Bike to Bike comms.. any recommendations?

[rocks]

I am looking into the various bike to bike setups, for use on our coming morroco trip..

Is Autocomm the only options realistically or does anyone have any other recomendations.

Views on the auto comm gear appreciated. They certain have the best advert campaigne,, but is it worth it?

Its for setup on two GS1150's..

Cheers in advance.. John..

 

[Greg Masters]

When I was shopping for bike-to-bike, everybody I spoke to said that whatever you buy, you'll end up swapping it for an Autocom.

To be fair, I think the competition to Autocom may have got better. But trawl this site - I don't think that you'll find too many bad words about Autocom aside from price.

Greg

 

[Wraithwrider]

everybody I spoke to said that whatever you buy, you'll end up swapping it for an Autocom.

I wouldn't agree with that. I'd recommend the Starcom1 unit to anyone. They have had very good reviews here too and their after sales service is top notch!

http://www.starcom1.com/

Peter

 

[judge]

I wouldn't agree with that. I'd recommend the Starcom1 unit to anyone. They have had very good reviews here too and their after sales service is top notch!

http://www.starcom1.com/

Peter

I guess that's why Greg added the second sentence, to be fair when Greg was lookig at Intercoms he was a young man and the likes of Triumph, BSA and Norton were all the rage, now you have some serious players in the market to pitch against Autocom in Starcom and Intaride and if you want Rolls Royce then consider the luxury of Baer Intercome Systems; if it isn't one of them then walk away as it will be tat.

 

[rocks]

radio's.. power and mounting??

Thanks Guys.. I have had a trawl around their websites and done a search on the forums. Seems there is pretty much one the two choices without sourcing from outside the UK..

The aim is get these units setup and tested for the shake down trip too the Pico's before we head to morroco. One thing that has been bugging me and i cannot see any details on the sites, is..

Where do people mount the radio units?
And what power source do they use.
Having used radio's often for event organisation and securty functions. I know the Kenwood TK3101 (Or newer model) is a great handset. But what sort of battery life do people get from theirs when used on the bike? And how do you recharge them when your on the move, can they be powered off the bike?


I would love to hear if any one has used these kenwood units and what they think of them and where they have them mounted/carried.

Cheers.. John..

 

[Greg Masters]

to be fair when Greg was lookig at Intercoms he was a young man and the likes of Triumph, BSA and Norton were all the rage,

BSA were still making firearms when I was first looking!



Greg

 

[judge]

Thanks Guys.. I have had a trawl around their websites and done a search on the forums. Seems there is pretty much one the two choices without sourcing from outside the UK..

Not quite; Autocom and Starcom will be the more widely used but in Intaride and Baer there are more players and the latter has recently been brought to the UK by Datatool and I believe Motorrad Concepts are dealers.

Where do people mount the radio units?

They like to be upright but I tend to just leave mine in the top of my tank bag though I may see what RAMmykins might have for handlebar mounting.

Having used radio's often for event organisation and securty functions. I know the Kenwood TK3101 (Or newer model) is a great handset. But what sort of battery life do people get from theirs when used on the bike? And how do you recharge them when your on the move, can they be powered off the bike?

I would love to hear if any one has used these kenwood units and what they think of them and where they have them mounted/carried.

My radios (I have Kenwood TK3101 & Icom F22SR) are powered from the Autocom (Pro 7 Sport) using dedicated power cables (supplied by Autocom for a price ), batteries can be used but for day long riding you'd need two and a keen charging stratedgy (when you really should be downing beer telling of your day's heroics).

 

[Deleted account 220427002]

try the links section

http://www.ukgser.com/links/

 

[enabb]

Kenwood radio with autocom ,
originaly bike powered and just using vox, then tried using the ptty switch which improved things no end.
You can buy a ptty switch come power lead from Autocom too

HTH.

 

[Pukmeister]

Autocom Pro 7 Sport and Kenwood 'Funkey' PMR446 type radio. Takes a while to get the best sound set up with VOX, channels, volume levels etc, but very good kit and not the most expensive either. I hate riding without it.

 

[araspitfire]

Just curious as to how many people are set up for this...

I'm planning on attending the odd "pay to ride" tour over the next while.

Do many people who go in the guided rides have bike to bike?

How about when a couple of solo riders meet at a pub, going the same direction... is it common for them to "just happen to have" this equipment and start chatting?

Al...

 

[rocks]

Al

Hi Al,
As far as my initial research has shown,, and i am really only just started to look into it. Is that aslong as your radio is on the same channel/frequency then it doesnt matter what comm unit eg Autocom or Starcom1. etc..

However, as to the amount of people who have a bike to bike comm setups, i think its probably not that common.
I ride with my best friend, we take trips out about eight or nine times a year. When we do, we ride for a fair few miles and most of a day due to the distance between us. Our plans at the moment are looking at a week long trip to northen spain then a longer trip to Morroco. For these bike to bike i think is essential in taking some of the stress out of it and increasing the enjoyment.

So, the primary aim is for these trips and us riding togather. i also do a lot of riding alone, and spontaneous trips out with folks i meet out on the bike. In the past a few have had bike comm setups but not many. The chances of them having a setup that will match perfectly is probably a bit rare.

If you your primary concern is to get a unit that will work with other people, then get some advice from your comm unit supplier as the radio with the best range of frequency and cross model compatitbility..



Hope that helps Al..

 

[judge]

Al,

In the UK we have a frequency range open to recreational use without the need for an operators licence, called PMR446, all makes of radio conforming to that spec will be cross-compatible on their base channels, many of these radios come with a range of sub channels and this is where it can go awry.

If I rode with a regular set of riding mates then I'd probably suggest we use one of these and use a 'closed' channel, as it is I don't so I tend to just take the radio with me just in case and use an 'open' channel with anyone who turns up.

 

[MrIFan]

Hi Rocks, just throwing in my support for the Starcom set up. On a par with Autocom for quality and aftersales service but if you are going to be talking to a pillion it has to be starcom. The full duplex system allows you to have a natural conversation unlike the on and off radio type with the Autocom.

If you are going the TK3101 route battery eliminaters are avaliable so you can wire direct to accessory socket or battery. Don't go for the cheapest ones though or you'll end up with so much interference the radio will be useless.

 

[peten]

Hi Rocks

I've gone the Starcom route (so that I can have GPS, Phone, mp3 and bike to bike using a PTT switch) and used the Intaride A80 radio which I've found to give really good results.

I've recently installed an external antenna and bike power for the radio, but have yet to test with this configuration.

On batteries, the radio does most of a days riding. There is a way to unlock the power from 0.5W to 2W apparently

If I was doing it all again, I might look at the complete Intaride solution as I quite like the connectors on their 'Pro' setup and the pricing to achieve what I have above is comparable with the Starcom I think.

YMMV etc

Cheers

Pete

 

[rocks]

Bike show.. grilling..

Well, I have booked the day off on the 31st and plan to grill the Autocomm guys and the Starcomm1 folks at the NEC if they are there.

I know that there are some cracking hand sets out there now days, but I think i will stick with the radio kit I am used too, even if its pricy.. Kendwood.

So my next question for those guys that have them.. is.. how often do you find yourself using it?

Cheers in advance..

 

[sparkplug]

Hi Rocks (my dad's a geologist...)

You also should considrer IntaRide and possibly sonic in birmingham (just round the corner from the NEC)

The inta ride is every bit as good as my (expensive) autocom. They also have a 'how to make your radio illegal but transmit further should you want to' bit which will increase the power when you are in certain countries outside the UK. Having used it I wish I'd saved my money

Just to give some alternatives to the tired old big names you will hear people recommend because they've never tried the smaller names (It's why I spent too much on an autocom)

 

[rocks]

Cheers

Thanks.. yep we do get around..

I have had a read of the sites.. some interesting stuff so far...

Much will depend on our findings at the NEC.. I have a small shopping list and a major set of questions to field at the various suppliers.

Price is a factor i have to admit.. but i have found from experience, sometimes paying that little bit extra on the setup saves on the stress of hassles when things go wrong.. so..

So back to my last question? How much do you use your comm system wilst out on the bike with another bike?

 

[sparkplug]

As part of one of my many jobs I do use bike to bike comms regularly. Most weekends as it goes.

I've used Kenwood radios - very good

I've used Sonic radios - very good

I've used Inta Ride - very good

I use the Autocom just as rider to pillion/gps - very good.

The range and quality of the bike to bike mentioned above is about the same. The prices however vary. Make your own choice...

 

[rocks]

I bought the kit

Well.. whilst at the bike show..
I bought the Starcom1 Adv set..
With a Kenwood UBZ-LJ8 radio unit.

Kit arrived two days after placing order at the show. ( I could have taken the kit at the show apart from i ordered a GPS cable for the 2610 they didnt have instock that day)

I had a nice chat with the autocom blokes who were desperate to sell me kit that was now obselete and no longer being produced. Though i am sure the kit works fine. In the end I went with starcom1.

A my usual riding partner will be purchasing the same kit shortly at which point, we will install the kit. I opted for their additional socket mounting bracket.

I will do a write up on how it all works out if anyone is interested when we install the kit.

So far, the sales side and delivery have been excellent. The kit in the boxes looks good. Guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating..

To be continued.....