Autocom . Worth the money?

[JonB]

Hi
Can anyone tell me if this is a good deal ? It was purchased by the seller in 2008.
Any input welcome
Cheers
Jon
http://bit.ly/153xQ8a

 

[Yellow Peril]

without looking mine is 7 years old and still going strong OK probably could do with new boom mic's (comestic) but other than that working fine. that's cursed it

 

[Bumpkin]

The Autocoms, though new are the older 5 pin headset Active 7 Smart units. The radios look a bit like 'mickey mouse' consumer models. Having said that for two relatively complete set-ups it's a good price currently though personally I wouldn't go North of £80 for it.

Not sure about the radio interface leads that he mentions, would they be compatible with an Autocom PTT switch? VOX is a right royal PITA, PTT is the way to go.

For later Autocom kit (pre 2009 Super Pro Avi or Active Plus), decent radios and PTT switches you'd be spending between £120 and £200 per bike I reckon. The PTT switches will run you £15-£25 a pop (thought I'd mention that as they aren't included in the auction you're looking at). So the next step up is a significant increase in cost though the durability of the radios and performance of the Autocom units (esp. the Super Pro Avi) are worth the extra IMHO.

With better radios you can run external antennas which improves range. Don't believe the hype in the ads for the radios for 5-6 miles. In the real world you'll get a mile without an external antenna (and radio vertical) and 2-3 miles with external antenna. Range is greatly dependant on terrain/environment, hills and building can knock it down to a few hundred yards. If you lay the radio down under the seat expect a few hundred yards at best.

 

[JonB]

Autocom

Thanks very much for the info guys I really appreciate it . I have decided to wait for a decent pair of used sena smh10 .
Cheers
Jon

 

[Bumpkin]

I have decided to wait for a decent pair of used sena smh10

Quite honestly, from what I've observed, I don't think the Bluetooth kit has the durability to make it a wise used buy. Autocom/Starcom kit is more robust and is more modular in nature so that if, say, a headset gets damaged that part alone can be replaced.

Not sure what manufacturer it was but heard a recent report that a user tried to contact the manufacturer of a BT headset about battery replacement as his was getting tired and not holding charge. He was told that he needed to buy a new unit as they didn't do a battery replacement service

 

[beemerboy9]

The Autocoms, though new are the older 5 pin headset Active 7 Smart units. The radios look a bit like 'mickey mouse' consumer models. Having said that for two relatively complete set-ups it's a good price currently though personally I wouldn't go North of £80 for it.

Not sure about the radio interface leads that he mentions, would they be compatible with an Autocom PTT switch? VOX is a right royal PITA, PTT is the way to go.

For later Autocom kit (pre 2009 Super Pro Avi or Active Plus), decent radios and PTT switches you'd be spending between £120 and £200 per bike I reckon. The PTT switches will run you £15-£25 a pop (thought I'd mention that as they aren't included in the auction you're looking at). So the next step up is a significant increase in cost though the durability of the radios and performance of the Autocom units (esp. the Super Pro Avi) are worth the extra IMHO.

With better radios you can run external antennas which improves range. Don't believe the hype in the ads for the radios for 5-6 miles. In the real world you'll get a mile without an external antenna (and radio vertical) and 2-3 miles with external antenna. Range is greatly dependant on terrain/environment, hills and building can knock it down to a few hundred yards. If you lay the radio down under the seat expect a few hundred yards at best.

There are indeed the later type of 7 pin units - but they were replaced by the Active Plus in 2006! So if the E-bay seller bought them a couple of years ago, then it was at a clearance price.

Not going to argue with Bumpkin on anything else.

£80 is an interesting price point

 

[JonB]

Autocom

Thanks again for the info guys .Still undecided as to what way to go as I need a good bike to bike set up with clarity .Will keep looking and listening to all your comments.
Cheers
Jon

 

[Bumpkin]

There are indeed the later type of 7 pin units

Oh, OK. I stand corrected.

£80 is an interesting price point

Well, I did say that I wouldn't spend more than £80 on them, others may do. Possibly including yourself by the sounds of things

 

[chas820]

Still undecided as to what way to go as I need a good bike to bike set up with clarity

Don`t rule out Starcom(its the same co as Autocom) they are usualy cheaper

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Starcom1-...96?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item2a2e95895c

 

[GS-ter]

Re the external ariels for the radio's.. where would I get those from ?
Any particular ones that are good.. and how do they plug in ie: to the radio directly as I dont remember seeing extra inputs on the kenwoods ??

 

[Bumpkin]

Re the external ariels for the radio's.. where would I get those from ?
Any particular ones that are good.. and how do they plug in ie: to the radio directly as I dont remember seeing extra inputs on the kenwoods ??

External antenna can be purchased from here. The Ground Plane Independent aspect is important on a bike.

With Kenwoods you need to perform surgery using parts from another Kenwood model that has a removable antenna to start with. These screw straight onto the metal chassis inside the TK3201. However, you will need to do some soldering.

 

[1967ajb]

I've had nothing but trouble with the two Autocoms I've had. They've cost a load of money and never really worked, both in a bag in a cupboard waiting until I can face dumping them in the bin.

 

[stever1]

I've had nothing but trouble with the two Autocoms I've had. They've cost a load of money and never really worked, both in a bag in a cupboard waiting until I can face dumping them in the bin.

Don't dump them, give them to me and I can make 1 good unit from the 2. Then give it to my mate who cannot afford one as hes out of work.

 

[Rasher]

My first one lasted four years and was still going strong when I upgraded.

The Latest Super-Pro automatic I bought was in some ways not so good, it picks up interference, on both the GS and my S10 - even with nothing plugged into the input sockets so I know it is the unit itself. I have tried everything including wrapping it in tin foil, nothing stops this, but with earplugs in you can only really hear it at low speed (still annoying though)

For rider to passenger and plugging in an array of kit it works very well, music is listenable up to 3 figure speeds (with earplugs in) and rider-passenger will work to about 150 on the Autobahn (if you speak up a lot)

Just fitted one to the Mrs bike and installed Radio's, the battery eliminators are very neat and keep cabling to a minimum, but the VOX is utter shite!

I cannot understand how the VOX works perfectly two up, yet just fails with the radio's, each time we try it may work from one bike, or the other and once worked perfectly for two minutes when parked up - but as soon as we are moving your down to one bike working at best - and that rarely lasts.

PTT is obviously the only way to go, but with two Radio's, two battery eliminators and two PTT kits it is a huge expense - although I am sure the ease of use and no hassle pairing / charging or worrying about range will make bike-to-bike as sweet as rider-pillion.

I was lucky in getting a second-hand autocom (of this very forum) at a good price, and picking up two used radio's off E-Bay, but from scratch it is a very expensive bike-to-bike solution, especially as the BT gear is getting better and cheaper all the time.

But as stated for rider-pillion and music clarity I do not think they can be beaten - and the earlier Active Rider kit is pretty decent, get one off E-Bay and just re-furb the Mic's

 

[Yellow Peril]

Agree with Rasher especially if touring home or abroad all that battery charging pain in the arse every night however if you only do day trips from home with mates then maybe BT is the route to take

And before comes along with stuff about charging takes no, when on tour, its bad enough changing phones, camera batteries, go pros's ipad, etc etc with out having to mess about with headsets as well especially as you normally only get 2 sockets in a hotel room. Autocom simples take power from bike and interference can be dealt with various leads add ons it just takes some time/patience to set up properly.

 

[Rasher]

Autocom simples take power from bike and interference can be dealt with various leads add ons it just takes some time/patience to set up properly.

Went away again last weekend, perfect chat at any speed, apart from slight interference (my other Autocoms have not done this though, and only audible at low speed - and srowned out by music) is brilliant.

One other tip, I listen to music on tour and when two-up the Mrs mike tends to trigger a bit too easily - this will mute music 50% and can be annoying - you can turn this feature off with switches inside the autocom.

I also run an Ampli-rider which gives me volume control on the move and is quicker and easier than trying to adjust sat-nav or MP3 player controls.

 

[mcinlb]

Rasher, would be interested to hear how you interfaced the Ampli-rider with the Autocom. Ampli-rider using 3.5mm jacks?????????

 

[GSAMark]

I've been down so many routes with Bluetooth and wired systems and had problems with them all, including the autocom, that was until I spoke with Sam at chainspeed. He told me that whoever fitted it (Williams BMW Manchester) had messed up and plugged stuff into the wrong ports. Also, I'd been sold duff equipment......straight from autocom themselves no less. Apparently, they have a bad batch of units and Bluetooth modules. If when you came to pair your Bluetooth devices and the btm02 came up as "air" it's duff. The 3.5mm jack plug sockets are also wired wrong and create static, both these units can be changed at no cost as they shouldn't have been sold in the first place. Don't let Steve at autocom fob you off with "we can reprogram them" as all the do is take them inside and change the name on them!! After a visit to Sam at chainspeed he sorted everything and gave me a few helpful tips too. IMHO, the autocom is the best solution. I have bike to bike but have yet to go on a ride with anyone else that has the same set up but I can't help laughing when I watch them giving a lifesaver and seeing the Bluetooth popping out of its holder n dangling on their shoulders....