Bluetooth intercom

Hi I am a new member and would like some advice on interphone f3 please. Found performance okay sitting indoors with helmets on but different story on bike. Anybody got any set up tips please? Both helmets Shoei full face. Lots of unpleasant noise and difficulty hearing each other as speed increases
Cheers

As with all intercom systems the position of the speaker within your helmet is critical to performance. It needs to be central to your ear canal and also close to your ear. If either, or both, of these factors are not correct the drop off in perceivable audio is very significant. Some Shoei helmets have very deep ear pockets. You may need to build these up with dense foam to bring the speaker closer to your wars.

The speakers for my Autocom intercom lightly touch my ears. I can hear audio at speeds up to and in excess of 80mph.

The alternative is in ear monitors but this might not be possible with the F3 without 'surgery'.

Bumpkin said:

As with all intercom systems the position of the speaker within your helmet is critical to performance. It needs to be central to your ear canal and also close to your ear. If either, or both, of these factors are not correct the drop off in perceivable audio is very significant. Some Shoei helmets have very deep ear pockets. You may need to build these up with dense foam to bring the speaker closer to your wars.

The speakers for my Autocom intercom lightly touch my ears. I can hear audio at speeds up to and in excess of 80mph.

The alternative is in ear monitors but this might not be possible with the F3 without 'surgery'.

Click to expand...

Thanks the issue is the level of background noise. I couldn't hear my wife which some may say is a good thing but I couldn't turn the volume up as my ears feel bruised with the battering they took from all weird noises coming through

Although I usually use an Autocom, a recent tour to, and around, the Pyrenees and back saw me using a cheap Chinese BT headset.

Like the Autocom this required consideration, testing and adjustment for best set-up. The results were impressive and almost as good as the Autocom. The latter has automatic volume ramping which compensates for increased background noise as the speed increases which gives it a distinct advantage.

My touring buddy had a Shoei and his ability, with the same model headset, to hear me wasn't quite as good as mine to hear him. Whether this was the helmet, difference in bikes, or less attention to set-up I'm not sure. Quite possibly a combination.

The alignment, and proximity, of the speakers to your ear canals, if done correctly, will have a significant effect on overcoming background noise. I use home made foam spacers to raise the speakers towards my ears so they are just 'kissing' them. Dense foam, self adhesive Velcro and a strong pair of scissors is all that's required. You might also want a sharp blade to adjust the thickness of the spacers for fine tuning. The Velcro will attach to that already installed in your helmet for the existing speaker installation.

Done correctly I can (with the Autocom), as stated above, hear well upto 80mph+. Faster than that and wind noise does start to dominate. Having said that I can still hear, and make out, bike-to-bike, GPS and music at over 100 (autobahn) though not that clearly. This is with MaxLite ear-plugs in.

I was disappointed in my first Autocom install, nothing audible above 70mph, but thought that was as good as it got. Someone, quite possibly on here, suggested fiddling with the position of the speakers. It made a massive difference. It's not going to make everything crystal clear at silly speeds but it will make the kit far more usable at around the legal limit and reasonably above.

Best results would be from decent in ear monitors. A mate of mine uses fancy Shure ear-buds along with Comply tips. However, I can't be bothered with the faffing about with putting them in and the having the wires getting in the way every time I don my lid.

Sounds like you need to reposition your mics well away from the airflow. This is what can cause the background noise with any system. Also having the mic close to your lips will keep a good strong signal and allow any background noise cancelling circuitry to do it's job. As previously said just a matter of experimentation

No one has mentioned the most the relevant factor yet. The bike you ride. What bike is it ? what screen does it have - if any etc etc. Sort out the outside factors first and things will be easier to adjust to your liking.

They must have made improvements for the F4. I can take a phone call at 80mph and the other end have no idea I'm on the bike.
Sound quality is affected by which helmet I wear though. The best is my AGV Guy Martin replica.

I've had a similar problem with my f5xt. I've turned off the automatic volume control and now I can hear it at all speeds. I'd had a notion it was getting quieter at high speeds and it turned out it was!