Bluetooth helmet headset

I'm not trying to sugar coat my use of a cell phone while riding but I will say that do not converse with anyone while tangled up in city traffic. In fact, I'll even shut my music off if the traffic is that bad as music can be just as distracting. I do pefer to pull over and use the phone. I was merely touting the capability of Scala Rider Q2 to be useable at highway speeds.

After some jackass almost killed me last September, I've added a voice dail entry to my cell which calls the local police service "Agressive Driver Hotline". ; )

 

I rarely talk on the cell but I'm subject to emergency recall, so the ability is needed. I very much prefer to ride with my tunes and in fact didn't even know my cell could do bluetooth stereo until the first time I linked it to my helmet...

 

:director::focus:

 

I'm gonna be in the market for a radio system.. for the bike.. maybe a dual for when the GF goes with me on "long " rides..... but thats just a way for me to get a system so I can use it on group rides as well.

 

Any input on battery life yet? I'm considering getting this for my ski helmet more than my M/C helmet; the price is awesome.

 

The Midland and Scala units look surprisingly similar. I wouldn't be surprised if they were OEM'd by the same company. My Q2 is supposed to have "up to" 8 hours talk time. I never have or ever will go that long before charging it up. I'm sure for music it should last even longer.

 

The battery life of the Q2 is fantastic. When I borrowed the second half of my friend's unit so we could talk to each other on a ride, we rode all day and talked to each other almost constantly (bike-to-bike, not cell) with no problems. And they weren't even fully charged!

I'd imagine the Shark should have good battery life too -- bluetooth is very battery friendly -- just wondering if cheap batteries are how they get the price so low since everything seems to be working very well.

Just to clarify, this Shark does not do bike-to-bike, right? Only bluetooth (cell/gps/etc)?

 

Years ago I went skiing at bear valley with my ag teacher and her husband( it was a class trip ) he brought some headsets that were the predessors to what we use now as the personal radios..they had all the stuff that we like now just they were a "headset" instead of a handset. Pretty sure these were motorola radios...I wonder if they are compatible with today's radios?

 

I don't see why not. They just might not have the same sub-frequencies that give you more options for private channels..

 

now i just have to remember what box mine is stuffed in.... its been there since......a while

 

The BT2 is about the same for standby time. I found that I can get about 5-6hrs of continuous use. I took it on a trip to the Key's, it lasted 5hrs.

 

If you look at Cardo's lower end systems, (which are attractively priced) you will see that the are not capable of bike-to-bike. I wonder why...transmitting power likely.

Products Comparison | CARDO SYSTEMS INC.

I would doubt the Shark unit is bike-to-bike at that price point.

Billy doesn't need a comm system as he is doing a fine job at talking to himself.

 

I have the Scala Q2 (2 sets) with the intent of using it bike to bike only. I have not used it yet (Winter here) but have played in the house with the 2 helments and it works fine. It has a range of about 1/2 mile between bikes (so it claims). I found mounting it to my Shoei helmet was pretty easy however the microphone whichi is pushed up against the front of the full face helment is continually touching my lips wihich is a bit irritating. Going to need to try some minor location changes.

 

it seems that Shoei helmets are more forgiving on mounting earphones and microphones in/to. not sure how to get around the mic issue...if you remove any foam the wind noise kicks up....

 

It is my understanding that noise cancelling mics work better the closer they are to your lips.

I play drums in a local rock band and also sing lead vocals. I have a headset mic for this purpose. The manufacturer stated in their material that the optimum placement for the mic was just lightly touching the lips. I hated it at first but got used to it. My Q2 mic is very close to my lips in my RKT-101 lid.

 

The Q2 speakers fit wonderfully under the lining of my HJC Symax II. Couldn't feel them at all. Mic touching my lips took getting used to, but worked great.

 

I have a Shoei RF1000 and the kit from J&M Corp with holes cut in the polystyrene for the speakers and mic to fit into but in my defense, the chin and ear section is separate from the skull section. I did practice on an old RF before doing the surgery on the new one, something I highly recommend because there are molded tabs in the foam that must be treated with care. The fit is excellent, my ears clearing the speakers and the mic foam barely brushing against my face. Even with the mic mounted to the left of the shield intake area, the noise canceling tech works so well no one knows I'm on the bike, even at 80+.