Bewildered by plethora of intercom options...can anyone recommend a reliable ,reasonably priced open (mesh) system

[Morety]

The Sena “Arai” is so called because it’s for standard helmets rather than either flip (Schuberth etc) or the Shoie specifi one.
They will fit any helmet as it’s ear bud and a wired mic.
man issue with Sena can be that a low battery means stopping and they aren’t 100% waterproof unlike Cardo which is and can be charged and used at the same time.
Cardo also have removable speakers so can be used with in-ear with a 3.5mm jack.

Is that the case though for the "10U" as I looked at that one but the battery pack wouldn't appear to fit my Shark helmet? Sena have teamed up with Shark to produce Shark's own Sena unit but it's not got the range of the 10S or 10U units hence I haven't bothered with the Shark one.

I read this from Sena's website:

Fitting other helmets besides what is specified on the box.
Currently the Sena 10U System is available in 4 different models:
Shoei GT-Air, Neotec and J-Cruise
Arai full-face helmets
With more to come in the future.
These available versions of the 10U will only fit in these specific helmets as they were designed specifically for them.

 

[PitaNaanRoti]

Rubbish. The “Arai” one has two different length set of prongs for the battery pack and they simply slide in between the shell and padding.
wired mic with sticky Velcro, and separate remote with 3M pad.
Had the same one in a Schuberth SR1, Touratech Adventuro(Nexx), Touratech Enduro(X-Lite).

 

[Morety]

...in which case they need to amend their website.

 

[Morety]

Right, so after weeks of deliberating, it came down to what my mates were using although consensus was the the Packtalk Bold would have probably been the wiser chhoice all round. I've shortlisted just two units, the Sena 20s Evo and the Interphone Ucom 16 (Plays nicely with the other Sena users in the group). The Sena has the advantage of the mesh adaptor and handlebar remote option plus aftermarket waterproof covers are available (why they can't provide an IP67 rated external intercom is ridiculous). Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread for your valued assistance and the info you've provided

 

[Morety]

A friend today brought his Sena 10U (Aria) set up around to see if it would fit my Shark helmet. It doesn't, so anyone reading this thread, the 10S or 20S evo is the better bet. The angles on the battery pack are too steep and protrude into the helmet as they're designed to be a good fit for the aria shell shape, meaning they press against the back of you head when fitted to a shark helmet, plus the way the shark liner fits, there's no access to the charging port without removing the rear liner first. Can't speak for any other FF lids though as depending on their shape and liners, it might fit but you'd have to try one first.

 

[Neil W]

We bought Cardo Packtalk Bold units last year for a trip away with another couple on separate bikes and so far they have been decidedly uninspiring in comparison with our old Sena SMH10 units with regards to range, battery life and quality of audio and they suffer from static breakdown of signal when near powerline

 

[EPG_19]

one will sena one will say cardo.

I have packtalk bold on one lid, but whislt touring we all use sena 50s and they are brilliant.

 

[Morety]

Opinion is split depending on who you speak to but I suspect either are fine. The deciding factor for me is what the other guys are using, which is Sena.

 

[Wapping]

Bike-to-bike and knowing where a bunch (or an individual bikermate) might or might not be at any given moment, is not really my thing. But, as it’s of some importance to others, here goes.

On the MyRoute forum, there’s a short comment on the BT-Talk app, which might be of interest to some.

As far as I can make out, it allows bike-to-bike and positional tracking. It also appears to work with a Push to Talk button or in a split screen mode on a phone. Here it is, apparently displayed in split screen mode, alongside the MyRoute app.

There is also a separate comment on another app, Zello, which allows bike to bike and can be included as an overlay button

The same bod also commented:

You can place multiple of these overlays if you wish.
You can add a (or multiple) hardware key(s) too.

 

[Morety]

I'd find that very distracting when keeping my eyes on the road. The intercom is more to warn those behind of possible hazards ahead and to keep in touch or even just chew the cud. For groups more than say 3 or 4, you can manage perfectly well using the tail end "sweeper" and each rider knowing how the group riding method works so if riders get split up, riders can drop off to direct those behind, joining the line ahead of the tail end sweeper. So yes, intercoms aren't essential. Regular stops, a decent map per rider and each learning the planned route was always the way I used to ride on tours and we rarely got split up for long but had intercoms been more widespread 30 years ago, I think many would have used them, as there's a lot of positives, particularly warning of hazards to watch for.

 

[Wapping]

Intercoms for bikes have been around for well over 30 years. The most popular - and certainly on these pages - was the Autocom system, usually linked to a Kenwood, the latter often having been tweaked with a hooky (ie illegal) antenna. The development of high quality Bluetooth just about put the final nail in that coffin.

You don’t spend all days with your eyes glued to the digital display. Hundreds of bods manage each day, without falling off or crashing into things. That being said, there are some that would like their bar controls back lit, presumably because they cannot find the main beam switch, dim as they are.

 

[Mr Craig]

one will sena one will say cardo.

I have packtalk bold on one lid, but whislt touring we all use sena 50s and they are brilliant.

Do you find any variance on range between the Sena50s and the Cardo packtalk. I run a packtalk bold and find the range when just 2 riders in play is a bit crap.

 

[EPG_19]

The 50s is superior in my view, easy to connect, sound quality is streets ahead.

Range is fantastic in a group of 4

 

[Snelly55]

Tried loads and that includes all the main brands mentioned. Generally, they are pretty poor and overpriced.

However, in my view, Sena are definitely least worst and the one to go for. 50S has been best I’ve had. Mesh system with pals works very well. It’s certainly the easiest system to connect several people.

 

[Morety]

It appears the Interphone have been using Sena technology in all models since 2021, which makes the UCom4 and 16 very attractive propositions. Seamless connection to all Sena Bluetooth and Mesh equipped intercomms (Ucom16) or Bluetooth only using the UCom4. Benefit of the UCom sets seems to be more robust cases (Titanium in the case of the Ucom16) which are IP67 rated, so waterproof. They have universal pairing to other brands which I guess means in reality "Universally crap" but the UCom16 with Mesh 2 seems like a no brainer as it should operate at least as well as anything from Sena.

 

[EPG_19]

Do you find any variance on range between the Sena50s and the Cardo packtalk. I run a packtalk bold and find the range when just 2 riders in play is a bit crap.

50s is far better in my view

 

[Morety]

Interphone Ucom 16 on its way. I'll report back when I get a chance to try it out. Being waterproof and better made than the Sena swung it for me, as well as being Mesh 2 equipped. Just got to order the larger battery as reports of 6.5 hrs on standard seem common place.

 

[worthy]

Tim, you could always use the Mesh Adapter...?

Can you use a Sena mesh adapter with a BMW intercom to connect to other mesh headsets ?