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Please note that the following was written in 2004, and the pricing mentioned in the revue is no longer current !
Mic Mutes GL1800 Evaluation
Fred Harmon Feb 26
2004
Available from:
Morph Soulutions Inc.
90 Fawnvue
Dr.
Mckees Rocks, PA. 15136
888-464-8564
http://www.mic-mutes.com/
Price: $134.95
Mic-Mutes kit + passenger CB PTT switch (CB transmit switch)---- for the
2001-2004 Honda GL1800 Gold Wing
$119.95 for the same kit without
the passenger PTT switch
Ease of Installation: 5
Build quality
of components 4 (5 being the best)
Ease of operation 5 (5 being the
best)
Usefulness 5
Overall performance 5
(*1 being poor and 5
being the best)
Brief explanation
of system operation:
Mic-Mutes are a device that connects
to both rider and passenger headsets, and though the use of the CB
transmit and/or passenger PTT switch, will toggle both rider and
passengers microphones on or off. The purpose of this is to be able to
turn the mics off to reduce the wind/road noise that the mics pick up,
especially at higher speeds. There is also a version that fits the GL1500
Gold Wing.
What the kit
contains:
I initially began by reading the installation
instructions and familiarizing myself with the components. I know this
goes against logic, as normally one would only read the instructions after
all else fails, but I thought this might be a refreshing change.
In the bag I found four main components of the system. The
Electronic Control Module (ECM), two headset adapters (rider and
passenger) and an interface plug to the PTT connector under the seat. The
ECM is connected to the other three components by telephone type (RJ-11)
connectors on the ends of flat black telephone cord. Enough length of the
telephone cord is supplied to allow the ECM to be placed under the left
side of the seat and the cords routed to the individual components. I went
ahead and hooked up all three components to the ECM on my living room
carpet so that I could photograph how the components interfaced.
Installation:
Photos
available here:
http://www.pbase.com/fredharmon/micmutes
The
first task was to remove the left glove box and seat. I then located the
Mic-Mutes ECM in the location shown in the instructions and affixed it to
the frame rail with hook and loop Velcro. (I found what I considered to be
a slightly better mounting location under the right frame rail, but there
was not enough length in the cables to mount it there.) I then located the
PTT connector under the seat inside one of the black harness boot
protectors. Next I located the passenger headset connector in the same
boot, and disconnected it. This connector is easy to find if you just
locate the passenger headset and follow the wire back to the connector to
the wire harness. I simply plugged one of the supplied Headset Adapters
into one end of the plug in the bikes harness for the passenger’s headset,
and then plugged the other end into the headset cord I had just
disconnected. Don’t worry that that you might plug them in wrong, as the
connectors are made so that they can only go in one way, and you can’t
plug the wrong connector into the wrong socket. I choose to route the wire
for the passenger headset underneath the cross member support bar in the
frame, and then I used a zip tie to secure the headset adapter to the
cross member (see photo). I then routed the proper control wire from the
Mic-Mutes ECM to the headset adapter and plugged in the telephone type
connector jack. One of the few nitpicks I had with the installation is
that the connectors on the Mic-Mutes headset adapter do not have the small
retainer clips that keep them from becoming accidentally disconnected like
the OEM headset connectors do.
I did not have the Honda passenger
push-to-talk (PTT) switch installed, so I used the switch provided in the
Mic-Mutes kit. First, I removed the three screws in the bottom of the left
rear speaker housing, and then I carefully drilled a small hole in the
bottom of the housing and mounted the switch there. You do have to be
careful that you do not drill into the bottom of the speaker itself and
damage it. You also have to make sure that you mount the switch in a place
where it will not interfere with the speaker, as there is not a lot of
clearance between the edge of the speaker and the bottom of the enclosure.
An alternate location for the passenger switch would be in the bottom of
the passenger’s pocket. Another rider I spoke to installed his switch in
this location and was very happy with it there. After the switch was
installed, I routed the wires behind the speaker enclosure and down to the
PTT connector in the harness next to the headset connector. The last thing
was to install the terminals for the switch into the plastic connector
block and connect the switch.
The last thing I had to do was
connect the power leads to the accessory terminals in the fuse box. The
Mic-Mutes power leads have spade connectors on them that makes connecting
them foolproof.
In order to install the rider headset adapter, I
had to route the telephone type cable to control the riders headset
adapter up to the left front pocket. I removed three of the allen bolts on
the left side of the top shelter to allow me to thread the connector under
the top shelter and up to the left glove box. The last thing was to
connect the rider’s headset adapter in the same manner as the passengers.
Once I had all the connections done, I attached both helmets to
the system and verified that either the newly installed passenger PTT
switch, or the riders CB transmit switch actuated the Mic-Mutes and that
they functioned properly. Once I was satisfied it all worked, I tucked in
all the wires and reinstalled the glove box and seat. This completes the
installation. The entire process was done in less than 30 minutes and no
problems were encountered. All in all, it went it very smoothly.
Testing
The first
thing I did after installing the Mic-Mutes was get my wife to go take a
ride with me to try them out. The promise of a spectacular BBQ lunch was
used to entice her to come along. I spent about 5 minutes in the garage
with her demonstrating how the system works. I think this is an important
step and makes a big difference in usability of the system. To further
complete the training, once on the road I had her activate the mics, speak
to me, and then deactivate them. Once she did this a time or two she
quickly got the hang of using the system.
One downfall of the
system is that there is no indicator to tell you if the mics are on or
not. So if I would turn them on, and not turn them off, then she might try
to activate them to talk to me and really be turning them off instead of
on. This can create some confusion, especially when you realize that the
passenger already gets so much wind noise that they can not always tell if
the mics are on or not by the sound from the headsets. However, this is
simply remedied by following one simple rule. Whoever turns the
microphones on, is responsible for turning them off when the conversation
is done. This will reduce the confusion as when no one is speaking, the
mics should always be off, and if someone wants to say something, they
first have to turn them on. It also helps to communicate with each other
when you are going to turn them off. A statement like, “I am turning the
mics off now”, or a simple “over and out” before deactivation will help
keep both parties aware of the state of the mics. Once you get the hang of
cooperating with each other on activation and deactivation it all works
smoothly.
Additionally, I experimented with some variations to the
standard install. The first thing I tried was connecting the Mic-Mutes to
my Kennedy PTT hack for FRS radio. This box from Kennedy Electronics plugs
into the passenger PTT connector under the seat and is used to key the
transmission of an FRS radio. It replaces the used PTT connector with its
own PTT connector for the passenger PTT switch. I plugged the Mic-Mutes
connector into the Kennedy supplied PTT connector, and everything still
worked like it should. If the Mic-Mutes are off and I hold down on the
riders PTT switch (also referred to as the CB transmit switch), the FRS
radio would transmit, and the mics would connect. When I released the
switch, the mics returned to the inactive state. If the mics were on, and
I held down on the CB transmit button, the FRS radio would transmit and
when I released the mics stayed active.
However, I have not yet
tested the Mic-Mutes with the Kennedy FRS adapter, which is a separate
interface box that plugs into the riders headset connectors under the left
glove box. I hope to complete the testing of this soon.
Autocom
alteration photos here:
http://www.pbase.com/fredharmon/micmutes2autocom
My next test was to see if I could make the Mic-Mutes work with
the Autocom system. The Autocom system is a total replacement intercom
system for the GL1800. I have been using it for several years now as a
solution to the GL1800 intercom problems. The only drawback is that the
Autocom uses a VOX system . This means the mics attempt to automatically
connect and disconnect themselves when they sense speech. There is an
adjustment for the VOX circuit that sets the trip point. The problem is
that it is hard to get the VOX adjusted where it trips properly at both
low speed and higher speeds. If I set it so it tripped fine at 15mph, then
when the wind noise increased at about 70mph, it would sometimes
inadvertently trip, especially in cross winds. And if I adjusted it so
wind gusts at 70mph wouldn’t trip it, then my wife had to literally yell
at me to make it trip at any speed under 30mph. And believe me, we don’t
need to yell at each other any more than we already do. So I was hoping I
could integrate the Mic-Mutes into the Autocom system so I could turn the
mics off when I got into a high wind situation and they started to
inadvertently trip on, thus leaving the VOX set at the lower setting which
doesn’t require yelling. The problem is that Autocom uses electret mics,
which are powered with about 5 volts, so I wasn’t sure if the Mic-Mutes
would have a problem with this. Also, in order to connect the Mic-Mutes
headset adapters to the Autocom, I first had to get a couple male 6 pin
rectangular Hitachi connectors like the bike has for the headset
connectors. Next was the hard part. I had to cut the headset leads off the
ends of my $400 Autocom leads and solder in these Hitachi connectors. Once
I got over the shock of hacking up my Autocom it all went smooth. This
allowed me to plug the Autocom leads into the input side of the Mic-Mutes
headset adapters and leave the output side of the Mic-Mutes plugged into
the standard OEM headset leads. A secondary advantage of this is that now
my Autocom uses the Honda OEM headset connectors which are designed to fit
into the Honda headset clamps and just seem to be a better quality
connector. After all the connections were made, I took the bike for a ride
to test out the Mic-Mutes and everything worked perfectly. I could still
use the built in VOX on the Autocom, yet if I got into a crosswind that
caused an undesirable activate of the VOX, I could simply toggle the mics
off with the CB transmit switch. This allows me the best of both worlds
and I think I have finally found intercom nirvana.
Picky, Picky, Picky:
I only have
a few minor complaints. First, I would like to see the wires for power and
the riders headset telephone connector lengthened to allow mounting the
ECM under the right frame rail at the rear of the seat. And second, if
there was some way to install an indicator light on the bike somewhere for
the rider and passenger to see if the mics were on or not, it would help
facilitate operation better. Lastly, it would be nice if the Hitachi
adapters on the Mic-Mutes had the same interlock mechanism that the OEM
Honda connectors do.
Conclusion;
As for the benefits of
the system, I can not say enough good things about it. Mic-Mutes are truly
worth the price. They totally eliminate all the wind noise of the GL1800’s
intercom system and allow you to enjoy your music yet still be able to use
the intercom. They also should help with cell phone interfaces, as now you
can mute your mics when not speaking so the other party on the cell phone
doesn’t get all the wind noise from the bike. Talking GPS systems and any
other device (like a Radar detector or FRS radio) that is connected to the
intercom should work better as well, as now you are free to adjust the
intercom level to a higher setting without adding more wind noise. The
reduction in noise levels is very apparent from the moment you turn the
mics off. This reduces drivers fatigue on long trips and makes the whole
journey more pleasurable. I have had zero problems with the performance of
the system and it has been 100% reliable.
Mic-Mutes are a quality
made product that do what they say and work flawlessly. I am real
impressed with the build quality, ease of installation, and most
importantly, the operation. They dramatically reduce wind and road noise
and make the intercom much more useable. I was not able to find any
circumstances where they did not work properly, and once my passenger and
I got familiar with their operation, they were a breeze to use. All in
all, this product is well worth the asking price and greatly enhances
listening to music and communication on the GL1800. =
