Communication systems

[atlewand]

Our crew is looking into getting a communication system, does anyone have any experience using them or have any suggestions for which company has the best out there right now.

[PC Treescapes]

Our crew is looking into getting a communication system, does anyone have any experience using them or have any suggestions for which company has the best out there right now.

We use the sena 10s and it is pricey but very useful, especially on jobs near roads, with noisy machinery, or for example when you are winching, the guy cutting can communicate with the guy on the winch. They are not the best noise cancelling with the saws, but if you turn them down a bit it's fine. Once you have them set up they are great though, and easy to fit (we use flat mike under brow of helmet not boom mike) as this got in the way
Only other draw back is you can occasionally knock clip that holds them on helmet with branches, so I am going to retro fit a small retaining clip so we don't have to play hunt the sena unit at the bottom of the tree!
However I and the team would recommend them, never tried any other manufacturers though.
Some jobs you wonder how you would have done it safely before having them.
Can also play and share music and make calls on them through Bluetooth when you just hedge cutting etc

[Andymacp]

There’s cheap eBay ones called prodsprorts v6 same thing really but £50 for 2.

[mawsonarb]

Yea I got a eBay job me and another climber! Forget the name of the unit £30 for motorcycle use really, but it's absolutely brilliant few DIY holes to be drilled into your ear Def's ( I'm self employed) so no liability For noise damage ect! But the units great Bluetooth to phone ect.. and seems to connect with most other people's Comms no probs! Just an option but that's my excpirece! Obviously won't be as robust as an expensive unit I suppose but...yea it's really good and once you have Comms it's hard to be without game changer for me!

[s o c]

We got some cheap ones on amazon and they work very well.

i can’t think of the make but it begins with B.

€75 per pair

[Coletti]

What ever you get, it's gonna take some abuse and with that in mind... I wouldn't spend loads of money on the sena units. Good as they may be, you'll be gutted when you break or loose it. I've been using the freedcon vb for a couple of years now with only a minor issue. Was out on a very wet day and one of them stoped working, it sat in the door pocket of the truck for a couple of months and when I went to use it again it was fine. Only £60 for a pair I believe and get good, very clear coms from climber to groundy

[agrimog]

just be aware if your using any radio based coms system, unless your using PMR 446 stuff you will require a licence ......£75 for a small business licence, lasts 5 years, for UHF stuff, and  your going for a ham ticket for anything else.........UHF is a good option, theres currently 3 frequencies available..(approx 128 usable channels) so you should be able to operate unmolested by other users, and a further 4 frequinces are being released by Offcom on the first of may, so this will bring channel options up to over 380,

[finchyo]

Have the sena 20s and they are good but have had so many broken by water getting into them :-( On some cheaper ones now but limted choice as we need 4 person connection. Would like to go radio comms but full duplex is expensive!

[agrimog]

there are baofong uhf radios on ebay at around the £20 a set  at the moment, combine these with a throat mike headset and vox enabled on the radios, and for around £150-180 plus a licence, you can have a 4 way system, and by using your own combination of ctss and dcn, you can have a secure network on it

 

[AHPP]

Throat mics I've tried have all been shit. Can you recommend a good one?