Autocom Power

Not much happening on the bike front for me at the moment (other then riding it!). Today, however, I have been able to install the battery lead for my Autocom unit. This means I don't have to worry about recharging the batteries within the unit as the bike now powers it.

However this does lead to a few issues. Firstly to get any music out of the unit I have to lift up my seat and turn on the player. Not a problem, that is if Kawasaki had actually designed a latching system for the seat that just slips on and off. No, they have gone for one that you have to wiggle and push the seat around to get it to locate and secure. The same is true of the radios. I have the Midland G7 and the cable from Autocom is a mere 6 inches long (150mm for the metricated), which means there may not be enough room under the seat for both (haven't tried yet it was getting quite dark by the time I finished). I can make some small extension leads for it and that is the route I will take if I have too.

As someone who is interested in electronics I am hoping to find/create a MP3 system that will operate something like a car stereo and have a continue feature as power is applied. This would be great as it would mean, at least for music, I wouldn't have to pull up the seat to start it.

Well, thats it for the moment. Next major thing for me will be the NEC motorbike show later in the month. Looking forward to it and getting to see the new GSXR600, CBR600 and ZX10R. Till then!

Autocom update

Have finished getting the parts to complete my Autocom unit. Purchased the Midland G7 off of eBay. Most places seem to be selling the radio for about £50 per unit. Going onto eBay, got two units with base station for £48. Bargain! So having got the radios I had to get the lead for the Autocom to connect it. Ordered from BikeBitz in Yatley online. Really quick service, ordered 3pm Monday, received Tuesday morning, very impressed. Opened up the parcel and noted that the lead I ordered for the radio was the wrong one. A quick phone call later and I had organised to pop into their store (was passing that way) and get a replacement. Wednesday afternoon went into the store and got the replacement. Really quick and really professional 10/10 for those guys.
Using the radio requires a change in the way that you speak. As anyone who has used PMR radios before know they are 'half-duplex' or can only receive or transmit. Where as a mobile phone is 'full-duplex' so you can speak at the same time as the caller. There is also a delay in the time between speaking, the transmitter sending and the receiver picking up. Autocom's manual suggests that you have a key-word that you start what you want to say with. So for example if you said "Turn left at the roundabout" the receiver would get "left at the roundabout". The suggestion is to start with "OK", thus you would say "OK... Turn left at the roundabout". With the use of radios there is a certain etiquette and when you finish a sentence to end with "over". Although the G7 radios have a tone they play once transmission has finished.

The range of the G7's is reasonably normal for PMR, however don't expect them to work over longer distances if you are in a concrete canyon. I would say, in a builtup area out of line-of-sight, about 200-300 meters is it.

For thier intended use as communication between riders though it works very well, with the speech through the Autocom being very clear. As long as you don't get too far away when entering a built up area they are great to be able to give instructions; or just chat on those longer trips.

AutoCom L1 Logic

For Christmas I was brought an AutoCom L1 Logic system. I have finally installed it into my helmet. The unit comes with the main unit, headset and two connection leads; one for music and the other for mobile phones.

Once I figured out how to remove the padding from my helmet I was able to get the mic and speakers installed with little fuss. The instructions provided give a comprehensive overview of the install process, and it is a good idea to read it a couple of times before attempting. Depending on the design of the helmet you may well be able to easily remove one or both of the cheek pads for easy installation. Most of the wiring can be fitted behind the pad, with the speaker wires running around the helmet. Fortunately the wiring for the right speaker is longer allowing it to be run around the back of the helmet and to the right side. Supplied is a length of Velcro hoops which can be used to stick the cabling to the helmet shell.

Once that is all in place the helmet can be put on to check final position of the mic and speakers. My last set of speakers had a cover on them which made them very soft and comfortable. These are a plastic shell and when I put on the helmet there was a noticeable pressure on my ears from them. There may be some playing around to get them to fit comfortably.

Although I have yet to use them in anger, the test I have done shows them to work quite well. I had music playing on one input and when I spoke, after adjusting the VOX level, the music faded down and my voice came clearly over the speakers. I then connected my mobile. Using it to call a friend, we had a quick chat and the system worked faultlessly, with the exception of a couple of times where I didn't quite speak loudly enough for the VOX to kick in.

Aside from the comfort of the speakers, the only other issue comes from size. Although the main unit isn't that big, it is what you need to carry with it. Just with my test rig above I had an MP3 player, mobile, the AutoCom and all the leads to connect them. This isn't a small rig. Add onto that a bike-to-bike radio and satnav, this is going to be something that isn't going to be able to fit into a pocket. AutoCom do sell a small magnetic tank-pack which can be used to house it all or you may be able to get a 'bum-bag' to help contain it all.

On the note of a mobile. All that is supplied with the kit is a 2.5mm to 3.5mm lead. While there are some mobiles that have a 2.5mm jack on them, mine doesn't. HTC use the magic of a EXTusb connection. That means the need to buy an adaptor to convert it with. Unfortunately the only one I could find is a bit of a brick and again takes up more valuable space.

Once I have had a go with this on the road I will update the review of it all.

Good Points

• Very clear audio
• Easy to connect
• VOX works well, once setup

Bad Points

• Speakers a little uncomfortable, may just need adjusting better
• Rig can get very big very quickly

Xmas prezzies!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and is looking forward to the New Year. Had a mildly bitter sweet Christmas, I was given an Autocom system and a Grip-Lock for my motorbike. Of course I am overjoyed to have them, but it did remind me that I don't have my bike yet, something I am hoping to hear about on Tuesday. Still I am looking forward to being able to use them. As soon as they have been used a few times I will be putting up some reviews on them.