Road-trip communication between motorcycles and cars

MiSiMa · 26th April 2023, 09:54

Greetings folks,

For some context, whenever possible, I prefer to use my motorcycle for road trips. However, my family and friends usually use their cars, so our trips typically involve one or two motorcycles and one car.

Currently, I am planning to buy my first communication system for my rides, and I am considering products from brands like Sena and Cardo. However, while this would solve the communication issue with my riding buddies, communicating with the car would still be a problem.

I have tried searching for ways to connect a Sena communication system to a car's infotainment system, but I have had no luck thus far. I have come across information on using portable radio sets to fulfill this purpose, but there are not many details available on how to set up the system.

This is why I am reaching out to the more experienced members of this forum to ask for advice on reliable ways to establish communication between a motorcycle and car. Please let me know what specific products you have used in your setups.

Regards,
MiSiMa

libranof1987 · 26th April 2023, 10:07

I've thought of this, since there are times I join rides in the car.

Here's a possible solution, although I haven't tried it out myself: the Sena base unit has the AUX option for sound in/out. Perhaps that can be hooked up to a speaker/mic unit, and can be connected to the Sena on the bike via Mesh/BT.

The Sena 50S base unit has the AUX options; I don't know if other Sena models / Cardo do.

Get the Sena Dual Pack, since you'll need two full units; the 50S dual pack should cost you 45-50k.

MiSiMa · 26th April 2023, 10:42

While I have checked that out, It would only work for output. The car's microphone would not pick up voice as the aux is supposed to be input only, no output is generated through car's aux. Would need an extra external mic for that purpose. At that point it would make more sense to just use a portable speaker and connect it to sena using aux.

But there should be better way of doing it. How come Sena has released no solution for this? It would certainly be a good cash bank for them.

libranof1987 · 26th April 2023, 11:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiSiMa

While I have checked that out, It would only work for output. The car's microphone would not pick up voice as the aux is supposed to be input only, no output is generated through car's aux. Would need an extra external mic for that purpose. At that point it would make more sense to just use a portable speaker and connect it to sena using aux.

Wouldn't the mic attached to the base unit work for sound input? You needn't carry the helmet around; just the base unit with the headset (optional) and boom/standard mic attached would work, isn't it.

aargee · 26th April 2023, 11:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiSiMa

Currently, I am planning to buy my first communication system for my rides, and I am considering products from brands like Sena and Cardo. However, while this would solve the communication issue with my riding buddies, communicating with the car would still be a problem.

I have tried searching for ways to connect a Sena communication system to a car's infotainment system, but I have had no luck thus far. I have come across information on using portable radio sets to fulfill this purpose, but there are not many details available on how to set up the system.

I've long thought about this as I'm in need of such a requirement & could not find any suitable product in the market. The closest ones that I can think off are Zello & CB Radio Chat which are based on PTT; even if its useable by people in car, I'm positive not suitable for motorcyclist

What I think needs to be done is to create a mobile app that allows 2 way communication using Bluetooth. Problem is, all the Bluetooth enabled speakers in the market these days do not support pairing more than one device at a time although Bluetooth technology is capable of connecting up to 7 devices for older version & up to 10 devices for Bluetooth 5.0

Technically, using a speaker enabled with Class 1 Bluetooth 4.0 will be able to connect typically up to 300 feet & is to be paired with a mobile phone {for people in car} & another Bluetooth enabled speaker at another mobile {at the rider end}. The mobile needs to have an app running connecting to other mobile devices using client-server architecture to exchange the communication. This way I can think of accomplishing your desired outcome. Scaling wouldn't be hard to accommodate over many vehicles as well with the only limitation that everyone should be within the 300 feet of distance.

MiSiMa · 26th April 2023, 11:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Wouldn't the mic attached to the base unit work for sound input? You needn't carry the helmet around; just the base unit with the headset (optional) and boom/standard mic attached would work, isn't it.

Yes, I would need the mic from base unit and won't be able to use the car's mic like we would, when we connect our phones via bluetooth or Android auto.
I am looking for that kind of integration if possible.
But yes if that's not possible then this would be my best bet.

karanddd · 26th April 2023, 12:25

Can you not stay on a phone call with the person in the car? As long as your and the other person's phones are being charged on the go (which is achievable), the battery drain shouldn't be too bad. Calls are free in most mobile plans, right? If you don't want to use your primary phone, each of you can buy a four thousand rupee dumb-phone, get a cheap prepaid plan with unlimited talk time, and just call each other. The call may drop after an hour and a half (people who've been in long distance relationships know this), but you can just call again. And if there are multiple people who want to be on the same channel, you can use Whatsapp group call or Discord. I believe Discord lets you create a channel in which up to 25 people can simultaneously be on a call; people use it to collaboratively play video games all the time and it works quite well. This of course requires data. In places whether there's no data, a more elaborate option could be walkie talkies (which is what car reviewers seem to use when driving separate cars). Some walkie talkies come with headpieces (with mic and earphones) that may or may not fit under your helmet. Cheers!

bravo6 · 27th April 2023, 19:16

Won't get into the legality of wearing this while driving, but these exist. Basically a helmet-less intercom system.
https://senaindustrial.com/collectio...ation-headsets

Not sure how any Bluetooth system would operate inside a car though - they need line of sight and can easily get blocked. If you're already getting it for your helmet, I suggest you drive while wearing it and testing the connection quality. Bonus: you will feel like the Stig lol.

While CB radio would probably perform better from inside the car, I wouldn't recommend it for bikes - you don't want to take your hand off the handle bar every time you want to speak. BT at least you can leave the mic hot all the time or have voice activation. Also these intercoms are really good at cancelling wind noise picked up by the mic - can't say the same for CB/phone call/mobile apps. Sena also has a unit that can connect to CB.

MiSiMa · 30th April 2023, 08:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by bravo6

Won't get into the legality of wearing this while driving, but these exist. Basically a helmet-less intercom system.
https://senaindustrial.com/collectio...ation-headsets

This looks like a better option. I will try and see if I can find this in India and whether it works inside a car or not. Thanks for this pointer.

Regards,
MiSiMa

Axe77 · 30th April 2023, 10:14

It would be helpful to understand how exactly you want to use the comm system - I.e. how frequently - is it for round the clock chatter or from time to time occasionally on a need basis.

On curated rides in the mountains where I’ve ridden with the xplorearth team they’re usually operating a mix of backup trucks and bikes both. What I’ve seen is that their primary means of comm is via high end radio units (check any of their videos on insta and you’ll see the units mounted on the bikes). But this principally allows coordination when the bike halts (I think). Its also essential for decently long range and communication when regular phone signals fail.

In addition they also have Sena / Cardos, which I guess they use amongst the bikes. Note that the range of a Sena / Cardo is also much lesser than what I assume the range of these high end radio units must be. I’m also not sure if this kind of a radio setup requires any special permissions.

Frankly, unless you’re venturing into remote no-signal areas, a simple low tech solution could be for the bikes to be mesh connected via SENA and if on occasion a car needs to connect to any of you, just place a telephone call to the rider. My view is these Sena / Cardo type devices have reasonably modest range which is subject to the further variable of clear line of sight / range - not conducive to using with a car (I’m speaking off hand, have not specifically researched this).

bravo6 · 4th May 2023, 19:00

I just remembered something: Sena has Universal Intercom feature, which means you can connect it to any BT headset, including your car. Then you can use Mesh to connect to others outside the car. If the signal is blocked due to the car's body, you can have one unit on the front and one at the back of the car.

Your car <--BT--> Sena 30K <--BT/Mesh--> Sena 30K

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1DkC2e378s

Over the years I've used walkie-talkies, BT intercom, and even cell phones to talk to others in the group, but each had its own limitations (physical/legal). In the end, the best way I found to track each other is visually. If you can't spot the headlight of the person in your mirror, slow down and wait for them to catch up. Then stop and wait, and finally turn around and investigate.

Also, I think Senas aren't guaranteed to be water proof but Cardo are I think.

fiat_tarun · 6th May 2023, 12:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiSiMa

...

Currently, I am planning to buy my first communication system for my rides, and I am considering products from brands like Sena and Cardo. ...

Although I am not very familiar with the various options in this space, there is an Indian startup that has a similar product which has been reviewed in this thread - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...yclists-6.html (Bluetooth Intercom / Headsets for Motorcyclists)

vj_v3 · 19th October 2023, 15:17

I don't know what port the sena has for connecting the speaker and mike it comes with for the intercom unit. But my chinese intercom with a mini USB port. I am considiering purchasing a minu usb to 3.5mm female converter pigtail and then just connect the regular earphones to the 3.5 mm jack for the car user.

Is this expected to work, or does anyone foresee any challenges?

26th April 2023, 09:54	#1
MiSiMa BHPian Join Date: Sep 2022 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 32 Thanked: 79 Times	Road-trip communication between motorcycles and cars Greetings folks, For some context, whenever possible, I prefer to use my motorcycle for road trips. However, my family and friends usually use their cars, so our trips typically involve one or two motorcycles and one car. Currently, I am planning to buy my first communication system for my rides, and I am considering products from brands like Sena and Cardo. However, while this would solve the communication issue with my riding buddies, communicating with the car would still be a problem. I have tried searching for ways to connect a Sena communication system to a car's infotainment system, but I have had no luck thus far. I have come across information on using portable radio sets to fulfill this purpose, but there are not many details available on how to set up the system. This is why I am reaching out to the more experienced members of this forum to ask for advice on reliable ways to establish communication between a motorcycle and car. Please let me know what specific products you have used in your setups. Regards, MiSiMa
	(2) Thanks

26th April 2023, 10:07	#2
libranof1987 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: All over! Posts: 8,176 Thanked: 20,582 Times	re: Road-trip communication between motorcycles and cars I've thought of this, since there are times I join rides in the car. Here's a possible solution, although I haven't tried it out myself: the Sena base unit has the AUX option for sound in/out. Perhaps that can be hooked up to a speaker/mic unit, and can be connected to the Sena on the bike via Mesh/BT. The Sena 50S base unit has the AUX options; I don't know if other Sena models / Cardo do. Get the Sena Dual Pack, since you'll need two full units; the 50S dual pack should cost you 45-50k.
	(1) Thanks

26th April 2023, 10:42	#3
MiSiMa BHPian Join Date: Sep 2022 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 32 Thanked: 79 Times	re: Road-trip communication between motorcycles and cars While I have checked that out, It would only work for output. The car's microphone would not pick up voice as the aux is supposed to be input only, no output is generated through car's aux. Would need an extra external mic for that purpose. At that point it would make more sense to just use a portable speaker and connect it to sena using aux. But there should be better way of doing it. How come Sena has released no solution for this? It would certainly be a good cash bank for them. Last edited by suhaas307 : 26th April 2023 at 10:45. Reason: spacing
	() Thanks

26th April 2023, 12:25	#7
karanddd BHPian Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: panjim Posts: 270 Thanked: 1,713 Times	re: Road-trip communication between motorcycles and cars Can you not stay on a phone call with the person in the car? As long as your and the other person's phones are being charged on the go (which is achievable), the battery drain shouldn't be too bad. Calls are free in most mobile plans, right? If you don't want to use your primary phone, each of you can buy a four thousand rupee dumb-phone, get a cheap prepaid plan with unlimited talk time, and just call each other. The call may drop after an hour and a half (people who've been in long distance relationships know this), but you can just call again. And if there are multiple people who want to be on the same channel, you can use Whatsapp group call or Discord. I believe Discord lets you create a channel in which up to 25 people can simultaneously be on a call; people use it to collaboratively play video games all the time and it works quite well. This of course requires data. In places whether there's no data, a more elaborate option could be walkie talkies (which is what car reviewers seem to use when driving separate cars). Some walkie talkies come with headpieces (with mic and earphones) that may or may not fit under your helmet. Cheers!
	(1) Thanks

27th April 2023, 19:16	#8
bravo6 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Bangalore Posts: 148 Thanked: 281 Times	Re: Road-trip communication between motorcycles and cars Won't get into the legality of wearing this while driving, but these exist. Basically a helmet-less intercom system. https://senaindustrial.com/collectio...ation-headsets Not sure how any Bluetooth system would operate inside a car though - they need line of sight and can easily get blocked. If you're already getting it for your helmet, I suggest you drive while wearing it and testing the connection quality. Bonus: you will feel like the Stig lol. While CB radio would probably perform better from inside the car, I wouldn't recommend it for bikes - you don't want to take your hand off the handle bar every time you want to speak. BT at least you can leave the mic hot all the time or have voice activation. Also these intercoms are really good at cancelling wind noise picked up by the mic - can't say the same for CB/phone call/mobile apps. Sena also has a unit that can connect to CB. Last edited by bravo6 : 27th April 2023 at 19:17.
	(2) Thanks

30th April 2023, 10:14	#10
Axe77 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 8,822 Thanked: 27,710 Times	Re: Road-trip communication between motorcycles and cars It would be helpful to understand how exactly you want to use the comm system - I.e. how frequently - is it for round the clock chatter or from time to time occasionally on a need basis. On curated rides in the mountains where I’ve ridden with the xplorearth team they’re usually operating a mix of backup trucks and bikes both. What I’ve seen is that their primary means of comm is via high end radio units (check any of their videos on insta and you’ll see the units mounted on the bikes). But this principally allows coordination when the bike halts (I think). Its also essential for decently long range and communication when regular phone signals fail. In addition they also have Sena / Cardos, which I guess they use amongst the bikes. Note that the range of a Sena / Cardo is also much lesser than what I assume the range of these high end radio units must be. I’m also not sure if this kind of a radio setup requires any special permissions. Frankly, unless you’re venturing into remote no-signal areas, a simple low tech solution could be for the bikes to be mesh connected via SENA and if on occasion a car needs to connect to any of you, just place a telephone call to the rider. My view is these Sena / Cardo type devices have reasonably modest range which is subject to the further variable of clear line of sight / range - not conducive to using with a car (I’m speaking off hand, have not specifically researched this).
	() Thanks

19th October 2023, 15:17	#13
vj_v3 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2021 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 89 Thanked: 209 Times	Re: Road-trip communication between motorcycles and cars I don't know what port the sena has for connecting the speaker and mike it comes with for the intercom unit. But my chinese intercom with a mini USB port. I am considiering purchasing a minu usb to 3.5mm female converter pigtail and then just connect the regular earphones to the 3.5 mm jack for the car user. Is this expected to work, or does anyone foresee any challenges?
	() Thanks