Two Way Radio integrated into head unit via bluetooth ?

[glow worm]

Anyone know of a two way radio system that will integrate with a head unit ? I have a a Pioneer DAB system that works great with my mobile phone via bluetooth , but is there a car to car walkie talkie system that I can use hand free using the a head unit and speakers and microphone like my phone ? Any help appreciated

[mph1977]

i'm not aware of one


Amateur/ PMR radio sets or airwave vehicle terminals with 'hands free' functionality are available and may share the speakers with other audio, but generally the microphones and PPT are seperate

how did you plan to deliver PTT functionality and remain full control of the vehicle - while services other than cellular telephones are excluded fro mthe phone specific legilation DWDCA and/or 'not in full control ' still apply , hence the reason most vehicle installatiosn now include some form of 'hands free' functionality with foot switches or remote PTT on the wheel / stalks/ gear stick

[Super Slo Mo]

Presumably you can get VOX type units, a bit like in bike to bike or helicopter coms? This would render the PTT obsolete, although mic positioning becomes very important especially in a noisy environment.

[mph1977]

Super Slo Mo said:

Presumably you can get VOX type units, a bit like in bike to bike or helicopter coms? This would render the PTT obsolete, although mic positioning becomes very important especially in a noisy environment.

vox in a vehicle is bit of nightmare to get the sensitivey just right , vox works best in quiet environments , inside a helmet, using a throat mike or with high quality noise cancelling headsets

[Scuffers]

This any use?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BT-Interphone-2-x-800m-m...

[anonymous-user]

What sort of two way radio system were you wanting?

I have previously used commonly available PMR446 radios and found them next to useless.

CB radio's are available in many modern forms with units that have remote screens, VOX, and easy to hide units for modern cars, but the bands used by CB is quite interference prone and requires larger antenna than other options. Decent range though.

The best I have found for car to car is 5 Watt UHF radio set to the 446 channels. Best of all worlds.

I have a few handheld Yaesu VX177 UHF units. Very compact, shock proof, water proof, short antenna, batteries last all day and also have a 12v lighter plug, very loud audio which is ideal for a car, and a really impressive range.
They also came with a handsfree phone style earpiece with VOX capability.

[mph1977]

NinjaPower said:

What sort of two way radio system were you wanting?

<snip>

The best I have found for car to car is 5 Watt UHF radio set to the 446 channels. Best of all worlds.

I have a few handheld Yaesu VX177 UHF units. Very compact, shock proof, water proof, short antenna, batteries last all day and also have a 12v lighter plug, very loud audio which is ideal for a car, and a really impressive range.
They also came with a handsfree phone style earpiece with VOX capability.

the use of equipment other than PMR 446 kit on the 446 channels is an absolute offence.

the VX 177 is an Amateur set and cannot legally be used on PMR

but radio misuse and other such tttery seems to be very common until it all goes wrong and OFCOM become involved.

[Super Slo Mo]

mph1977 said:

vox in a vehicle is bit of nightmare to get the sensitivey just right , vox works best in quiet environments , inside a helmet, using a throat mike or with high quality noise cancelling headsets

they do I agree, but it is possible to get them to work in a helicopter so a car should be less of a challenge.

[mph1977]

Super Slo Mo said:

mph1977 said:

vox in a vehicle is bit of nightmare to get the sensitivey just right , vox works best in quiet environments , inside a helmet, using a throat mike or with high quality noise cancelling headsets

they do I agree, but it is possible to get them to work in a helicopter so a car should be less of a challenge.

if you are using a high noise headset with a good noise cancelling mic then VOX is relatively simple

doing VOX with a louspeaker and desk / tie clip mic is a rather harder unless you are in a carpeted room

[glow worm]

I just wanted two way radio for a European road trip with other vehicles...My windows phone hand free useage via Bluetooth to my Pioneer head unit is so good , I was hoping I could do something similiar with a two way radio system (didn't intend using Bluetooth to communicate outside the car since I thought the range would be very limited) . These motorbike helmet systems appear to use Bluetooth to communicate from what I've seen. I'll research VOX , never heard of it. Thanks to those that have responded , since I know nothing about the subject.

Edited by glow worm on Friday 15th August 21:57

[mph1977]

glow worm said:

I just wanted two way radio for a European road trip with other vehicles...My windows phone hand free useage via Bluetooth to my Pioneer head unit is so good , I was hoping I could do something similiar with a two way radio system (didn't intend using Bluetooth to communicate outside the car since I thought the range would be very limited) . These motorbike helmet systems appear to use Bluetooth to communicate from what I've seen. I'll research VOX , never heard of it. Thanks to those that have responded , since I know nothing about the subject.

Edited by glow worm on Friday 15th August 21:57

my advice , while probably not the cheapest option is the most legal

european trip = CEPT band plan CBs with magmounts and cig lighter plugs if you don;t want a permanent install

UK road trip= get a Uk general / UK light (proper)PMR licence and either vehicle sets with magmounts and cig lights ( beware of power output limis on UK light / Uk general though ) or handhelds with mag mounts and rubber duckies.

[glow worm]

Is this the sort of thing I want ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cobra-29-LTD-BT-CB-Radio...

[mph1977]

glow worm said:

Is this the sort of thing I want ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cobra-29-LTD-BT-CB-Radio...

May well do the trick if it has the cept chsnnel plan, also getting ( and have adjusted /tuned/swr'd) magmount vehicle antennae would help range.

[anonymous-user]

mph1977 said:

NinjaPower said:

What sort of two way radio system were you wanting?

<snip>

The best I have found for car to car is 5 Watt UHF radio set to the 446 channels. Best of all worlds.

I have a few handheld Yaesu VX177 UHF units. Very compact, shock proof, water proof, short antenna, batteries last all day and also have a 12v lighter plug, very loud audio which is ideal for a car, and a really impressive range.
They also came with a handsfree phone style earpiece with VOX capability.

the use of equipment other than PMR 446 kit on the 446 channels is an absolute offence.

the VX 177 is an Amateur set and cannot legally be used on PMR

but radio misuse and other such tttery seems to be very common until it all goes wrong and OFCOM become involved.

I simply cannot even imagine a situation where you would get into trouble for using some UHF handhelds on the 446 channels, occasionally, for convoy use amongst cars.

From what I have read, it's hard enough to get ofcom interested in very persistent nuisance users who are based at home and can easily be traced, never mind some users who stick to free and legal frequencies and are never in the same area for more than a few minutes.

If I thought I was inconveniencing anyone or causing a nuisance then I wouldn't do it.

It's a bit like asking everyone to buy a CB licence before they were abolished... Not a single person I knew that owned a CB ever had one.

But... If the OP wants to go down the CB route, then Thunderpole do complete starter kits from £79: http://www.thunderpole.co.uk/cb-radio-packs/thunde...

I just personally find that the features such as digital squelch based on a code and suchlike of the Yaesu UHF units make for a much better convoy conversation experience. Radio silence until someone speaks, and when they do it's crystal clear.

Much less of the CB squelch getting opened loudly every few minutes due to interference, power lines, bleed over, skip, nearby users... And with UHF units you don't have to hear any other users unless you want to.

Edited by NinjaPower on Saturday 16th August 10:56