Bluetooth ski intercom system opinions

[bbinder]

Agreed. The sound is decent and the Chips are easy to use for music and phone calls. The walkie talkie feature: not so much.

 

[dovski]

So we have tried several different Bluetooth intercom systems and none work well while skiing. It seems most rely on apps on your smartphone which always brings us back to the common denominator of cell phone coverage while skiing which can be spotty.

We have had better luck with Motorola walkie-talkies but my kids feel these are bulky and to quote the. “Really old things their grandparents probably used as kids”. That said my kids would rather text then talk on the phone anyway so ultimately it comes back to cell phones and apps with them these days.

I do have a Bluetooth headset in my helmet so that I can answer calls if needed, have text messages read to me and listen to music. I would say that the headset is good for listening too, but the mic does not have great noise canceling so if you’re on a lift, or if there is any wind, it is pretty hard for folks on the other end to hear you or for voice commands to work.

While probably not quite as convenient as a headset, we have found that the built in intercom function on the Apple Watch works well provided you have cellular or data coverage or Wi-Fi.

 

[Tricia]

Agreed. I meant ODT Chips. After so many years on the market you would think that they would have worked out the kinks in this system. It's great for music and calls. Lots of bass and plenty of volume due to large magnets but still so many issues w/ their intercom system.

While we were at The Big Gear Show EcoXGear set us up with these.
Obviously we haven't tried them yet, but my initial thoughts are that they are a little bulkier than the ODT Chips in the ear pads of my helmet.
The sound quality is really good, but I'm trying to figure out how the walkie talkie features work. It looks like its going to be a bit less clunky than the ODT Chips.

https://ecoxgear.com/products/ecopucks-bluetooth®

 

[Tony Storaro]

I've tried the ODT chips for a bunch of Bluetooth head sets.
The walkie talkie feature is not seamless.

The 3.0?
I have I believe the first version and yes, they kinda suck as walkie talkie. Besides they add unnecessary weight to the helmet which I do not like at all.
Interesting to see how the latest version performs.

I was thinking for this purpose some proper radio but still cant find one that is small enough and I'll be damned if I take my marine VHF radio on the slopes.

 

[Tricia]

I have the 2.0

 

[bbinder]

Agreed. The sound is decent and the Chips are easy to use for music and phone calls. The walkie talkie feature: not so much.

 

[tromano]

Recommend simple 2 way radios. Proven technology for off grid LOS coms.

 

[dovski]

Recommend simple 2 way radios. Proven technology for off grid LOS coms.

What we really need is a 2-way radio that integrates with a bluetooth in helmet headset. Remember the Nextel Cell phones that also worked as 2 way radios. Smart phones killed those, but in off grid scenarios like skiing something similar to that might make sense.

 

[tromano]

What we really need is a 2-way radio that integrates with a bluetooth in helmet headset. Remember the Nextel Cell phones that also worked as 2 way radios. Smart phones killed those, but in off grid scenarios like skiing something similar to that might make sense.

There are these.

Also these which seem more like a LOS radio to link smartphones.

Motorola Talkabout T801 2-Way Radios - Pair | REI Co-op

No cell service? No problem. These Motorola Talkabout T801 2-way radios allow you to track and share locations with all your travel companions, using your smartphone, Bluetooth and the Talkabout app.

www.rei.com

 

[Yo Momma]

These limitations are why I mentioned the reliability of the snowmobile intercom systems. When I was a snowmobile guide .... many moons ago... I would not dream of riding w/ our coms down. These intercom systems are attached to your helmet, were not via cell phone, they were crystal clear, durable, weather proof and incredibly reliable even out of line of sight. Not sure of the sizes available nowadays but all my friends who still ride, swear by them and they are now as standard in terms of mandatory gear, as handlebar hand warmers.

 

[jmills115]

What we really need is a 2-way radio that integrates with a bluetooth in helmet headset. Remember the Nextel Cell phones that also worked as 2 way radios. Smart phones killed those, but in off grid scenarios like skiing something similar to that might make sense.

At my job we had been using Sprint PTT (was Nextel) and continued after it became T-Mobile.
We have transitioned to using Zello which is also a PTT but in an app that will function on any cell network.
We are using the paid version and believe there is a free version as well.

 

[PisteOff]

Cardo systems, Packtalk Ski. @ChunderBlunder and I used them all week at Taos. They worked better than expected. After testing them at home we bought the upgrade JBL speakers. We spent a lot more time skiing and a lot less time standing around pointing our poles discussing where we were going to go. It added more fun to the experience for sure

 

[Fuller]

Basically I’m trying to communicate with my wife....

Same as it ever was...

 

[Beremy]

In my opinion, the Intercom system is the most interesting function, since it offers a completely new social skiing experience. Listening to music and being able to make hands free phone calls are great options.

 

[PisteOff]

Forgot about this thread……. As previously mentioned we bought Cardo’s ski version of their motorcycle product. They got about 20 days of use last season. They had decent range. Better than line of sight but definitely hampered by large terrain features (mountain in the way) and thick tree stands. We had a blast with them. Got to talk cash shit to each other all day long. We’re able to make decisions on the fly. We’re able to warn each other of hazards/obstacles. Hearing “cllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiffffff” is never a good thing. Fortunately that never happened. If someone needed to stop for any reason you were able to do that without getting separated. It allowed us to move through the trees at a better clip as losing sight of one another became less of a concern. Etc, etc, etc. Definitely two thumbs up on these from myself and @ChunderBlunder.

 

[Rdputnam515]

Anyone use these yet?

Milo – The Action Communicator

Speak with your friends while you ride, surf or ski. Milo – The Action Communicator is the walkie-talkie reimagined. It enables hands-free, multi-way, group voice conversation, allowing adventurers to speak while on the trails, slopes or water. No phones or Wi-Fi needed, so everybody in the...

shop.okmilo.com

 

[kitchener]

Anyone use these yet?

Milo – The Action Communicator

Speak with your friends while you ride, surf or ski. Milo – The Action Communicator is the walkie-talkie reimagined. It enables hands-free, multi-way, group voice conversation, allowing adventurers to speak while on the trails, slopes or water. No phones or Wi-Fi needed, so everybody in the...

shop.okmilo.com

I was looking at their website -- I wonder how it handles wind noise? Over the years, with the kids and on trips to bigger mountains, we've experimented with getting walkies set up right, and never got past, at least with hands-free speaking, the wind noise flipping on the mic when you're not actually trying to speak. The best solution we found and still use is simply adding a hand-mike to the walkie and clipping it to your lapel. So, you'd tuck the walkie in your inside jacket pocket, run the hand mike up through the inside (so the flexible cable is no-fuss/no-muss inside your jacket), and clip the mike itself to your lapel. No futsying with a pocket, no remembering to zip it when you're done, and no problem at all using the hand mike with a gloved hand. On a clear day, we've been amazed to be able to speak with the boss down at the condo, etc.. The limiting factor to the Motorolas, et al., are the fixed antennas. If you go on Amazon and grab some Baofengs and a footlong flex antenna, the thin flex antenna inside your jacket isn't even noticeable, and the set up really reaches out and touches someone. That said, for on mountain skier-to-skier chat, the sexier antenna isn't needed, but we've always got folks spread out, so the extra oomph comes in handy.