FodSport HS-1 Intercom review

[admin]

Before I start this review I should point out that a recent virus has left me with limited hearing in my left ear, which is very annoying. So references to volume etc are limited to my right ear and should be taken into account.


A lot of my riding is on my own so why do I need and intercom? Once a year I meet up with old friends from London which means a long ride down to the smoke to join them, mainly on the motorway. Very boring and some sounds would be good. There are also those times when you get split up from a group and you stop to leave them a phone message only to find they’ve already left one for you, so much better if you can answer the call when it happens. Group chat while riding can also be fun and helpful too. With that in mind I don’t want to spend a fortune on an item that gets used occasionally.


So after reading lots of reviews I plumbed for the FodSport MS-1. At £66 it isn’t going to break the bank but seems a better bet than the £15 jobs you see on Ebay.


Setup and installation. It was pretty straightforward to install the earpieces and mic as my Shoei NXR has spaces for earphones built it. Everything is attached with Velcro so easy to remove for cleaning. I used the 3M double sided tape (supplied) to attach the mount to the side of the helmet. I tried the spring clip option but found the bottom of the spring clip pushed out the padding too much and it caught my ear making it harder to put on the helmet. Connection to my phone was as simple as any other Bluetooth device. Playing music via an app confirmed that it’s very loud on the maximum setting. A phone call to Mrs Admin worked fine too. Voice control via Google Assistant works and I could send a text via voice commands (I can’t see me ever doing this in reality). I haven’t tried linking to another intercom at the moment.


On the road. My first test was with earplugs. These are not the foam types, more like rubber cones that are designed to allow normal conversation but deaden wind and road noise. I set the volume midway and rode off. Volume was fine at urban speeds (30mph-ish) loud enough to hear but you could still hear what was going on around you. At higher speeds 50-60mph I had to put the volume full up. Volume also depended on the track being played as some of my ripped MP3’s are a bit on the quiet side. Speeds above that were asking too much, so they might be pointless at 80mph on the motorway. The second test was to ride without earplugs, needless to say they were much louder but so was the wind and road noise, so again you had to use max volume. I also found the sound tinny and distorted and I much preferred to ride with earplugs in. I wasn’t expecting B&O sound quality from the speakers at this price point , so if you’re an audiophile look elsewhere. Controls could be better for gloved hands, especially the volume buttons. There’s a contradiction in the guide that says a long press on the + takes you to the next track, it doesn’t it’s the – button. This caused me a lot of confusion. I made one test phone call by tapping the function button twice, this calls the last number in your phone history, so ideal for returning a missed call. This happened to be a spam number so I just had a message from BT saying I had miss-dialled but I could hear clear enough.


Conclusion. For £66 I’m happy enough. It does everything it claims to do and the battery was still over 90% after a two hour ride. I’m not sure I’ll listen to music on all my trips but it’s there if I need it.

[garynortheast]

Handy review John, thanks. I'm tempted.

[Bibio]

great review. i've been toying with the idea of intercoms but its a minefield out there.

[admin]

Another day another test. I used my phone this time as a navigation device rather than my usual car Tomtom. I bought a cheap housing for the handlebars so I could see and hear my route. It worked well and I could hear commands at 70mph okay albeit on the quiet side (earplugs used). Another plus is that I can stop and operate the phone without having to fish it out of my pocket.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[admin]

Another update. Today I linked to another riders intercom, a more expensive Scala. Pairing was a doddle, I put mine into listen and the Scala found it.

On the road I could hear the other rider loud and clear and possibly better than my music app. Range was impressive too especially on a straight road.

This is the first time I've used a bike to bike intercom. I was sceptical as to whether an intercom was a gimmick for riding but I've changed my mind and really enjoyed the benefit of chatting and pointing out hazards and trivial stuff such as 'can we stop at the next petrol station'.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk