just ordered AutoCom Super Pro AVi

[tripntx]

Ordered a AutoCom Super Pro AVi from Keith Goudelock (pr. Godlock) at Tulsa Truck Center 918.446.2245 earlier today. Keith said it would ship tomorrow. Spent a lot of time comparing AutoCom to StarCom on the net and both seem like very good units. I finally just picked one and ordered it because my eyes are started to hurt from staring at webpages for so long researching items I've been purchasing and adding to my JFR since buying it last month.

Interested in adding a bike to bike radio, but the Kenwoods seem so overpriced. I've noticed mention of less expensive radios like Midland, Cobra, Motorola, etc which come with 2 radios for much less than 1 Kenwood.

Do they really work as well as the Kenwoods?

The whole FRS/GMRS doesn't mean much to me at the moment. What is important and what isn't?

What does it take to communicate the with other bikes?

What radio's are others using with their AutoCom or StarCom? Why did you choose it?

A riding buddy of mine just today bought a used '02 Goldwing. What will I need to communicate with him?

Will want to go PTT, as my wife and I will be using VOX for your rider to pillion comm. Really would like to have obtain to power radio with bike power.

Thanks for any and all advice you might provide on this subject.

I'm just totally confused at the moment,

Tripntx

BTW, currently will connect xm radio, cellphone, radar dector.

Any advice will be appreciated. I'm just tired of wading through tons of info that somes up while searching on google kenwood autocom site:fjrforum.com I've been overwhelmed with info to which I'm not sure what most of it means.

 

[Wild72]

I have the same system and use El Cheapo Motorola radio's which work fine for group riding. ($60 from Dick's for a pair if I remember correctly).

Didn't bother with bike power, due to the potential noise issues, and the rechargeable batteries last longer than I care to ride. Plus I can always take the second radio or battery as a back-up.

Gotta make sure the other bike is on the same channel/sub-channel as yours.

The couple of Gold Wing owners that I know, both use CB, which is not compatible with the FRS/GMRS units. I did buy a CB, but only use it for solo rides and gleaning info from the truckers.

The Autocom cables and accessories are spendy, and there is no bulkhead fittings available from them. otherwise, it's a great system, as I am sure the Starcom is also.

Take some time setting up the Vox and the BNS and you will enjoy it.

 

[Roy Epperson]

Interested in adding a bike to bike radio, but the Kenwoods seem so overpriced. I've noticed mention of less expensive radios like Midland, Cobra, Motorola, etc which come with 2 radios for much less than 1 Kenwood.
Do they really work as well as the Kenwoods?

Can't comment from first hand experience with radios other than Kenwood. The store where I got the Autocom (same model as you but 3 years older) had nothing but problems getting other radios to have "quality reception" and I'd had enough problems getting Chatterboxes to work between my Roadstar and my wife's VStar 1100 that I just went with the Kenwoods. I had used their radios before and they "treated" me well. One of the other posters mentioned "don't get the power backs" as the batteries last long enough. I will agree with that. We ride 10 hour days and turn the radios off at stops and mainly only talk to say break time, did you see that or junk on the road and we have more than enough battery on the Kenwoods at the end of the day.

At least on our Autocom, hopefully they've fixed the "problem" on yours, the FRS/GMRS radios have to be OFF when the Autocom is powered up in order to get the Autocom to trigger the radio's VOX circuit to work correctly. On our first ride(s) the VOX worked correctly. Once Support told me about the problem, they work fine...

I just moved ( finished today installing ) the Autocom on my FJR (got the bike in May too busy putting 6000 miles on it) and on my wife's new VStar 1300.

The whole FRS/GMRS doesn't mean much to me at the moment. What is important and what isn't?

FRS is "family radio service" and GMRS is "general mobile radio service". The GMRS frequencies require a FCC license, X dollars for 5 years. They allow more power (we only use 1/2watt between the bikes). No license is required for for FRS but the frequencies (channels) are used more. At least in the SF Bay Area.

What does it take to communicate the with other bikes?

Some sorta radio between the bikes. I've heard/read that some of the Bluetooth systems might work b2b but would have limited range. Your radio choices are FRS, FRS/GMRS, CB or Ham radio. Goldwings use CB. There are CB systems specifically made for motorcycles but antenna system (to get the range people think they're going to get) can be a problem; especially on an FJR. I looked into CB but the FRS/GMRS radios was a much more straight forward solution.

The key thing for FRS/GMRS (and even CB) is you want the antennas mounted vertical and away from your body for best transmission and reception. The worst would be one horizontal and the other vertical. I found (have to find the receipts) for some belt clip mounts that replaced the screws that hold the clutch and brake reservoirs to the handle bars. I installed one on the left bar for my MP3 and right right for the Kenwood and ran the lead back to the Autocom mounted in the tail.

What radio's are others using with their AutoCom or StarCom? Why did you choose it?

Depends on who you're riding with. Goldwings have/can come with factory CB

Will want to go PTT, as my wife and I will be using VOX for your rider to pillion comm. Really would like to have obtain to power radio with bike power.

I've heard people having problems with the radios being powered from the bike without filters. The bike power backs for the Kenwoods was a lot more than I was willing to pay.

Since we only use the b2b mode, I haven't tried to set it up for PTT for b2b and VOX to pillon (as my "pillon rider" is on her own bike :yahoo: ).

I just got through installing my compete Autocom, MP3 and FRS radios on my FJR plus auxiliary power to the tail. The Autocom is currently mounted under the pillon as I have my Slime compressor and tire repair kit under the driver's seat. I chose to power the Autocom off the taillight power instead of the auxiliary system as I currently don't have it set up (just the feeds run).

The weekend will be the first real good run with the Autocoms on our new bikes. 3 years ago when we got them, they were the "only" system we could get to work on my Roadstar and my wife's VStar 1100 with after-market pipes and air kits. The other systems only worked to about 30MPH and then PTT was the only way if that. With the Autocoms (once I got them setup correctly) 90MPG in 3rd on the Roadstar was just as good as stopped.

Let me know if I can help.

Roy

 

[tripntx]

Thanks to both of y'all for the wealth of informatoin.

Which kenwood?

Product ID: TK-3101K

Kenwood FreeTalk XL GMRS Radio

Product ID: TK-3130

Kenwood ProTalk 3130 XLS

Product ID: TK-3200LU15

Kenwood ProTalk 3200 LU-15

Product ID: SX700R

Motorola Talkabout® GMRS/FRS 2-Way Radios

Product ID: LI-7200

Cobra microTALK® LI-7200 Radio

All of these are available from Bike Effects.

 

[Roy Epperson]

Call Autocom support/sales in the morning and ask which radio(s) they recommend. clicky That's what I did.

If you mount the radio on the handle bars and the Autocom in the tail, you will need to get a radio extension cable. Don't try to make your own - I could not find the same pin spacing for their 5 pin DIN connectors and spend more money trying to find them

 

[MartyA]

If you are 2 up you will need the PTT buttons and you have to turn off the VOX on the radios. If you set the VOX on the 2-way radio you will be broadcasting every time you or the pillion speak on the intercom part of the Autocom. At least that was how it is on my Starcom1.

Also the "Talkabout" aka "consumer" GMRS/FRS radios are all about the same from the motorcycle - highway perspective. They advertise 11 miles or 18 miles or 30 miles. Under ideal conditions that might be true, but in reality 1-3 miles is the best you can expect surrounded by houses or trees or with curves in the road. Pricing is from $29 for older 1/2 to 2 watt less powerful 11 mile radios to $79 for the latest 5 watt 30 mile at most discount places.

The LI-7000, 7020, and 7200 Cobra (Jeff Ashe choice) now advertise 5 watts and 30 mile range, as does the Midland GXT900 and 950 (due out 1st week in August) and the Midland is advertising waterproof (should survive a splash or light rain). Testing shows only a few more tenths of a mile improvement with these radios over the other 22 mile and 27 mile ones.

But these radios are not really built for motorcycle abuse. You are supposed to keep them dry in your pocket and eithe push the little button on the side to talk or use their little headsets. I keep my Cobra LI-6000 in the tank bag and that has helped, but I have had trouble recently with them. I can't plug into one since it continuously broadcasts ( I think it got wet), and the PTT works sporadically with the other. I am not sure it is a Starcom problem or a radio problem. Before the problems both worked perfectly as intended. Now, manually they both still work fine. I have almost 2 seasons on them and I am going to give them to my grand kids and try the Midland GXT900 when it comes out.

The higher end "business" radios - i.e. Kenwoods in the $180 - $350 range - have aluminum chassis and some are built to military specs. They would probably survive longer but the transmit / receive distances are about the same as the inexpensive "consumer" radios on the GMRS/FRS frequencies, due to FCC regs on power and antenna length.

Which ever you buy, be sure the Autocom folks have the correct cables listed. I tried one or two from my Starcom dealer before I got the right ones.

Good source on two way radios I found a while back (not affiliated, no interest, etc):

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/

and they just started a forum:

https://www.twowayradioforum.com/forum/index.php

But most discount places have the same radios for the same prices.

hth

 

[tripntx]

Thanks for all the information. Haven't decided which way to go yet, but now I understand more about them to help me narrow it down.