As A newbie postman I have been impressed with the info available on all sorts of topics. I've just misposted this on the Ultimate ears thread, I meant to start a new one. Perhaps one of the moderators can amend.
I'm still not a GS owner yet but have now decided on the model I want (New GS provided it gets good reviews, with the ESA) and all I need now is to get someone to supply one the colours I want.
Just been browsing some of the previous threads on comms. Apologies if this has been covered before but I thought I'd share my experience.
I had a lot of problems with trying to hear my GPS above 50 MPH.
I bought a new helmet, I wanted an open front to avoid having to remove helmet and lugoles at every petrol station and toll booth. Also when switching glasses. I could not get comfortable with it. It was great on its own but not with driving glasses, and earplus, and the speakers supplied with the Autocom system. My ear problems went from bad to worse.
I had previously tried the speakers in all sorts of areas within the helmet and gouged the polysyrene in a desperate attempt to sort the problem.
Sat in lounge with helmet on to get used to various layouts and placements of speakers, amused the wife no end, and eventually seemed to find a location for the speakers that worked. How wrong I was.
Few weeks later away with the Lads to europe for 10 days. Testing out GPS so needed to hear Gabby at 90+. Shortly after setting off the pain from my squashed ears was a major distraction. Had to grin, or rather grimace and bear it.
Tried to make improvements at each pit stop, things degenerated. This went over several days and was spoiling the holiday. Also I was unfamiliar with GPS so that exacerbated problem, not helped by the options I had set before leaving home, preference for motorways and major roads that seemed like a good idea in the lounge were a pain in the *** on the road.
Got to a stage where the pain was so bad, and I still could not hear the GPS that I rode without earplugs.
DO NOT DO THIS ON A BIKE WITHOUT A VERY GOOD WINDSHIELD OR FAIRING.
Struggled on and made as good a job as I could but it spoiled the holiday.
Worse than that, I have been left with Tinitus in my left ear. A high pitched whistle now accompanies what would otherwise be silence.
I then looked around for something to improve my lot.
I discovered that in addition to heads being different sizes, they are different shapes. There are articles that I found on the web. I seem to recall that there are four basic shapes. I can't remember what they were, let's call them Round, Oval, something else and Flat Earth. I belong to the latter and that explained why I could not get comfortable with the helmet that I had bought.
It also explained why some makes of helmets seem to fit like a glove (sorry for mixed metaphors but you get the gist) whilst others have to be wedged into place, or can be rotated at will. (I don't want to critisize the particular make of helmet but PM me for details if you think you are a Flat Earther)
Some manufacturers acknowledge this and offer different helmet shapes as well as sizes.
I saw some moulded earplugs advertised at the bike show a little later and read that they dropped the noise level by as much as 30 Decibels.
I spoke to the ever helpful guys at Autocom who pionted me in the direction of Headset Services Limited. HSL. They gave me details of the Duo Com system.
I had to have a mould taken of the inside of my ears, which I arranged at a specialist at a cost of £20. I sent these to HSL, and in due course my unique Duo com earplugs arrived complete with miniture speaker and wiring to connect into my Autocom.
HSL sold me the special adaptor that fits into my top pocket, inot which the earplugs are connected.
The helmet microphone is connected in the usual manner.
The ear plugs are a perfect fit and work superbly.
I bought another new Helmet, a BMW series 5, and that suits me brilliantly.
I now operate my 2610 Garmin at level 2 and can hear very clearly even at speeds where the speeding fine would now exceed the value of my bike. I was previously using level 9 and not hearing instructions properly.
My ipod is set at about half volume. My bike creates a fair bit of wind noise but below 50 MPH the music can be a bit loud and it is sometimes necessary to speak to drop the volume level temporarily.
The duo com units may not suit everyone. They feel very odd when you have them in and walk around as your feet stomping on the ground is echoed up into your ears. They appear a little fragile but only because they have very small cabling that allows easy head movement and fits under neck warmers etc.
On the bike they are very comfortable and remove so much wind rush that otherwise sounds like a tornado.
One downside was buying a pair for my wife, ouch!
The cost of the duocom is advertised at £160 and with the special lead and ear moulding it totalled just over £200.
I've had mine for over two and a half years, but only use them on overseas trips living as I do in Guernsey.
It looks like the Ultimate Ears web site offers something very similar, may be even better with the filter options. Don't wait until you damage your ears.
Hope some of this rings a bell, it did for me, Best investment I have ever made. I SAID IT'S THE BES............... bl**** tinitus!
JR
I'm still not a GS owner yet but have now decided on the model I want (New GS provided it gets good reviews, with the ESA) and all I need now is to get someone to supply one the colours I want.
Just been browsing some of the previous threads on comms. Apologies if this has been covered before but I thought I'd share my experience.
I had a lot of problems with trying to hear my GPS above 50 MPH.
I bought a new helmet, I wanted an open front to avoid having to remove helmet and lugoles at every petrol station and toll booth. Also when switching glasses. I could not get comfortable with it. It was great on its own but not with driving glasses, and earplus, and the speakers supplied with the Autocom system. My ear problems went from bad to worse.
I had previously tried the speakers in all sorts of areas within the helmet and gouged the polysyrene in a desperate attempt to sort the problem.
Sat in lounge with helmet on to get used to various layouts and placements of speakers, amused the wife no end, and eventually seemed to find a location for the speakers that worked. How wrong I was.
Few weeks later away with the Lads to europe for 10 days. Testing out GPS so needed to hear Gabby at 90+. Shortly after setting off the pain from my squashed ears was a major distraction. Had to grin, or rather grimace and bear it.
Tried to make improvements at each pit stop, things degenerated. This went over several days and was spoiling the holiday. Also I was unfamiliar with GPS so that exacerbated problem, not helped by the options I had set before leaving home, preference for motorways and major roads that seemed like a good idea in the lounge were a pain in the *** on the road.
Got to a stage where the pain was so bad, and I still could not hear the GPS that I rode without earplugs.
DO NOT DO THIS ON A BIKE WITHOUT A VERY GOOD WINDSHIELD OR FAIRING.
Struggled on and made as good a job as I could but it spoiled the holiday.
Worse than that, I have been left with Tinitus in my left ear. A high pitched whistle now accompanies what would otherwise be silence.
I then looked around for something to improve my lot.
I discovered that in addition to heads being different sizes, they are different shapes. There are articles that I found on the web. I seem to recall that there are four basic shapes. I can't remember what they were, let's call them Round, Oval, something else and Flat Earth. I belong to the latter and that explained why I could not get comfortable with the helmet that I had bought.
It also explained why some makes of helmets seem to fit like a glove (sorry for mixed metaphors but you get the gist) whilst others have to be wedged into place, or can be rotated at will. (I don't want to critisize the particular make of helmet but PM me for details if you think you are a Flat Earther)
Some manufacturers acknowledge this and offer different helmet shapes as well as sizes.
I saw some moulded earplugs advertised at the bike show a little later and read that they dropped the noise level by as much as 30 Decibels.
I spoke to the ever helpful guys at Autocom who pionted me in the direction of Headset Services Limited. HSL. They gave me details of the Duo Com system.
I had to have a mould taken of the inside of my ears, which I arranged at a specialist at a cost of £20. I sent these to HSL, and in due course my unique Duo com earplugs arrived complete with miniture speaker and wiring to connect into my Autocom.
HSL sold me the special adaptor that fits into my top pocket, inot which the earplugs are connected.
The helmet microphone is connected in the usual manner.
The ear plugs are a perfect fit and work superbly.
I bought another new Helmet, a BMW series 5, and that suits me brilliantly.
I now operate my 2610 Garmin at level 2 and can hear very clearly even at speeds where the speeding fine would now exceed the value of my bike. I was previously using level 9 and not hearing instructions properly.
My ipod is set at about half volume. My bike creates a fair bit of wind noise but below 50 MPH the music can be a bit loud and it is sometimes necessary to speak to drop the volume level temporarily.
The duo com units may not suit everyone. They feel very odd when you have them in and walk around as your feet stomping on the ground is echoed up into your ears. They appear a little fragile but only because they have very small cabling that allows easy head movement and fits under neck warmers etc.
On the bike they are very comfortable and remove so much wind rush that otherwise sounds like a tornado.
One downside was buying a pair for my wife, ouch!
The cost of the duocom is advertised at £160 and with the special lead and ear moulding it totalled just over £200.
I've had mine for over two and a half years, but only use them on overseas trips living as I do in Guernsey.
It looks like the Ultimate Ears web site offers something very similar, may be even better with the filter options. Don't wait until you damage your ears.
Hope some of this rings a bell, it did for me, Best investment I have ever made. I SAID IT'S THE BES............... bl**** tinitus!
JR
