Autocom Usage

[Tango Charlie]

Hey All,

Going to go with the Autocom Active-Plus system and was looking for input from other VFR riders who have the system. info on what radio you went with, 9v or bike power, how you store your radio, mp3 player, cell phone, and what in the world you do with all the wires? And if any extra cables were needed for any of the devices mentioned earlier. It seems the Autocom covers a lot which has made it a bit confusing, any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance people!

[Spike]

I had one on my BMW, don't know if that would matter to you?

[BruceLaQuinta]

I was using a PRO-7 for my last two bikes, but have not yet used it on the VFR. Unless you ride two up, or have several accessories you want to hear at the same time, I do not think it is worth the effort. YMMV.

My last two bikes were both BMWs, so I was using a Big Mak tankbag. If you've never seen one, there is a mounting "bracket" that screws into four of the gas cap bolts, the bag slides onto the bracket which has a hinge that will lift the bag upward when you want to refill. The bag fit on each bike so I could move it between the two easily.

I installed a Powerlet outlet near the handlebars that would feed a power cord into the tankbag that would power a small fuse block for the Autocom, my V1, etc. A friend that is an authorized Autocom dealer recommends bike power over battery. I arranged all the various components onto a thin piece of wood so that I could anchor everything down, and help with the cable routing. The board was the same size / shape as the bottom of the tank bag, so I routed as many wires as possible under the board, which acted as the floor of the bag. I used to have a picture but I can't find it... I used a basic Kenwood FRS radio, and my Ipod, both of which could be arranged in the tankbag. The problem however was the Ipod would skip on rough roads, and the radio couldn't be adjusted on the fly.

The set-up worked very well, but I was tired of always "hooking in" to the system when getting on / off the bike. I use custom earplug speakers, and the Autocom adapter is very big and annoying, too many wires! I currently use my Ipod stored in my jacket pocket, and a Airclick remote that I ziptied to the V1. As far as an alert for the V1, I use a Marc Parnes Visual Alert. That way I can get on / off without worrying about connecting / unplugging myself, still have my music and get alerted to radar. Although the visual warning is not as good as the audible warning...

I hope that helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Regards.

[rmcobb]

My wife and I use the PRO-7 for bike to bike communications (yeah, yeah, I know, solitude and all that....but you can't beat being able to effectively communicate when you're on long rides).

I've had the unit both as bike powered and using the 9v. Either way, the units work pretty darn good. There is always something you have to tweak or work to correct, but the Autocom is known to be the best for a reason (or used to be considered the best...there are new choices out now that weren't around when we were buying ours).

I mounted the unit and the radio (Kenwood Freetalk XL - TK 3101) under the seat just above the battery. It fit fine under both the stock seat and the Sargent seat. I had it powered thru the tailight wire, with the negative wire going directly to the battery.

I had the wires come out between the seat and the tank, and velcroed them to the handle on my tank bag. Yeah, you had to plug in every time you got off the bike, but it wasn't that big a deal. My ipod would go in the tank bag, and the wire for that was ziptied along side the autocom main wire so it really felt like there was only one wire coming from the bike, and all I ever had to do was unplug the main autocom plug to exit the bike, the ipod could stay plugged in.

Good Luck

[Tango Charlie]

Nope, doesn't matter. Looking for any and all info.
Thanks

[Tango Charlie]

Thanks Cobb, appreciate the input! Just how many wires come from the main unit to the rider. I will be using a cell, iPod, and GMRS radio, maybe a GPS in the future. I'm trying to get a grip on what there is to hook into. If I place the Autcom unit in a tank bag using the 9V, and have the afformentioned items hooked in does that mean I have 3 or perhaps 4 wires to deal with? i noticed 3 in the brochure, which doesn't really help much when it comes to getting a visual on how all the pieces fit together.

[rmcobb]

Originally Posted by Tango Charlie

Just how many wires come from the main unit to the rider. I will be using a cell, iPod, and GMRS radio, maybe a GPS in the future.

Well, there is really only one cable that goes to the rider, this is the main cable that connects to the headset. All the other items connect to the main unit via cables and do not go to the rider (unless the item is on the rider....in a pocket or some such thing)