How's your Starcom1 Advance holding up?

[worldbound4now]

I have an older Autocom unit and seem to have recurrent issues with the headset lead cables shorting after one season of use as well as the pigtail leads from the box itself wearing out. This probably occurs from the tension that I am applying on the cables during my normal use pattern. The primary tension that I apply to the unit is probably when I stand up on the foot pegs, stretching my legs along with the coiled headset extension lead.

I've been looking at replacement Autocom units, but wondered how the coiled headset lead wires hold up on the Starcom1 Advance unit (my other choice) with regular use. I've never handled the Starcom1 cables. Are they durable? Do they hold up to recurrent stretching and recoil?

From a feature standpoint, both products are equal in my mind. This is a primary post about cable durability.

Thank you for any feedback!

Worldbound4now

 

[Neil San Diego]

IIRC, the Starcom Advance has short pigtails for headset connections. You add an extension from there, and then the coiled lead to the helmet (at least that's how I have mine installed). So when the leads go bad you will replace the extension or coiled lead, and there should not be any stress on the original pigtails. I have had to replace the coiled lead twice now. FYI, for the Starcom the plugs are just a plug from a PS2 computer cable.

 

[Fred W]

I have two complete Starcom1 Advance units (for use on multiple bikes).

Both units are still working well after several years of use. I have mine both located inside of electrified tank bags, so they are protected from the elements for the most part. That may help longevity of connections.

What hasn't been so rugged or reliable is the interface cables that they sell for ground isolation of bike-powered electronic audio sources (GPS, RD, etc.). Those cables tend to be pricey and fragile. But I have found that I can use a non-isolated cable for certain devices and save some money.

 

[worldbound4now]

Fantastic to know. So, from what Neil has stated, I could probably source replacement cables from my local Fry's or other electronics supply house and spare the expense of replacement with brand name Starcom headset lead cables.

My main interface device will be my GPS unit, which I have a ground loop isolator in-line already. I may possibly connect my phone via bluetooth dongle (no need for ground loop protection for that connection) and occasional use of my bike to bike radio (which is good on battery power for how infrequently I use it).

 

[blassoff]

Fantastic to know. So, from what Neil has stated, I could probably source replacement cables from my local Fry's or other electronics supply house and spare the expense of replacement with brand name Starcom headset lead cables.

My main interface device will be my GPS unit, which I have a ground loop isolator in-line already. I may possibly connect my phone via bluetooth dongle (no need for ground loop protection for that connection) and occasional use of my bike to bike radio (which is good on battery power for how infrequently I use it).

I've had various Autocom units over the years and have been very pleased with their performance. For headset cables, I use a slightly longer straight (non-coiled) cable and I like the fit better than the coiled cable. You could also double-up on the cables, they're certainly cheap enough. I too have shorted one headset, but assumed that was due to how rough I was installing the cables inside my helmet (I tend to shove the headset cables below the eps liner in my helmets - Is there another way??)

For some reason I always assumed that Autocom was better than Starcom, more robust, but I have no evidence to back it up.

That's my $.02. Hope it helps.

Baz