Bike to Bike intercom, DIY/Cheap what's best?

[Weebl]

I want/fancy/need a bike to bike intercom. Not too bothered about massive range, a couple of hundred metres will be more than adequate.

Don't really want to spend a fortune on a professional radio or Bluetooth setup when it will only be used occasionally. I have seen some efforts about on eBay and the like, but they seem to have a headset which looks like it will give you a free lobotomy if you put it on underneath a helmet.

I am handy with a soldering iron, and don't mind sourcing components from different places and assembling them myself into the end result.

Has anybody made themselves a decent setup and would not mind sharing the design? Anybody bought a bit of kit cheap which is designed for something else but works a treat as a bike intercom? Any help really would be appreciated

[Stu]

I have a couple of cobra radios my mate used to use he said they worked a treat cost about 90 quid

Make him an offer

Ps I haven't tested these so don't know if they work although my mate says they do

[Joeman]

Has anybody made themselves a decent setup and would not mind sharing the design? Anybody bought a bit of kit cheap which is designed for something else but works a treat as a bike intercom? Any help really would be appreciated

 

When i was a lad, i had a CB radio fitted on my DT50, and my mate had one on his honda C50 - must have looked right idiots, but they worked well!

If i was building the setup again today, id pop into maplins, buy a pair of hand held CB radios that take external mic and earpiece, and get soldering!

[Fast Eddie]

Check out these ones, plus the appropriate head sets:

http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Exibel-FX- ... r362426000

£65 all in. They work well up to 1kmish.

[Weebl]

Thanks Guys, something to be thinking on anyway

Stu, do they come with headsets/mic's (that are able to be fitted into a helmet) What kind of money do you think he is looking for?

Joeman, not even looked at CB kit for about 20 years I shall have a scan round Maplins next time I am in and see what the kit looks like these days (I had visions of a great big DIN sized unit and a whip ariel on your 50, sorry )

Fast Eddie, that looks like the kind of thing, do you have them?

[Joeman]

Joeman, not even looked at CB kit for about 20 years I shall have a scan round Maplins next time I am in and see what the kit looks like these days (I had visions of a great big DIN sized unit and a whip ariel on your 50, sorry )

?

 

Thats exactly what it was like!! DIN sized CB on the rear carrier with magnetic whip ariel on top, ans some clever rewiring of the curly wirly mic lead so that it carried the audio instead of the push to talk, and moved the PTT to the handlebars.

[Weebl]

Thats exactly what it was like!! DIN sized CB on the rear carrier with magnetic whip ariel on top, ans some clever rewiring of the curly wirly mic lead so that it carried the audio instead of the push to talk, and moved the PTT to the handlebars.

 

I had a Google, the hand helds look like they could do the trick but would need a fair bit of hacking.

Those Radio's Joeman linked to look ideal, and the only modification needed would be to rewire a separate Push To Talk button down to the handlebars somewhere? I know they have a Vox activated option but I imagine that wind noise will be enough to activate it, so above 40 all you will hear is the other persons wind noise from in their helmet?

[Stu]

this is them

they have push to tale mic earpiece etc

[Fast Eddie]

Fast Eddie, that looks like the kind of thing, do you have them?

Yes we do, tested them up to about 70mph and they worked fine, also did a distance test and they worked clearly to about 1m (thought it was only 1km before but double checked) then just dropped off so no putting up with crackling and disintegration .

They are rechargable, but basically the battery packs are 4 AAA batteries held together to if you run out of juice you can just buy a pack and put them in.

Also with a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adaptor you can use it for your mp3 player (but not at the same time).

Since last night I've been looking for replacement head sets (want closed helmet not the open helmet type we have at the moment). It's cheaper to buy the cobra ones from maplpins (£15 vs £20) which look the same. Will update you tonight once we've picked them up.

The vox operation is ok, but takes a few seconds to kick in so you loose 1/2 a sentence, I'd suggest sticking with PTT.

[Joeman]

Do people still use CB radios anymore? or have internet chat rooms replaced them?

would be cool if we could revive CB by all fitting them to our bikes

[Weebl]

Fast Eddie, that would be great, ta although the offer runs out on the radio's today, so will have to order them tonight and then maybe look at the Maplins headsets later?

Unless?

Stu, would he take £40?

Joeman, I am up for it, but I am not having a massive whip aerial mounted on the back of the bike

[Joeman]

Joeman, I am up for it, but I am not having a massive whip aerial mounted on the back of the bike

This bloke doesnt seem to mind!!

http://www.4x4cb.com/images/articles/bike4.jpg

Pic taken from this site - worth a read

http://www.4x4cb.com/public/page.cfm?Pa ... N=41564324

[Stu]

Stu, would he take £40?

 

 

he said yup

[Weebl]

Stu, would he take £40?

 

 

he said yup

 

Cool

How does he want paying? Is PayPal OK?

If so I can give you my address so he can invoice me, or if you give me his I can pay direct.

If he wants another method of payment then just let me know

[Stu]

I will have to let you know on that one

I will get back to you when I contact him

[Weebl]

I will have to let you know on that one

I will get back to you when I contact him

 

No probs, thanks mate

[Fast Eddie]

Fast Eddie, that would be great, ta although the offer runs out on the radio's today, so will have to order them tonight and then maybe look at the Maplins headsets later?

Unless?

Stu, would he take £40?

Joeman, I am up for it, but I am not having a massive whip aerial mounted on the back of the bike

Just as an fyi for others since you've agreed on the other set, but the maplins headsets do not work with these radios. seems the microphone/speakers are wired up the other way round.