I have been in a group of 10+ Cardo users and it is amazing how clear the audio is and how simple the pairing and auto-healing mesh works. Love my cardo!
Totally agree with you. There are 6 in our group 4x cardo PT EDGE & 2x Sena SRL3 bridged together. Works perfect every time. The Cardo's have been working seamlessly for over a year. Music works great, zero complaints so far.
Glad you made a video covering this, I genuinely hope this becomes a thing among bikers! It's like the CB days on channel 19 talking to random drivers you pass on the road 😂
Radios are also multipurpose. Take them off the bike and go hiking, tap into the emergency band when outside of cell coverage to call for help and communicate with rescue/emergency services, and anything else that radio's are generally used for. Such a good idea, and I'm kind of ashamed I didn't think of it.
Honestly my favorite part about this, as a system that is, is that it doesn't replace the purchase of your Sena/Cardo. That has the downside of needing to buy something for your helmet of course, but it also means that anyone out here (most of us probably) who ride with a S/C device already haven't wasted any money. This is just an add-on that extends range. Great idea, that also adds the redundancy of communication in emergency that isn't tied to cell service.
As a radio nerd, absolutely LOVE this!!! Finally, where was this video a decade ago lol Maybe not bluetooth, but PTT and radios has been around forever. Been waiting on this video since last year, glad to see it! YES!! Get Chris out here, I wanna see his rig!!
5 Years into riding - and the unofficial Cardo expert in our group - we have slowly been shifting to Radio's when we do more aggressive off-roading. I still prefer the Cardo Packtalk for ADV group rides - but anything where we can get easily seperated - like in the woods - we now carry Radio's as well. Perfect segway into the next gen of group commnications for many a group of friends. Thanks.
Finally!!! Someone that thinks and isn't googling his eyes at the most expensive gear. Practical my man, practical. To me, radio is a no brainer. When I mention it to other riders they look at me like I just discovered gravity or like I am a troglodyte. But radio, just works. And even in other countries... and you have radio music too...
Wow. I had no idea you could use an FRS or GMRS with Bluetooth connected to a Sena or Cardo unit. This is going to save me so many issues when riding off road with my dad.
Always had this problem with my cardo 😅 I bought a pair of talkies, made some wiring and soldering, rigged a way to get smartphone wired headphones to work with the microphone, it's perfect 👌 Way more range and battery than the cardo (you can charge it while using 🤩)
@@floflospeed24 awesome. Rugged radios make a set up but for over 200 bucks. Would like to save some dough to do something else. Already an expensive hobby.
wAAAAAy back in the day (mid 80's), my mother and I tried using CB radios for communicators much like you're doing now. They worked great sitting still, but as soon as we started moving, there was something about the bike's frequency that totally disrupted the signals, making them useless. I think I still have those CBs in a box somewhere in the attic 😅. Looks like that issue has finally been overcome! Yay technology. Honestly glad to see radios making a comeback. They are just so useful, because they can be used both on and off the bikes. Thank you for sharing this information.
If they worked while you were stationary on the bike running and not while moving, it might be due to the bike electrical system. Bikes where poorly isolated from EMC ( electro magnetic compatibility) as there where no norms back in the day for that. , so , the faster the motor goes , the faster the spark plugs are sparking, and this create a lot of electromagnetic pollution. Which can literally scramble a signal. Your radios may also be poorly protected against it so , adds the two and it doesn’t work. Maybe try them on a modern bike , as they are now emitting less EMs , they might be decent 😉
You bearded bro!! You hit the nail!! This is awesome! The handlebar “control” for talk on the radio is absolutely amazing!! Thanks for sharing this very valuable information!! Keep on rocking my dude! 🤘🏻😎
In my opinion, Sena and Cardo do work perfect. Easy to use, connect automatically. I use a Cardo for almost 10 years and a pair of Sena included in the helmet. Connects really fine with phone and battery lasts in some cases for all week with everyday use. Thats why they have the best reputation in the world. Higher than expectations and no need to more gadgets.
PSA for us Canadians, the regulations they talk about all go out the window. GMRS does not require a license, because it's basically the same as FRS in the US. 2 watts max, non-removable antenna, no repeaters, it's pretty crappy. I ride with Jeeps now so my solution will be just mount a cheap radio to my backpack and just use a wired handset on my backpack strap.
@@TheGardenSnake 2 watts is all we get. Chances are you could get a radio from the states with a higher wattage, but removeable/replaceable antennas are illegal as well so that might be a giveaway. I'm not sure what the chances are of getting caught, but I think most people just go CB or HAM? I'm not an expert either.
Good stuff! I’ve had a ham license for many years but GMRS will do everything you need without having to take a license test, so I started dabbling in that, too. It’s so much more accessible. You could go crazy with higher power and really good mobile antennas, but you don’t have to - how often are you going to be more than a mile apart from your riding buddies? I have no friends to ride with or I’d be hooking something like this up on my bike, too.
Obligatory note for people who might look into cheaper chinese radios like the popular baofeng uv5r, Make sure you either get a GMRS or FRS specific radio, or be sure to look up the FRS/GMRS frequencies and program them into the radio. That's still "technically" illegal, but it's more in a gray area. Don't just put in a random set of numbers and go. Best case scenario you get lucky and don't interfere with something, but worst case scenario you can wind up interfering with stuff and face criminal charges. MURS is another free service like FRS, but it's VHF Amateur, GMRS, FRS, and MURS are all great options to look into
Yeah I got one of those baofengs. Rivet told me it’s actually a ham radio haha. I pretty much always kept it on frs channels but yeah I didn’t realize I was breaking all the laws. Straight to jail! I do think I’ll get a GMRS license though. The extra power and big boy antennas are worth it I think.
@@TheGardenSnakeThe FCC has never charged anyone with talking over the air. They can’t trace you. Talk away on random ham channels. If you’re worried just go with whatever you made the video about or any other cb/walkie talkie
@@TheGardenSnakedefinitely worth it! You can program your Baofeng’s memories with frequencies that correspond to GMRS channels and then you can dial them up like a true GMRS radio. Also handy for listening to ham and public service freqs (fire, police, etc).
@gargster18 actually your position can be triangulated. You have to be using the radio in the same location though. If you are moving, they would have to figure out that you are riding. Then they would never find you.
Back in the late 90's everyone I rode with used Chatter Box because they were I think the only communicators or maybe the best price. They used the same technology as the Oxbow and I just looked them up and it looks like the X2 Slim-P is still using FRS/GMRS but now has Bluetooth for connecting to phone or music device and can be tuned to multiple FRS/GMRS channels which would make it work with the Oxbow too. Great info, and thanks for your time and testing.
Like you I just learned that some radios connect PTT and headset over bluetooth. Perfect for motorcycle comms--the future is now! Congratulations on the HAM btw
This is such a good solution. I usually ride with a total of three people, all who have Sena's and it is a total PITA, to get all three connected and the range isn't great. Using a 2-way radio appears to be superior in every way.
In addition to GMRS being of great value in general for work (if you need it for your job) and general communication with people over longer distances than basic walkie talkies, this also works fairly good for riding in groups, offroading with jeeps etc. In this video you guys are running radios with fairly stubby antennas. You could boost your range quite a bit by upgrading the antenna
This is awesome! Would this work with BT in ears like Jabra’s, IsoTunes (or other brands)? Does the VOX-functionality work with those earbuds, as most have a mic to make phonecalls. In other words, replacing the Sena or Cardo with cheaper BT in-ear-monitors because the Oxbow PMR now takes care of transmitting between riders.
Only four minutes in, and I already appreciate your ingenuity and attitude. Subscribed! 9:58 Rivet is absolutely right, the GMRS radios will let you use improved antennae and 2.5x as much power. That will do wonders for range!
I have been using GMRS for my 4 wheel (Jeep) communication for several years, and have been looking for a decent system for my bikes. Optimally I would love to have a small weatherproof system that I can connect to run off to the bike’s power at at least 5 watts, that also came with a Bluetooth helmet mic/ headset and that allowed me to adjust channels with voice control, as well as allow me to play music off my iPhone, with an auto mute system for the music when talking or receiving others vocal communications. I know that’s a tall order, but I wish Midland, Motorola, or Rugged Radio would develop a product like that.
You know what, it's possible to cobble-together a system that does each of those things except voice control for channel switching. -Get a weatherproof GMRS radio with bluetooth, like the Btech GMRS-pro at 17:36. (It's able to monitor FM radio at the same time as GMRS which is key) -Use the USB cable to charge it from the bike's accessory electrical circuit. You'll need a 12V to USB adaptor and a way to waterproof it. -Get a short range bluetooth to FM radio dongle, which listens to bluetooth/gps directions from your phone and puts it out on a local FM frequency. -Pair a bluetooth helmet headset and handlebar PTT to your radio, and set your radio to listen to the FM of your dongle (playing your own local radio station) while monitoring the GMRS channel you want to listen to. Once you pair the phone to the bluetooth FM dongle and play your music, tune your radio's FM listen function to the right freq and your radio will start to pick it up. If you've got your radio linked to your headset via bluetooth, the radio will forward your music into your helmet. Since the radio is monitoring GMRS at the same time, when someone keys up it will automatically interrupt the music to pass the radio traffic through. Then you can use your PTT to call back as usual. Just a thought. It's not ideal, but gets you most of the way to a phone-integrated GMRS setup for the bike!
An absolute gem of a video. Useful and entertaining at the same time. Realistically even that mile on the xbow is great for me, I ride mostly with the same two people and rarely would we be more than a few hundred feet apart anyway.
I've started doing something similar with a UV5R. However, I have it all analog for reliability and my in-ears can be my ear plugs as well. I don't need nearly the volume level. So, I use a Steel Series in-ear headset with a boom mic. Then, there is a small kit for the UV5R that give you a small button on a velcro strap that can fit to your grip and plug into the headset. Hit the button and boom, you're chatting away. If you want to connect to your phone, you can just split the audio cable and it will run straight in. Only issue is that your music broadcasts with your voice, but I haven't run into any issues since the music is lower volume. You can do this bluetooth also with a couple of different bluetooth headsets and a bluetooth adapter for the radio. I also have a couple of Cobra FRS radios that are cheap and I can loan out to friends. They can just connect them to a pair of bluetooth earbuds and then listen in at least to what we are saying, even if they can't chat. They just then hand signal responses if I need them. Works great and the UV5R gets us a range of about 1.5 miles.
Sena mesh just works good in case you are close (3-500m) These setups is essential, when you are out of this range, dont have gsm coverege, but 3 more stuff which has accus in it, have to charge, etc. In the EU phone call is cheap, so we make a conference call, that option extends our range from 1 mile to 100 miles, and dont need extra stuffs just the phone and your sena/cardo/etc.
Would you be able to run an external antenna on your bike for the GMRS to get longer range?I've never messed with them before so not sure of the capabilities
My friend and I both have communicators, but we just call while riding and usually great. In the montains/forest it can get spotty, but for 95% of the time it works fine.
Awesome video man. Really like the idea of having all that versatility of an actual radio system. ***ALSO, Jake, what Barkbuster mirrors are those!?!? I love that idea
Here in Philippines almost all Puv except our local jeepneys has this innovative idea which you guys put them to very practically genius lvl on our street. Thanks again for enlightenment i almost wanted to buy a usb type yet i do feel the range is so impractical. Thanks again
Very cool, I've been looking for something with better range than the bluetooth mesh. Looks like you live in a flat area, I ride in the PA mountains. Sure wish for a test where you can at least be on the other side of a big hill or foothill.
We already had the helmet bluetooth and the radio's so when we first started with the idea, we just needed to buy the bluetooth adapters. I'm sure the Chatterbox would work if you are starting from scratch or want a single device. You would be giving up the option of using the radio around camp and the ability to change out the antenna but I don't think most people would care about that.
This only applies if you have more than 2 friends with different setups. We(3 people) have same Sena 20s for the last 3,5 years. It works flawlessly. Battery still strong. All the fancy features like audio multitasking and music sharing etc still works. Conntecting and disconnecting phones, gpses are easy enough. jog dial is excellent with thick gloves. sena offered hd speaker upgrade for them 2 years ago. sound quality got alot better. In short, if your group is not more than 3 people, it is most logical for everyone to invest in the same model Sena intercom. not worth the complexity with hand radios.
If you have a small, fixed group, AND stay close together while riding, AND you don't already have disparate setups sure. Did you all start riding together at the same time? I suspect that's uncommon. I have two Sena's myself for me and my wife. I'm not investing in a 400$ cardo for each of us just because I joined other riders with Cardos. Every group I've been involved with everyone already has random communicators So if all those factors I listed at the top apply, then sure, just having everyone buy the same communicator is great. Hope you never have a new person join your group though.
I have been saying this to my mates for ages, I have been using a Baofeng U3DR radio in my race car with a helmet speaker set and PTT etc for ages for Pit to Car comms etc.....I have been trying to convince friends for ages to go this direction !
They make the Sena SMH 10 that hooks up directly to the radio and bluetooths to your intercom. Been using one for about 7 years with my Motorola radio for rides outside of range of cell signal.
Keeping your antennas vertical is going to make your radiation pattern more circular, plus reduce losses due to unmatched antenna polarization. Height will add range the most, maybe mount antenna high up at rear.
This is literally what i been looking for for 4 years 🥲 THANLK YOU!!!! I wonder if you can stitch the button to your glove like on your pointer finger knuckled so you can just push it with your thumb using 1 hand. And question for the GMRS radio, did those helmet headphones work with that setup still?
the problem with this is that you need to click a button. that means you have to free one hand from your handlebar. unless you spend more money for a button for your thumb
The GMRS radio license is $35 for 10 years AND the license covers your immediate family. The BTech GMRS Pro is the ONLY radio worth getting for this kind of setup.
I’d love to find a helmet headset that’d allow you to have an intercom feature as well as use the PTT Bluetooth two way radio. I have a set of the GMRS pros too and I’ve been struggling to find anything that’ll do both.
I've ridden within groups with my cardo and had ZERO issues - can talk to everyone, can listen to music. If they worked as poorly as you say, I doubt they would sell so many. I think its the user, not the product.
I’ve had them for 3 years and had issues all the time. My dad is getting on and retiring from riding we decided to do a ride out, my brother gave him his old unit and bought a new one. We tested them a few times then worked fine. The day we were going we all set off and couldn’t connect. Turns out mats dad’s unit needed an update so wouldn’t connect and stop me and my brother connecting in that group, so our last ride that was meant to be use talking and reminiscing was ruined . The other issue is I cannot get my music to play when we talk, I’ve changed all the settings so music should be the priority but it isn’t, it’s constantly cutting out when someone is talking, if it lowered it that would be ok but it mutes the music. This gets really annoying on trails when someone is breathing heavily the music is on and off with there breathing. The other thing is range, I’ve had a car between me and my brother and they cut out and disconnect. They claim 1km working range but anything over 100 foot and they struggle and cut out.
I really like this idea. I have my HAM and GMRS licenses and have been looking for a way to use a radio on the bike. Would be great for camping or off-road trips. Easy enough to have a GMRS in a truck or Jeep and talk to those of us on bikes. 🤔WAY better range than Bluetooth too. Guess it's time to spend more money.
Hey Jake , I’m 67 yo and not too savvy on tech stuff. Just bought a MC . Looking to have an easy device to connect to fellow old riders. Suggestion plz.
might be a stupid question but why do you need to mount the radio on the bike if you have the button? why not just slap the radio in your backpack or in your pocket?
You get slightly better reception if the antenna is not next to your body since your body will dampen some of the signal. It also helps to keep the antenna vertical. But we have tried that, if you watch the California city video, the guy on the blue bike has his radio in his backpack and he didn't really have any problems.
Oh man. Yet another device in the mix and you still need the communicators? No thanks. I was about to just buy a couple of Cardo units but you've convinced me that both the communicators alone or this solution are WAY to much of a PITA to be worthwhile.
Off topic, what are those handguards on the Red Bike? I like that they have the blinkers and mirrors attached and well as mounting on both sides of the handles!
How do you guys tackle both listening to music and talking to your radio? What I've found is that whatever captured the Bluetooth audio stream (i.e. music), it will keep it forever until the music is stopped. No radio can be heard together with your music.
I had the exact same idea for a long time but my friends don't seems to be interested, i was looking to buy a pack of 5 Retevis RA19 Bluetooth for 200$, but you need to unlock them with a pc to work with other brands
I was looking at those but one of the retevis radio's was saying it did not work with other headsets, which is why I didn't bring them up. Since they do make radios with bluetooth that are waterproof.
Even if mesh has connection issues, do people forget that conference calls exist or idk - discord? Range issue - deleted. Theres so few roads without reception anymore and I'm in the rockies lol
I don’t get it… Groups will for the foreseeable future always have connectivity issues but this adds to it, it doesn’t eliminate it…one more devise to pack and set up. So I have my Cardo and cell phone, personally I prefer to ride than listen to a bunch of chatter, so if I can’t or don’t want to spend the time to pair a group they can phone me. Or if I’m out of cell range send me a text on my InReach. The helmet communicator is a game changer for connecting to the phone which provides music, phone and GPS. InReach is a huge safety blanket in the outback where the cell doesn’t work, so I’m packing it anyway.
If it wasn't for the stinking helmet systems, these radios wouldn't need all the fancy BT connection stuff. CB radio has functioned just fine for decades and decades and has great range. How to get that down to motorcycle levels of function and make it work in a helmet....that's the challenge. I had a Cobra CB radio in a late-90's car of mine, I played around with antennas until I found one that flung the signal meter all the way to max on both receive and broadcast. It worked great. Also had WX channels on it so you could hear the forecast any time you wanted.
"if you're waiting for it to get better, it won't. Its been the same for 10-15 years" "Sure the new mesh technology works great but not everyone has it cause it's new" Dude I'm like 30 seconds in and nothing makes sense 😂
Hello, this was a very informative video. I would like to know if there is a link for the RAM mount for the BTECH-GMRS Pro radio. I believe you indicated in your video that you were able to 3D print one for the device.
Great video, i have been looking into this one & off for the past couple of years, but never found a radio before with Bluetooth built-in that would connect to cardo headset. Could i ask if you let me know what was the couple of hundred $ quick release wired headset for the radios you mentioned, Please and possibly a link to it😊
Always wondered why people don't just run radios with remote mics instead of spending thousands on all sorts of bluetoothery. It's what we use out in the bush on sleds and bikes.
Because theres a difference between communicating and talking. Imagine being in a room with 5 or 6 friends and you can only talk one at a time. Not very convenient. Radios are great to communicate due to range and simplicity. But for having a conversation they are not comparable to bluetooth communicators. Plus if you ride bikes you have to take your hand off the handlebars to push the button and talk, and thats just dumb, for safety and convenience. Thats why IMO bluetooth intercoms are better than radios if what you want is have a conversation, lt just communicate something.
Been using walkie talkie near 50 years, I've never been into mod tech because it's just never worked for me, only replacement i found for my talkie is my cell phone, it's easier to carry.
I have been in a group of 10+ Cardo users and it is amazing how clear the audio is and how simple the pairing and auto-healing mesh works. Love my cardo!
Hi mate, can any cardo connect to another ? Or do you have to buy the sets
Totally agree with you. There are 6 in our group 4x cardo PT EDGE & 2x Sena SRL3 bridged together. Works perfect every time. The Cardo's have been working seamlessly for over a year. Music works great, zero complaints so far.
Glad you made a video covering this, I genuinely hope this becomes a thing among bikers! It's like the CB days on channel 19 talking to random drivers you pass on the road 😂
Radios are also multipurpose. Take them off the bike and go hiking, tap into the emergency band when outside of cell coverage to call for help and communicate with rescue/emergency services, and anything else that radio's are generally used for. Such a good idea, and I'm kind of ashamed I didn't think of it.
You two sound like the people that pitch all the weird shit on TV at 1am
hahaha that killed me
Honestly my favorite part about this, as a system that is, is that it doesn't replace the purchase of your Sena/Cardo. That has the downside of needing to buy something for your helmet of course, but it also means that anyone out here (most of us probably) who ride with a S/C device already haven't wasted any money. This is just an add-on that extends range. Great idea, that also adds the redundancy of communication in emergency that isn't tied to cell service.
As a radio nerd, absolutely LOVE this!!! Finally, where was this video a decade ago lol Maybe not bluetooth, but PTT and radios has been around forever. Been waiting on this video since last year, glad to see it!
YES!! Get Chris out here, I wanna see his rig!!
Sorry it took so long. I didn’t want to make a video on it until we had some solid options for y’all.
5 Years into riding - and the unofficial Cardo expert in our group - we have slowly been shifting to Radio's when we do more aggressive off-roading. I still prefer the Cardo Packtalk for ADV group rides - but anything where we can get easily seperated - like in the woods - we now carry Radio's as well. Perfect segway into the next gen of group commnications for many a group of friends. Thanks.
Probably one of the most useful vids ive seen for a long time
Finally!!! Someone that thinks and isn't googling his eyes at the most expensive gear. Practical my man, practical. To me, radio is a no brainer.
When I mention it to other riders they look at me like I just discovered gravity or like I am a troglodyte. But radio, just works. And even in other countries... and you have radio music too...
Wow. I had no idea you could use an FRS or GMRS with Bluetooth connected to a Sena or Cardo unit. This is going to save me so many issues when riding off road with my dad.
Always had this problem with my cardo 😅 I bought a pair of talkies, made some wiring and soldering, rigged a way to get smartphone wired headphones to work with the microphone, it's perfect 👌
Way more range and battery than the cardo (you can charge it while using 🤩)
Nice
Do you have a how to video?
Yes. Do you or can you show what you did to make this? Would be helpful.
I'll try to show you guys a video 😁
@@floflospeed24 awesome. Rugged radios make a set up but for over 200 bucks. Would like to save some dough to do something else. Already an expensive hobby.
wAAAAAy back in the day (mid 80's), my mother and I tried using CB radios for communicators much like you're doing now. They worked great sitting still, but as soon as we started moving, there was something about the bike's frequency that totally disrupted the signals, making them useless. I think I still have those CBs in a box somewhere in the attic 😅. Looks like that issue has finally been overcome! Yay technology.
Honestly glad to see radios making a comeback. They are just so useful, because they can be used both on and off the bikes. Thank you for sharing this information.
If they worked while you were stationary on the bike running and not while moving, it might be due to the bike electrical system.
Bikes where poorly isolated from EMC ( electro magnetic compatibility) as there where no norms back in the day for that. , so , the faster the motor goes , the faster the spark plugs are sparking, and this create a lot of electromagnetic pollution. Which can literally scramble a signal. Your radios may also be poorly protected against it so , adds the two and it doesn’t work.
Maybe try them on a modern bike , as they are now emitting less EMs , they might be decent 😉
Amazing. My riding buddy has cardo and I have old sena evo 20s. Now we can finally communicate
Rivett has so much shit on his bars lmaoo
Test rig 9000
I enjoy how much hate I get for my bar setup
You bearded bro!!
You hit the nail!!
This is awesome! The handlebar “control” for talk on the radio is absolutely amazing!!
Thanks for sharing this very valuable information!!
Keep on rocking my dude!
🤘🏻😎
In my opinion, Sena and Cardo do work perfect. Easy to use, connect automatically.
I use a Cardo for almost 10 years and a pair of Sena included in the helmet. Connects really fine with phone and battery lasts in some cases for all week with everyday use. Thats why they have the best reputation in the world.
Higher than expectations and no need to more gadgets.
I just ordered my 1st cardo the other day. I'm really hoping I'm not let down when I get it all hooked up! I've always just used headphones before
PSA for us Canadians, the regulations they talk about all go out the window. GMRS does not require a license, because it's basically the same as FRS in the US. 2 watts max, non-removable antenna, no repeaters, it's pretty crappy.
I ride with Jeeps now so my solution will be just mount a cheap radio to my backpack and just use a wired handset on my backpack strap.
Is GMRS limited to 2 watts in Canada? 50 is the limit down here.
@@TheGardenSnake 2 watts is all we get. Chances are you could get a radio from the states with a higher wattage, but removeable/replaceable antennas are illegal as well so that might be a giveaway. I'm not sure what the chances are of getting caught, but I think most people just go CB or HAM? I'm not an expert either.
Subscribed. This is what I had in mind and y'all have done it and even left links. Thank you!!
Communicating with friends only matters if you have friends 😢
I feel that
Good stuff! I’ve had a ham license for many years but GMRS will do everything you need without having to take a license test, so I started dabbling in that, too. It’s so much more accessible. You could go crazy with higher power and really good mobile antennas, but you don’t have to - how often are you going to be more than a mile apart from your riding buddies? I have no friends to ride with or I’d be hooking something like this up on my bike, too.
Sat comms and we could be riding buddies lmao
If you’re in Ky I’ll do a ride with ya.
I have 2m/70cm mobile mounted on my bike. I've got GMRS license as well.
73 DE N9FC
Obligatory note for people who might look into cheaper chinese radios like the popular baofeng uv5r, Make sure you either get a GMRS or FRS specific radio, or be sure to look up the FRS/GMRS frequencies and program them into the radio. That's still "technically" illegal, but it's more in a gray area. Don't just put in a random set of numbers and go. Best case scenario you get lucky and don't interfere with something, but worst case scenario you can wind up interfering with stuff and face criminal charges.
MURS is another free service like FRS, but it's VHF
Amateur, GMRS, FRS, and MURS are all great options to look into
Yeah I got one of those baofengs. Rivet told me it’s actually a ham radio haha. I pretty much always kept it on frs channels but yeah I didn’t realize I was breaking all the laws. Straight to jail! I do think I’ll get a GMRS license though. The extra power and big boy antennas are worth it I think.
@@TheGardenSnakeThe FCC has never charged anyone with talking over the air. They can’t trace you. Talk away on random ham channels. If you’re worried just go with whatever you made the video about or any other cb/walkie talkie
@@TheGardenSnakedefinitely worth it! You can program your Baofeng’s memories with frequencies that correspond to GMRS channels and then you can dial them up like a true GMRS radio. Also handy for listening to ham and public service freqs (fire, police, etc).
@gargster18 actually your position can be triangulated. You have to be using the radio in the same location though. If you are moving, they would have to figure out that you are riding. Then they would never find you.
@@TheGardenSnake don't worry about it. just don't transmit on the wrong freq
Back in the late 90's everyone I rode with used Chatter Box because they were I think the only communicators or maybe the best price. They used the same technology as the Oxbow and I just looked them up and it looks like the X2 Slim-P is still using FRS/GMRS but now has Bluetooth for connecting to phone or music device and can be tuned to multiple FRS/GMRS channels which would make it work with the Oxbow too. Great info, and thanks for your time and testing.
I like the idea plus camping you can use them just as hand held radios
picking up 2 of these so we " or someone" can talk to a chase car . pretty neat.
Can we agree that Rivet clearly doesn't have enough gizmos hanging from his handlebars.
For context, he rode all of ADV-FEST while festooned that way.
None of them even fell off
Festooned, what a great word.
I actually just got into GMRS/HAM radios. This is awesome! I had no idea that they had Bluetooth capabilities!
Like you I just learned that some radios connect PTT and headset over bluetooth. Perfect for motorcycle comms--the future is now!
Congratulations on the HAM btw
Very cool but hectic explanation. Will look into this more
Thank you so much for doing a video on comms!! I really needed help with this. I was totally in the dark on info
Another use case for radios is if you ride with people in cars. I adv ride with jeeps and this is the best way to talk to bike or 4 wheel vehicle
This is such a good solution. I usually ride with a total of three people, all who have Sena's and it is a total PITA, to get all three connected and the range isn't great. Using a 2-way radio appears to be superior in every way.
In addition to GMRS being of great value in general for work (if you need it for your job) and general communication with people over longer distances than basic walkie talkies, this also works fairly good for riding in groups, offroading with jeeps etc. In this video you guys are running radios with fairly stubby antennas. You could boost your range quite a bit by upgrading the antenna
This is awesome! Would this work with BT in ears like Jabra’s, IsoTunes (or other brands)? Does the VOX-functionality work with those earbuds, as most have a mic to make phonecalls.
In other words, replacing the Sena or Cardo with cheaper BT in-ear-monitors because the Oxbow PMR now takes care of transmitting between riders.
I have been looking for this for ages. Also perfect for car to motor communication!!!
Only four minutes in, and I already appreciate your ingenuity and attitude. Subscribed!
9:58 Rivet is absolutely right, the GMRS radios will let you use improved antennae and 2.5x as much power. That will do wonders for range!
The undeniable advantage of standard intercoms is duplex, so there is no need to use a key to transmit.
I have been using GMRS for my 4 wheel (Jeep) communication for several years, and have been looking for a decent system for my bikes. Optimally I would love to have a small weatherproof system that I can connect to run off to the bike’s power at at least 5 watts, that also came with a Bluetooth helmet mic/ headset and that allowed me to adjust channels with voice control, as well as allow me to play music off my iPhone, with an auto mute system for the music when talking or receiving others vocal communications. I know that’s a tall order, but I wish Midland, Motorola, or Rugged Radio would develop a product like that.
You know what, it's possible to cobble-together a system that does each of those things except voice control for channel switching.
-Get a weatherproof GMRS radio with bluetooth, like the Btech GMRS-pro at 17:36. (It's able to monitor FM radio at the same time as GMRS which is key)
-Use the USB cable to charge it from the bike's accessory electrical circuit. You'll need a 12V to USB adaptor and a way to waterproof it.
-Get a short range bluetooth to FM radio dongle, which listens to bluetooth/gps directions from your phone and puts it out on a local FM frequency.
-Pair a bluetooth helmet headset and handlebar PTT to your radio, and set your radio to listen to the FM of your dongle (playing your own local radio station) while monitoring the GMRS channel you want to listen to.
Once you pair the phone to the bluetooth FM dongle and play your music, tune your radio's FM listen function to the right freq and your radio will start to pick it up. If you've got your radio linked to your headset via bluetooth, the radio will forward your music into your helmet. Since the radio is monitoring GMRS at the same time, when someone keys up it will automatically interrupt the music to pass the radio traffic through. Then you can use your PTT to call back as usual.
Just a thought. It's not ideal, but gets you most of the way to a phone-integrated GMRS setup for the bike!
Three of us used radios years ago with great results.
I should have grabbed one of them and put it on my ram mount ball on the drz and tried it out at the kart track
An absolute gem of a video. Useful and entertaining at the same time.
Realistically even that mile on the xbow is great for me, I ride mostly with the same two people and rarely would we be more than a few hundred feet apart anyway.
So in summary by adding the radio you are making it easier to.mix and match systems and it becomes push to talk. Is that correct
Excellent content guys. It's obvious how much time and research you've put in. Cheers.
Open mesh work good. Nice to talk to other rider you meet When you are out riding
The hard part is to convince your buddies to also get a radio after they have spent $400 for a cardo or senna
This allows people to still be able to use their current system and plug the radio in too for better comms specifically
Thanks for making this!
I've started doing something similar with a UV5R. However, I have it all analog for reliability and my in-ears can be my ear plugs as well. I don't need nearly the volume level. So, I use a Steel Series in-ear headset with a boom mic. Then, there is a small kit for the UV5R that give you a small button on a velcro strap that can fit to your grip and plug into the headset. Hit the button and boom, you're chatting away. If you want to connect to your phone, you can just split the audio cable and it will run straight in. Only issue is that your music broadcasts with your voice, but I haven't run into any issues since the music is lower volume.
You can do this bluetooth also with a couple of different bluetooth headsets and a bluetooth adapter for the radio. I also have a couple of Cobra FRS radios that are cheap and I can loan out to friends. They can just connect them to a pair of bluetooth earbuds and then listen in at least to what we are saying, even if they can't chat. They just then hand signal responses if I need them. Works great and the UV5R gets us a range of about 1.5 miles.
Sena mesh just works good in case you are close (3-500m) These setups is essential, when you are out of this range, dont have gsm coverege, but 3 more stuff which has accus in it, have to charge, etc.
In the EU phone call is cheap, so we make a conference call, that option extends our range from 1 mile to 100 miles, and dont need extra stuffs just the phone and your sena/cardo/etc.
Would you be able to run an external antenna on your bike for the GMRS to get longer range?I've never messed with them before so not sure of the capabilities
My friend and I both have communicators, but we just call while riding and usually great. In the montains/forest it can get spotty, but for 95% of the time it works fine.
Awesome video man. Really like the idea of having all that versatility of an actual radio system.
***ALSO, Jake, what Barkbuster mirrors are those!?!? I love that idea
Hey, if you place the antenna of the radio vertically you’ll probably have even better range.
@5:01 Babymetal 🤘🤘🤘
Me and my bois just use discord and earphones, range is infinity as long you have internet and everyone can hear same music
Is the GMRS radio you accused of being quieter set to "wide band"? You want it to be. Good video.
Here in Philippines almost all Puv except our local jeepneys has this innovative idea which you guys put them to very practically genius lvl on our street. Thanks again for enlightenment i almost wanted to buy a usb type yet i do feel the range is so impractical. Thanks again
Very cool, I've been looking for something with better range than the bluetooth mesh. Looks like you live in a flat area, I ride in the PA mountains. Sure wish for a test where you can at least be on the other side of a big hill or foothill.
Why not use the chatterbox X2 slim p ? It does all that with out using two different systems.
We already had the helmet bluetooth and the radio's so when we first started with the idea, we just needed to buy the bluetooth adapters. I'm sure the Chatterbox would work if you are starting from scratch or want a single device. You would be giving up the option of using the radio around camp and the ability to change out the antenna but I don't think most people would care about that.
Thank you jake, this is the exact video I’ve been wanting since I saw a radio on your bike!!!
This only applies if you have more than 2 friends with different setups. We(3 people) have same Sena 20s for the last 3,5 years. It works flawlessly. Battery still strong. All the fancy features like audio multitasking and music sharing etc still works. Conntecting and disconnecting phones, gpses are easy enough. jog dial is excellent with thick gloves. sena offered hd speaker upgrade for them 2 years ago. sound quality got alot better.
In short, if your group is not more than 3 people, it is most logical for everyone to invest in the same model Sena intercom. not worth the complexity with hand radios.
If you have a small, fixed group, AND stay close together while riding, AND you don't already have disparate setups sure. Did you all start riding together at the same time? I suspect that's uncommon.
I have two Sena's myself for me and my wife. I'm not investing in a 400$ cardo for each of us just because I joined other riders with Cardos. Every group I've been involved with everyone already has random communicators
So if all those factors I listed at the top apply, then sure, just having everyone buy the same communicator is great. Hope you never have a new person join your group though.
Less range for more $. Nope.
Oh beautiful Venus😂 --looked so familiar. 👍🏼
I really like the bleepbloop sounds these things make.. you are like a covert ops in a mission :)
I have been saying this to my mates for ages, I have been using a Baofeng U3DR radio in my race car with a helmet speaker set and PTT etc for ages for Pit to Car comms etc.....I have been trying to convince friends for ages to go this direction !
Chatterbox has been around even longer than Cardo and sena as I recall. Been using chatterbox with the gmrs radio for over 15 years at this point.
Hey Jake... I live in DFW. Do you ever go to any of the meets or group rides we have around here?
I don't have a com system for my helmet yet so still in the market BUT putting a radio instead sounds like such a simple idea.
They make the Sena SMH 10 that hooks up directly to the radio and bluetooths to your intercom. Been using one for about 7 years with my Motorola radio for rides outside of range of cell signal.
Wow thanks guys you just hacked away at all that confusion about what to use. Thanks.
Keeping your antennas vertical is going to make your radiation pattern more circular, plus reduce losses due to unmatched antenna polarization. Height will add range the most, maybe mount antenna high up at rear.
This is literally what i been looking for for 4 years 🥲 THANLK YOU!!!! I wonder if you can stitch the button to your glove like on your pointer finger knuckled so you can just push it with your thumb using 1 hand. And question for the GMRS radio, did those helmet headphones work with that setup still?
the problem with this is that you need to click a button. that means you have to free one hand from your handlebar. unless you spend more money for a button for your thumb
They just came out with a wireless ptt. You could position it in a way that it’s close to the other buttons on the handle bars.
The GMRS radio license is $35 for 10 years AND the license covers your immediate family. The BTech GMRS Pro is the ONLY radio worth getting for this kind of setup.
I’d love to find a helmet headset that’d allow you to have an intercom feature as well as use the PTT Bluetooth two way radio. I have a set of the GMRS pros too and
I’ve been struggling to find anything that’ll do both.
Exelent info. I'm sharing this with everyone. Let's get this video into the millions
I've ridden within groups with my cardo and had ZERO issues - can talk to everyone, can listen to music. If they worked as poorly as you say, I doubt they would sell so many. I think its the user, not the product.
I’ve had them for 3 years and had issues all the time. My dad is getting on and retiring from riding we decided to do a ride out, my brother gave him his old unit and bought a new one. We tested them a few times then worked fine. The day we were going we all set off and couldn’t connect. Turns out mats dad’s unit needed an update so wouldn’t connect and stop me and my brother connecting in that group, so our last ride that was meant to be use talking and reminiscing was ruined . The other issue is I cannot get my music to play when we talk, I’ve changed all the settings so music should be the priority but it isn’t, it’s constantly cutting out when someone is talking, if it lowered it that would be ok but it mutes the music. This gets really annoying on trails when someone is breathing heavily the music is on and off with there breathing. The other thing is range, I’ve had a car between me and my brother and they cut out and disconnect. They claim 1km working range but anything over 100 foot and they struggle and cut out.
I agree. I think there are a lot of people out there that never read the manuals and they wonder why they can't get things to work right.
Range sucks. It's marketing.
I really like this idea. I have my HAM and GMRS licenses and have been looking for a way to use a radio on the bike. Would be great for camping or off-road trips. Easy enough to have a GMRS in a truck or Jeep and talk to those of us on bikes. 🤔WAY better range than Bluetooth too. Guess it's time to spend more money.
Crossover audience. I'm a licensed ham operator that watches moto tube. Subbed.
I have my technician license, but I been on the fence on getting a gmrs radio license as well, I might as well.
Hey Jake , I’m 67 yo and not too savvy on tech stuff. Just bought a MC . Looking to have an easy device to connect to fellow old riders. Suggestion plz.
might be a stupid question but why do you need to mount the radio on the bike if you have the button? why not just slap the radio in your backpack or in your pocket?
You get slightly better reception if the antenna is not next to your body since your body will dampen some of the signal. It also helps to keep the antenna vertical. But we have tried that, if you watch the California city video, the guy on the blue bike has his radio in his backpack and he didn't really have any problems.
Oh man. Yet another device in the mix and you still need the communicators? No thanks. I was about to just buy a couple of Cardo units but you've convinced me that both the communicators alone or this solution are WAY to much of a PITA to be worthwhile.
You can always just go the radio with helmet coms kit.
Our group actually uses discord servers, works like a charm and music still works
Off topic, what are those handguards on the Red Bike? I like that they have the blinkers and mirrors attached and well as mounting on both sides of the handles!
How do you guys tackle both listening to music and talking to your radio? What I've found is that whatever captured the Bluetooth audio stream (i.e. music), it will keep it forever until the music is stopped. No radio can be heard together with your music.
I had the exact same idea for a long time but my friends don't seems to be interested, i was looking to buy a pack of 5
Retevis RA19 Bluetooth for 200$, but you need to unlock them with a pc to work with other brands
I was looking at those but one of the retevis radio's was saying it did not work with other headsets, which is why I didn't bring them up. Since they do make radios with bluetooth that are waterproof.
I had an Sena 50S, only used a hand full of times, but it was pretty much useless , great way to go to repurpose the radio sense
Even if mesh has connection issues, do people forget that conference calls exist or idk - discord? Range issue - deleted. Theres so few roads without reception anymore and I'm in the rockies lol
I don’t get it…
Groups will for the foreseeable future always have connectivity issues but this adds to it, it doesn’t eliminate it…one more devise to pack and set up.
So I have my Cardo and cell phone, personally I prefer to ride than listen to a bunch of chatter, so if I can’t or don’t want to spend the time to pair a group they can phone me.
Or if I’m out of cell range send me a text on my InReach.
The helmet communicator is a game changer for connecting to the phone which provides music, phone and GPS.
InReach is a huge safety blanket in the outback where the cell doesn’t work, so I’m packing it anyway.
I'm all aboard the Cardo+Oxbow train, however it's taking Oxbow forever to release the wireless PTT button to actually make this setup usable.
We talked about that in the video. We showed one that works now.
If you typically ride in an area with cell phone/ data signals then using apps like FaceTime, Google Meet, and Discord is also an option.
I've been thinking about this for a while now
If it wasn't for the stinking helmet systems, these radios wouldn't need all the fancy BT connection stuff. CB radio has functioned just fine for decades and decades and has great range. How to get that down to motorcycle levels of function and make it work in a helmet....that's the challenge.
I had a Cobra CB radio in a late-90's car of mine, I played around with antennas until I found one that flung the signal meter all the way to max on both receive and broadcast. It worked great. Also had WX channels on it so you could hear the forecast any time you wanted.
"if you're waiting for it to get better, it won't. Its been the same for 10-15 years"
"Sure the new mesh technology works great but not everyone has it cause it's new"
Dude I'm like 30 seconds in and nothing makes sense 😂
Hello, this was a very informative video. I would like to know if there is a link for the RAM mount for the BTECH-GMRS Pro radio. I believe you indicated in your video that you were able to 3D print one for the device.
Great video, i have been looking into this one & off for the past couple of years, but never found a radio before with Bluetooth built-in that would connect to cardo headset.
Could i ask if you let me know what was the couple of hundred $ quick release wired headset for the radios you mentioned, Please and possibly a link to it😊
Always wondered why people don't just run radios with remote mics instead of spending thousands on all sorts of bluetoothery. It's what we use out in the bush on sleds and bikes.
Because theres a difference between communicating and talking.
Imagine being in a room with 5 or 6 friends and you can only talk one at a time. Not very convenient.
Radios are great to communicate due to range and simplicity. But for having a conversation they are not comparable to bluetooth communicators.
Plus if you ride bikes you have to take your hand off the handlebars to push the button and talk, and thats just dumb, for safety and convenience.
Thats why IMO bluetooth intercoms are better than radios if what you want is have a conversation, lt just communicate something.
This is so true and very practical. Why complicate things?
Been using walkie talkie near 50 years, I've never been into mod tech because it's just never worked for me, only replacement i found for my talkie is my cell phone, it's easier to carry.
As someone with peltor ear protection all day at work (with built in radio) ive never understood why we dont do the same for.our bikes.
Cardio packtalk edge. Ride with a group we never have problems once setup. Not even once. The bold is just as good.
Great video. Like your options.
Cardo is great! Of you get the packtalk stuff