Autocom Experience - good and bad My experience with the Autocom is first-rate because: o The VOX (Voice Activated Transmission) really does work. Talk, and the VOX opens. Stop talking and it closes. Other systems are plagued with issues such as cutting off the first syllable as you start speaking, or letting in noise when you're not. o The noise reduction really works nicely. The VOX silences your mic when you're not talking, and when you *are* talking, it's crystal clear. I found this system to be exceptionally impressive when I discovered I could carry on a normal conversation at 80 mph as I passed a transport truck on the highway. Autocom has active noise cancellation circuitry that listens to ambient noise and compensates accordingly. o The system is full-duplex, meaning that rider and pillion can carry on a normal conversation just as easily as though you were talking face-to-face, rather than "you can only talk when I'm quiet" half duplex systems. o The system is also expandable. My Autocom system lets me talk with my pillion wife, listen to voice prompts from my GPS (as Bitchin' Betty tells me "in 1 kilometer take ramp right"), and use a 2-way FRS radio to talk with other riders or cars. Mind you, if you prefer to listen to music rather than Bitchin' Betty (as most people do), you can use the music input in the traditional way. The Autocom will quiet down the music (or GPS) as you speak or when someone speaks to you. The down-sides to the Autocom are as follows: o The cell-phone adapter works, but a digital cell phone induces so much noise into the system when placing or receiving a call, that it renders this configuration absolutely useless. The distributor acknowledged that the system does not work well with all cell phones. o The system is pricey. I paid around CAD$1000 for the intercom, two sets of top-of-the-line head phones and microphones, music input adapter cable (or GPS in my case), and cell-phone adapter. Being in Canada, I had to also pay import duties, taxes, and brokerage fees to import the product from the US distributor. The two 2-way FRS radios are awesome, and they cost me an additional CAD$99 from a local store. (for comparison, US$1 = CAD$1.60). All said, even though the system is pricey, it's _extremely_ good! I never want to ride two-up without my Autocom! o Some Autocom users have complained that the volume is too quiet when using ear plugs. If this is the case, contact Top Gear, the US distributor, and they'll provide details about a simple modification that makes the system "ear plug friendly." Steve Makohin November 26, 2002