After being the “forum guy” for over a year with Rugged, I’ve found there to be some common questions that people ask me about our equipment. Anyone who’s messaged me for help or advice knows that we love to help you fully understand everything there is to know about our products. The only problem is a lot of the questions I field are done through PM’s and not available for the rest of you guys to see. Therefore, I’m making this thread to cover some of the most common questions I find people asking me.
“Why do I need an intercom? Can’t I just use a radio?”
An intercom is a device that allows passengers in the same vehicle to talk continuously through headsets or helmet kits. Each helmet kit or headset is built with speakers and a microphone to talk and listen through. The advantage to using an intercom system is to be able to clearly talk back and forth to passengers with minimal background noise. With the background noise reduced, the off-road adventure can become much more pleasant.
2-Way radios allow you to communicate to another vehicle with a radio that is on the frequency/channel. A 2-way radio can also be connected to an intercom system. Combined together, you can now talk freely to all passengers in the vehicle and communicate with others in your group outside the vehicle.
So back to the question - can't I just use a radio? Sure, but try sticking your head out the window of your car while on the freeway and try and talk to your passengers. The same goes for loud offroad vehicles. It’s quite difficult to rely on yelling to communicate back and forth. Also, if you're required to wear a helmet, hearing the radio is difficult, and there would be no way for you to respond over the radio.
With intercoms and helmet kits, speaking, listening, and transmitting becomes clearer and simpler. The intercom is the "hub" that delivers clear audio from all sources and devices into your headset or helmet kit for the best in communications.
“What’s the best radio for me?”
If you're always going to be within a couple miles from your riding group, a handheld will work just fine.
If you want the most cost effective option, then the RH5R is our best choice. Not only is this an affordable 5 watt option, but also runs both UHF and VHF bandwidths. This radio is small, easy to use and offers a variety of accessories to make even better.
If you need a radio that can withstand harsh environments such as rain/mud, we have the 5 watt HX400 handheld radio. It's a bit more expensive, but the quality and lifespan of this radio is worth the extra money:
Handheld radios are great because they are portable and easy to carry. Their only downfall is limited distance to communicate with other people.
If you need more power and range from your radio, then the 50 watt mobile radio is your next option. Our most popular mobile radio is the Vertex VX2200 radio which is a 50watt VHF Race Radio. Correctly tuned, this radio can transmit up to 25-30 miles (plus or minus for terrain). You will find this type of radio in a lot of desert race trucks, or used as a base camp radio setup. This radio is the most expensive option, but well worth the money if you spend a lot of time in the desert with friends and family.
“The music volume on my VOX intercom (357, 660, 686) is very quiet and doesn’t mute when I speak”
This is normally caused when your VOX dial is set to be too sensitive. If the VOX is set too sensitive, the intercom thinks that you’re speaking all the time, and the music is being lowered to accommodate when it thinks your talking. The trick to setting the vox is first to put your microphone as close to your lips as comfortable, intermittently touching your lips while you talk is best if possible. While speaking into the mic, turn the vox dial until you can no longer hear yourself talking into the mic (this is called side tone, when you can hear yourself talking from your own speakers). If you have music playing through he intercom at this point, it should raise back up to proper music level and you wont be able to hear your side tone. Now turn the dial back until the music drops back down (or you hear side tone again) and stop right there. Keep in mind though, when the vehicle is not moving, the ambient sounds are much quieter than at speed. The faster you go, the louder it will be, and you may have to lower the VOX sensitivity slightly so background noise doesn’t key the mic. After a little bit you should be able to find that “sweet spot” on the VOX for your vehicle.
“Are you guy’s going to be having any specials soon?”
Good question! We actually have a newsletter you can sign up for that will get you the fastest notification of sales and specials we are offering. Click here to sign up! We also have a pretty beefy clearance section of our website that I update with items quite regularly. We have everything from display model intercoms and refurbished radios, to discontinued headsets and cables. Often times, you may even be able to piece together a full intercom kit for much less than you’ll ever see one for sale. Products move in and out of that section fast so check regularly if you’re looking for something. It also never hurts to shoot me a PM to see if I have any demo/clearance items that may not be up on the website yet.
If you have any questions that pertain to communications equipment, feel free to get in contact with me here, through PM or give us a call. I will be updating this thread regularly with more frequently asked questions to provide a resource for anyone looking to get more info about our systems.
“Why do I need an intercom? Can’t I just use a radio?”
An intercom is a device that allows passengers in the same vehicle to talk continuously through headsets or helmet kits. Each helmet kit or headset is built with speakers and a microphone to talk and listen through. The advantage to using an intercom system is to be able to clearly talk back and forth to passengers with minimal background noise. With the background noise reduced, the off-road adventure can become much more pleasant.
2-Way radios allow you to communicate to another vehicle with a radio that is on the frequency/channel. A 2-way radio can also be connected to an intercom system. Combined together, you can now talk freely to all passengers in the vehicle and communicate with others in your group outside the vehicle.
So back to the question - can't I just use a radio? Sure, but try sticking your head out the window of your car while on the freeway and try and talk to your passengers. The same goes for loud offroad vehicles. It’s quite difficult to rely on yelling to communicate back and forth. Also, if you're required to wear a helmet, hearing the radio is difficult, and there would be no way for you to respond over the radio.
With intercoms and helmet kits, speaking, listening, and transmitting becomes clearer and simpler. The intercom is the "hub" that delivers clear audio from all sources and devices into your headset or helmet kit for the best in communications.
“What’s the best radio for me?”
If you're always going to be within a couple miles from your riding group, a handheld will work just fine.
If you want the most cost effective option, then the RH5R is our best choice. Not only is this an affordable 5 watt option, but also runs both UHF and VHF bandwidths. This radio is small, easy to use and offers a variety of accessories to make even better.
If you need a radio that can withstand harsh environments such as rain/mud, we have the 5 watt HX400 handheld radio. It's a bit more expensive, but the quality and lifespan of this radio is worth the extra money:
Handheld radios are great because they are portable and easy to carry. Their only downfall is limited distance to communicate with other people.
If you need more power and range from your radio, then the 50 watt mobile radio is your next option. Our most popular mobile radio is the Vertex VX2200 radio which is a 50watt VHF Race Radio. Correctly tuned, this radio can transmit up to 25-30 miles (plus or minus for terrain). You will find this type of radio in a lot of desert race trucks, or used as a base camp radio setup. This radio is the most expensive option, but well worth the money if you spend a lot of time in the desert with friends and family.
“The music volume on my VOX intercom (357, 660, 686) is very quiet and doesn’t mute when I speak”
This is normally caused when your VOX dial is set to be too sensitive. If the VOX is set too sensitive, the intercom thinks that you’re speaking all the time, and the music is being lowered to accommodate when it thinks your talking. The trick to setting the vox is first to put your microphone as close to your lips as comfortable, intermittently touching your lips while you talk is best if possible. While speaking into the mic, turn the vox dial until you can no longer hear yourself talking into the mic (this is called side tone, when you can hear yourself talking from your own speakers). If you have music playing through he intercom at this point, it should raise back up to proper music level and you wont be able to hear your side tone. Now turn the dial back until the music drops back down (or you hear side tone again) and stop right there. Keep in mind though, when the vehicle is not moving, the ambient sounds are much quieter than at speed. The faster you go, the louder it will be, and you may have to lower the VOX sensitivity slightly so background noise doesn’t key the mic. After a little bit you should be able to find that “sweet spot” on the VOX for your vehicle.
“Are you guy’s going to be having any specials soon?”
Good question! We actually have a newsletter you can sign up for that will get you the fastest notification of sales and specials we are offering. Click here to sign up! We also have a pretty beefy clearance section of our website that I update with items quite regularly. We have everything from display model intercoms and refurbished radios, to discontinued headsets and cables. Often times, you may even be able to piece together a full intercom kit for much less than you’ll ever see one for sale. Products move in and out of that section fast so check regularly if you’re looking for something. It also never hurts to shoot me a PM to see if I have any demo/clearance items that may not be up on the website yet.
If you have any questions that pertain to communications equipment, feel free to get in contact with me here, through PM or give us a call. I will be updating this thread regularly with more frequently asked questions to provide a resource for anyone looking to get more info about our systems.