Alternate CB Radio Idea

[Flamewinger]

I found an app called Two Way that is as simple as ever. You punch in a number which becomes the channel your group uses. You pair your BT headset to the phone and you need to be able to touch the big single button and when you do you can talk like you would if using a CB.

Problems include mounting the phone so you can touch it. Being able to touch it with gloved fingers (especially in winter) and the 2018's smartphone usage which doesn't have Two Way app in the BRP Connect. (yet) I've emailed BRP to ask them to look into it but I'm not holding my breath.

Wondering if anyone is using or has used this?


https://youtu.be/GfKA0EVsiP4

[flamingobabe]

interesting...will look at this...thanks

[pegasus1300]

No but I would like to try it. I am using the Sena two way dongle and a hand held cb and while it works it is bulky and cumbersome.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Problems include mounting the phone so you can touch it. Being able to touch it with gloved fingers (especially in winter) and the 2018's smartphone usage which doesn't have Two Way app in the BRP Connect.
Those aren't the only problems. You need one of the three following connections to use it: 1) a cell phone data connection which is problematic when you get out into the open countryside away from metropolitan areas; 2) a WiFi connection to a WiFi network, which extends only a few hundred feet at most from a fixed point; or 3) WiFi Direct capable of connecting multiple WiFi Direct enabled phones, which doesn't include older phones and is distance limited to a few hundred feet.

If all you need is an easy way to communicate with one or two other people in a grocery store or museum, go for it. But out on the open road I'm skeptical of it's usefulness. If it weren't for cost issues old fashioned CB would still be the best system!

[Flamewinger]

Yes you do need cell service and anyone with a smartphone will have that so I don't quite get what the problem is. There are other "Walkie-Talkie" apps like Voxer and Online Walkie Talkie Pro etc. what I'm getting at is something that groups can use to communicate as our bluetooth headsets are unable to work the way we need. Therefore are not being used. What would really be good is there was a CB radio that had bluetooth like the Motorola MU350 FRS radio.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Yes you do need cell service and anyone with a smartphone will have that so I don't quite get what the problem is. There are other "Walkie-Talkie" apps like Voxer and Online Walkie Talkie Pro etc. what I'm getting at is something that groups can use to communicate as our bluetooth headsets are unable to work the way we need. Therefore are not being used. What would really be good is there was a CB radio that had bluetooth like the Motorola MU350 FRS radio.
I wonder how much widespread traveling you've done! Having a smartphone is no guarantee you have cell service. You have to be within a coverage area of a cell tower and there is an awful lot of the US countryside that doesn't have that. Reliable cell service is limited to about 5 to 10 miles from a tower.

That FRS radio looks like a really good way to go. At a $100+ for every pair of radios you could probably talk all your buddies into getting one! The advertised range is fantastic. In a group ride the hands free VOX quite possibly would be sufficient! Now, that is one alternative to a CB I would have no problems endorsing! :thumbup: In fact, I've wondered for several years why FRS hasn't been adopted for group riding.

[Flamewinger]

Well, I'm not getting out as much as I used to and I do know cell service is iffy in many area of the west.

Hows about this - Verizon said it expects to have 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Services (CBRS)-capable devices, including smartphones, entering its lineup by the end of this year. (This is for the end of the 2018 year)

https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/verizon-we-ll-have-cbrs-3-5-ghz-devices-by-end-2018

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Hows about this - Verizon said it expects to have 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Services (CBRS)-capable devices, including smartphones, entering its lineup by the end of this year. (This is for the end of the 2018 year)

https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/verizon-we-ll-have-cbrs-3-5-ghz-devices-by-end-2018
This is the first I've heard about that. I didn't glean much from the article. My big concern is if it uses 3.5 GHz for transmission between devices it'll be significantly more range limited than even your ordinary type cordless landline phone handset which runs on 2.4 GHz. FRS uses channels in the 460 MHz range. The higher the frequency the shorter the transmit distance.