Starcom1 Communications

[DanP]

After reading an article in the July BMWON, I'm considering the purchase of a Starcom1 (www.starcom1.com) communications unit. Properly accessorized, it appears to be half the cost of an Autocom unit with similar features. Does anyone have any experience with Startcom1? I would consider mounting this in my tank bag (BigMac). Startcom1 offers bulkhead (cannon) plugs for the headset connections which would require me to punch holes through the bag to mount the plugs. For those of you who have electrified your tank bags, are there any issues with nylon fraying around the hole? Any experience or advise you'd like to share would be helpful.

Thanks, Dan

[bladerunner]

And for what it's worth, my AutoCom Pro sucks. Probably just me and my amateur electronics skilz but the speakers sound like a Jack-In-The-Box drive thru speaker where the cashier is drunk and underpaid.

So it is possible that waxed string is a better investment than Autocommunist.

[Dan Gleebitz]

I have my Starcom connected into the Radio / Casette and GPS .... works a treat ... jobs a good 'un

[Boffin]

And for what it's worth, my AutoCom Pro sucks. Probably just me and my amateur electronics skilz but the speakers sound like a Jack-In-The-Box drive thru speaker where the cashier is drunk and underpaid.

So it is possible that waxed string is a better investment than Autocommunist.

My Autocom has great audio, as indded does any properly set up Autocom unit. The position of the speakers is critical to getting good sound quality.

With your helmet on, reach up inside the helmet with your finger. The Autocom speaker has a pimple in the middle of the active element, this should be opposite your ear hole. Adjust the speakers so that it is and you will get good quality audio. For a check do what the manual says, play hi-fi music and move the speakers around, when they are correctly positioned you can hear the difference, especialy in bass response.

 

Now, back on topic. The Starcom is a good unit, slightly smaller than the Autocom Pro,it comes in an aluminium case. The unit lacks sidetone, which can be an issue for some. Is it as good as an Autocom? Some say yes, others no, so it comes down to choice.

What is clear though is that Autocom has a large following of satisfied customers, a good dealer network and excellent tech support. Post a question about Autocom on this DB and like as not it will be answered by Autocom Tom, the company owner.

 

Cya, Andy

[Edgar]

I have a Starcom1 that I’ve used for 4 months with good luck. The installation was straightforward without any hitches. I mounted the box under the seat on top of the air cleaner cover with Velcro. I use it for pillion communication, run my iPod through it as well as the cell phone. I did install permanent headphone bulkhead connectors on the dash for me, and the black side access panel for the passenger. It makes it easy to hook up and go. I installed the music connection to an extension cable and attached the female end to a frame member with a cable tie so that I can easily plug the iPod in and put it in my pocket or in the tank bag map pouch. I can use my gloved hand through the plastic to adjust sound or song. The phone has the cable run from the box under the covers to the RCU tray and I can just plug the phone in. If the weather is bad, the phone can reach into the tank bag. This approach gives me the option of not using the tank bag. The device works well for my limited application.

I wear custom fit earplugs and find that the speaker placement in the helmet is very important. I will go to passive noise blocking earphones with the stick on microphone on my flip face helmet soon, as I want the best fidelity in the music I can get.

[tokarz33]

Dan,

 

No problems here. I have had mine since March. Works great. We have done several long trips and its held up to our beating.

 

I installed the bulkhead connection below my leg. Easy to get on and off. Unit is wired to battery under seat. Push to talk button is threaded nicely under the tupperware.

[RickP]

Three of us have been running these since mid-summer for bike to bike with Kenwood GMRS with PTT. We also interface MP3 players or Serius SAT radio. WE love 'em. We are all wearing in-the-ear-phones and using bike power.

 

-RickP.

[Aluminum_Butt]

I just bought a Starcom a couple of weeks ago. So far, I'm very pleased. I'm using it with a GPS, Satellite radio, and rider/passenger. Sound quality is good. Even on Saturday, when winds here were 25-30 mph, and helmet noise was high, there was no sign of wind noise coming through the mikes. It does a nice job of balancing volume relative to ambient noise.

 

I plan to go back and order the bulkheads to mount the headphone cables - I think they'll make a nice addition.

 

The only drawback I've heard that I can see makes sense is that the Starcom cable design may be prone to damage issues over the longhaul. They appear to use the same type of connector you might find on your keyboard or mouse (prior to USB, anyway). It may be prone to damage after repeated cycles of plug/unplug.

 

I picked it for the same reason you're looking at it. It's half the price, but seems to be 90%+ as capable. There is no question in my mind that I made the right decision.

[jaySTrider]

I've been using one for the past 18 months or so and have been very pleased with it. Had a problem with one of the din plugs bending a couple of pins and in my view the larger Autocom plugs are more durable, but now I've fitted a bulkead socket this is less of a problem.

 

I've just fitted their new Bluetooth phone module which works very well and is one less cable to bother about.

 

Customer service from them is probably now on par with Autocom - Tony Starling is very helpful and quick in sorting any problems.

 

The only problem I have with it now is how to fit it neatly to my ST - there is very little room under the seat and I don't really want to lose the tool roll!

[Dan Gleebitz]

A big advantage for me is the possibility of popping into the factory on the way home ... 3 miles from work!

[Steve-C]

The only drawback I've heard that I can see makes sense is that the Starcom cable design may be prone to damage issues over the longhaul.

 

Yes that was one of the drawbacks I found. I went through 3 cables in 12 months. Customer service was A1 though, and they were happy to replace the cables, no questions asked.

 

Rider/Pillion was the only downside I found. It was just too quiet to be usable. This was a shame as the unit itself worked great for music/GPS/phone.

 

I was at a national bike show (BMF) in May and saw a 'new' player Intaride They were a bit cheaper than Starcom, came with most of the cables and two headsets, so I bought one. They are unique in using police style jack plugs, so little worries about them breaking!

 

It has an autovox system which works well upto legal speeds flip up or down, connections for PMR, phone, music, and GPS, so no fiddling with Y-connectors (Starcom only offers 2 inputs) and has sidetone. It also has noise cancelling mics, but the don't mention it as they figure everyone has that now. They could be another option depending on availability in your area.

 

The only downside I found was that the music quality is a bit more tinny, but it really depends on if you rate durability over sounds quality IMHO.

 

Starcom is a great product, I just found the reliability and rider pillion dissapointing. Mine was used 5/6 times a week with at least 2 hook-up a day. YMMV.

 

Steve

[bojohnson]

There have been several mentions of bulkhead connectors. What kind of connections are we talking about and where can they be purchased?

[Edgar]

You can find the bulkhead connectors at the Starcom 1 site.

Here -->http://www.starcom1.com/bulkheadfitting.htm

[bojohnson]

Edgarr, thanks. Does Autocom make a similar bulkhead connector?

[Aluminum_Butt]

Rider/Pillion was the only downside I found. It was just too quiet to be usable.

Wow, my experience was exactly the opposite. I had everything dialed in music and GPS-wise before I first tried it with a pillion. It was loud enough that I had to turn the master volume down about 1/3, then turn up the GPS and radio.

 

Could it have been your mic placement?

 

On a slightly different note: One of the things I don't like about the Starcom is the large bubble of foam over the mic...it sticks out too far for my application. Has anybody tried shaving a little of this off? If so, any issue with background noise? (I should mention I'm using a full-face headset.)

[Steve-C]

Could it have been your mic placement?

 

I thought about that, but the phone worked fine for me, so that was my mic placement out of the question. The other headset was a full face jobbie, and we actually took the foam bubble off completely and still it wasn't acceptable. This was with master volume at the max level, and everything else as low as possible due to the high level of master volume. Even level 1 on my SPIII GPS was too loud!

 

Could be a problem with the noise reduction being faulty I suppose. Honestly though, after I saw and tried the Intaride system and realised I could actually sell the Starcom 2nd hand for the purchase price of an Intaride system...everything was done in under 2 weeks!

 

On the question of shaving the bubble, you can do it, but then you find that the person breathing tends to effect the mic. I don't recomend it! Try getting the boom mic unit, its a smaller set-up and may work better for you...