SENA and BT question

I was sitting here thinking how I can communicate with my family while they are in the car and I am on my bike, with my Sena 20S. Any idea if there is another radio, communicator etc that could be a inexpensive held held and connect to the Sena from the car people? This would be instead of the expensive factory option or texting or calling. Just pondering...

With the Sena's you can call them on the phone. Not sure if you could somehow use a second SENA unit in the car with headphones. the other way would be to connect a walkie talkie via an SM10 and use a set to talk back and forth I think SENA has a way to connect a walkie to their system

Try this link for some options

https://www.sena.com/product-category/accessories/

Using a cellphone in the car (usual safety admonitions) to a rider with a cell and Sena would work.

Ungainly but functional a Sena in a car connected to earbuds should work. The Sena's cradle could be connected to a hat or ball cap. This method has shorter range than cellphones and a Sena but has the benefit of full duplex communication that walkie-talkies lack. And it's very hands-free friendly.

Which Sena do you have? the 20s will link to a non Sena bluetooth headset ( like the cheap ones used for cell phones ) using the universal intercom function found on page 36 of the users manual. It will be full duplex and hands free but you do not get as much distance.... but that should work for your application..

If you want a little more distance than Bluetooth will get you, get a pair of GMRS radios and the cable to plug one of them into your SENA.

I have a pair of old Cobra radios that run on 4 AAAs that will last all day if you don't go too heavy on the push-to-talk button. Cobra's not making them anymore, but Motorola, Midland and Uniden still do.

--Mark

I'm trying to figure same thing. I've tried Sena mic and intercom https://www.sena.com/product/bluetoothmicintercom/ but distance is not too great and a bit of interference. I bought another S20, removed headphones and plugged in earbuds. I clipped s20 on my wife's sun visor in her car and it works except I have hard time hearing her since her mic is further from her mouth. We used cellphones before but there was no way to communicate in areas without cell reception and I couldn't listen to my music. That's besides my biggest issue with phones that both have to interact with phone and I don't wanna do that. It's just too dangerous in my opinion. I get near hits almost daily by cagers with their phones in hand. I think that next thing to test will be that headphone communication Sena offers for mechanics if I can get my wife to wear bulky headphones with mic all the time while driving.

Mark

Doesn't the new Sena RideConnect app allow the use of a cell phone (and cell network) to tie together users "hands free"?

https://www.sena.com/rideconnected-app/

Or am I misunderstanding the product?

Jim

You might be able to connect the you Sena to the BT in the car if it's a newer model with hands free. The problems with this as I see them are:
1. Will they connect? Easy test in the driveway.
2. How to activate communication from car to Sena. Check in driveway.
3. Distance car can receive from Sena. A walk down the block test if they connected and communicated.
4. Distance Sena can receive from car, bet this will be an issue, but a simple enough test with a walk down the block.

Think JMartin has a better idea to test.

Reginald said:

You might be able to connect the you Sena to the BT in the car if it's a newer model with hands free. The problems with this as I see them are:
1. Will they connect? Easy test in the driveway. Each Bluetooth device connects to the Cell Network independently.
2. How to activate communication from car to Sena. Check in driveway. The phone itself becomes a new communication device? May or may not be hands-free bluetoothed to the car.
3. Distance car can receive from Sena. A walk down the block test if they connected and communicated. It's no longer dependent on Bluetooth once connected to the Cell Network through the app.
4. Distance Sena can receive from car, bet this will be an issue, but a simple enough test with a walk down the block. See also above... their video shows riders on different continents being able to communicate.

Think JMartin has a better idea to test.

Click to expand...

These are my understandings from watching the product video (I have no actual experience with it):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEd989KnOao

Jim

[Then again... there appear to be a few youtube video's that are not thrilled with it... I'll have to watch some of them next.]

Blrfl said:

If you want a little more distance than Bluetooth will get you, get a pair of GMRS radios and the cable to plug one of them into your SENA.

I have a pair of old Cobra radios that run on 4 AAAs that will last all day if you don't go too heavy on the push-to-talk button. Cobra's not making them anymore, but Motorola, Midland and Uniden still do.

--Mark

Click to expand...

Sena seems a bit confused on the ability to actually pair GMRS radios with their own set. Seems that the user manual says you can, but Sena support says you can't.

This could be exclusive to the 20S.

But aren't GMRS radios coming with Bluetooth now? Couldn't that allow you to pair to the Sena?

maximark said:

to wear bulky headphones

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That's not legal in a lot of states. We can get away with helmet speakers but a driver wearing headphones might get picked off. Or not.

EASt said:

But aren't GMRS radios coming with Bluetooth now?

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Don't know but aren't most simplex not duplex and that could be a problem.

^^ Two very good points ^^

EASt said:

Sena seems a bit confused on the ability to actually pair GMRS radios with their own set. Seems that the user manual says you can, but Sena support says you can't.

This could be exclusive to the 20S.

But aren't GMRS radios coming with Bluetooth now? Couldn't that allow you to pair to the Sena?

Click to expand...

Sena makes the SR10, which is a BT adapter you plug into the GMRS (or other type of longer range 2-way radio). Pair your helmet headset to the SR10, and mount the PTT switch somewhere convenient.

I used to use a 440MHz ham handy-talkie w/vox, wired to a J&M helmet headset. I don't think the simplex vs full-duplex issue is a problem at all.

As to the legality issue - the Sena itself isn't legal everywhere. Some states don't care, some require one ear free, others you theoretically can't use them at all. I figure it's kind of like earplugs - I can ride if I'm deaf, but I'd rather take my chances with an earplug ticket.

From 20S manual:
"• In some regions, it is prohibited by law to ride motorcycles while
wearing headsets or earbuds. Therefore be certain to comply with all
relevant laws in the region before using the product."

I have the motorola MU350 frs radio with bluetooth built in. I have tried to link my Sena 20s to it via the universal function with NO success. Has anyone gotten this to work?...

As far as legality is concerned: most systems will have you covered depending on your choice of speaker.

In my own state, we technically can't put ear buds in our ears, but helmet speakers would be legal.

That said, I typically use ear buds and it hasn't been an issue.

Spiderman, I have the 20s and have been thinking that I would like to get some MU350R's for myself. I would think they would be paired as a phone not with the universal pairing. If you get it working I'd like to hear about it.

spiderman302 said:

I have the motorola MU350 frs radio with bluetooth built in. I have tried to link my Sena 20s to it via the universal function with NO success. Has anyone gotten this to work?...

Click to expand...

EASt said:

Sena seems a bit confused on the ability to actually pair GMRS radios with their own set. ... But aren't GMRS radios coming with Bluetooth now? Couldn't that allow you to pair to the Sena?

Click to expand...

Sena sells cables, and I'd use one of those instead of trying to add more Bluetooth to the picture. But I'm old-fashioned that way.

--Mark

Blrfl said:

Sena sells cables, and I'd use one of those instead of trying to add more Bluetooth to the picture. But I'm old-fashioned that way.

--Mark

Click to expand...

Generally, I am too. Moreover, I think Bluetooth is a bit overrated. I still appreciate the simplicity, audio quality, and reliability of a good ol' cable.

EASt said:

Moreover, I think Bluetooth is a bit overrated.

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Bluetooth is fine for its purpose, but not as a substitute for VHF or UHF land-mobile radio. My own preference is to have electrical gadgets that will keep running as long as the bike can power them, which puts wireless headsets out of the running.

My otherwise-100%-hard-wired Autocom got a BT receiver added as an input so I can get audio off my phone when I started using it for GPS because I didn't want to plug it in and the cradle I'm using doesn't provide audio out. It works out fine for me because all of it is powered by the bike and the ends are close enough to stay paired.

--Mark