Bluetooth Intercom Experiences?

[Guest jerky1280]

I'm interested in getting a bluetooth intercom system. Currently I have an autocom setup, and no matter how I mess with it, I get a horrible amount of wind noise on the VFR. Worked great on my Honda Shadow which had a large windshield, but it sucks on the VFR. That, and I never got the cell phone hookup to work properly. And well, now that I sold the Shadow, I'm left with a $200 static maker.

I noticed the new Scala Rider Q2. Looks like it provides pretty much everything I could ever want, and the $220 price tag is really reasonable, supposing it does what it says. Anyone have experience with the Q2? Is it loud enough to be heard over wind noise with earplugs in? At high speed (I usually travel at 75+) can you still hear a passenger clearly?

[Guest]

I'm interested in getting a bluetooth intercom system. Currently I have an autocom setup, and no matter how I mess with it, I get a horrible amount of wind noise on the VFR. Worked great on my Honda Shadow which had a large windshield, but it sucks on the VFR. That, and I never got the cell phone hookup to work properly. And well, now that I sold the Shadow, I'm left with a $200 static maker.

I noticed the new Scala Rider Q2. Looks like it provides pretty much everything I could ever want, and the $220 price tag is really reasonable, supposing it does what it says. Anyone have experience with the Q2? Is it loud enough to be heard over wind noise with earplugs in? At high speed (I usually travel at 75+) can you still hear a passenger clearly?

I have the Scala Rider Teamset and have not been too pleased with the intercom setup or the audio quality. I would suggest you find out if they have solved these problems before diving in.

1.) Intercom turns itself off in mid sentence (it is supposed to only do this when there is no sound for 30seconds).

2.) Once the unit turns itself off, it won't consistently turn itself back on. It is supposed to be voice activated, but sometimes you have to literally scream into the mic.

3.) The manual volume controls don't go high enough to overcome road noise at highway speeds. The unit responds to ambient noise and automatically bumps the volume, but it won't go high enough. This has been more of a problem for phone conversations.

I am now using a J&M bluetooth headset and it has its own set of issues.

Good luck

Dave

[NorthernVFRDave]

have the Scala Rider Teamset and have not been too pleased with the intercom setup or the audio quality. I would suggest you find out if they have solved these problems before diving in.

1.) Intercom turns itself off in mid sentence (it is supposed to only do this when there is no sound for 30seconds).

2.) Once the unit turns itself off, it won't consistently turn itself back on. It is supposed to be voice activated, but sometimes you have to literally scream into the mic.

3.) The manual volume controls don't go high enough to overcome road noise at highway speeds. The unit responds to ambient noise and automatically bumps the volume, but it won't go high enough. This has been more of a problem for phone conversations

I've got the same uint,

To get around point 1 and 2, I have found its best to turn the units on before you start our bike or even put the helmet on your head. Not sure if there is some back ground noise cal the system does first but I have found this to be a very good unit once you play with it a little

point 3 I have no problems with if I've got ear plugs in. The ear plug kills the road noise and alows you to hear much better

[Hotbrakes]

After doing much research and shopping, I decided to purchase the Q2 on Ebay for a great deal. I got a pair of Q2s for $320.

My best friend and I put them on the other day after charging the batteries overnight. WOW! They are amazing. Crystal clear, it sounds like he's yelling in my ear when he talks normal. We used them in a variety of conditions, from twisties to high speed interstate. Sometimes it is a little hard to hear over 80mph and we had to talk louder, but we definitely weren't yelling. Still trying to figure out all the features like changing radio stations. We both connected our phones with Bluetooth and that is even clearer than rider to rider and easy to use. We talked non stop for about 4 hours (literally did not stop talking) and we were kinda hoarse at the end of the day.

The only issues we had were:

Trying to figure out how to relink them when turning them on (operator error I'm sure)

Changing radio stations (operator error again)

And sometimes our voices are distorted for a couple of minutes. Usually was cleared up by turning off and on, and pushing random buttons (interference?)

This is the only system I have used, but other than needing some more time to figure out the features, I am VERY satisfied with the equipment. Riding is 100 times safer now. There is no need to yell at stop lights and we can communicate road hazards or the next gas stop or turn clearly. With another set of eyes watching my back, I don't ever want to ride with someone I can't talk to again. Just be careful when using these with Italians cause they like to talk with their hands and may ride erratically when frantically gesturing with both hands through a turn.

There may still be some great deals on Ebay.

[Guest]

I'm interested in getting a bluetooth intercom system. Currently I have an autocom setup, and no matter how I mess with it, I get a horrible amount of wind noise on the VFR. Worked great on my Honda Shadow which had a large windshield, but it sucks on the VFR. That, and I never got the cell phone hookup to work properly. And well, now that I sold the Shadow, I'm left with a $200 static maker.

I noticed the new Scala Rider Q2. Looks like it provides pretty much everything I could ever want, and the $220 price tag is really reasonable, supposing it does what it says. Anyone have experience with the Q2? Is it loud enough to be heard over wind noise with earplugs in? At high speed (I usually travel at 75+) can you still hear a passenger clearly?

I have the Scala Rider Teamset and have not been too pleased with the intercom setup or the audio quality. I would suggest you find out if they have solved these problems before diving in.

1.) Intercom turns itself off in mid sentence (it is supposed to only do this when there is no sound for 30seconds).

2.) Once the unit turns itself off, it won't consistently turn itself back on. It is supposed to be voice activated, but sometimes you have to literally scream into the mic.

3.) The manual volume controls don't go high enough to overcome road noise at highway speeds. The unit responds to ambient noise and automatically bumps the volume, but it won't go high enough. This has been more of a problem for phone conversations.

I wanted to put out an update on my experience with Bluetooth headsets. I have recently gone back to my Scala unit after struggling with the J&M unit. The J&M unit was having interference issues for the people I was calling. I was able to hear fine, but the other party could barely hear me at times. I was not able to figure out a cause. The level of static would vary randomly.

Here is the kicker to this story. After reinstalling the Scala unit, the volume was almost painfully loud! This is after giving up on it because of the low volume. Knowing the volume problems I had before, I put the speakers right on the front edge of the ear cup (Arai Profile). Before I had them deep in the ear cup and this put the speakers actually behind my ear a bit. The Scala speakers are very thin and didn't cause any discomfort being so close to my ear. The difference shocked me.

I have now moved the speakers a little further into the ear cup. This location seems to strike the right balance. I still don't have much control of the volume with the buttons on the unit. The automatic volume increase based on ambient noise is much more dramatic than the hardware controls.

I assume that I will still have the intercom issues, but for now the Scala unit is preferable for phone communication.

The J&M unit was nice for stereo play back from my Windows Mobile phone and the sound quality for me was excellent. I never did cut into my helmet to mount the speakers and microphone as the instillation instructions recommended. Thus the speakers squished my ears a bit.

I had some other issues with the J&M unit that I never was able to resolve on my own or with the company. My interaction with the company was rather long and drawn out. Their customer service is on the poor side and the company president is on the arrogant side. If you want more details on the J&M unit, let me know. I believe J&M is about to release an upgrade to the unit I have (JM-HS-BLU277).

Dave

[easyman05]

I am thinking about Q2 too. At the moment I use Verso XL of Baehr(along with their radio Capo 3U) and it works perfectly on my bike but the one on my better half's bike does want to operate(it's also Baehr Capo 3 radio) properly. So have to try something new for bike-to-bike communication.

How long the SCALA unit works without wiring it to the bike? Is it O.K. in the rain? After several hours in a heavy rain?

Thanks in advance.

[easyman05]

FYI, bought an interphone Bluetooth made in Italy - www.interphone.cellularline.com - for bike-to-bike comuncation. Also could be paired to GPS and a phone. Working distance between the bikes is up to 500 meters/550 yards, speed - up to 180 km/h or 120 mph. Installed them and will test tomorrow. Paid around USD400 for a twinpack here - could save some coins if bought from eb@y but did want to waist time - the season is too short here.

[Guest]

I 2nd that. The BlueAnt Interphones (got a pair on ebay, shipped for $213) are great. Very clear at 80mph, and very easy to install. They look cool too. http://www.myblueant.com/interphone-motorbike-helmet-kit.htm