Interbike communication systems

[Lao Jia Hou]

I am weak for NKVD style femme fatales

I think this one is army (and I think this is a CC or ChinaV pic)

JH600B 18.jpg

Truth be told, however, the "B" attracts attention from a different crowd ...

tour 13.jpg

[euphonius]

Heh heh ... I think you've had enough, buddy, if you think she is a guy! Here's a close-up.

Anyone calling dibs? (I'm happily married)

Yes, she can twist my throttle any time.

[moilami]

I think this one is army (and I think this is a CC or ChinaV pic)

JH600B 18.jpg

Truth be told, however, the "B" attracts attention from a different crowd ...

tour 13.jpg

Yeah, from the army. The NKVD chick was from air force clearly, had the badge on her chest too, and an officer. It gives her more authority to say "u cook!"

[Lao Jia Hou]

Laojiahuo, i was browsing taobao some more and came across a whole bunch of bluetooth systems such as this one ... I think these are basically the same thing as that Cardo system that euphonious and chinaV were talking about. They seem like a more compact version of what you did, a bit better integrated, but with much much shorter range.

Again, Felix, mucho gracias for the lead - I ordered, received & installed this pair.

Have only done the apartment/courtyard test, so far, but these are my initial impressions:

Pros:
1) Way more convenient than wires & walkie-talkies;
2) Pretty good sound reception, through concrete/glass, to a few hundred meters;
3) True duplex communication (facilitating arguments about rest stops) which seems to be "always-on" (there may be a timed "sleep" mode, but I am not sure); and,
4) FM radio works well, but no display of frequency.

Cons:
1) Not a bad little owners manual, but still enough Chinglish to make it confusing (no Chinese version was sent - only the Chinglish version);
2) The mounting system wasn't entirely perfect, and took a bit of fiddling, but each seems secure - one on a full face, the other on an open face; and,
3) Limited to 3 units, and only 2 can communicate at one time. I'm not exactly sure how that works, as the manual isn't clear and I only purchased 2 units.

Other comments:
1) I've never used a genuine, top-notch name-brand system, so I don't know if this is good, bad, ugly ... or a perfect clone.
2) Haven't done a mountain riding test, yet, so unsure how they may be affected by obstacles (or if a running motorcycle might cause a buzzing static?).
3) Apparently can link them into a mobile phone & GPS ... but that is technology which is way above my pay grade.

Bottom line for me is ... I am a typical consumer that wants something that works, out of the box, with minimal effort (and no hundred page manuals or additional night school). These seem to satisfy my requirement, so far.

At first blush, I see the advantages of the walkie-talkie model as follows:

1) Unlimited number of users;
2) Non-duplex (is that "simplex"?) & a PTT may be a good thing, because I don't necessarily like my burps, grunts, swearing, singing, whistling, etc, transmitting to others (or receiving theirs);
3) Many other cool uses of walkie-talkies; and,
4) Substantial distances.

The disadvantage of walkie-talkies is, of course, wires & much larger size.

[felix]

Thanks for the review LJH! Looks like a pretty good system for the money. Sure it has niggles but i can't stop thinking that modern technology is pretty cool. For a few hundred kuai you can talk straight into another biker's helmet!

I think this might make a good addition to my next trip with the missus.

[euphonius]

This system looks like a dead ringer for the Cardo system I used with ryanjpyle; either it's an excellent copy or the OEM source falling off the back of the truck. It's a small fraction of the cost of the Cardo. If it works as well as the Cardo, it's a fantastic deal.

Too bad these bluetooth systems can't be persuaded to link up beyond their dual pairings.

cheers

[felix]

I has a couple of questions for you mr LJH:

What is the battery situation with these things? How long do they last? What's the charger like? I hate bringing loads of cables and chargers on trips, usb charging would be nice.

Oh and another thing, how are they to install? Do the ear pads get in the way, or hurt after a long day? How does the clamp mount onto the helmet?

[Lao Jia Hou]

I has a couple of questions for you mr LJH:

What is the battery situation with these things? How long do they last? What's the charger like? I hate bringing loads of cables and chargers on trips, usb charging would be nice.

Oh and another thing, how are they to install? Do the ear pads get in the way, or hurt after a long day? How does the clamp mount onto the helmet?

Stay tuned for answers and pics. Need a decent ride to materialize.

[felix]

Cool, thinking of getting a pair for my trip early may but i'll wait to hear back from you first! Now would someone in beijing take pity on this poor man and go riding with him please?

[Lao Jia Hou]

What is the battery situation with these things? How long do they last? What's the charger like? I hate bringing loads of cables and chargers on trips, usb charging would be nice.

So far, I have no idea about battery life, but the taobao advertisement claims 7 hours talk time. Frankly, I have my doubts, but until one uses these things constantly it is anyone's guess. I've played around with it, quite a bit, and also left it turned on overnight, and there is no indication of "low battery" (apparently a light flashes).

The charger is a small mobile phone type wall charger with a cable. The receptacle that attaches the charger's wire to the headset appears to be proprietary, although it is quite similar to a Nokia-style of charger. Here's a pic of the charger that comes with the unit, as well as a close-up of the charger's output. I guess you could fabricate a USB/Cig lighter setup somehow.

Oh and another thing, how are they to install? Do the ear pads get in the way, or hurt after a long day? How does the clamp mount onto the helmet?

I tried taking pics, but the units are already installed and you can't really see anything too clearly (attesting to my professional installation job!) Here are some pics, anyways, and I hope it helps you ...

















The ear piece mounting in both helmets was great. The unit comes with some self-adhesive velcro loop squares, and the rear of the ear pieces is the hook part. I mounted the ear pieces in a SHOEI open face and in my HJC full-face. In both cases, I attached the sticky velcro to the inside of the hard outershell, and routed the wires behind each helmet's removable pads. When the helmet is on, in both cases, you cannot feel the ear pieces at all. The only con was that the wires were quite long, so I had to tuck the extra length behind the helmet pads.

There are two ways to mount the unit. One is with a clamshell type of grip. I used that on the SHOEI (a very expensive helmet). The clamshell requires an ability to slide half of it up inside the helmet, between the helmet's outer shell and the helmet's inner cheek pad ... and the other half of the clamshell goes on the helmet's outer side. You then use small hex bolts to tighten it up. It works fine if your helmet has the ability to squeeze that 1/2 clamshell piece between the helmet's outer shell and the inner cheek pads.

The other method is with a glue-on plate that simply glues to the outside of the helmet. The glue-on plate is then used to attached the mounting bracket for the Bluetooth unit. Pretty simple, and seems very secure. I used this method with my HJC full-face. The manual warns, however, that this is permanent ... not a concern of mine, as this HJC was the crappy demo one I bought that doesn't open/close properly.

In both cases, the unit & mounting bracket protrude a bit below the bottom of the helmet on the mounting side. This means that the helmet no longer rests on a flat surface in its natural state (it is slightly tilted). I think one might have to be careful, since placing weight on the helmet when it is on a flat surface might dislodge the mounting bracket.

All the bits & pieces came with the unit. Nothing to hunt down and buy, which is very nice.

In closing, my sweety`s undergrad degree is in electrical engineering. She`s also Chinese, and therefore started using mobiles in the womb. It took her all of 10 seconds to bluetooth link everything together and show me what neat things the unit could do with her iPhone, a GPS, priority-interrupts, switching, etc (show off!). My reply - "yeah, I knew that. I was just testing you."

So, the point is, I guess it works fine with Bluetooth linking to other devices.