GrizzlyGuy wrote:
I don't know Teejay, it seems like the Collett all by itself might be your best bet. I downloaded the 3 StarCom manuals, and although they allow you to connect an external 2-way radio (ex: Uniden), they apparently don't come with one. The Collett IS a radio. No need to add another radio if you just want to talk to other people with Colletts.
If you did want to talk to others (ex: on FRS) then you'd be adding that radio in either case. So that's a wash.
The Colletts and the StarComs both let you feed in music (iPod/iPhone/XM/whatever) so that's a wash.
With the Collett, you aren't tethered to the quad. The unit is on your helmet and the battery is in your pocket (or maybe on the back of your helmet). With the StarCom, you are wired to it. And it is wired to your ATV for 12V power.
The Collett is waterproof. The StarCom isn't.
If you did want to add another 2-way radio (FRS, ham, whatever) you'd be wiring it to the StarCom. With the Collett + TalkSafe, you'd at least have the option to stay untethered and still have another radio.
FYI, the Colletts have 3-channel capability and all come with an "international" channel. So even if you were out here riding with Ken and didn't have his ATVObsession channel installed, you could both switch to the international channel and still communicate. And if you were going to get a couple of these (maybe to talk to your wife on her quad) you can get your own private channel installed and never have to worry about others on your frequency.
Seems like the range of the Collett would be at least as good as FRS. I haven't used one, Ken could tell you about that.
A 2m ham radio should beat either one for range because hams can run more power, add gain antennas, and the lower frequency waves "bend" a bit more to let you at least have a shot at over-the-horizon communications. And of course the repeater capabilities really let you go over the horizon if both people can see the repeater.
Ok, so what I got back from Starcom is what I was worried about originally with the Collett bluetooth, is that the pairing only allows a 1 to 1 connection. So if you hook up with a cell phone, you can't pair another bluetooth device to it. Which is a ding for it or at least their bluetooth adapater that they sell. If the adapater is a bluetooth version2 then it shouldn't be an issue. According to the manufacturer, the communication input for comm radios will work with pretty much any comm equipment, like a CB, 2 way, FRM, GRMS, provided that the radio picks up the mic input by dropping it onto the in line in order to transmit, which I'm sure pretty much most of the ppt shoulder mics do, if not, that is where wires, heatshrink, connectors, and solder come into play.
On these units what you do is mount it to the bike and while it did say it wasn't waterproof, there are a million enclosures you can use. You can use pretty much any headset with them, and your headset and mic plugs into a break away cable that connects up to the starcom1 unit itself. One cable is better than multiple cables, but worse than no cables. I was rushed when I first came across it but after sitting down and going over it some more, tt isn't exactly what I'm looking for but it was just another option.
I'm still waiting to hear back from Collett about how the bluetooth option works with other bluetooth devices aside from cell phones, and then from there, whether or not PTT would be needed.
In the end, I'll probably still be going down the Collett path, but they don't seem to have a 12 volt charger for their battery packs, so I guess I'll just have to pick up an extra battery for the long distance rides.
Regardless of which way I go, I'm going to add a ham handheld to the system just for safety reasons, and well I like to have the option to chat with others.
Talking to the wife on the quad? Why would I want to listen to her bitch at me when I'm trying to get away from her! I ride the quad so I wouldn't have to listen to her piss and moan about my driving, or if I'm causing too much dust, or whatever else she would find to complain about.