Wireless Motorcycle Intercom?

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hoche
Well, we're talking intercoms here, and they're all just analog. Even the low-end Peltors like the FMT-100/110, both of which I took apart a few years ago because I was curious. The FMT-200 presumably has some sort of microcontroller to handle button presses and the LED's, but I haven't taken apart one.

John: If you can remember more details of what the fault was, I'd be curious to know. I only reverse-engineered it because I was fixing one for someone. I didn't see anything egregiously wrong, just a lot of "well, this could be better" stuff. The only filtering issue I see is what looks like an RC high-pass filter that should cut off anything below about 15Hz, which seems sort of useless to me.

Interesting, I'm just surprised they are using off the shelf ICs.

Quote
hoche
Well, we're talking intercoms here, and they're all just analog. Even the low-end Peltors like the FMT-100/110, both of which I took apart a few years ago because I was curious. The FMT-200 presumably has some sort of microcontroller to handle button presses and the LED's, but I haven't taken apart one.

John: If you can remember more details of what the fault was, I'd be curious to know. I only reverse-engineered it because I was fixing one for someone. I didn't see anything egregiously wrong, just a lot of "well, this could be better" stuff. The only filtering issue I see is what looks like an RC high-pass filter that should cut off anything below about 15Hz, which seems sort of useless to me.

Naw doood I was just talking in a general way...and this isn't stuff I do or have much interest since I knew of simple solution: Don't Buy Terra-Phone, get Greytronics.

And as I have had some old OMP thing that works flawlessly for me (I don't need FM radio Golden Oldies or Smooth and mellow piped in , or cell phone capability, or streaming videos or whatever which seems to now be indispensible)

Only thing I vaguely recall was "fault in the filtering" and presumably that is the toning done "noise" like engine and gravel sounds and then weighting the frequencies around normal human voice (which sadly for me is 2 place where I am very close to "profoundly deaf", the frequencies around the average male and female voice...

But the main point was the message "its a copy of early prototype Greytronics (and they've been around forever so what 30+ years old crude initial design) with a fault ..corrected before series production" and the conclusion.

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Some people showed up at pikes peak one time with motorcycle intercoms and they crashed every run. Said they couldn't hear it over the engine and electronic interference. Ended up borrowing peltors from another competitor had a blue Subaru blow up. Pretty sure they still crashed every run after that too. YMMV.

Dave

That seems like an expensive way to test intercoms.

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Self-righteous douche canoe

Something else to keep in mind, there are a lot of options with moto intercoms out there, and many are cheap clones.

The Sena stuff is the standard go-to brand and generally highly rated. I could see having all sorts of issues with the lesser products.

I think the motorcycle intercom market is only recently getting funded well enough to make good stuff. thanks to cell phones. Now if only ham radios and rally intercoms would find a market to pay for new development...

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Perry

FE570s course bike
KTM 950 ADV
74 Beetle turbo-efi etc..
72 Beetle stage rally project WRX powered
Attended about 15 rallies, usually a volunteer in a course car.

I chatted with Gary DM and he suggests the RioRand 800M

The RioRand website is terrible but you get the specs. Gary has used them for 3 years with 7 different co-drivers and everyone has been happy. He mentioned the benefit of being able to talk with your co-driver while you are out of the car putting out triangles or at a time control. That seems like a huge benefit.

Gary actually sells them and can make transit headsets too.

Is there anyone out there with experience with these intercoms?
-Michael

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Michael Waterhouse
Voorheesville NY
1990 Eagle Talon

I came across this while looking at helmets on line: Black Armor Helmets Wireless Intercom

They look to be the same as the RioRand wireless intercom. Very interesting. The helmets look decent too for the price. It looks like they could be very light weight.

I purchased a set of the RioRand from Gary DeMasi and they should arrive today/tomorrow. I'll post what I think.

-Michael

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Michael Waterhouse
Voorheesville NY
1990 Eagle Talon

I have had lowest of the line OMP, TerraPhone (Clubman model) and now a Stilo WRC.
All entry level sets - and the TerraPhone is/was ... terrible...
Everything got heavily distorted - really shitty quality. And it surprised the hell out of me, because with the engine off, there was no issue - even with same volume setting. But as soon as we gave it the beans, the ambient noise of engine, transmission, etc., became too much for the circuit, and it was all over the place. It really sucked!

My Stilo seems to have developed some issue, but AFAIR we managed to figure out that it was the headset in my helmet that had an issue (my mic stopped working - not an enormous issue, but obviously one I have to figure out before season starts again).

I haven't tried any of the new-fangled noise cancellation systems, or even the ones with the ear muffs in the helmets - I'm sure they are stellar, but I'd rather go to races .
But I won't be buying a TerraPhone again...

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Brgrds
Brian

Those RioRands seem to be a rebrand of the Chinese version:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2016-New-Updated-Version-TCOM-SC-W-Screen-BT-Bluetooth-Motorcycle-Helmet-Intercom-Headset-with-FM/32583119829.html

I ordered a couple just to try, out of car testing was very good, enough so that I purchased another for my actual motorcycle helmet. Time will tell if they will work well in car, but I have high hopes.

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Matt Bobyn
Those RioRands seem to be a rebrand of the Chinese version:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2016-New-Updated-Version-TCOM-SC-W-Screen-BT-Bluetooth-Motorcycle-Helmet-Intercom-Headset-with-FM/32583119829.html

I ordered a couple just to try, out of car testing was very good, enough so that I purchased another for my actual motorcycle helmet. Time will tell if they will work well in car, but I have high hopes.

That set from aliexpress is the more advanced version than the ones I got...those have the little screen on the side and are the TCOM-SC model while the ones I got are the T-COMVB model.

I've played around them them a little. The only thing I don't like so far is that they don't have a volume limiter like the Pro Terra Trips have. If the other person yells it gets very loud. Also, there are some beeps that come through the intercom that are at maximum volume and I don't see a way to quiet them. However, those loud beeps only occur when starting, initiating a conversation and when you adjust to min or max volume.

I'm not sure if the mic boom will be stiff enough but that can reinforced with some wire.

-Michael

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Michael Waterhouse
Voorheesville NY
1990 Eagle Talon