When you are on a motorcycle, a standard two-way radio handheld isn’t going to do. We can’t imagine that your insurance company would be massive fans of you taking your hands off the handles to make a quick call. The police probably wouldn’t be all that happy about it either.
You probably don’t need two-way radio communication training to know that a quality two-way radio headset for motorcycles is the safest way to communicate when you’re out for a ride with others. Don’t just get a handsfree kit for a normal handheld radio. Get something that is actually built for the job. We recommend a nifty little product from Freedconn. Let’s talk about it.
The Two Way Radio Designed Specifically for Motorcycles
Well, OK. It operates on radio frequencies. Communication devices like this tend to do that. However, it isn’t a radio in the traditional sense of things. This is because the Freedconn does not have radio channels as such. Instead, with this device, you will be directly paired with the other devices you have connected to it. You have absolutely no control beyond this. We love that. When we are bombing along the road on a motorcycle, we don’t want anything too fiddly. no turning into certain stations or what have you. We want something that we can communicate by using a single button press. That is what we can do with this radio.
The Freedconn also works with Bluetooth that you can pair up to your phone. This means being able to listen to music, and also being able to make phone calls.
Range
Since this is a small unit and doesn’t really boast much in power, the range of the Freedconn is minimal. It is only going to allow you to communicate with the other rider if they are at a maximum of 700 to 850 yards from you. Any further than this, and it simply doesn’t work. You don’t even get a warning that the other radio is out of range. It just doesn’t work. You will be talking to yourself without a response.
That being said, for such a small unit, and the fact that it is rather limited in terms of radio frequencies, the range is pretty decent. You can tell that Freedconn put a lot of effort into perfecting their technology.
Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, the radio is designed to work at high speeds. It has been built specifically for this purpose. Other similar units may struggle to maintain a connection at a high speed, but as long as you are traveling below 75 miles per hour, this radio is going to work great. This makes for a great two way radio for cycling as well.
How Does It Work?
One of the reasons why we recommend this radio so heavily is because it is ridiculously simple to use. When your set of two arrives, they should already be paired to one another and you can just charge them a little before heading out. You can also add a third headset into the mix, although that is the absolute maximum the system can support.
Once they are paired, the devices will be looking for an audio signal from the other. If it finds it, the signal will be broadcast. Obviously, this is a process that takes a fraction of a second. This allows for instant communication. Due to the way in which this all works, the company actually brands it as an intercom system as opposed to a two-way radio.
Talking is done via a single button press. Just hit it, and you will instantly be patched through to the other radio. It will instantly cut out their music or whatever else they were doing. Obviously, as long as you are within range, you know that they can hear you.
The whole system is simple to set up too. It takes no more than a few minutes to attach it to your helmet. Once it is there, it won’t get in the way. This is great since competing products can be a bit cumbersome.
Battery Life
The battery life on this is truly great. In standby mode, you will get a cool 300 hours. If you are in the telecom mode, you will have 7-hours of talk time. This is ridiculously high. This makes this system perfect for those long road trips. If you keep your talking to the important bits and pieces only (i.e. what route you should take next), then you could easily go 5 to 6 days without needing to charge this.
Charging is exceedingly quick too. So, once the power has completely drained, you will be back on the road before you know it!
Bonus Features
There are a few bonus features built into the Freedconn system. We can’t imagine you will use all of them, but they are still worth knowing about:
- Functions as a normal Bluetooth headset, meaning you can answer your phone with it
- Built-in FM radio
- Acts as voice control for your phone, allowing for control of apps like the GPS
- You can listen to music through it
Downsides
There is one massive downside to this system. We do think that the range could have been improved some. While those on motorcycles do seem to stick together for the most part, there may be a time where you are more than a half mile or so apart. If you are at this distance, then the intercom is not going to work very well. We get why this is the case. It is down to the radio technology they used. However, it would have been brilliant if the range could have been doubled. It would have ensured that the Freedconn worked perfectly for all road travel.
Conclusion
When it comes to a quality two-way radio headset for motorcycles, this product is nigh on unbeatable. Yeah. The range is going to be a little bit annoying at times, but the rest of the features this radio boasts more than makes up for it. It is a must-buy for any motorcyclist traveling in groups.
