depending on how much time it takes tho the HAM license and repeater thing could be good even by yourself for safety reasons.

[bikeslut 1]

Guess if I was gonna splurge on this I would want to make sure other people would have compatible systems.

Depending on how much time it takes tho the HAM license and repeater thing could be good even by yourself for safety reasons.

If you don't get a ham license, I promise not to tell

and whatever you do; don't post it on the internet

[Crawdaddy 96]

Questions?

fn

The description says the system connects with "FRS systems" such as Kenwood.....does that mean that you may be able to interface your VX-170 radio with one of the 2 channels available on my old school Chatterbox HJC FRS Multisport? The Multisport is Frequency Modulated (FM) and the VX-170 is also FM (I think? .........I never claimed to be overly "radio smart" )

[Joliet 0]

Questions?

fn

The description says the system connects with "FRS systems" such as Kenwood.....does that mean that you may be able to interface your VX-170 radio with one of the 2 channels available on my old school Chatterbox HJC FRS Multisport? The Multisport is Frequency Modulated (FM) and the VX-170 is also FM (I think? .........I never claimed to be overly "radio smart" )

Doesn't your company make radios? Ken