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bca link radios

backcountryislife

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After running these a few days, I like the concept, but the delivery could be improved.



The volume & channel selector buttons both tend to get hit while riding, each radio has had at least one get kicked to the point where it's not working.
I leave mine on B, and have found it on D, and I've found the volume on my wife's all the way down...

IMO it should be harder to move the dials, I'm a bit bummed that these are doing this, just a couple days ago we spent 20 min looking for my wife when she assumed we weren't getting her calls because we were riding, but instead she was on the wrong channel. The clip is a real pain to get on & off, so you don't want to remove it to see where it's set really.

Open to any suggestions on how to make them not move like they have been... little silicone on the dial? For what we paid, I expected them to be more dialed in.
 

Matte Murder

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Used ours for a few rides now and like the. Super light, fast to charge, love the mic system and really impressed with the range and clarity of transmissions. I have had mine get bumped off channel a few times though. We use them on F so it's up against a stop on one side at least and you can check them by feel. Same with the volume, play with it a little so you know which way to spin it to get it to full volume. We also played with where it was clipped to try and keep the knobs away from anything and that has worked too. Make sure you get your mouth close to the mic so you can be heard. If its super quiet the person speaking hasn't got the mic close enough to their mouth.
 
D

Drewd

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Feb 2, 2012
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www.imnotrightinthehead.com
A dab of glue from a hot glue gun would keep channel and volume knobs at a desired setting and easily "broken" if you need to change either.


Don't recommend silicon as most of it contains acetic acid (vinegar is acetic acid). Common RTV silicone made for automotive and general purpose use, the stuff that smells like vinegar, is corrosive to electronics, and its use can be a death sentence to reliability.

Most radio knobs have set screws to hold them in place (some are just friction pressed on onto the rotating knob shaft). If you can pull the knob off, put a matching o-ring on the knob's "crown" and press the knob firmly back onto knob shaft so the washer friction resists rotation. This tip would work best with a knob with a locking set screw.

Think I'm going to stick with my Collett communicators for now. Not having a helmet mic and helmet earphones tells me BCA's radio was mainly designed for others and snowmobile use was an afterthought.
 

backcountryislife

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Nov 26, 2007
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Dumont/Breckenridge, CO
A dab of glue from a hot glue gun would keep channel and volume knobs at a desired setting and easily "broken" if you need to change either.


Don't recommend silicon as most of it contains acetic acid (vinegar is acetic acid). Common RTV silicone made for automotive and general purpose use, the stuff that smells like vinegar, is corrosive to electronics, and its use can be a death sentence to reliability.

Most radio knobs have set screws to hold them in place (some are just friction pressed on onto the rotating knob shaft). If you can pull the knob off, put a matching o-ring on the knob's "crown" and press the knob firmly back onto knob shaft so the washer friction resists rotation. This tip would work best with a knob with a locking set screw.

Think I'm going to stick with my Collett communicators for now. Not having a helmet mic and helmet earphones tells me BCA's radio was mainly designed for others and snowmobile use was an afterthought.


Good call, Pretty sure I'm going to toss some glue on it & just use it like a normal radio without the letters.

All in all... first day I liked them, but after a number of situations of being able to hear others, but them not hearing us at all due to range, and also the dial getting bumped regularly, I can't say I recommend these. This is the most disappointed I've been with a BCA product since the original float 30.
 

blastco2

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se idaho
a much less expensive and just as reliable alternative is the baofeng bf-888s $20 and comes with a earphone/mic combo. it must be programmed with the frs freq's to be compatible with the link. I've got 3 of these and the quality is surprisingly high. audio is excellent. rechargeable battery will last all day. and if it gets destroyed/lost, who cares, its only $20.


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