InterPhone Bluetooth BlueAnt Comms review

[johnnyflash]

Well, ive had a fair test of the new Blueant Interphone Bike Communications kits. so here goes a full report.
Obtained from Dick Smiths at $249 NZ per unit, two required, one for each helmet. The blurb says it can be used rider to pillion or rider to rider within 150 meters, and yes the disitances are accurate.
Installation is a simple affair, either clip onto side of helmet with a clamp or use a double sided sticky patch, I mounted onto KBC flip lid Helmets, and the side is a little wide for the clamp but I used a clamp on one and a sticky on the other, both hold well. Positioning of the speaker and mic boom in the helmet is most important. Charging takes around 4hours, and has a standby of 700 hours or 10 hours talk time. The unit can hold up to 5 "linked" items in memory at any one time, (it rememebers the last 5 u used) and is only connectable to other bluetooth devices, cant be hardwired to non bluetooth devices. I paired it on to my Treo 650 pocket PC/Phone, and also to my pillion's helmet, We took off for a blast down the motorways to try and find as much wind noise as possible, left the bottom of the helmets exposed, no scarves or neckwarmers, and at 120kph whilst I could hear a little noise from wind the audio quality was good. testing with the usual neckwarmer on which tends to block the bottom of the helmet up more there was hardly any wind noise just voice.. Phone call at same speed was also good quality.
Summary, All in all a good unit, though you do need to play around to get the best positioning in the helmet, and I suspect some helmets more open to drafts might have more noise but it does seem to clip a lot of wind noise out of the audio with its processors. The unit has a normal volume setting and a LOUD setting for those that cant get the speaker close to the ear.. Only shortcomming is that you cant plug in a MP3 (unless its bluetooth) but as my Pc/Phone has that it aint a worry. Volume controls on the side of the unit are a little difficult to use with heavy gloves on but the main Control button is big enough to use while riding to switch between phone/Pillion etc. The fact its all wirelees is just fantastic, even when the Mrs went tinto the gas station to get some food we could still chat while I was filling the bike..


NOTE.... IMPORTANT UPDATE see the BIKE GEar Thread for an update on BATTERY LIFE .. http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=50304

Edit...
DSE link as follows http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/4690b13a003772f2273fc0a87f3306e4/Product/View/E9788

[sinned]

Sounds like what I have been looking for. There is a review here:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-intercoms/interphone-bluetooth-intercom.htm

I couldn't find the product on the Dick Smith site. Can you post the link to it there?

[johnnyflash]

Sounds like what I have been looking for. There is a review here:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-intercoms/interphone-bluetooth-intercom.htm

I couldn't find the product on the Dick Smith site. Can you post the link to it there?

No problem dennisr, Ive edited the original and put in the link for you...

[sinned]

Thanks. I am getting excited about this device. I already have a blueant earpiece thingy for my cell phone and it works well; it might even link to this bike device so my missus can communicate with me from the cage.:gob:

[johnnyflash]

Yep, as long as the cage is no further than 150meters away from the helmet it should work, although many bluetooth earpeices are only good for 10 meters so might have a problem there, but then she can always ring you phone to phone I suppose..

BTW, D.S.E are not carrying them in stock in every store at the moment, they are ORDER only at present.. I think thats why they are priced better than some other suppliers)

[sinned]

DSE have one in Auckland and won't send it to Wellington for us to look at. We have ordered two and had to pay a 10% deposit. If we don't like the look of it DSE will refund the deposit. However, the reviews are mostly good so I guess it will be a purchase in around 10 days.

[skelstar]

I imagine that if you wear ear plugs that this may be an issue ;) ...always thought that a pair of $100/pr UHF CB units would be the go. Obv not for cellphone stuff.

Cheers for review!

[sinned]

I imagine that if you wear ear plugs that this may be an issue ;) ...always thought that a pair of $100/pr UHF CB units would be the go. Obv not for cellphone stuff.


I don't think ear plugs will be a problem, unless they are high attenuation types. I have seen Nolan helmet wearers with headset using earplugs. While the CB units are a lower cost option I don't think they have hands free operation, or if they do then not at that price. Answering the cell phone and using it without having to take the helmet off is important for me.

I like toys :innocent:

[skelstar]

. While the CB units are a lower cost option I don't think they have hands free operation, or if they do then not at that price.
Well, rather than VOX I think I would rather use a button to talk anyway. Less complexity and all that. Not enough people ring me so not a factor for me anyway.

[NinjaNanna]

Hi Guys

I emailed Blue Ant to enquire about their plans for an Interphone II, this was their reply.


Hi Shane

Thanks for your email. We do have plans for an A2DP version however this will not be released until Mid 2008.

If I can be of any further help, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Kind Regards,

Peter George
BlueAnt Wireless

Because of the positive experience that JF has had with his unit I'll be hanging out for this model so that I get stereo audio, I can't wait.

[Qkchk]

Ive heard about these Bluetooth goodies but Im not sure how they work...

Do you have to dial through your phone to talk to another user, hence cost money by making a call or is it an open channel that anyone can join in (like CB etc)

[Nasty]

Good report thanks for that.
:niceone:

[johnnyflash]

Ive heard about these Bluetooth goodies but Im not sure how they work...

Do you have to dial through your phone to talk to another user, hence cost money by making a call or is it an open channel that anyone can join in (like CB etc)

Nope, its a bluetooth unit consisting of helmet speaker and boom Mic, mounts on your helmet, No wires, its digitally connected to your bluetooth capable phone (via a radio type wave). and also to any other bluetooth capable unit, ie another person with same headset in helmet.. so as long as you are within around 400 feet of the other helmet u can chat direct to each other, So no, you can chat for up to 10 hours non stop to other headset NO CHARGE :-)
Basically the unit that clips to side of your helmet has large button.. u press that to link to other helmet/bike.. if your phone rings (and mines on auto answer and vibrate in my pocket) I just hit the button on the unit and talk.. simple... if Im riding by myself then I just leave it in PHONE mode and I dont need to even puch the button to change modes from intercom to phone..
Hope that clarifies it for you..
Cheers..

[NinjaNanna]

Ive heard about these Bluetooth goodies but Im not sure how they work...

Do you have to dial through your phone to talk to another user, hence cost money by making a call or is it an open channel that anyone can join in (like CB etc)

Hey QKCHK

Unfortunately you cannot talk to multiple people using Bluetooth, it only connects (pairs) to one other unit at a time. They are marketed as wireless Rider-Pillion Intercoms but with a range of about 400 feet so they can be used bike to bike as well.

The unit can be paired to another helmet and your phone at the same time, this means that with an appropriate phone you can also use it for listening to music and making and recieving phone calls.

The upcoming unit that I posted about will have stereo speakers, which is what I am looking forward to.

Cheers

Shane

[Kiwifire72]

The wife and I just bought a set have only trialed them around home so far very clear reception
as soon as I back on bike will try them out bike to bike
wish Ipod had a blutooth system so I could conect it to it

[BIKEGAL68]

He hehehehe now i can moan my head off to him for taking off on me an not knowing where he has gone.....
Oh an to slow down lol

[shafty]

A couple of questions please Guys:
>They can be "paired" with up to 5 devices? So I could pair a Bluetooth GPS, phone and still use as an intercom?
>If 4 mates had these units, could they not all be paired up for group chat?

Thanks in advance

[Macktheknife]

A couple of questions please Guys:
>They can be "paired" with up to 5 devices? So I could pair a Bluetooth GPS, phone and still use as an intercom?
>If 4 mates had these units, could they not all be paired up for group chat?

Thanks in advance

In theory yes they can, but I have yet to hear of anyone trying it.

[Kiwifire72]

Well we tried them out this weekend as bike to bike coms and wow what a greatthing they are clearity was awesome we did loose conection at one stage due to one of us getting caught at the traffic lights but as soon as we had caught up with each other an d press of button they reconnected with ease
For any of you that have an Ipod I have found this blue tooth adapter for ipod and have it turning up today so thats music sorted for those rides alone and coms sorted for the together rides

http://www.flashcards.co.nz/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1529

try these for your ipod

[NinjaNanna]

Hey There Mate;

Hate to be the bearer of potentially bad news but I don't think this ipod adapter is going to work with your Interphone!!!!

The website says that the ipod unit supports A2DP and AVDCP both of these profiles aren't supported by the Interphone (the interphone only supports Headset and Handsfree profile) this is due primarily to the fact that the interphone is a Mono Device (hence my post about the upcoming Stereo version)

I sincerely hope that I am wrong but I think you are going to be disapointed.

I suspect that your best option for music in your helmet maybe to buy a bluetooth phone that also plays MP3's - my Nokia 6234 does (but once again be careful as some phones don't transfer the music to the bluetooth - my old Sony S700i didn't) Also just be wary of the battery times of both the mobile phone and Interphone if you start streaming music full time - it will cut done talk time significantly on both your mobile phone and Interphone.

Cheers

NN


Well we tried them out this weekend as bike to bike coms and wow what a greatthing they are clearity was awesome we did loose conection at one stage due to one of us getting caught at the traffic lights but as soon as we had caught up with each other an d press of button they reconnected with ease
For any of you that have an Ipod I have found this blue tooth adapter for ipod and have it turning up today so thats music sorted for those rides alone and coms sorted for the together rides

http://www.flashcards.co.nz/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1529

try these for your ipod

[Kiwifire72]

Hey There Mate;

Hate to be the bearer of potentially bad news but I don't think this ipod adapter is going to work with your Interphone!!!!

The website says that the ipod unit supports A2DP and AVDCP both of these profiles aren't supported by the Interphone (the interphone only supports Headset and Handsfree profile) this is due primarily to the fact that the interphone is a Mono Device (hence my post about the upcoming Stereo version)

I sincerely hope that I am wrong but I think you are going to be disapointed.

I suspect that your best option for music in your helmet maybe to buy a bluetooth phone that also plays MP3's - my Nokia 6234 does (but once again be careful as some phones don't transfer the music to the bluetooth - my old Sony S700i didn't) Also just be wary of the battery times of both the mobile phone and Interphone if you start streaming music full time - it will cut done talk time significantly on both your mobile phone and Interphone.

Cheers

NN
SHHHHHHHH I hope you wrong but I suppose I should read the fine print
anyway don't tell the wife I will be in trouble now

[johnnyflash]

A couple of questions please Guys:
>They can be "paired" with up to 5 devices? So I could pair a Bluetooth GPS, phone and still use as an intercom?
>If 4 mates had these units, could they not all be paired up for group chat?

Thanks in advance

1. They can be paiorred with any number of Bluetooth devices but hold in memory only the last 5, so if u use a max f 5 u dont need to re pair em,
2. yes Im failrly sure u can have all five units paired at once ( I have 3 paired at once most of the time. u just push/hold the big button to switch to next one...and the next etc..
3. so that means that yes u could be paired with a number of other headsets but no GROUP chatting.. only one on one, press button talk to next .... is how that would work..
4. simple way to test your IPOD bluetoth adaptor is to take your helmet into the retailer and just Pair em in the shop to ensure it works dont see any reason why it shouldnt though?, Ive even paired it with my PC bluetooth dongle and even thats fine

[shafty]

Thanks Johnny for the insight - apppppppreciated! :sunny:

[Gizzit]

1. They can be paiorred with any number of Bluetooth devices but hold in memory only the last 5, so if u use a max f 5 u dont need to re pair em,
2. yes Im failrly sure u can have all five units paired at once ( I have 3 paired at once most of the time. u just push/hold the big button to switch to next one...and the next etc.. .....


Thanks for that info Johnny. What I had in mind was putting a bluetooth transmitter out of a radar detector audio output, and linking that with a bluant headset(s). I want rider/pillion intercom, hear the radar detector, and possible have an mp3 player hooked in ..... all in bluetooth ... no wires to get tangled in or forget about .... and find yourself attached to as you attempt to walk away from the bike !! :)
But from what you have said, it seems like you can only be hooked up to one device at a time, i.e. rider to pilion intercom, and not actually hear the radar signal unless you were "switched" over to that device .... is that what happens ?
Cheers,
Grant.

[johnnyflash]

Thanks for that info Johnny. What I had in mind was putting a bluetooth transmitter out of a radar detector audio output, and linking that with a bluant headset(s). I want rider/pillion intercom, hear the radar detector, and possible have an mp3 player hooked in ..... all in bluetooth ... no wires to get tangled in or forget about .... and find yourself attached to as you attempt to walk away from the bike !! :)
But from what you have said, it seems like you can only be hooked up to one device at a time, i.e. rider to pilion intercom, and not actually hear the radar signal unless you were "switched" over to that device .... is that what happens ?
Cheers,
Grant.

Hi Grant, I have my bluetooth phone on Vibrate in my chest pocket of jacket, so I feel it vibrate and just puch button on side of helmet, so I suspect that wouldnt suit your radar use..mind you when we are riding long distance I tend to have it by default in phone mode and auto answer so no pushing of buttons, and when I want to talk to pillion I hit the button, or the pillion hits my button.. if that all makes sense.. I have a navman with a hard wire ear piece that plugs into the seat, this is pusitioned in the other ear of the helmet, so I hear both at once if nessesary.. navman and interphone..
If you want MP3 it would need to be bluetooth as this unit has no hardwire option.. though I did hear a whisper somewhere that the next version might have multiple input..
Cheers
Johnny

[johnnyflash]

Thanks for that info Johnny. What I had in mind was putting a bluetooth transmitter out of a radar detector audio output, and linking that with a bluant headset(s). I want rider/pillion intercom, hear the radar detector, and possible have an mp3 player hooked in ..... all in bluetooth ... no wires to get tangled in or forget about .... and find yourself attached to as you attempt to walk away from the bike !! :)
But from what you have said, it seems like you can only be hooked up to one device at a time, i.e. rider to pilion intercom, and not actually hear the radar signal unless you were "switched" over to that device .... is that what happens ?
Cheers,
Grant.

Yep, unfortunately. thats the limitiations of the cheaper version I suspect, the more expensive comms ($1000-1500) might do what you want..
Mind you there are ways you could use the blueant interphone .. ie have the pillion normally hooked to the phone and yours on the radar.. then u both would need to hit the button once to talk to each other and then hit again to get back to your first setup..but if you intend to use mp3 while riding it complicates it even more..
BTW, i dont have a problem with the wired earpiece.. the navman is wired into the bike, with a fly lead to the seat.. if I step off the bike the plug just disconnects itself... anyway, good luck...

[Gizzit]

Thanks for that info Johnny, ... I'll look around at whats available .... I'm sure I can sort something out that works ... without having to spend a grand! :shutup:
Cheers.

[WasPhantom]

I have a query regarding these, I'm looking at getting some custom plugs made from the guys that advertise on here every so often, I'm curious as to how well the speaker works with these in place.... comfort etc... any thoughts?

[Edbear]

Just back from a weekend away up North, first test of the Interphones since finally getting them set up by Lindsay at Cycleworks, Takapuna.

They worked okay on the way up to Whangarei Friday evening, found it a bit hard to hear even on max vol perhaps due to the speakers being mounted behind the lining of the helmets. I'll talk to Lindsay about that.

Charged them up Fri night before we left on our run on Sat. morn about 8:30am. I left them on all day even when we stopped due to figuring that turning them off each time was a hassle, however the batteries went flat about 1:45pm so we had no communication for the rest of the day. So less than 6hrs use.

They stopped working after our first stop in Dargaville, too and when we stopped at the bridge at Rickey's Track in the Waipoua Forest I switched them off and back on again and regained communication. They then worked well until they went flat.

Charged again overnight and they worked well on our trip home from Whangarei to Orewa.

Overall, they were great for talking to each other during the ride with a bit of wind noise as the mikes were directly behind the chin vents though not enough to interefere with communication and not annoying.

I felt they were a bit too quiet, and once the speed got up, say when overtaking, we simply couldn't hear each other until we were back under 120km/h. As I sadi, though, I'll talk to Lindsay about it and see if we can mount the speakers another way.

I will say that having used them, I am sold on the idea of them and Jill and I had a ball, but I'll post that in another thread, titled, "My Wife Can Be So Cute! And a real Blonde!"

[sinned]

We have been using the interphone bike to bike and it works well for half day rides. After that the batteries are flat.

I am now also using the interphone with a Nokia E65 and the phone's voice calling works very well. The E65 recognises first-name + family-name matched to the contact list. The contact list is synchronised to Contacts in Outlook so the phone has all my contacts. With this phone there is no need to train the phone to your voice - it just recognises and dials.

This is how it works:
Touch the button on the interphone and a little tune of beeps is returned in the earpiece, I say the name, the phone returns the name to confirm and then dials the number. If it doesn't find the name it returns "no match found" and I try again.

I have set up a few extra records in contacts, eg. Home so all have to do is say "home" and it dials the number.

To cancel a call or answer an incoming I just touch the button.

This is great as I can keep sweet at home by advising my ETA while on the ride.

We are going to try using the mobile network bike to bike to save battery on longer trips. The cost of calls is capped with the vodafone best mates plan.

[Hitcher]

Mrs H and I are now furiously bike-to-biking with our Blueants. We need to learn how to be battery conservators, as these things only seem up to about five hours worth of chat. Mind you, in Mrs H's case, that is extremely high quality discourse. Me, I just grunt and swear.

[NinjaNanna]

It seems to me that the only complaint anybody can make about these units is the battery life.

From what I understand there is currently no travel charger available for these units but I would be very suprised if one of the mobile phone ones out there wouldn't work perfectly.

Could some body please take a look at the battery charger that came with these units and tell me what voltage (V) they put out and what current they support (A). Also a photo of the power pin would be useful as well as a how long and round it is.

If we could identify the correct mobile phone charger then you could all stick one under your seats and just re-charge your units at lunch time.

Cheers

Shane

[johnnyflash]

It seems to me that the only complaint anybody can make about these units is the battery life.

From what I understand there is currently no travel charger available for these units but I would be very suprised if one of the mobile phone ones out there wouldn't work perfectly.

Could some body please take a look at the battery charger that came with these units and tell me what voltage (V) they put out and what current they support (A). Also a photo of the power pin would be useful as well as a how long and round it is.

If we could identify the correct mobile phone charger then you could all stick one under your seats and just re-charge your units at lunch time.

Cheers

Shane

Hi Shane.
couple of picis attached..

Hitcher..Re battery life, we ride for up to 8 hours in a day and the simple process is for one of u to hit the button and put it in standby mode. (lasts days that way) and if either wants to chat they just hit their button to reconnect (takes 2 secs) so whilst we have left em on and chatted full on for 7 hours the first couple of times, now we might have em on for 10mins here and 10 there but in an eight hour day on the bike its maybe on 3-4 hours a day, while we are at lunch its in standby or phone mode etc, its a one touch of the button to put in standby for either helmet. it aint been a problem

Ed, two things I noted early on in the review time, the position in helmet is most important, also try other side as well some people (me) have better hearing in one :-) we have it mounted on top of the chin strap, just under the little flap. but also the type of helmet makes a diff, some aloow lots of wind underneath, some have vents right where the mic is (i keep mine closed just have the top vent open) also there is a skirt to fit most helmets available that reduces wind from entering the lower part of the helmet. we tend to have neck warmers on so it blocks the bottom of helmet.
Cheers
JJ

[NinjaNanna]

Thanks JJ

This one (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Mobile-phones/Accessories/Chargers/Nokia/auction-129941944.htm) should do the trick nicely. The only problem is to now work out what type of connector that is in the photo, it looks like a 6pin mini-din connector to me.

It would be worth going for a ride/drive to your nearest Jaycar store and see if you can match it up. If it is the connector I think it is it should be a simple matter of cutting of the original connector that is on the Mobile charger and soldering in the new one (making sure the +- polarity is right) then hey presto you can re-charge while out on the bike.

I have a multimeter if anybody wants to try this and needs help to find out which pin is meant to be + and which is -.

Also JJ why are there 2 connectors in the Photo? Does the one Charger charge both units?

Cheers

Shane

[Qkchk]

Thanks JF and NN. I had forgetton about this thread and have just looked throught it again. Qkkid will be well-informed when he gets home tonight! I have bought 2 serperate products aka "pieces of shite" in the past but what you pay in price reflects the quality huh? ;) Road and wind noise has been the main problem with losing speech above speeds of 60kph.

This is exactly what we are after since we were considering purchasing the Baer or other top-end products, but since becoming aware of this product I think we might have to spend a few $$ and get a set for us! (Hopefully it might stop Qkkid getting everyone lost on the ATNR) :lol:


PS I have a cig lighter installed on my bike so if we can source the equiv cig adapter, the batt life problem might be resolved. :woohoo:

[sinned]

Thanks JF and NN. I had forgetton about this thread and have just looked throught it again.

PS I have a cig lighter installed on my bike so if we can source the equiv cig adapter, the batt life problem might be resolved. :woohoo:

Another option is to buy a 12V to 230V power inverter. Small ones come with a cigarette lighter plug, cost under $100, and will charge via the provided power pack, Only issue is they are a little too large to fit under most seats but if touring will fit in a side pocket of pack. I have a unit that is the size of a coffee cup and is designed to drop into a coffee cup holder in a cage. Bought mine from DSE but I see Supercheap also have them - plenty of choice.

[Edbear]

...Ed, two things I noted early on in the review time, the position in helmet is most important, also try other side as well some people (me) have better hearing in one :-) we have it mounted on top of the chin strap, just under the little flap. but also the type of helmet makes a diff, some aloow lots of wind underneath, some have vents right where the mic is (i keep mine closed just have the top vent open) also there is a skirt to fit most helmets available that reduces wind from entering the lower part of the helmet. we tend to have neck warmers on so it blocks the bottom of helmet.
Cheers
JJ


Thanks JJ. I did talk to Lindsay about it and he confirmed the type of helmet does make difference and the Grex are basically a cheaper helmet. He did agree with my idea to mount the speakers outside the lining, though I may even just cut out a little circle over them,. The lining is easy to remove and fiddle about with.

We hope to get out for another ride soon and recheck the battery life by turning them off when we stop, or switching them to standby. At the moment we are in that first stage of having too much fun yakking to each other to turn them to standby while on the move...

[johnnyflash]

Thanks JJ

This one (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Mobile-phones/Accessories/Chargers/Nokia/auction-129941944.htm) should do the trick nicely. The only problem is to now work out what type of connector that is in the photo, it looks like a 6pin mini-din connector to me.

It would be worth going for a ride/drive to your nearest Jaycar store and see if you can match it up. If it is the connector I think it is it should be a simple matter of cutting of the original connector that is on the Mobile charger and soldering in the new one (making sure the +- polarity is right) then hey presto you can re-charge while out on the bike.

I have a multimeter if anybody wants to try this and needs help to find out which pin is meant to be + and which is -.

Also JJ why are there 2 connectors in the Photo? Does the one Charger charge both units?

Cheers

Shane


Sorry Shane, should have explained pici, I put two plugs in pici so u could see endon and side on, yep looks like 6 pin mini din to me also.
Basically there is only one socket on the BlueAnt it has the ear/mic boom plugged into it, and when u want to charge it, unplug that and insert charger one, Pin 1+ and Pin 6- are only power ones used, so yep a 12vdc to 5vdc (0.7amp)out car charger would do the job to charge it , but remember only one socket so u cant USE IT AND CHARGE it at same time...
Like I said earlier belt the button once and its in standby mode, will last to 700 hours in standby, uses next to no juice... I can get many days riding that way, (Im not that much of a rachetjaw ;)) either helmet can reconnect chat mode

[johnnyflash]

Thanks JF and NN. I had forgetton about this thread and have just looked throught it again. Qkkid will be well-informed when he gets home tonight! I have bought 2 serperate products aka "pieces of shite" in the past but what you pay in price reflects the quality huh? ;) Road and wind noise has been the main problem with losing speech above speeds of 60kph.

This is exactly what we are after since we were considering purchasing the Baer or other top-end products, but since becoming aware of this product I think we might have to spend a few $$ and get a set for us! (Hopefully it might stop Qkkid getting everyone lost on the ATNR) :lol:


PS I have a cig lighter installed on my bike so if we can source the equiv cig adapter, the batt life problem might be resolved. :woohoo:

Yo the QKs, yep its not a bad unit for the price, I would prefer to use the Baer if I could cost justify it :-) but this one does the job, atleast to 120k ive had not so good reception at 40 over that ;) (did I say that ?)
cant stress enough, helmet positioning and helmet quality.. but if u are stuck with a helmet that lets in lots of wind, use one of these, there are a few guys around who have em, (just be careful of your nose ripping the helmet off heheheh.. http://proline-sports.co.uk/acatalog/UK_Wind_Jammer_49.html

[johnnyflash]

Mrs H and I are now furiously bike-to-biking with our Blueants. We need to learn how to be battery conservators, as these things only seem up to about five hours worth of chat. Mind you, in Mrs H's case, that is extremely high quality discourse. Me, I just grunt and swear.

Hey Hitcher, As a matter of habit I always run the units FLAT if I can before i recharge em, I can get min 7 hours solid chat before usually one drops out other is still good to go, but now i use the standby button especially for long trips, I dont want to yak solid for 10 hours :-) we might do 15 mins yakking then maybe nothing for 15-30 mins, if ieither of us has something to say its just a matter of hitting the button..


Thanks JF and NN.

PS I have a cig lighter installed on my bike so if we can source the equiv cig adapter, the batt life problem might be resolved. :woohoo:

Sorry that wont help ( I have one too running my navman and other things,) but u cant charge without unplugging the ONLY PORT on the Blueant to plug charger in, it aint designed to run on constant main juice, but you could use the cigi lighter to stick in a modified charger pack if you were not able to source mains electrikery, ie camping in the hills. as Ive said many times before, we use the standby button and that works well, at the end of the day we will charge it overnight if nessesary, which we would usually do when on tour anyhow..

[Bike-aholic]

This is what you are after.

http://cgi.ebay.com/REAL-BLUEANT-INTERPHONE-MOTORCYCLE-BIKE-CAR-POWER-12v_W0QQitemZ150189884203QQihZ005QQcategoryZ133234 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


And this is the cheapest i have seen on the net.

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-BlueAnt-Interphone-Bluetooth-Helmet-Kit-Motorcycle_W0QQitemZ360000405689QQihZ023QQcategory Z133234QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Edbear]

Finally got out for a long weekend and we were keen to try them out again. This time I switched them to standby each time we stopped.

We left last Thurs eve, stopped at the Papakura Autobahn for dinner, (Great food! good place to stop!), and then rode straight through to my sister's place in Morrinsville for the night.

Friday off to our friend's in Matamata, so only a short ride. Charged them up Fri night and on Sat morning we rode across to Tauranga, turned right onto Pyes Pa road through to Rotorua, stopping at the cafe by the lake for lunch where the helicopters and float planes are. Saw these Honda trikes there with a GS1200ss.

Rode back up through the Mamaku's to Tirau where the girls wandered through most of the shops, only Shaz buying a belt. Mrs. Bear decided she was too Scottish that day... A rider from Te Awamutu stopped on a borrowed CB750, '85 model in tidy order and we chatted a bit before heading back across to Matmata. Saw many bikes on the road, great weather and no traffic worries. Saw two HP's on the whole trip!

Charged the interphones up again Sat night and went across to Te Awamutu Sunday to visit friends before riding home, taking the great road West through Pirongia, coming back onto SH1 at Ngaruawahia. Were you KB'rs on the Raglan run Sunday? Stopped to see if a couple on a 750 Shadow were okay and they said they were off to Raglan, then passed about 3-4 bikes at the intersection, waved to them as we turned right to Ngaruawahia. Figured they were waiting for the couple on the Shadow...

All up we did about 650km and while Mrs. Bear's Interphone switched itself off a couple of times, I decided it was because it wasn't properly plugged in, as when I carefully checked it Sat. morn, it worked flawlessly from then on. Apart from being a little quiet, - I think I'll cut a slot in the lining and poke the speakers through - they lasted all day and we had a great time chatting away throughout the trip. Easy to turn to standby and back again and no probs with lasting the distance this time.

The bike just clicked over the 6,000km as we got home so it'll be into Bikesport for its service, prob this Friday, gotta ring Matthew and book it in. It's running sweet as a nut and reinforced what a great cruiser it is. Adequate power two-up with luggage, (added a backpack to the carrier this time), though decided I do need to change down a gear if space is tight for overtaking. John, following on the Bandit commented just how good it sounds when winding it on to overtake. I do think the stock pipes are loud enough not to need changing. In fact I really can't think of any other mods apart from a tank protector to get for it!

Averaged the usual 60mpg and John's Bandit did 45mpg, so good mileage even though we weren't really trying for economy. We did decide we need to look at different riding gear, though, as the R-Jays is a bit too hot for Summer temps, especially behind that big screen.

[Hitcher]

Mrs H and I find that the Blueants work well when "properly" charged. A partial charge problem we have encountered a couple of times is that one person can be heard by the other, but not in reverse. At best we have had up to eight hours useful battery life, by making "strategic" use of the standby function.

[johnnyflash]

Mrs H and I find that the Blueants work well when "properly" charged. A partial charge problem we have encountered a couple of times is that one person can be heard by the other, but not in reverse. At best we have had up to eight hours useful battery life, by making "strategic" use of the standby function.

As Edbear mentioned it is easy to not have the units plugged in with good connection, next time you have the one way problem, just try unplugging and replugging it in (while still in intercom mode) if you notice a decided improvement then thats your problem, I had a similar problem when I first bought mine but doing above identified my problem. I can get a 3 days use out of mine if we only use the intercom maybe for an hour or two each day of actual chatmode, plus a phone call or two, Our pair will run for around 3 weeks in standby before they start flashing red from a full charge, I always let em run flat in in chatmode when I get em home as a rule, then charge em overnight the night before the next run (usually plugged in for 6-8 hours or so)

[Hitcher]

Thanks for the tip. I'll try that plugging/unplugging suggestion next time. This time of the year we're out most days, so overnight recharging is the go, and with not always enough time to run things flat. Such is life!

[Edbear]

Thanks for the tip. I'll try that plugging/unplugging suggestion next time. This time of the year we're out most days, so overnight recharging is the go, and with not always enough time to run things flat. Such is life!


Being Lithium batteries, they don't have the memory effect that the old Ni-Cad's did so charging up each night is fine. On our trip I could probably have managed on one charge, the standby mode made all the difference!

We haven't bothered pairing them with the cell phones, as Mrs. Bear texts while we're riding...:whistle: and I just check my phone each time we stop. The kids all know when we're on the bike and they wait for our replies.

[Qkchk]

Well we have bitten the bullet and have purchased 2 units for myself and Qkkid. Gonna test them tonight on the ATNR and over the long weekend on the Northern Exposure Tour.


Best price in NZ! $172.26+GST!

https://itstore.homebizbuzz.co.nz/acquire/default.asp

Type in Keyword "Interphone" and hey presto!
If you sign up you will get that cheaper price of $172+ plus all the other goodies online.

[shafty]

Well we have bitten the bullet and have purchased 2 units for myself and Qkkid. Gonna test them tonight on the ATNR and over the long weekend on the Northern Exposure Tour.


Best price in NZ! $172.26+GST!

https://itstore.homebizbuzz.co.nz/acquire/default.asp

Type in Keyword "Interphone" and hey presto!
If you sign up you will get that cheaper price of $172+ plus all the other goodies online.

Kool! Thanks for the price heads up and looking forward to your feedback!

[aroberts]

Has anyone tried pairing more than two interphones? If you can store up to 5other devices, I'm hoping you could pair to another rider and also pair to your pillion then switch between them to talk.

I guess the only issue will be that you will probably want to be connected to the other rider by default then just switch to the pillion if they nudge you in the back. If you connected to your pillion all the time, the other rider would have to use some hand signal to get you to connect back to them.

I see people think it is possible but I'd like to know it has been done before we go out buy 3 or 4 of them (2 riders, 2 pillions).

[Qkchk]

Well, we purchased the 2 units from Acquire at a bloody good price (see previous posting for link). Myself and Qkkid ride seperate bikes, so this writeup is for the use of bike to bike. We did try them as bike to Pillion with the same results. However we have not tested the 'Unit to Mobile Phone' side of the unit.

Installation took approx 1/2hr but could take more/less depends on the lid you are fitting it to. We have Arais, mine being a Condor (which it fitted the easiest) and Qkkids a RX7. I pulled the lining away from the shell enough to stick the earpiece and boom between the inside liner and the foam/cusioning of the helmet. Plugged the units into the wall mains - took only 3 hours to charge from new (must of had a residue charge in them) plugged them back into the helmet set and paired the units up (as per included instructions). We put our helmets on walked away from each other, still with in the house. About 20 meters away and around the corner, we were both struck by the digital clarity - The speech was as clear as a digital phonecall. Very impressed. Push the main button, hold down and you will hear 1 beep - That means phone mode (which we havent tested yet) is engaged. Hold the button down again and you will hear 1 beep then a second beep 3 seconds after. If there is another paired unit within 150M range you will hear a little blip and then hear the other person. So after studying the guide a little bit more, we suited up and took to the road in great anticipation.

On the road the wind-noise cancelling technology started to show. 50kph there was no audible unwanted noise and at 100kph there was a small amount but not enough to annoy you. The positioning of the microphone and boom is essential to elimanate any excess wind noise or heavy breathing. :blink: We speed tested the units to over the 'Im walking home speed' (yes on a closed road) and could still understand what we were saying to each other. The only downfall of this unit is the distance. Any further apart than 150Meters and the units start to breakdown. However if you are apart for a given length of time eg: 10mins the units seem to automatically switch back to phone mode/standby so as soon as you think you are back in range you just push the main button and it tries to re-connect.

As for my opinion:

8/10 - Would get 10/10 if only you could boost the range, however I still think it is WORTH EVERY CENT! Lets hope Blueant can sort the technology to extend the range to a couple of kms in the near future..


I would recommend this unit to people who ride together and keep together in a bunch or no further apart than 100M (for best results). You will be surprised how often you use the unit when its there! Come in handy when there is a cop coming around the corner. :shifty:

This system would make an excellent Mentor/Rider Training Tool as you can guide them through road procedures, point out mistakes while they are doing it (turn your indicator off) and play 'Spot the Hazards'.:yeah:

[johnnyflash]

Has anyone tried pairing more than two interphones? If you can store up to 5other devices, I'm hoping you could pair to another rider and also pair to your pillion then switch between them to talk.

I guess the only issue will be that you will probably want to be connected to the other rider by default then just switch to the pillion if they nudge you in the back. If you connected to your pillion all the time, the other rider would have to use some hand signal to get you to connect back to them.

I see people think it is possible but I'd like to know it has been done before we go out buy 3 or 4 of them (2 riders, 2 pillions).

NO, SORRY, you missunderstand what the 5 memories are all about, it will remember the last 5 bluetooth phones its been paired to, so you can just reconnect to whichever one you want WITHOUT having to pair them again....BUT, you can only pair to ONE other BLUEANT INTERPHONE, yes it is physically possible to pair it to another set, but thats not really possible to do whilst you are riding, if you want to hook up to another interphone unit (not mobile phone) then you need to put both units in pair mode, and go through the process as per the book, but you wont be abvle to manage that while you are both riding down the road :-). If you want multiple intercoms between many bikes then buy some two way/multichannel radios (RT),
you will still need a headset as well ofcourse..

[bugjuice]

The only downfall of this unit is the distance. Any further apart than 150Meters and the units start to breakdown.
I had thought about this, and I came to the conclusion that if you're going hard out in the twisties, and loose each other, then talking is the last thing I'd want to be doing anyway, cos you're concentrating on the road. Where as when you do want to talk, it's more often than not when you've slowed the pace and/or on the open boring roads where you have to behave.. For that, I'd be happy.
Shame you (by the looks of it) can't have a 'group' talk, where a few (not just 2) can all chat together. My situ would be riding with one or two others, and having Char on the back too.. It'd be good to talk to everyone for things like where we're heading/doing.. but still, I like the idea, and almost half the price of what 'Treads have them at (I think)..

nice write up. can't wait to have the readies to get a pair myself

[Qkchk]

Shame you (by the looks of it) can't have a 'group' talk, where a few (not just 2) can all chat together.


Well maybe that will be next project for Blueant and we might see something in the next 2years that will work like with the pairing of phones.... instead of learning only 1 other we might be able to pair up to 5 other units and talk together. But does bluetooth have the capacity to talk like an open channel? Bluetooth at this stage only talks to one other 'paired' appliance on a secure channel.....

If you really needed to, you could use the phone feature of the system, make a call and talk to the "other" riders, however it wouldnt be a cost effective way..........:crazy:

Lets hope the future of bluetooth gets better.............

[NZsarge]

NO, SORRY, you missunderstand what the 5 memories are all about, it will remember the last 5 bluetooth phones its been paired to, so you can just reconnect to whichever one you want WITHOUT having to pair them again....BUT, you can only pair to ONE other BLUEANT INTERPHONE.
If you want multiple intercoms between many bikes then buy some two way/multichannel radios (RT),
you will still need a headset as well ofcourse..

Bugger! :pinch: Thanks for that info.:niceone:

[Idubbs]

Well maybe that will be next project for Blueant and we might see something in the next 2years that will work like with the pairing of phones.... instead of learning only 1 other we might be able to pair up to 5 other units and talk together. But does bluetooth have the capacity to talk like an open channel? Bluetooth at this stage only talks to one other 'paired' appliance on a secure channel.....

If you really needed to, you could use the phone feature of the system, make a call and talk to the "other" riders, however it wouldnt be a cost effective way..........:crazy:

Lets hope the future of bluetooth gets better.............

Check this out.....

http://www.beta-zone.dainese.com/eng/dnect/default.asp

[Hitcher]

Check this out...

One predicts with a high degree of certainty that these will not be available in large sizes.

[Hitcher]

Sigh.

Two weeks ago, the functional brilliance of our Blueants failed.

Our two Interphones appear to pair OK, but only one set can hear the other talk. This appears to be a fault with one of the mike/earpieces -- swapping the base sets from helmet to helmet doesn't reverse the effect, which logic suggests it would if the problem was in the base unit. The "deaf" headset can hear the other being plugged and unplugged, but not what is being spoken on that unit.

The units had been working brilliantly up until this happened about two weeks ago. I have tried re-pairing the units on two occasions, but this doesn't help.

Is there somebody in the Wellington region who has an Interphone in working order that we can use to eliminate where the fault in ours may be? I suspect it's either the microphone or a plug failure in Mrs H's helmet.

[Edbear]

Sigh.

Two weeks ago, the functional brilliance of our Blueants failed.

Our two Interphones appear to pair OK, but only one set can hear the other talk. This appears to be a fault with one of the mike/earpieces -- swapping the base sets from helmet to helmet doesn't reverse the effect, which logic suggests it would if the problem was in the base unit. The "deaf" headset can hear the other being plugged and unplugged, but not what is being spoken on that unit.

The units had been working brilliantly up until this happened about two weeks ago. I have tried re-pairing the units on two occasions, but this doesn't help.

Is there somebody in the Wellington region who has an Interphone in working order that we can use to eliminate where the fault in ours may be? I suspect it's either the microphone or a plug failure in Mrs H's helmet.


We had the same problem. I know it's a toll call, but give Lyndsay at Cycletreads in Takapuna a call, he's the guru on these things. He fixed ours but I can't remember what the problem was. It was a programing thing, I think.

[Hitcher]

We had the same problem. I know it's a toll call, but give Lyndsay at Cycletreads in Takapuna a call, he's the guru on these things. He fixed ours but I can't remember what the problem was. It was a programing thing, I think.

I've sent an email to Blueant's Australian help desk thingie. We'll see what transpires. Otherwise a call to Cycletreads will be made.

[Edbear]

I also had them cut out on us last trip, but found I hadn't fully plugged in one of the units. Carefully plugging them back in after charging meant no more problems and they've been fine since.

[Hitcher]

We've had intermittent faults before. Quite often these appeared to be due to some post-charging disorder, rather than any obvious mechanical connection issue. They have been consistently like this now for at least a couple of weeks.

[Edbear]

Keep us posted. We're off to the Paeroa races this weekend so hopefully we'll continue to have good communications...

[WasPhantom]

Sigh.

Two weeks ago, the functional brilliance of our Blueants failed.

Our two Interphones appear to pair OK, but only one set can hear the other talk. This appears to be a fault with one of the mike/earpieces -- swapping the base sets from helmet to helmet doesn't reverse the effect, which logic suggests it would if the problem was in the base unit. The "deaf" headset can hear the other being plugged and unplugged, but not what is being spoken on that unit.

The units had been working brilliantly up until this happened about two weeks ago. I have tried re-pairing the units on two occasions, but this doesn't help.

Is there somebody in the Wellington region who has an Interphone in working order that we can use to eliminate where the fault in ours may be? I suspect it's either the microphone or a plug failure in Mrs H's helmet.

Mine did this, it turns out I crushed one of the wires as I could get it in a place that was "just right" and it would work. Bit of a pain, and it really didn't take too much to do... I got the replacement pack from the guys in Australia, and it turned up the next week, and the other half had to put up with my singing once again!

[johnnyflash]

Sigh.

Two weeks ago, the functional brilliance of our Blueants failed.

Our two Interphones appear to pair OK, but only one set can hear the other talk. This appears to be a fault with one of the mike/earpieces -- swapping the base sets from helmet to helmet doesn't reverse the effect, which logic suggests it would if the problem was in the base unit. The "deaf" headset can hear the other being plugged and unplugged, but not what is being spoken on that unit.

The units had been working brilliantly up until this happened about two weeks ago. I have tried re-pairing the units on two occasions, but this doesn't help.

Is there somebody in the Wellington region who has an Interphone in working order that we can use to eliminate where the fault in ours may be? I suspect it's either the microphone or a plug failure in Mrs H's helmet.

Must be the day for it, after about 9 months of almost daily use one of our sets had a similar fault which was caused by the plug not seating properly in the housing, if you wiggled/held it a certain way it would work fine, we returned it and they supplied a new one..

[Edbear]

Well, we went to Paeroa as planned and I can report the units worked almost perfectly. I say "almost" because they cut out as we passed through Paeroa on our detoured way to Morrinsville. (There was a fatal accident on the plains meaning we had to turn back at Patetonga and reroute through Ngatea and Paeroa.)

It turned out to be the lead not securely plugged in on my wife's unit. It wasn't until we stopped at the Bombays on the way home that I discovered she was inadvertantly wriggling it each time she put her helmet on and it would move just enough to disconnect after riding some distance. Now I'll know to check it each time.:doh:

The other problem, related, was that they wouldn't pair each time after switching them to standby when stopping and re-pairing them when setting off again, and I had to turn them off and on again. This was also due to her inadvertantly pressing the button when putting her helmet on! Yes, she's blonde!:rolleyes:

[johnnyflash]

Well, we went to Paeroa as planned and I can report the units worked almost perfectly. I say "almost" because they cut out as we passed through Paeroa on our detoured way to Morrinsville. (There was a fatal accident on the plains meaning we had to turn back at Patetonga and reroute through Ngatea and Paeroa.)

It turned out to be the lead not securely plugged in on my wife's unit. It wasn't until we stopped at the Bombays on the way home that I discovered she was inadvertantly wriggling it each time she put her helmet on and it would move just enough to disconnect after riding some distance. Now I'll know to check it each time.:doh:

The other problem, related, was that they wouldn't pair each time after switching them to standby when stopping and re-pairing them when setting off again, and I had to turn them off and on again. This was also due to her inadvertantly pressing the button when putting her helmet on! Yes, she's blonde!:rolleyes:


Ed, its an unfortunately the fact that these things use that big button for many functions, and if you hold the button too long you will either , switch it off, or put it into some other mode, we got caught with that in the early days too,

[Hitcher]

Suspect unit is being packed off to Blueant tomorrow.

[avago]

Suspect unit is being packed off to Blueant tomorrow.

hi, just curious as to how you got on with your returned unit.

I had the same problems as others mentioned earlier regarding lack of hearing each other between two units. returned them. Faults with both units were identified but only one was returned. After 6 weeks of harassing for the second unit I gave up and made them give me my money back for both. Teach me to buy from Dick Smiths.

Did you have any trouble getting yours serviced or replaced?

[Hitcher]

Blueant New Zealand has become noncommunicative. Fuck knows what's happening there.