Favorite Communicator Uclear, Sena, Cardo, GMRS, What?

[Bugman]

For those who use bike to bike communication, what is your favorite one to use? Uclear, Sena, GMRS radio? What and why? How good does it work? Any downsides?

 

[Viper Pilot]

SENA 20S. Love it! perfect in every way for me!

 

[Bappo]

I have 2 Scala Q3's and like them a lot. FM radio works pretty well, pairs well. They last exactly 8 hours so I charge one well using the other. Volume is more than adequate and music/podcasts are clear.

I probably would say the same for Sena's as well but you run what you have. I don't think the Sena 10 has FM and that is why I chose the Q3. Sena 20 didn't exist yet.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Have a pair of Sena SMH10s with a 20S waiting in the wings. Great units, easy to use and you can talk with all your buddies!

--G

 

[Niehart]

Have a pair of Sena SMH10s with a 20S waiting in the wings. Great units, easy to use and you can talk with all your buddies!
--G

+1 said the buddy.

 

[steve_g]

Sena SMH10s, I want to upgrade to the low profile 20S but they work so well that I won't give them up.

 

[HotRodZilla]

I really like my Sena, but it's all I know. I do know Sena users seem to have less complaints, overall, than other users. I've had mine for a long time.

 

[GinaMcD]

After 5 trouble free years and tens of thousands of miles, my Sena SMH10 died last fall. Didn't even consider another brand and the 20s was the obvious choice. However, as most reviewers state, the FM radio feature is marginal at best, but that wasn't a priority.

 

[302]

U clear

 

[PhilJet09]

Sena 20s is the only one I've ever tried. It works well, but tends to malfunction in a prolonged rain. I don't care for that. Now I only use it when the wife and I ride together, which isn't often and almost never in the rain, so it works great for that.

 

[eflyguy]

I had the original 10, went thru the upgrades, had to get it replaced when the pins stopped making reliable contact to the base. I went with the 10R when it came out, and a friend managed to drop my old 10 while riding, was run over by a truck.

I've since bought 3 smh5's, which we use as a family for riding dirt-bikes.

Considering upgrading my 10R but really have no need to. Works like a champ.

 

[Madmudder]

Sena 20s has all the bells and whistles one could expect & great customer service. I had a Cardo G9 & G9x they worked well most of the time up to 4 paired after that we had issues & customer service was the poorest I have experienced. They requested we send them in on 3 different occasions and never corrected the issues. Uclear HBC 200 was a good base unit after installing the pro headset and customer service was very good, unfortunately they are a little behind in what they have to offer compared to Sena & the new Cardo Pack Talk. After the poor customer service I received from Cardo in the past I won't even consider the new Pack Talk even with all the claimed improvements.

The winner in my experience is the Sena 20s & the phone AP is a bonus.

 

[DeSudet]

I'm currently running the Scala G9 from Cardo. Works great when I'm riding alone (most of the time), but the intercom's always been hit or miss with my pillion, software updates are practically non-existent, and there are a few features offered by most Sena products that I wish Cardo would get around to implementing. I'll be jumping over to Sena sometime this year, just not sure if I'm gonna go 20s or 10c. May depend on whether I get the dashcam rig or not. (Innovv K1 if anyone's curious what cam I'm looking at)

 

[eflyguy]

Anyone have the 10C?

 

[Walter]

using the UCLEAR now with no regrets as it was an affordable way to try out the whole Bluetooth thang. UCLEAR is simple unit to use with limited volume and sound quality but has held up well and does the job. Tried a friends Sena 20s and was a great piece of equipment and hope next year to buy either a 20s or a 10s depending on budget. I hope other companies step it up some as good competition in the market is good for us in the end.

 

[Geezer]

SENA for me.

This would make a good poll.

 

[rogdeb]

Sena SMH10 for us guys

.

For what we use them for (rider to passenger and rider to GPS) they work perfectly.

Only had the system for 6 months as Deb resisted any form of comm. system previously. Now she can't imagine being without it

We get about 10 hours of talk time before the need to re-charge.

 

[mobilemike]

Wife and I have sena 20s. Just got them a few months ago so we are still learning them. No complaints so far.

 

[TomInPA]

For bike-to-bike communication nothing beats GMRS for range and clarity, however as you know it involves a lot more complexity. GMRS requires a power source, and something like the Autocom with PTT. Only GMRS has the range and reliability to communicate with riders out of sight, and even up to several miles. For example if someone passes cars/trucks on the road, they can call back if the road is clear or traffic is coming. A BT will be out of range quickly.

Any BT solution will be limited to line of sight, or at most 1000 feet, although uClear uses a short-hop technology that can extend that through multiple headsets, and the Sena 20s may also have their implementation of that technology. The short-hop falls apart as soon as any two riders exceed the range to maintain connectivity. The biggest problem is the BT headsets are not very compatible between brands. So if your friends use Sena, get a Sena, if they use uClear, get that. The functionality is roughly equal, but uClear uses a jaw mic which does not require a boom and mic in front of your mouth, while Sena uses a conventional mic. BT headsets are limited in the connections they will make, and none will deliver both GPS and Radar Detector.

My solution is to use the uClear for music, GPS and phone using earbuds from uClear with built in jaw mics, with Autocom for GMRS and RD through helmet speakers. That gives me the flexibility to intercom with other uClear users and have the GMRS for longer trips and range, and I have a backup if either unit fails or the BT loses battery power (about 10 hours). IMO a Sena could replace the uClear very easily except it would require a second boom mic. More FJR riders seem to use Sena than uClear, so you are more likely to have someone to talk to with Sena. Very few riders currently are using GMRS.

Bottom line, there is no single best solution that works for everyone.