Technology Toolkit

While there is no doubt that one of the many advantages of riding a motorcycle is being out on the open road by yourself, there are times when you may want to be able to talk to other riders, your passenger or even listen to your favorite tunes. A good motorcycle headset provides just those options, providing high quality, clear and static free sound. Some motorcycle headsets even offer Bluetooth, but this is not necessary to get high quality sound and reception.

There are different types that use a variety of features from standard tubes through to batteries and electronic components that can be used to amplify and enhance sound. The older style and less expensive types of headsets typically use a system that doesn’t require batteries or power, meaning you have fewer problems on the road. Batteries don’t go dead, electronics don’t fail and the tube system basically works by transmitting sound to a microphone positioned by your mouth and an earpiece. While you can increase the volume on the earpiece there is no way to amplify beyond that maximum level. In some cases road noise, wind and even the helmet itself may muffle the sound or make listening a challenge.

A more advanced option is a wired headset that allows the passenger on the bike as well as the rider to be connected to a central unit on the bike through wires. These wires need to be connected and disconnected as you dismount or get on the bike, however the sound is much clearer and can be boosted or amplified to suit each person. They can also be set up to interact with other bikers.

The cables run down your arm from the earpiece and microphone and plug into the respective jack on the bike. In addition a sending unit attaches to the belt, much like a cell phone case. These can be used with open faced or closed in helmets, and should have noise canceling technology to add to the clarity of sound.

Wireless options are offered, allowing freedom from any type of wires or connectors on the bike. They come in a wide variety of prices and with different types of radio technology to allow for various types of usage. For most riders a short distance radio set is all that is needed to stay in touch with the passenger and other bikers in the group. For those wanting to be able to talk over much longer distances something like the General Mobile Radio Service of GMRS, which works very similar to a walkie-talkie or push to talk system is the best option. There are still limitations as to how far you can be apart for a clear signal, but a few miles on relatively level types of roads should not be a problem.

It is important to try out the various earpieces and systems to see how comfortable they are for you to wear. If you are using them only for occasional rides in beautiful weather you may be able to get by with a less expensive one, however for heavy use or use in all types of weather get a fully waterproof model. Some have two earpieces while others have only one and some systems may also have voice activation, which shuts them off when no one is talking.

Another advantage to some of the motorcycle headsets is that they come equipped with a jack or auxiliary input for an MP3 player, an iPod or even satellite radio. Depending on how much you ride as well as what your budget is these may also be great options to add music through your headset for both you and your passenger.

Simply put, Bluetooth is a type of technology that allows information to be exchanged between two or more capable devices without the use of cables or wired connections. It is common these days on cell phones where the caller simply uses a small earpiece/microphone combination to allow them hands-free communication through the phone. This saves having to hold the phone all the time during the conversation, plus it allows the wearer to get up and move about freely or even keep typing, driving or working without interruption. Another great way to utilize this technology is Bluetooth for 2 way radios.

Many of the new systems have a great deal of range, allowing the wearer to move a fair distance away from the radio and still receive the signal. This is important for a variety of reasons since it frees up the user and prevents a lot of the restrictions of movements when using a traditional system. They can be left in safe places and often last much longer since they aren’t carried about as much. Many motorcycle owners might be interested in this type of device, due to it’s ease of usability.

The technology works through a very small, relatively inexpensive computer chip that is added to any type of electronic system. Since the frequency used is different than other types of radio frequencies there is no interference, plus the devices are synchronized to only respond to each other. This means that the system only hears signals from those devices you have linked, just like your cell phone only sends to your earpiece, not to any other receivers. It also means that your device won’t interfere with other wireless systems or even other Bluetooth devices you may be operating.

Bluetooth adds even more features for those individuals that want to have full and complete hands-free use while still getting crystal clear sound quality. Different companies have had the option of push to talk on their existing radio systems, however the quality of sound as well as the hand held component of the system has made them bulky and less than perfect in the past. This technology has reduced wires and total freedom is possible. What more could a person want?

The newest, sleekest and smallest systems are very easy to use. The earpieces, which contain a very small microphone boom, are much shorter and thinner than traditional earpiece/microphone headsets. The systems work on chargers, with the earpiece/microphone and the receiving/sending unit all charging on the same system. To sync up the system it is as simple as pressing and holding down a button simultaneously on both pieces, forming the connection. Once the link has been established the first time there is no need to do it again. Many of the systems also have optional push to talk buttons that can be mounted anywhere that is easy to reach. This eliminates the need to have to touch the radio itself to talk or answer a call.

The whole Bluetooth system simply plugs into your set, turning anything that has compatibility into a fully functioning wireless device. This literally adds to the value of the device as you no longer have to hold it, push the specific buttons and struggle to hear what is going on. The Bluetooth for 2 way radios will eliminate a great deal of the environmental noise since the sound from the device is going directly to the earpiece, transferred wirelessly. Sound is clearer and free from distortion, plus volume controls on the earpiece mean you can adjust the sound to suit your particular needs.

I recently had to buy a new camera. It was a spur of the moment thing but for all the right reasons. I’ll explain. I’d been asked to write about a music festival that was about to take place for a magazine. I duly submitted my 1200 word piece and thought nothing of it. I’d done lots of preview pieces for lots of different events and usually they don’t lead to anything else.

So it was to my surprise that I got a phone call shortly afterwards asking me if I was interested in covering the festival in its entirety. Of course I agreed but there was one catch; I had to take plenty of pictures of the acts to accompany my writing. At the time it didn’t seem like much of a catch, how hard could it be I thought? Take a few pictures while enjoying the music, easy.

So I agreed to everything, not really considering what it involved and dug out my camera. Now I haven’t used my camera for quite a long time, years in fact. The only pictures I’ve taken in the last few years have been on my phone which has a pretty impressive built in camera. It wasn’t until I found my old 35mm compact camera that I realized how far behind the times I was. I reckon the camera was 10 years old and it showed.

It was at least four times bigger than most other cameras I’d seen people using recently and still took 35mm roll film. Most people I knew had joined the digital revolution some time ago and were now using digital cameras. I considered my position. I’d be at a music festival seeing in excess of fifty bands over the course of three days.

A roll of 36 photos for each act, that would be 50 films and 1800 pictures. Aside from the fact that it would be a lot of film to carry around I realized the processing costs afterwards would probably take up all the money I was being paid to do the job and more besides. Maybe I needed to get a new camera.

I went out and bought several magazines on cameras and gadgets and technology and poured over the camera reviews for days looking for something that would do the job. What I found while reading all the camera reviews was that lots of it was repeated and lots of it was irrelevant. It’s easy to get bogged down in the detail of something like a digital camera and it wasn’t long before my head was spinning and I didn’t know which way to turn. Camera reviews, I decided, were not good for me.

So I decided to put them aside for the time being and draw up a list of all the features I needed. I had an idea from the camera reviews of what was on offer I just needed to decide what was relevant. I made a few phone calls to friends, one of which was a photographer, and came up with three things that I need to include.

Lens – I needed to have two different types of lens, something to shoot close up; 28mm-50mm, and something to shoot from a distance; 200mm-300mm. As I wasn’t sure what sort of settings the stages would be in so I needed to cover all possibilities. Two lenses should do it I thought.

Capacity – I needed magazine quality images and I needed lots of them so I needed a memory card in the camera that could deal with this. 8GB I decided would be enough, certainly no less.

Flash – Flash wasn’t completely necessary; I’d been told by my photographer friend that many live events don’t permit flash photography but if I could get a camera that had a built in flash it could prove useful.

So with my list in hand I went back to the camera reviews and in no time I was able to pick out two that ticked all the boxes. I went for the cheaper one; now all I had to do was learn how to use it!

I recently had to make a long car journey. Nothing strange about that but it was the first long journey I have made with both my young children in the back barking instructions at me, or at least that’s how it seemed. I’d never given much thought to car entertainment before but I found that I was reluctantly forced into the situation.

Being a middle aged man I’d forgotten all the long journeys, holidays and trips to distant relatives, that I’d been part of as a boy. Maybe the trauma had led me to block them out, maybe I’d just never had to recall them since, whatever the reason I found myself racking my brains during the days before our journey trying to remember how me and my sister used to occupy our time in the back seat as dad drove, sometimes through the night, to our destination.

In the 1970s, as I recall, car entertainment consisted of reading books and drawing pictures. There were no fancy gimmicks or expensive gadgetry to keep us quite. I found myself repeatedly mouthing the words, ‘We made our own entertainment when I was a kid’, much to the dismay of my wife who had to remind me that I wasn’t a product of the baby boom before I started to hark back to rationing and condensed milk sandwiches.

But I did stand firm in my belief that car entertainment 20 or 30 years ago consisted of simple pleasures that cost very little and worked, didn’t they? With a bit more thought I began to recall the arguments and fights that ensued on a regular basis between me and my sister as we got increasingly bored in the back of the car. As the past started to emerge from the fog of my mind I began to realise that car entertainment, rather than resembling a cross between a kids sedate book club and Take Hart (70’s TV painting programme for kids, ask your dad) our trips in the car were more akin to wrestling matches punctuated by the words, ‘Are we there yet?’ I started to panic.

Would my nostalgic idea of car entertainment be enough for my two girls? Would the adventures of Mr Messy and his friends see me through the 350 mile trek across the country? Would some pencils and a brand new drawing book ensure that war didn’t break out? When I asked myself these questions I was hoping the answer would be yes but if I was being realistic I knew that I’d have to do better than that. I had 21st century children, I had to start thinking like a 21st century dad.

As I started looking into what new gadgets were on the market and what constituted car entertainment today I was amazed. I Spy has been superceeded by a range of music systems, DVD players and computer games. The variety of things on the market was so huge that I spent hours just reading all the features on some of the products. Would my girls appreciate the sub woofer that comes with the latest car stereo that can play MP3 files and also has a docking device for my iPod? Probably not. Or maybe they’d prefer the DVD player that attached to the headrest and comes with wireless headphones? Maybe they’re a little young for that.

Then I found it; a piece of software that works on a Sat Nav or PDA and can pinpoint over 6,000 sites in the UK that have appeared in movies. Perfect I thought, giving little thought to the initial problem of keeping the kids quiet. Now I just have to find an excuse to drive to Cornwall via North Yorkshire where Harry Potter was filmed.

Being lost is not nice, ever since I was a small child I have panicked the moment I thought that I might not be able to find my way back home before nightfall. This lies in my innate inability to get lost at the drop of a hat as I do not possess any sort of sense of direction. Take yesterday for example, I set off for a wander around a local woodland, not paying much attention as I meandered through the naked trees due to the fact that that a) I could see literally see the wood for the trees and b) who ever got lost along the standard issue one path of a municipal woodland? I got lost. I don’t know how, but as the light was fading, I really wished my phone was equipped with something useful like a compass, or a sat nav system that could help me. I’m not sure anyone offers a pedestrian GPS service for the wilderness.

Obviously, for the fact I am relaying my not so terrifying story to you, I got out safely, but it did prompt me to look up a few GPS receivers reviews to see how the technology is advancing since my last fumbled attempts with its use. Although my adventures aren’t exactly on par with the Gumball Rally, navigating ones way through Southampton with GPS on a mobile phone; testing out the functions of a Navman on a route that only has three turnings; and braving central London with the supposed holy grail of direction dictators, the Tom Tom is actually quite an enlightening experience.

Using the satellite navigation system offered by Orange on my nifty little mobile phone almost saved the day when I was in a van with a bunch of musicians trying to get to a gig in Southampton. Having come from Essex, we had found the city well enough, but the club itself proved an elusive destination even with the help of Google maps and AA route planner. Attempting to save the day I fired up the GPS receiver and barked directions at the driver. In all fairness, the system was quite good, it showed me which direction we should be going with a nice clear line, and even more helpfully told me how far away we were from the road we were seeking. Unfortunately, it didn’t actually have the road we were looking for on its map, so we spend about 45 minutes being permanently within 500 yards of our destination.

Fortunately, according to GPS receivers reviews, the technology has since improved and the sim card is set to become a multi functioning tool that we cannot live without. Sagem have developed a sim card that has inbuilt AGPS capabilities, which means that you don’t have to invest in a snazzy phone to be able to use navigation system. Apparently the new technology is considered highly reliable, which is not as good as “fool proof and totally accurate”. The Mio A501 on the other hand is being heralded as a cracking GPS receiver that also functions as a phone and walkman.

The phone is Nokia’s hottest opponent, and it certainly seems like it is streets ahead (excuse the pun!) of Sagem’s offering. The Mio is geared up for pedestrian use as well as an in-car navigation system. The software built into the phone also picks up speed cameras, and it comes with an extra 22 maps for driving in Europe. Unfortunately, in all the GPS receivers reviews I have read there is no mention if it can help a lost journalist out of the woods, but it gets my seal of approval anyway; at least I can listen to my favourite tunes whilst I wander in ever decreasing circles!