Do you think this would be of interest?

[makatya]

Hi all.

Myself and my business partner are electronic gurus/nerds on the side.
Don't worry this is not an advert just an enquiry to see if fellow bikers think that this would be of use.
We have designed and invented a radio set that clips to a bet and fits round your waist with an ear bug and a mouth piece. It is VOX operated (channel only opens up when you speak).
Just thought that if we could make it at the right price (ideas welcome) then many bikers could wear them and if there are a few of you out on a Sunday blat or on the track you could all talk to each other. You could warn of on coming hazards, tractors etc, give directions or if a biker in the opposite direction has the same set you can say hello, nice bike and there is a village coming up in your direction with speed restrictions!
The thing is I think this would be really kewl to be able to chat to each other on a run and to other bikers who have them when out on the road.
Totally legal as VOX operated so no hands required and the frequency is licence free!
The range would be about 100 meters but could be increased.
As I say this is not an advert just an enquiry from fellow bikers and if the interest is good then we will build some test rigs and ask PH to test exclusively and advertise on here if bikers think they are kewl and at the right price.
Let me know your thought.

Mak.

[Oilyyyy]

dont all the other Bike-To-Bike / rider-pillion radio kits to that anyway mate?

[Conian]

Ive invented something too.... I hope you all like it........

I'm stuck on what to call it tho....

[makatya]

Oilyyyy said:

don’t all the other Bike-To-Bike / rider-pillion radio kits to that anyway mate?

Well that’s why I am asking. I know about rider pillion radio packs but they are wired and a pain in the ass but is there anything out there that enables all bikers to talk? Don't know.
And as far as re-inventing the wheel, that is not helpful, are there any other units that can do this?

Mak.

[Hooli]

ive seen plently of radio pillion kits already with a similar range. only question is are they all on the same channel like you suggest yours would be or not.

[makatya]

Okay. Our units run on 446MHZ. This is the standard channel for motorcycle training units, hand helds and pillion passenger unit. My understanding is that the first two way units where not radio linked but hard wired to each other. The new units are radio linked so no wires.
The trick is that our units can be digitally encoded so that if there is a group of you going out on a hoon on a Sunday or a sunny evening you can set them so the digital burst at the start of transmition only allows the group to hear each other and no other traffic. But to be honest the thought is that anyone within a pre-set area can talk to each other. Other bikers and the group. Depends how the user wants it configured.
Does that make sense?

[makatya]

PS. Like ya bike Hoolie

[Golfman]

Sounds good to me. How much and where can I buy one?

[Hooli]

makatya said:

PS. Like ya bike Hoolie

• checks profile* yup still got that one, forgot which was there & just changed the other one.

i see the idea behind your setup, personally i wouldnt bother but then im an anti-social git. i dont even have music on the bike.
talking of that, you could include a radio/mp3 player into the system to make it more attractive.

[makatya]

Hooli said:

makatya said:

PS. Like ya bike Hoolie

• checks profile* yup still got that one, forgot which was there & just changed the other one.

i see the idea behind your setup, personally i wouldnt bother but then im an anti-social git. i dont even have music on the bike.
talking of that, you could include a radio/mp3 player into the system to make it more attractive.

Yep ya bike looks kewl. Always wanted an XS 650 to play with but that's going off on one. Love twins!
As far as MP3 and all that just want it to be a comms unit so that bikers can have exclusive chat with each other on a hoon out in a group hands free and all that and be able to give a shout out to other bikers as they pass.

[makatya]

Golfman said:

Sounds good to me. How much and where can I buy one?

Hi Golfman. Well the question is how much would you be prepared to pay for something like this. We have the units developed so just asking for help to see what people would pay and if it is a viable thing. The technology works no probs. We are just fine tuning the best method for the belt mounting so that it would work with full leathers or jeans and a leather.
The reason for the post was to see what people thought of the idea. We are bikers and thought it would be a good idea to be able to talk together in a group or to other bikers on the road. No what I mean?!
We are looking at costs for a single unit about £50 to £100 each but they are in the development stage and that is why we need help to see if it is worth developing them and investing in the modeling of the base unit or forget about it and go down the pub!
Mak.

Edited by makatya on Thursday 11th October 19:08

[Hooli]

out of interest how would it fit in the helmet? i'd suspect earpieces could be uncomfy in a properly tight fitting lid.

[makatya]

Hooli said:

out of interest how would it fit in the helmet? i'd suspect earpieces could be uncomfy in a properly tight fitting lid.

There are several ways of doing this but for acoustic benifits on a bike it would be better to have a mono ear bug for the audio and a mic that is velcroed to a position in the helmet infront of the mouth. The cable would be on a 3.5mm jack plug that would terminate at the back of the helmet. It would be a case of just before you put your lid on place the ear bug in your ear, put your lid on, put the belt around you and then plug the lead in from your lid to the radio. There would be volume controlls on the radio that can be opperated when having gloves on and push on and off button.
as I said, if the general thoughts are no thanks then I willnot bother to develop it. But if people think it would be kewl then i will.
I just thought that it would be good for us bikers to be able to communicate as we rode thats all.

Cheers.

Mak.

[Dibble]

makatya repeatedly said:

...kewl...

Sweet. Baby. Fing. Jesus. And. All. The. Orphans. Up. In. Heaven.

[Centurion07]

Sounds good to me. AFAIK all the other units, like you say, are hard wired e.g. rider-to-pillion, so something like this, more like a hands-free walkie-talkie system would go down a blast.

would have gone saved my mate getting too far away from my crash site before wondering where the hell I'd got to!

[Hooli]

i was looking at a website the other day to price up luggage for the new bike & im sure i saw a system that did similar. it was bluetooth based & built into the helmet, cant think who was selling it now.
would have said earlier but i only just remembered.

[Chilli]

I think radios etc are execellent for those who go on tour every year (like me!) However, I'm put off by how feckin complicated they are. You have to have so much gear, be on this channel, or that, do this, do that...wires here there and eveywhere.
If someone came along and offered a simple solution I'd get one.
However, I would question its advantages when out for a hoon with a group.... it could become distracting.

[rsv gone!]

makatya said:

There are several ways of doing this but for acoustic benifits on a bike it would be better to have a mono ear bug for the audio and a mic that is velcroed to a position in the helmet infront of the mouth.

Bike helmets are such a noisy place that you need a speaker or earpiece in both ears for clear(ish) sound.

I have kit from Autocom, a very big name in bike intercoms. Have a look at their website for inspiration.

After using them for a few years, the kind of improvements I'd look for are;

1. Some sort of in-ear noise cancelling headphones. They would need to replace the sound reducing properties of earplugs. The exhaust on my R1 is very boomy and if I haven't put one of my earplugs in properly then my ears are ringing after about 20 mins.

2. Bluetooth for unit to helmet and unit to GPS and phone

I don't really get on with VOX. On a loud bike, the engine note can be enough to trigger the intercom, if you are accelerating, as can the wind noise. The alternative is that you make the VOX so insensitive that you have to shout to start transmitting.

[Ballon]

rsv gone! said:

makatya said:

There are several ways of doing this but for acoustic benifits on a bike it would be better to have a mono ear bug for the audio and a mic that is velcroed to a position in the helmet infront of the mouth.

Bike helmets are such a noisy place that you need a speaker or earpiece in both ears for clear(ish) sound.

I have kit from Autocom, a very big name in bike intercoms. Have a look at their website for inspiration.

After using them for a few years, the kind of improvements I'd look for are;

1. Some sort of in-ear noise cancelling headphones. They would need to replace the sound reducing properties of earplugs. The exhaust on my R1 is very boomy and if I haven't put one of my earplugs in properly then my ears are ringing after about 20 mins.

2. Bluetooth for unit to helmet and unit to GPS and phone

I don't really get on with VOX. On a loud bike, the engine note can be enough to trigger the intercom, if you are accelerating, as can the wind noise. The alternative is that you make the VOX so insensitive that you have to shout to start transmitting.

I have a 'Starcom' unit which is similar to Autocom.
I can run my phone, MP3, Satnav and two-way radio from it all connected at the same time.

Vox is a nightmare to set up properly and some helmets by their very design produce to much wind noise for the mikes.

I have an AGV helemt which was quite easy to fit the mike and earphones (they fit within the lining so you dont know their there) to and does not produce too much interference. However a Caberg flip face that I borrowed and connected up was useless. I have just bought a Shoei Multitec and that has cut outs already within the helmet for earphones.

I think something that gives bike to bike communication, is inexpensive and easy to fit and use would be quite attractive to a lot of bikers.

A starcom costs approx £150 +/- more if you get loads of extras, good kit though.

[rsv gone!]

Ballon said:

I have a 'Starcom' unit which is similar to Autocom.
I can run my phone, MP3, Satnav and two-way radio from it all connected at the same time.

My Autocom does all of that, too. It would just be nice to have bluetooth on the intercom so I can keep my phone in my pocket, rather than putting it under the seat.

And Dainese now do a bluetooth helmet, as do a couple of others.