Intercoms

[Chrisocross]

Looking for an intercom system that the wife and I can use to chat throughout our rides. Ideally we would like to have the ability to have a constant two way open mic. We are considering the sena smh10. Does anyone have experience with this unit that can confirm if this is possible with this unit?

Thanks

[moose]

go with Cardo Packtalk bold and you will be pleased   I've had two for years and I tried the senna and it beats it hands down

look on the internet for some comments when they compare the two

[jmorton10]

I'm curious, in what way did you find the Cardo worked better??

I'm not arguing, just wondering in what situation was one better than the other.

The first BT setup I ever bought was a Cardo. I don't remember what model it was now. I now have the Sena 10u installed in both of my ff helmets & am totally sold on Sena at this point. 

Since I have never tried a newer Cardo, I can't really give an unbiased comparison but I do know I couldn't be any happier with my two Sena products.

I guess if I had to pick any negative of the Sena's that I have it would be that the rechargeable battery packs of the Sena are not user replaceable. The batteries still work fine in both units however so that's not something I lose any sleep over............

~John

[Inda Win]

The Sena smh10 is an old model.  I'm surprised they are still making it.  Having said that, it's what I have been using for close to ten years.  You can open the mic by pressing the large dial and it will stay open until you press it again, however the potential for wind noise in the background can make that annoying.  Also, running it open all of the time will likely take a toll on the battery charge.  My wife and I just press it when we want to talk and press it when we are finished.  I believe that it can also be voice activated, but we have not used that feature.  If I were going to purchase a new unit, I would probably go with the Cardo PacTalk Bold as the helmet speakers are said to be significantly better. 

[Hossamania]

I asked my wife if we should get intercoms.
She said "Why?"
I love that girl!

[jmorton10]

the helmet speakers are said to be significantly better.

That not saying much, they suck with either system.

I replaced both sets of mine with IASUS X-Sound 3 speakers which are much much better than either sena or cardo junk.

~John

[Yellow09SERG]

Run the Sena 30k for the wife and I. Most times works well, but from time to time one of us will disappear. Not sure if it is operator error of Sena error. We do also like the added benefit of when traveling new areas we are able to bring the nav from her phone into the helmets also as well as music. From time to time if we push the buttons right we can have music and talk over the music. I am fairly certain that feature would alway work if we hit the right buttons every time.
Sena has worked well for us, but have a couple we ride with from time to time swears by Cardo....

[Inda Win]

the helmet speakers are said to be significantly better.

That not saying much, they suck with either system.

I replaced both sets of mine with IASUS X-Sound 3 speakers which are much much better than either sena or cardo junk.

~John

Or you can use ear buds, which is what we do, but that's a whole different discussion.

[jmorton10]

Or you can use ear buds, which is what we do, but that's a whole different discussion.

That is a great option for a lot of people. I have a half dozen state of the art BT wireless earbuds but they never worked very well for me wearing a Schuberth C3-Pro FF helmet. When I did manage to get the helmet on without dislodging one or both of the buds (almost never HaHa) that was a great option.

A buddy I ride with quite a bit uses ear buds & absolutely loves that setup but he wears a half helmet so he has no problems like I had.  He would sit there busting my balls & laughing while I struggled trying to get my helmet on. I would be getting more & more pissed & trying to think of something appropriate to get him back for busting my balls.......

~John

[PoorUB]

I wear wired earbuds all the time with half and full face helmets. I have used some $50 ones but have a pair of custom made ear buds which I would be without.

[turboprop]

I have a couple sets of the Sena 30k and the Scala Pactalk. As rider-passenger intercoms they both work about the same and do the same thing. I am partially def so cannot really tell any difference in the audio. In larger groups, I think the Sena links easier. Both systems have their version of mesh network. Sort of a ford-chevy type thing. The new HD speakers for the Sena seemed to make noticeable difference according to my wife.

[Inda Win]

Or you can use ear buds, which is what we do, but that's a whole different discussion.

That is a great option for a lot of people. I have a half dozen state of the art BT wireless earbuds but they never worked very well for me wearing a Schuberth C3-Pro FF helmet. When I did manage to get the helmet on without dislodging one or both of the buds (almost never HaHa) that was a great option.

A buddy I ride with quite a bit uses ear buds & absolutely loves that setup but he wears a half helmet so he has no problems like I had.  He would sit there busting my balls & laughing while I struggled trying to get my helmet on. I would be getting more & more pissed & trying to think of something appropriate to get him back for busting my balls.......

~John

This is what I use with a Shoei modular.  They fit deep in your ear canal and stay in place with no problem.  Eliminates all wind noise.  I have the ones with the dual driver, but if your not listing to a lot of music I imagine the single driver would do fine.

https://www.plugup.com/best_and_most_comfortable_stereo_earplug_earbuds_p/s%2022-3.5-4.5.htm

[turboprop]

Follow up.

While riding this weekend I came upon a group of bikes and was automatically added to their mesh network. Was pretty cool actually. As I came up behind them I could hear them talking about the guy 'rapidly approaching' from the rear. They had a good deal of chatter that I thought was humorous. I came up on the net, said hello and that I would be around them and gone in a few. A few pleasantries were exchanged as I went by some of the bikes in the gaggle. My wife and I had the helmets with the Sean 30k intercoms. No real conscious decision other than my wife wanted to wear her white helmet because of the heat. It has a Sena in it so I wore my helmet with a Sena in it as well. The mesh network seemed to work pretty seamlessly. I didnt have to hit any buttons or do anything to enter or leave their open network. If you dont have an intercom I suggest you get one and stop paying money for speakers and amps. Pump your phone and radar detector into the intercom and enjoy. I really wish the intercom industry would get onboard with active noice cancelling.

[Coyote]

I run a Sena just to have the phone and gps in the helmet. Works well for me and the battery last forever. Once in a great while I'll answer a call. Whoever calls me has no idea I'm on the bike. Whatever they are doing for noise cancelling is working very well.

[PoorUB]

We are using Cardo Packtalks. I bought them a couple months ago and still messing with them. I bought a dual output Bluetooth transmitter and wired it up to the speakers so I can listen to what ever the motorcycle can connect.  AM, FM Sirius, USB drive, and visit with my wife.

I was surprised the Sena would automatically connect to other riders. My understanding with the Cardo is you have to manually connect to other riders. I haven't tried that yet, but will in a month.