Bluetooth Intercom headsets

[Garth]

Most welcome mr Reeves!!

Look forward to seeing what you come up with Doug. If it is as good as your lights we will be in for a treat!

[Tony Leigh]

Doug,

I would be really interested in what you are testing. I suffer from tinnitus which is exacerbated after driving even with ear plugs and modified Peltor ear defenders, so am really keen to try active noise cancelling headset (ideally wireless). I did contact Sabre leisure a few weeks ago who supply SPH10 headsets and they said they may be able to source Tufftalk headsets but I haven't followed that up yet. Do you know how long before your trial will be completed?

[Garth]

Hi Jason

Just realised that I mailed this response to the club website help address! Here is what I sent - repeats some of what has been said since your post - apologies.....

My DIY headsets work very well in the 'cockpit' and even between cars if one stays close! They connect ok to my phone, but I could not get them to work with my satnav and/or the walkie talkies. Very poor instructions compared to the Sena stuff so difficult to know what they can actually do. But sound quality great.

I got my TuffTalks in the UK a while ago - but have also heard that they are not readily available at the moment - although I am pretty sure Alan Reeves had a price from ‘brillbikebitz’ on ebay recently - they are too expensive for what they are though, so I suspect they do not sell well for that reason!?

PTT is on the side of the TuffTalk headset if you plug the walkie talkie into the headset. I have not used them like this as I use the Sena SR10 unit which is bluetooth and has its own PTT button and an extension - I fix mine to the handbrake - you still have to take your hand off the steering wheel though!

Only used mine with a screen so cannot comment on aero!

Going to do a bit of research on Zello to try and understand how that works.

Good luck.
Garth
 

[Strangely]

Thanks Garth. Buying things would be so easy if companies would just make exactly what I want ;)

[David Brown]

Used zello with a cheap Bluetooth camera button as PTT velcroed to steering wheel. 

[JAL]

Look forward to seeing what you come up with Doug. If it is as good as your lights we will be in for a treat!

Thanks for the kind words Garth. This will be a joint effort between JAL and a very experienced communications company. As always I try to solve problems that I have as a Caterham owner. I have tried three different types of comms systems for my Caterham and found them all either inadequate for the job and/or too difficult to install. I do not want 10 wires to make a system work!

Doug,

I would be really interested in what you are testing. I suffer from tinnitus which is exacerbated after driving even with ear plugs and modified Peltor ear defenders, so am really keen to try active noise cancelling headset (ideally wireless). I did contact Sabre leisure a few weeks ago who supply SPH10 headsets and they said they may be able to source Tufftalk headsets but I haven't followed that up yet. Do you know how long before your trial will be completed?

Tony Leigh

I tried to contact Sena 6 times via various methods and was totally ignored. I finally used their support 'chat' service and was told that they could not help me with TuffTalk products at this time. I am not sure what is happening with them at the moment as even their European phone number goes through to the wrong company! I spoke to several Sena distributors who said that the TuffTalk range had been removed from the UK and European markets for the foreseeable future. No word as to why this has happened but a breech in legislation was suspected, (distributors words not mine).

I also suffer from tinnitus Tony so I feel your frustration. Caterhams do not help the situation at all. I have headsets on test with Caterham owners now and we are addressing various needs. Brief specification:

• Stereo headphones with comfortable gel ear seals (designed to be worn for lengthy periods as they do not squeeze your head)
• Electronic noise filtering
• Double skinned ear defenders. (Tests so far show these cut out more ambient noise, up to 3 times quieter than other headsets. )
• Bluetooth - for stereo music and telephone calls
• Military grade waterproof noise cancelling mic with wind muff
• Built in Rechargeable battery
• Works with any PMR radio
• PTT button built in (optional remote PTT button)

It is early days but testing is being performed as we speak. Fingers crossed the product will be launched very soon.

Doug

 

 

[Frogman]

Doug,

I am not sure if you have looked at Sonic Comms who do a lot of stuff for police and military, you may be interested in their induction loop and covert earpiece systems that could be adapted for our use although it will have some limitations. Possibly of more interest is their bone phone transducer systems used in Police bike helmets. No wind noise as all sound is bone transmitted and it allows for the ear canals to be blocked for aural protection.

Obviously that is just the user end and the interface allowing ease fo use and ease of expansion for radios etc is the other bit. It is encouraging to know that a Caterham individual is on the case. Best of luck.

 

[Tony Leigh]

Doug,

Thanks for your comprehensive reply, I look forward to your headset product launch.

[JAL]

Hi Frogman, thanks for the information that is really kind of you.

I started to think outside the box and asked myself 'if I was flying a Tiger Moth how would I talk to the passenger?' 

Doug

[SLR No.77]

I really like our Sena SPH10 headsets being on-ear rather then full over head, it suits what I want from the Caterham better with a more open feel, the only issue is they need a little more amplification when running at speed with earplugs. I have wired Ultimate Ear ear buds and I'm tempted to try to add a socket/connection to the SPH10 to give better sound like the Sena 20S units, to me they'd then be near perfect.

Pretty well all Sena units work well (like most other BT units) with phone, nav, PMR etc, long gone are the days of bad connectivity and battery life and the range is very impressive, particularly multi bike/car with the latest "mesh" technology. Any newcomer to the market really needs to include mesh type connectivity because PMR add-ons are gradually becoming old hat in preference to the simplicity of full Bluetooth.

Stu.

[Gregs79]

Watching with interest. 

[Leev1234]

Hi Doug,

Any news on the product?  I'm looking to buy a setup for comms and would be interested in your progress.

Thanks,
Ed

[David aka Blue7]

Ed

I recently had a sneak preview and they look like a 1st class piece of kit but I will leave it to Doug to respond with more detail

David

[admaraujo]

Has anyone looked at the Peltor Lite com plus headsets with built-in PMR446 and BT?

[JAL]

I will bow to the pressure of the PM's sent to me.

I hope to officially release the JAL PRO-COM Headset next week.

I have released some preliminary information here along with a video from a long term tester - Rob Oldland.

Link to JAL PRO-COM Information

Obviously club members can use their club discount on all JAL products plus there are interest free payments available on any order over £35.

Its been a long time coming but the PRO-COM is finally here (almost).

Doug

[7Up]

I just took delivery of these:

https://isotunes.co.uk/products/isotunes-link?gclid=Cj0KCQiA-rj9BRCAARIsANB_4ACossi1B3qficwWCIo62gBy6Fe0SyHykaPA8kGSM0VuRDam5bS-XbcaAntzEALw_wcB

low cost, great noise protection, bluetooth for music and calls and used with Discord on your phone can be a co-pilot communicator!

 

[CPS7]

They look good. I'm not familiar with Discord. Interested on how you find these in practice.

[mandalman]

Doug

Possibly a couple of really silly questions but bear in mind I am absolutely totally non-technical and have never owned an intercom headset:

1. What is this 'PMR radio' that Rob speaks of? Is it additional equipment that I need?

2. I regularly blat with a couple of muscle head guys in their American Tin Tops. They communicate via CB and always give me a handset which I can't use because the sound quality is terrible and there is too much wind noise in the Caterham. Would your headset be able to communicate with them? Suspect the answer is no but worth asking the question

PS. Thanks for the LED light kit - superb products

[JAL]

Hi Mandalman,

1. A PMR (Private Mobile Radio) radio is basically what we all know as a walkie talkie. One of the most commonly used Radios is the BaoFeng UV-5R. This is readily available from many websites for under £30. The JAL PRO-COM headset is designed to work with virtually any PMR radio available today. You simply plug the PRO-COM into the PMR and then the PTT (Push To Talk) button and volume are controlled via the PRO-COM headset.

2. The CB radio is an unknown factor but certainly worth investigating for you. Can you find out the make and model of the handset they give you? 

Doug

[ChrisC]

So just for reference, to use a BaoFeng UV-5R in the UK you would need a Amateur Radio license (Ham Radio).  A BaoFeng UV-5R isn't a PMR radio, it's too powerful and has a removable antenna, features which mean it can't be classed as a PMR.  

Search "PMR 446 License free" to find a vast range of radios you can use without a license.   

[mandalman]

Cheers guys. I will investigate. They refer to it as a CB but the handset they give me is essentialy a walkie talkie with a PTT. I will find our exactly what it is they use

[mandalman]

Just looking around the tinterweb and came across this:

 

https://www.onedirect.co.uk/motorola/motorola-t82-extreme-quad-pack

 

So would I be correct in thinking that, with this I could give a handset to each of my mates in their tintops and I could connect a Jal system to my handset and we could all communicate  (provided of course we were within range of each other).

This is irrespective of whatever system they use at the moment because they freely admit it's old and not very good.

[JAL]

I would avoid Motorola if you want a compatible radio. Motorola use their own special connections for external options.

The question of 'which radio' has been raised several times already so I am also looking at offering a compatible radio.

Doug 

[mandalman]

thanks Doug

[JAL]

I promised to keep members updated so I am pleased to announce that the JAL PRO-COM Headset has now been launched. Full details are available here.

There is a Bluetooth and Non-Bluetooth version and a host of accessories to tailor the system to your exact requirements. The system is modular so you can buy a single headset to get you started and then add to your system later if required.

I am also trying an experimental 'PRO-COM System Builder' to help customers through the buying process. An FAQ will be coming shortly.

As with all JAL products there are interest free payments available.

Doug