Autocom Installation

Originally Posted by Luckypants

There is also a limit that you need a 2009+ model Autocom unit.

Not true. All post 2005 autocom units have a 9v power out on Aux 1 to power the bluetooth adapter autocom offer. However, most units require the box to be unscrewed and a switch flicked (using a small pointy thingy) to activate the 9v.

Get a dummy AA cell from maplin, solder a + and - wire to the dummy cell, connect these to a 6v regulator which is wired to a 4pole 3.5mm stereo plug to insert into Aux 1 and you can power the radio from the autocom. nice and tidy. hmmmm.

Look at very end of document ... page 11 ... jst put a LINK to activate the 9v
https://www.topgearaccess.com/autoco...structions.pdf

a 4pole 3.5mm stereo plug waiting to be soldered is <£2, maplin / bay of e

PS Midland g7 radio is UK legal as its sub 5watts in power .. but it sucks as its sub 5watts power. Midland GX or GXT series (american design spec) are not limited in power, eg Pair Midland GXT740 34mile!

got mine for £10, silly seller couldn't spell Midland. Work very well in London

[L3nny]

Ok, fitted the autocom at the weekend.

For Stretchie's benefit I fitted the unit under the hunge for the pillion and stuck some velcro to the back of the radio and velcroed that to the side of the underseat storage. I'll put some photos up if and when I can be bothered.

Wired the live to the rear light so it only comes on when the lights are on but I have my lights on all the time anyway.

I am not sure weather to have the cable for the headset running under the riders seat or have it behind me. It's a pain wherever it is and I find myself getting tangled up in it getting on and off the bike.

My mate and I went for a bit of a test run and it works well, much better than not having the unit at all. The VOX does seem a bit hit and miss sometimes and you do need to shout quite loud to activate it. This could be fixed with a PTT switch but I have sworn to myself I wont spend any more money on this thing.

If I know what I knew now I doubt I would have bought it, it's cost about £200 in all and after the initial novelty had worn off me and my mate didn't really speak to each other and when he did talk to me it was really distracting anyway.

When we do our Europe tour it will be usefull but on a normal weekend blast it's pretty pointless.

Ive found with the autocom that if you get the mike close to your lips as poss, it works fine.

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by L3nny

My mate and I went for a bit of a test run and it works well, much better than not having the unit at all. The VOX does seem a bit hit and miss sometimes and you do need to shout quite loud to activate it. This could be fixed with a PTT switch but I have sworn to myself I wont spend any more money on this thing.

Some things to check:-

• Mic position, needs to be directly in front of the mouth and close enough to kiss it easily. Good information in the Autocom manual or on the website about this.
• that the mic sensitivity on the autocom is set correctly, best done without the radio attached, with a pillion to provide feedback. Sensitivity too high and wind noise will activate it, too low and you need to shout to activate it.
• Add the radio then adjust the TTT sensitivity setting. You should be able to get to match the Autocom.
• There is always a delay in the TTT activating in any radio system. To get over this, learn to start a sentence with some noise. I tend to use an 'Errrrrr' until I hear myself in the earphones then start to speak normally. E.g 'Errrrrr... we need to take right junction in 500 yards'
• Check out the Autocom website for good tips on using the bike-2-bike.

Originally Posted by L3nny

When we do our Europe tour it will be usefull but on a normal weekend blast it's pretty pointless.

Me and claire found it useful, especially when we got separated or preparing for junctions and the like.