UClear HBC200 Bluetooth Intercom

[Fred W]

Any one have any experience with these. They sure make them sound good in the literature. Getting rid of the boom would be nice, especially on modular helmets.

My biggest concerns would be voice quality over the boom-less mike, and sound quality and quantity for use with 33dBa ear plugs.

Link to their web site

 

[ucwinters]

I've had a set since April. Had a Cardo Scala Rider set-up before and hated having the boom d/t tight fit inside the helmet at the chin bar. I think that the sound clarity is better w/ the UClear. Wife and I use it for communication w/ each other and to listen to music via Bluetooth from our phones. When I get an incoming call, most folks don't believe that I am riding the m/c d/t lack of wind noise. I'm a big fan of the boom-less design. Probably takes 15-20 minutes to charge the battery. There are soft detents on the side of the unit that you push for different functions - the only one(s) that I use typically when riding are the volume up/down detents which can be hard to detect w/ gloves on. This is where the Sena unit has the edge.

If I were to do it over, I'd still buy the UClear specifically d/t the lack of the boom.

 

[TomInPA]

I have had the Uclear for a year and a half, and no problems with voice quality on calls, or bike-to bike. If you are standing close to a second person you are synced with, you may hear some echo, and it can be distracting. The headsets work great on bike to bike and offer clear understandable voice communications. Of course GPS and phone works very well, and the headsets can be used to voice dial, answer, and do other functions with compatible phones.

The Uclear does an amazing job of filtering out wind and vehicle noise. I set my buddy up with a second headset for a ride, and I rode a FJR, while he was on a Harley Sportster. When he started his bike, I could clearly hear his engine noise, and within 10 seconds, the Uclear completely filtered out that background noise, and voice communications were clear. The Uclear is full duplex and the voice activation works flawlessly. It is like having a phone conversation in that you don't have to pause to hear the other person, in other words, you can receive and send at the same time. This avoids the awkward situation where you both speak at the same time and neither of you hear what was said. It is just like having a conversation. Uclear offers a PTT if you want to also use a GMRS radio, but BT range on the headsets is excellent in line of sight situations. I have used the headsets continuously for 11 hours without a low battery warning.

The best addition you can make is to buy the Uclear earbuds. These earbuds offer good noise isolation (hearing protection) and very good sound quality. I use my Uclear HBC220 headsets on a motorcycle, with a Garmin Zumo 590LM and iPhone for GPS directions, a variety of music inputs and phone communications. The earbuds incorporate a microphone in the wires that hang down from the earbuds. I am able to not only hear good music with significantly reduced background noise, but bike-to bike communications and phone calls are clear, without noticeable wind or vehicle noise intruding on conversations. Most calls are clear, but if the microphones are not properly places, people I talk to will complain of some echo. The earbuds overcome the problem that sometimes external wind noise and earplugs will make it difficult to hear music or voice through the speakers. You can use very low volume levels (I use the lowest), and get very good bass response in music, and clearly hear the audio sources you select.

I have the standard speakers in a Shoei RF1200 helmet and can use the earbuds with no interference or pressure. So I can either plug in speakers if I want to hear more surrounding noise, or use the earbuds, especially for longer trips where I don't want wind and engine noise. I have removed the Autocom headsets and mic, and really appreciate not having that mic shoved into my lips.

 

[Fred W]

Thanks for both of your reviews. I have tried (many times and types) and cannot use earbuds. They just do not attenuate the road and wind noise enough for my tastes.

Have either of you ever used the helmet speakers these come with while wearing maximum (30-33 dBa) attenuating ear plugs? Like the Howard Leight Max or 3M E-A-R-soft Grippers (my personal favorites). The sound level that I get out of the Sena SMH-10 headset that I have is just barely adequate, and that was only after they updated the firmware to provide some audio boosting a few versions back.

I'd like to go wireless (I know I've been saying that for years now) and I may buy a second Sena SMH-10 headset for my wife, buit though these units without the boom mike seemed interesting.

 

[OldButNotDead (sockpuppet)]

I visited my dealer who sells Cardo, Uclear and Sena. Asked him about the Sena 20 s and he said he ranked them as Uclear best followed by Scala 9 then Sena, but the Sena 20 s caught my attention because it said it could do bike to bike with the Scala. Dealer said Uclear would do that too and by around Christmas or so, all the brands would do that. Price wasn't a big deal for the dealer because they were all about the same and his ranking came from satisfied customers.

 

[TomInPA]

Thanks for both of your reviews. I have tried (many times and types) and cannot use earbuds. They just do not attenuate the road and wind noise enough for my tastes.
Have either of you ever used the helmet speakers these come with while wearing maximum (30-33 dBa) attenuating ear plugs? Like the Howard Leight Max or 3M E-A-R-soft Grippers (my personal favorites). The sound level that I get out of the Sena SMH-10 headset that I have is just barely adequate, and that was only after they updated the firmware to provide some audio boosting a few versions back.

I'd like to go wireless (I know I've been saying that for years now) and I may buy a second Sena SMH-10 headset for my wife, buit though these units without the boom mike seemed interesting.

Fred, as I said, I have the speakers mounted in my helmet and use them with 32 dBa attenuating ear plugs with no problem. Music through the speakers is good, but loses bass response quickly as distance to your ears increases, so a fairly tight fit (not uncomfortable) is better for fidelity, and it also helps the directional mic. Even with earplugs/speakers, I do not run these at full volume. The speakers are really nice and are much heavier duty than most helmet speakers you will find. Using speakers, I have rarely found that voice communications can require you to ask for a repeat, when traveling over 80 MPH, as noise increases. With the earbuds, that is never a problem. I understand, some people just can't wear earbuds, but I have had these on long trips without discomfort (i.e. Maggie Valley to Pittsburgh on back roads).

Uclear will sync with a newer Scala, but the brands work best amongst themselves. Uclear is unique in that it uses a short-hop technology to increase range through a group. I have used this with up to four people synced on the BT channel. Any more than that, and you will wish it had PTT.

 

[TomInPA]

Fred, back to your question on the mic. You do not need to talk loudly for this set. Somehow, a very quiet voice is picked up easily. This is especially good to know when you are getting ready to get on the bikes and standing near someone you are synced with. Speaking at a volume that is inaudible to the other person will result in clear comm. Speaking louder will result in a feedback echo. The mic seems more sensitive than boom mics I have used.

 

[Fred W]

This is sounding very good. Yeah, I would probably sell off the Sena SMH-10 if I got a pair of these.

I wonder how these UClear headsets would work with the Sena SM10 dual channel transmitter. I have one of those too, that I use to pipe the Zumo 550 audio through.

 

[TomInPA]

The other day, one of the Uclear units would not turn on. I had just taken it off the charger, and when I tried to turn it on, nothing happened. I used a backup that day and contacted Uclear customer support.

I received a call from customer support, while I was riding, and using the Uclear headset. They asked me a few questions and said there was something they wanted me to try, and if that didn't work, they would warrant the unit. Kind of fun talking with uClear over their unit.

First, this is great for a 3 year old headset unit. They sent text message with a procedure to plug in the headset to the charger and press all three buttons for 3-seconds. The next step was to unplug the unit and try to restart it. Well on the third attempt this worked, so I don't get a new unit. But nice to know they will replace if anything goes wrong.

 

[paramonkreel]

I"ve got a boom and although many would find it disgusting that I reposition the one in my helmet with my tongue when it moved down with my modular... the boom is still way more accurate. There's a reason why they use them in airplanes etc. The field mics have come a long way but puting a mic directly in your mouth is still better.I'm claustrophobic and I got over it.