walkie talkies

[J.D.]

hello.. im hoping someone can help me , im wanting to talk to my mate when we go down to brans next wkend, he has a tomtom which he can recieve phone calls through his helmet, i have a auto com// easicom, i have my music coming through and hopfully my phone saughted today,, but what im wondering is if were to get a set of walkie talkies so we can put them through our devises so it doesnt cost wa to talk, and also very handy for the police.. can anyone tell me a decient set that we could use.. dont want to spend a fortune as to be honest i think we have most of the gear but just need a set of walkie talkies which will work at 70mph.. or faster.. im also hoping you can tell me if we need out else to get this to work... kind regards.. john

[steve m]

Simple answer is no,, unless TomTom do patch leads to suite whatever radio you decide to use then as far as your mate goes it`s a no.

If you are using AutoCom then it could be a yes,, cos they do supply patch leads for differant radios, unless of coarse you are handy with a soldering iron and are good at reading radio circuit diagrams you could make up your own radio leads ??

For radios look HERE OR HERE OR HERE OR HERE MAY BE HERE for Autocom LOOK HERE

AS with most things "you get what you pay for " a cheap Midland will never perform as well as an Icom, Yausu or Kenwood, with the cheaper radios, don`t expect more then about 1 Km for reliable communiction at speeds above 30mph, we use the Icom`s these are a good solid radio and have had clear speach at 80mph + and a range of more than 2 miles,, but they ain`t cheap !!!!

[Ttaskmaster]

Firstly, it doesn't matter what radio you get.

Spend good money on a proper radio headset first.

Don't buy the Oxford one or anything else made by bike people. This is a piece of radio kit and should come from radio manufacturers.

Alan still make the best bike mic IMO.

Regardless of what you wear, always get the 'Open Face' version with a boom mic. This has noise attenuating features and will help your comms.

Be aware that even the Schuberth lids still have noise in them and transmissions above 40mph will still be a bit noisy.

Don't enable the VOX feature as your buddies will get very pissed at you after 120 miles of continuous accidental transmissions triggered by helmet noise. Remember you won't know of your radio is blatting away. Use the handlebar mounted PTT switches instead.

Also take off the Roger Beeps. They are stupid, annoying and painful on the ears.

The benchmark for this stuff is still the Midland Alan 456r radios on PMR446.

As mentioned, you do get mostly what you pay for.

The cheapy stuff is crap.

The best of that bunch is the Midland G7 at about £70 a pair.

The mid-range stuff is pretty good and will usually do what you need, plus have enough fancy features to make it worthwhile.

The best is the Midland Alan 456r at £65 odd per handset.

For amazing performance, you're looking at pro handsets.

However, at £150+ per handset it's not worth it unless you'll use these all the time, rather than the occasional bike ride.

For top notch performance, forget PMR446 altogether.

Get a pair of Midland 42 Multi handheld CB radios - £100 per handset. Wire a 12v socket to your bike via a relay and whack a 4' antenna on the back.

Even with the 6" rubber duck aerial, you'll get superior performance, but with a proper antenna you're looking at 8-10 miles!!

Check out Thunderpole for some great deals and advice on what's available.

[Gas up - Let's Go!]

Check out Thunderpole for some great deals and advice on what's available.

Awwwwhhhhhhggg - Dooooooodd!

That takes me back, Thunderpole 2 and 3, them woud be the days, AM, FM, SSB....

[Ttaskmaster]

Eh????!!!!!

These still are the days, good buddy.

I have my Mids & Muppets all in one handy rig with a killer twig on the back of my bike right now!!!

Anyway, I'm going 10-100.

Catch ya on the flip-flop.

And no. Nobody still talks like that

[J.D.]

Firstly, it doesn't matter what radio you get.

Spend good money on a proper radio headset first.

Don't buy the Oxford one or anything else made by bike people. This is a piece of radio kit and should come from radio manufacturers.

Alan still make the best bike mic IMO.

Regardless of what you wear, always get the 'Open Face' version with a boom mic. This has noise attenuating features and will help your comms.

Be aware that even the Schuberth lids still have noise in them and transmissions above 40mph will still be a bit noisy.

Don't enable the VOX feature as your buddies will get very pissed at you after 120 miles of continuous accidental transmissions triggered by helmet noise. Remember you won't know of your radio is blatting away. Use the handlebar mounted PTT switches instead.

Also take off the Roger Beeps. They are stupid, annoying and painful on the ears.

The benchmark for this stuff is still the Midland Alan 456r radios on PMR446.

As mentioned, you do get mostly what you pay for.

The cheapy stuff is crap.

The best of that bunch is the Midland G7 at about £70 a pair.

The mid-range stuff is pretty good and will usually do what you need, plus have enough fancy features to make it worthwhile.

The best is the Midland Alan 456r at £65 odd per handset.

For amazing performance, you're looking at pro handsets.

However, at £150+ per handset it's not worth it unless you'll use these all the time, rather than the occasional bike ride.

For top notch performance, forget PMR446 altogether.

Get a pair of Midland 42 Multi handheld CB radios - £100 per handset. Wire a 12v socket to your bike via a relay and whack a 4' antenna on the back.

Even with the 6" rubber duck aerial, you'll get superior performance, but with a proper antenna you're looking at 8-10 miles!!

Check out Thunderpole for some great deals and advice on what's available.

cheers for that info m8..really ap it!!! can i ask you 1 more question, what do i need to make these work through my easicom.. do i need to buy anything to make it work so it comes through my earpies in my helmet.. please let me no... cheers john....

[J.D.]

cheers for that info m8..really ap it!!! can i ask you 1 more question, what do i need to make these work through my easicom.. do i need to buy anything to make it work so it comes through my earpies in my helmet.. please let me no... cheers john....

im thinking of buying a set of midland g7

[wild foamy]

*crackle of a CB radio*

"Anyone got a 10-13 up ahead?"

"its thick as pea soup out there, better back it down a little"

"10-4, Presshaydit"

[Ttaskmaster]

cheers for that info m8..really ap it!!! can i ask you 1 more question, what do i need to make these work through my easicom.. do i need to buy anything to make it work so it comes through my earpies in my helmet.. please let me no... cheers john....

Midland G7.... a fine choice!!

Many bike schools use these round here and I'm getting some myself shortly!

I don't know what the Easi-Com comes with and their stupid webshite is under construction, so I can't find out.

However, the Midland G7 is Standard Wired, meaning that it takes a normal 2-pin plug on a headset. Most bike to bike headsets have this plug - A long 3.5mm pin and a shorter 2.5mm pin, both stereo jack types.

If the Easi-Com has this, then it's just plug & go, If not, an adapter may be needed. Thunderpole can probably help you out with this one as well.

Just be sure the easi-Com has a PTT switch for your handlebars.

Again, not the end of the world if it doesn't as good old Thunderpole may be able to make you one up.

[mr-c]

Found these for £88 in p&p a pair, thinking of investing myself.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MIDLAND-G7-LICENCE-F...%3A1|240%3A1318

Hope this helps anyone looking for some,

Is this a good price?

[Ttaskmaster]

Is this a good price?

Not really;

I suggested Thunderpole for a reason...

Several reasons, actually - They've been doing this for decades and have top class customer service, they can do some custom work, they include free delivery.....