Favorite Communicator Uclear, Sena, Cardo, GMRS, What?

[TomInPA]

Good info. I'm waiting for the first company to automate this through iPhone and android. Eliminating any extra product for those of us that wear monitors. I've come close to buying something, just to be able to answer calls.

Bill, if all you need is to answer calls, then just attach an iPhone compatible headset to your phone.

They deliver calls and music using Bluetooth, but won't give you GPS or intercom features. Cheap, cheap, cheap! Sounds perfect.

 

[jmdaniel]

Sena 20S. The first one was junk, with ridiculously short battery life. Sent it in, they mixed up my RMA number with a woman's from Missouri, who was getting warranty work on her 10. She wasn't getting hers back, I wasn't getting mine back, and the final straw was when some doofus called and told me they needed me to pay them $x.xx, so they could send my unit to Mexico for repairs. I Googled to find the name of the head of North America operations, sent him an email, and I had a brand new complete unit being sent to me later that afternoon. The second one works fine...

 

[NightShine]

I just got the 20S for the girlfriend and me 2 weeks ago. Lot's of confusing features to learn. My biggest gripe is that the music is too quiet on max volume. FM Radio is plenty loud when I can get it.

Hey, Pete!

What devices are you using to pair to your 20s?

 

[HyperPete]

I just got the 20S for the girlfriend and me 2 weeks ago. Lot's of confusing features to learn. My biggest gripe is that the music is too quiet on max volume. FM Radio is plenty loud when I can get it.

Hey, Pete!

What devices are you using to pair to your 20s?

Right now I pair a Samsung Note 3 to my helmet, and my girlfriend pairs a Note 4 to hers.

 

[NightShine]

I just got the 20S for the girlfriend and me 2 weeks ago. Lot's of confusing features to learn. My biggest gripe is that the music is too quiet on max volume. FM Radio is plenty loud when I can get it.

Hey, Pete!

What devices are you using to pair to your 20s?

Right now I pair a Samsung Note 3 to my helmet, and my girlfriend pairs a Note 4 to hers.

Yea, I was wondering because I have my iPhone and TomTom Rider 2013 paired to the 20s, and there's a large disparity between the volume levels from the iPhone playing music from other functions. The TomTom and the iPhone's phone and Siri audio levels are WAY higher than iPhone music levels.

Sena support wasn't very helpful in resolving this, so I just work around it for now...

 

[JustinNck1]

I just got the 20S for the girlfriend and me 2 weeks ago. Lot's of confusing features to learn. My biggest gripe is that the music is too quiet on max volume. FM Radio is plenty loud when I can get it.

Hey, Pete!

What devices are you using to pair to your 20s?

Right now I pair a Samsung Note 3 to my helmet, and my girlfriend pairs a Note 4 to hers.

Yea, I was wondering because I have my iPhone and TomTom Rider 2013 paired to the 20s, and there's a large disparity between the volume levels from the iPhone playing music from other functions. The TomTom and the iPhone's phone and Siri audio levels are WAY higher than iPhone music levels.

Sena support wasn't very helpful in resolving this, so I just work around it for now...

I have seen this issue before. I had best luck by making the music volume on the phone at max volume, then adjust the final volume on the Sena unit.

 

[HyperPete]

Yea, I was wondering because I have my iPhone and TomTom Rider 2013 paired to the 20s, and there's a large disparity between the volume levels from the iPhone playing music from other functions. The TomTom and the iPhone's phone and Siri audio levels are WAY higher than iPhone music levels.

Sena support wasn't very helpful in resolving this, so I just work around it for now...

I figured that they wouldn't be. Still, I may open a case about it.

I have seen this issue before. I had best luck by making the music volume on the phone at max volume, then adjust the final volume on the Sena unit.

I have the phone volume cranked to maximum for music. It's still far far quieter for music than radio or intercom, or even the phone. I even tried Audio Boost, but in my opinion, all that is good for is boosting the distortion.

 

[Madmudder]

Have you installed the newest firmware? A phone call will determine if it is defective or in working order. They will get you to do a factory reset then install items in an order that seems to work.

 

[HyperPete]

Have you installed the newest firmware? A phone call will determine if it is defective or in working order. They will get you to do a factory reset then install items in an order that seems to work.

Yep. It came with 1.6. That's the latest.

 

[HyperPete]

I contacted Sena Support via email. Here is what I wrote:

I just purchased a 20S Dual kit with Firmware version 1.6. I paired it to my Samsung Note 3 with no difficulty. It is not paired to anything else. I have the volume turned up fully on the phone, and for the music app on the phone. It is not loud enough to be heard at speeds over 25 to 30 MPH. The FM radio is very loud, however (when I can get reception) and so is intercom. Audio boost is useless, unless I want to boost distortion only.

What else can be done to increase the volume of music? Note: I know this is not specific to my phone. I have friends with 20S and iPhones that experience the exact same problem.

Please advise. Thank you.

I got the (unacceptable) answer:

Other than the Audio Boost, there is no other way to raise the volume. Make sure to adjust the volume on the 20s while the music is playing until you hear a double beep, which indicates the max volume. Volume levels can be quite subjective as we have people complaining is too loud. Also, make sure the speakers are very close to your ears and aligned properly. If there is a gap, use the speaker pads.

Regards,

I replied that this response was unacceptable, and I requested new firmware that would provide louder output for music.

The reply I got to THAT was:

I will gladly forward your request to our developers. For feature requests, feel free to post on our forum here:
https://support.sena.com/forums/20210588-feature-requests

I'm not really expecting resolution, but it's worth trying. Perhaps, if you are experiencing the same problem, submitting requests for new firmware to address this might improve the chances of Sena actually doing something about it. (The squeaky wheel gets the grease!)

Also, I am going to try wrapping bell wire around the right speaker wire (which also serves as the FM antenna) to see if I can improve reception. After I do so and have a chance to test it, I'll reply back here with my findings.

Cheers!

 

[Madmudder]

HyperPete,

I would strongly suggest you call in and ask for a factory reset then request assistance with pairing all the devices. If it still is not as loud as other options request an RMA number for a defective unit.

https://support.sena.com/attachments/token/LEp5OheH5sBXuMtJyNq4c1rZo/?name=20S+Factory+Reset.png

(844) 297-0267

 

[HyperPete]

The phone is the only paired device on my headset. I can call support and perhaps get a replacement unit, but it will have to wait until the end of the month. I'm going to a meet on June 22nd, and need it before then. Also, since others I have spoken to, as well as NightShine here have the same problem, I would be extremely surprised if this was a defect and not just the way it is designed. But I believe that a firmware revision should be able to resolve the problem *IF* they would create one.

 

[luvtoride]

Very few riders currently are using GMRS.

I do. Presently running an SMH5 (which will change as cash flow changes), a SR10 & a motorola 2 way radio.

 

[TomInPA]

Very few riders currently are using GMRS.

I do. Presently running an SMH5 (which will change as cash flow changes), a SR10 & a motorola 2 way radio.

How does the radio interface with the headset?

 

[Panotaker]

I just bought a 20S a couple of weeks ago. I use mine with an iPhone 6 Plus and my music is plenty loud enough. It works perfect. I think you either got a defective unit, or phone. Try someone else's phone if you can. If you still have the same problem, then I would send it back for repair or an exchange. The only thing I don't like about the 20S are the speakers. I use a 3/4 helmet, so I get a bunch of wind noise, and it is hard to hear the speakers. So I bought some Shure SE215 earbud headphones. Now I can hear my music perfect, at low volumes, at freeway speeds, with no problem. I can still hear the engine, so I can still hear what is going on around me. I highly recommend them once you get your 20S fixed. I bought them at my local Guitar Center for around $100.

 

[NightShine]

The phone is the only paired device on my headset. I can call support and perhaps get a replacement unit, but it will have to wait until the end of the month. I'm going to a meet on June 22nd, and need it before then. Also, since others I have spoken to, as well as NightShine here have the same problem, I would be extremely surprised if this was a defect and not just the way it is designed. But I believe that a firmware revision should be able to resolve the problem *IF* they would create one.

My perception of this is slightly different. When I have music playing through my iPhone to the 20s, it is adequately loud. And when I adjust the music volume from the Sena's jog dial, I see the volume control setting displayed on the iPhone adjust correspondingly. It would seem that the Sena commands the iPhone's music volume control.

However, if I receive a phone call or interact with Siri or get GPS prompts from the TomTom, then the audio volume is considerably louder than the music volume. To the point where I have to drastically lower the Sena volume control to use those functions. I'm not unhappy with the music volume per se, only with the vast discrepancy between audio sources, and with no apparent way to get them to similar levels.

I opened up a case with Sena customer support last year, and they were just as helpful as Pete found them to be.

 

[eflyguy]

Just a thought - have you turned off the volume limit in the music app? It's in Settings/Music.

 

[Viper Pilot]

I believe the Sena 20s volume control function can be set at different levels for each of the various paired devices. I.e., when you set the volume you desire for say music from your phone, the SENA will remember that volume setting. Then when you set the volume level for intercom use, it will remember that volume setting. You should not have to adjust the volume levels every time a different signal source is received. Also, it has a feature that adjusts the volume up or down automatically depending on background noise when your riding at different speeds. At least that's how mine seems to operate! Excellent product!

 

[HyperPete]

I am going to try wrapping bell wire around the right speaker wire (which also serves as the FM antenna) to see if I can improve reception. After I do so and have a chance to test it, I'll reply back here with my findings.

I stripped off the PVC covering on a 10' cat 5 cable, and used about 6 feet of one pair of the inner wires to wrap around the right speaker lead. I wrapped it about 20 times and left the rest of the wire as an "extension antenna." I put it all under the helmet liner. I can receive local radio stations inside my brick house with no problem. A quick test ride was not quite as promising, however.

On Monday I'll see if the one radio I listen to still fades to static on my ride to work where it used to. I know, it's a long shot, but worth a try.

I also re-positioned the speakers lower in the helmet. I can hear music a LITTLE better, but still not well enough. There are plenty of threads about this on the Sena forums. In one of those threads, these speakers were reported to be much louder and have much better bass response: https://www.uclear-digital.com/products/v2-speakers/

I may give them a try.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

I've held out for years. But I'm close to trying ncom. Not because it's any better than any of the others, just because of the clean install on my nolans.