Collett Communications - who has it and likes it?

[2RR2NV]

quick question for ya all..  i've been looking at getting a Com system by next Fall, and have been doing a lot of research on com systems.... 1 in particular is made by Collett out of Canada(?). anyone have experience with em? i don't need all the fancy stuff (since i don't want to spend tons), but i do want: Intercom, bike-to-bike, and phone hookup. anything more than that is just bonus.

any help greatly appreciated.

thanks

[DNA]

Don't know anything about that one, but I just got the Blue Ant interphone wireless and I really like it on the few trial rides I got in before the cold closed me down.  so far  

For the price it will do what you want and get 2 for intercom with passenger.

http://www.myblueant.com/interphone-motorbike-helmet-kit-video.htm

[Scratch33]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the downside of the Collett is that unlike FRS or CB,  it'll only communicate with other Collett's.  

[county]

Wrong forum. Ask down in the gadgets forum.

[2RR2NV]

ok...cool, so do i need to ask it again down there, do i have the capability to move it, or does the Moderator move it?

just curious. i'm a lil new here.

thanks

[KillerB]

I'm sure a mod will be along shortly.  In the meantime here's what I know.  

I've had mine for about 7 years.  My old girlfriend and I used them quite a bit when she had her Katana. They work only with other Colletts.  They work pretty well up to about 60mph or so.  They are voice activated only with a squelch to adjust the sensitivity.  If you have a helmet without the fabric piece below your chin the wind noise can activate the mic at higher speeds even with the squelch set to high.  I always wear earplugs so I found the helmet speakers to be not quite loud enough at times.  It works better for me with ear buds.  I think it would work great with my e6i's.  The bulk of it and the battery pack can be a pain at times. It is cool to be able to talk to your friend while riding.  The range is an honest 2km line of site.  They might have improved some things since I got mine, I haven't checked the site lately.  

Oh yeah,  I had a small problem with the mic on one of mine and I called them, sent it to them and they replaced it no charge.  My cost was the shipping one way.  And that was 2 years out of warranty. So customer service gets an A+.

Mine are similar to the original Chatterbox.  The Colletts would be better with a push-to-talk.

[Jake Harsha]

My wife and I have the Collets and they work great.  What someone said about wind noise activating them is true, but unless you consistently travel 80-90MPH, it's nothing the squelch can't handle...at least, that's the case with the helmets my wife and I use--a SHOEI RF900 (no wind guard on the chin) and Nolan N100 YMMV with louder helmets.  At anything slower, the VOX works perfectly.  I also like the separate battery pack, as it keeps helmet weight down.

Overall, I'm quite satisfied.


HTH,
Jake

[Tyrroneous]

My experience mirrors Jake's.  I can't say enough good things about the colletts.   Mine are 6 years old and so the newer versions are quite a bit smaller than the set up that I have.  Mine have been put through 16 hour days, pouring rain, 100+ degree temps and one low side and are still working perfectly.  

I had one issue with the connector on the power chord coming loose.  Sent it in, and they repaired it for free, three years after purchase.  Collett's 3 yr warranty is exceptional: you break it, they fix it.

My only complaints with the older version is that (1) the music  is not played in stereo and (2) the helmet speakers didn't sound all that great when playing music, they were tolerable but not great.  Voice was fine though.

[Jake Harsha]

Like Tyrroneous, I also have the older units and I agree that the sonic performance (with music anyhow) could be a bit better and iit would be nicer in stereo.  Still, it's not bad, and since I rarely use them for that (just voice communication which sounds great through them) it's not that much of an issue for me.


Jake