ChatterBoxes Effectiveness

Dr Geekenstein

Registered
Hi all,

Thought this was the place to ask...myself and some of the others in our riding group are considering getting chatterboxes installed, for primarily communicating with one another, and the top end chatterbox has cell hookups, and music inputs.

So the question I have for the wise ones here...

Do they work as advertised and does the voice activation mike work well ?

Thanks for any input ! Happy New Year to all, and let's all be safe this year so we don't read of spills here.
 
Ive been using one for quite a while and love it. The VOX works pretty good. The only problem is wind noise. So to solve it get a "quietrider". Made by NOJ,

It's a breathable nylon/cordova type material that fits on the bottom of your helmet to keep the air noise out. I have the winter heavy duty model and the some streatchy model. Both work great. With it on, you can talk normally at 100 mph without problems. I use it with my 10year old. Also with the radio/mp3 plugged in we both can jam.

With a quietrider I would recommend it over anything else. It works with the handheld Motorola units you always see people talkin on as well. I can hit my corner and key up the helmet to handheld and have JR open the garage. NICE baby NICE.

If you have a passenger on a long ride w/helmet you cant beat it. IMO.

noj stuff
 
I have a set and was a little dissapointed. They do work, but not as well as I would like. The noise cancelling microphones improve the wind problem, but it is still a problem. Additionally, after a while, you DO feel the effect of the additional weight on the side of your helmet.



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I was skeptical at first too, but a lot of guys I ride with got them so I bought one. Now, I couldn't live without it!! It's great, the weight thing really hasn't been that noticable and the music benefit is worth it! I use mine anytime I get on the bike. Get the best one. I heard from someone else that the cheaper ones don't work as well so I opted for the better one. MAW seems to have the best prices right now but look around you may find them cheaper somewhere else. I'm completely satisfied with mine and if it quit tomorrow, I'd have to get a new one. BTW, I have had this one a little over a year with no problems! Hope this helps you decide! Oh yeah, almost forgot, if you do get the GMRS-X1, you can buy an extra headset and extension cord and hook up your passenger to your chatterbox. This only works for pasengers obviously, but it is way cheaper than buying another chatterbox. I was getting ready to buy a whole new system and the chatterbox rep told me how to set it up this way.....saved me a bundle; got the old lady hooked up for around $50....
 
I've got the X1, and I like it. I mounted the box to a bracket that I fabbed up that goes into the hole in the triple tree. You can take half of the plastic clamp that attaches it to your helmet, and put two small screws through the holes into you mount, and then the box just clicks on and off. Get the power cord! My buddies were riding without the power cord, and at the end of a long day, one's battery died. We figured that I could just swap out, since I have the power cord. No dice! If you have the cord, you battery should last longer than you do. As for the VOX feature, I decided to use the (included) push to talk button. It velcros to your clip-on, and it's no problem to push it with your thumb. If you're going too fast to push it, then you should shut up and concentrate anyway. The range seems good, although I haven't tested to see if it will reach 5 miles. In the canyons, it can fade if you get too far apart. I give it two thumbs up!
 
Sounds like a great idea. How bad do you have to alter the helmet for the mount and speakers?
 
I have been considering getting set up with a chatterbox too. One consideration I had was a different mic style. Something more of a neck based sensor like the military uses. I saw a link to these a while back on SBN.

Clearer Com

Has anybody tried one of these or have any thoughts?
 
Been using them for almost a year... Works great after a short learning curve! Can be alittle tricky at first setting the VOX for different speeds. But, once you learn what works best for your set-up you won't be disappointed...... Now everybody in my group has a set, especially nice on road trips. No more hand signals, no more guessing if its safe to pass (as long as someone up front is also wearing a box).....
 
I use mine everyday ( i'm a diehard rider ) . I have my phone and a mp3 w/ radio hooked up . The only complaint that i have is the speakers don't have alot of bass , they do have an upgraded mike and headset thats 60.00 and it does sound better . you do need to learn to play with the vox but , iv'e answered my phone at 90 mph .
jump9.gif
My 2 cents ... best system for the money . I also have mine mounted to my tankbag .
 
Thank everyone that responded, you have all been a tremondous help in my decision, at least now I trust the advertisement claims...knowing that you all are not salesmen, but real users....

So here is a link CBox on E-Bay to an E-Bay site that has them for a decent cost, am about to hit the button to buy a set !

Thanks again !



<!--EDIT|Dr Geekenstein
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I heard they are great for chit chatting, listening to music and talking on the phone - I would not recommend the phone thing though but its available LOL
 
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