Thank you for the welcomes. As far as how many folks would use the frequencies, quite a bit around the Saint Louis area. The amateur community in town is quite active. Now if you're asking how many other fellow riders would use them, not so much. Not to mention the radio offers Broadcast AM and FM receive for those parts of my longer rides without much amateur or FRS activity. I'm sure at this point this thread could get moved over to another area for discussion on the forum. Being that I'm new to the layout here, I would not object to a moderator moving the thread to an appropriate area.
Here is some more info on the install. Installation Specs: - 2004 Kawasaki Concours (ZG1000/GTR1000) - Rifle 19" Windshield System - Yaesu FTM-10SR - StarCom1 Advanced Intercom -
http://www.starcom1.com - Helmet headsets for driver and passenger included - Comet SSB7-NMO antenna - Battery Tender Jr. -
http://www.batterytender.com/ A couple of key points during the testing and final installation process that may help others: - Solved ground loop issue by moving FTM-10SR and StarCom1 grounds to the frame instead of directly to the battery. - I have no perceptible ignition noise at the control head speaker from running the control cable along the "spine" of the bike and between the two ignition coils. No ignition noise induced at the radio on receive or transmit. AM receive is as clear as AM can be.
- The same wiring diagram posted by Ron/KC8YVF for the AutoComm also works for the StarCom1. Order the CAB-01 cable if you're using the StarCom1 and building the interface box. This worked great since using the PTT supplied from StarCom1 interfaces directly to their box and the "magic" happens in there. - Even with the good coverage from the Rifle windshield, I backed the StarCom1 Mic Gain 1/4 turn left (less) from the recommend default position. All other settings on the StarCom1 are default as recommended in the manual. Audio reports around town at 35-40mph, "no background noise, strong and crisp audio". Audio reports around 65mph, "minimal background noise, strong audio". Audio reports >100mph, "Now really, would I exceed the speed limit?" See previous two audio reports.
As for power consumption: I measured a draw of ~0.00595 amps while off. With the head unit detached and nothing else but power connected, the 10SR draws a little less: ~0.00447 amps. I let the bike sit for over two weeks without any noticeable effects on the battery. The StarCom1 powers itself off when the drivers headset is detached. Now if my bike sits for any longer then a few days without a ride, it gets plugged into a Battery Tender Jr. for maintenance. Enjoy. Pete
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