Sled to Sled Communication

tiger666 · Nov 15, 2018

Looking to communicate with the boy while trail riding this winter,tired of trying to scream over the sound of our sleds.Interested in it being able to link to more than just the two of us,also plan on using it in the summer on dirtbikes.What's out there that won't break the bank?

tko sled ed · Nov 15, 2018

The best is the Baofeng radios with the mic

Teth-Air · Nov 15, 2018

tko sled ed said:
The best is the Baofeng radios with the mic

I like them without the mic. Just put them in a neoprene bottle bag that is sewn onto my shoulder strap of my pack.

Caper11 · Nov 15, 2018

tiger666 said:
Looking to communicate with the boy while trail riding this winter,tired of trying to scream over the sound of our sleds.Interested in it being able to link to more than just the two of us,also plan on using it in the summer on dirtbikes.What's out there that won't break the bank?

Do you want to communicate or have a conversation??? The collet communicators were very popular for motorcyclists and trail riders. Lots of reviews on youtube.

Just a quick hey where are you. Shoulder mounted mic and a two way works well too over the sound of a engine.

ferniesnow · Nov 15, 2018

Another route is the BCA radios. Google Back Country Access/radios.

Here is a forum link to another thread that might interest you:

https://www.snowandmud.com/snowmobile-chat/117417-country-radio.html?highlight=Radios

Cat401 · Nov 15, 2018

I agree with Ferniesnow...BCA radio, clip the mike/speaker on shoulder...can hear over most engines.

AGGRESIVEZEBRA · Nov 15, 2018

If you want to talk while riding look into sena communication. They are at almost any motorcycle shop in the city and work amazing.

Tchetek · Nov 15, 2018

^^ agree with the helmet communicators for this application. (Young kids, mine are 8,5, and 2).

Neither option is a replacement for the other. I have 5 baufengs that I use with my buddies but with my kids I have a set of SENA s20’s.

Their range is pretty much line of site, but with a young kid you would be pretty close anyway. No buttons need to be pushed to initiate communication so when you say stop they hear it. Also a kid can talk without needing to let go of the bars.

I entertain myself with Bluetooth music that seamlessly transfers to communication when one of us talk.

With my set I felt the flip up antenna was the week link and would be easy to break off but I believe the newer models have redesigned this with a ridged knub. I’ve been using mine for 3 years.

Expensive, but after after you use them and you aren’t yelling with out response, hand signals, or avoid a close call situations I believe it was money well spent.

tiger666 · Nov 15, 2018

Thanks for the input,I want to be able to talk to the boy so I'll look sena up on line and see what they got.

etecheaven · Nov 15, 2018

i bought a set of these https://www.cardosystems.com/products/devices/packtalk-bold/

for this year for my brother and myself. They have the mesh technology so we dont have to worry about reconnecting everytime we get out of range, they automatically do it on their own.

will report back on how well they work.

Lund · Nov 15, 2018

etecheaven said:
i bought a set of these https://www.cardosystems.com/products/devices/packtalk-bold/

for this year for my brother and myself. They have the mesh technology so we dont have to worry about reconnecting everytime we get out of range, they automatically do it on their own.

will report back on how well they work.

wife and I use Cardo, it works extremely well. You pair them once and your good to go.
you need to stay within visual but all day conversation while riding is real good. The one I have will pair 6 units.

tiger666 · Nov 15, 2018

$700 a pair is a little pricey,but I'd hate to cheap out and get something I'm not happy with.They look really good,It's between them and the sena's

Lund said:
wife and I use Cardo, it works extremely well. You pair them once and your good to go.
you need to stay within visual but all day conversation while riding is real good. The one I have will pair 6 units.

etecheaven · Nov 15, 2018

tiger666 said:
$700 a pair is a little pricey,but I'd hate to cheap out and get something I'm not happy with.They look really good,It's between them and the sena's

there is a video review between the 2 and the cardos came out better. Look on youtube and you will find it. i think wind noise affecting the mic was the big problem.

tiger666 · Nov 15, 2018

Will do, thanks.

etecheaven said:
there is a video review between the 2 and the cardos came out better. Look on youtube and you will find it. i think wind noise affecting the mic was the big problem.

Lund · Nov 15, 2018

tiger666 said:
$700 a pair is a little pricey,but I'd hate to cheap out and get something I'm not happy with.They look really good,It's between them and the sena's

Correct they are not cheap, Sena are also good comm's.
What it boil's down too is your intention's. In my case the wife and i ride motorcycles, so i basically transfer them over from my bike helmet to the sled helmet.
The wife and i sled alot alone and we both like the idea but especially me to be able to advise on a situation as we encounter them along the way or if i'm going right instead of left and so on.
The BIG advantage is its instant communication as it's voice activated, avoiding the inconvenience of stopping and using a hand held or a mic on a handheld.
Its like i'm there with her all the time if she needs assistance or coaching over a situation....and ya you won't miss any of the swearing if its not good...LOL
They perform well, wind is not an issue with the Cardo, especially with sleds compared to bikes.
They have 2 speaker mounted inside the helmet and a small voice activated mic at the mouth guard. If you ride in cell service areas you can pair them with your cell phone to receive and call out while riding, you can also stream music from phone or pickup broad cast station's.
We get a day out of them before recharge, so about 5-6hrs of talk time, much longer on standby. Temperature like anything battery operated can effect it.

After saying all this the wife and i both carry VHF 2 way radio's on top. The comm's are limited and when you get some distance, like beyond a kilometer the Cardo are useless. So if i decide to check out a honey hole to make sure its all good for her to go too, we rely on the VHF.
If i ride with just the guy's i use the VHF only.

iceman5689 · Nov 15, 2018

Not that any of the radios mentioned are better then any other but having a garmin rhino is dual purposed. Locate the other users and 3 way radio contact. However not as mobile to use as a mic.

Invalid Zero · Nov 15, 2018

My group all use Senas in our helmets, and Baofengs in our packs. Senas are awesome to bull**** all day with your buds, battery life is great too. One thing I really like is not having to look behind to see if my buds are still there. They have around 100m range in the trees so if we're talking, they're still there. Line of sight range is way further. Bluetooth streaming music in your helmet is nice too, as well as being able to take calls if you're in cell range.

The Baofengs speak for themselves. The range is killer, and battery life is really good.

2010m8 · Nov 18, 2018

From the reviews I have seen the Sena’s don’t do well with water. I have had the cardio g9x. They are waterproof and worked really well on trails with about 500m as long as they are not behind a hill. Sound was really good and voice commands weren’t bad either. Buttons were easy to touch with gloves as well.

lman · Nov 18, 2018

We have had no issues using Senas in the rain or wet conditions.

tiger666 · Nov 19, 2018

Excellent input,lots of good information thanks guys.

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