rgano
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2007
- Messages
- 5,200
- Location
- Panama City area
- Vessel Name
- FROLIC
- Vessel Make
- Mainship 30 Pilot II since 2015. GB-42 1986-2015. Former Unlimited Tonnage Master
Some time ago I was here extolling the virtues of the Sena model SMH10D-10 motorcycle intercom units I engineered into two set of shooter's ear muffs. I liked the sets so much that when they were blown away in Hurricane Michael, I made up another set. Just the other day I was recommending the same setup to another owner of a noisy 30 Pilot II, and he did a bit more research and replied with this comment (which I asked if I could repeat here):
So, I’ve played around a bit with these Sena TuffTalk headsets. They are definitely a PITA to set up. But after downloading the latest firmware and setting them up in the Sena app, I think they may actually be a pretty good solution for talking in a noisy boat environment. A coworker at my hospital also bought a boat last fall, a Larson 310 Cabrio with two gas engines. Her’s is faster, bigger, quieter, and she sees no need for quiet headsets to communicate. But anyway, I digress. I opened the Sena Bluetooth device manager and got the Side Tone feature activated. It’s one thing all aviation intercoms have and WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Absolutely wonderful. It’s a bit delayed but you can hear yourself as you talk to another person. Even with all the convoluted ways of turning it on, interfacing with other headsets, it’s a game changer. Side Tone in my opinion is absolutely essential.
I can’t believe Sena isn’’t marketing this headset to boaters. There are two other headset manufacturers I’ve discovered. https://eartec.com who makes the Eartec lite which looks like it’s comparable to TuffTalk Lite. And https://www.sampsonracing.com which is about 3 times more expensive but looks very, very heavy duty. Noise canceling, David Clark style headsets. etc. but not my style. I’m not trying to win the Indy 500. I just want to have some peace and quiet while I motor my way to Swans Island. I’ll let you know more about these headsets but holy cow, what a difference playing around in the settings makes. Side Tone is wonderful. I’m surprised they leave the default setting as “disabled”. The Sena headsets are comfortable, like my old Peltor aviation headsets. They don’t have noise canceling but they are pretty quiet.
So, I’ve played around a bit with these Sena TuffTalk headsets. They are definitely a PITA to set up. But after downloading the latest firmware and setting them up in the Sena app, I think they may actually be a pretty good solution for talking in a noisy boat environment. A coworker at my hospital also bought a boat last fall, a Larson 310 Cabrio with two gas engines. Her’s is faster, bigger, quieter, and she sees no need for quiet headsets to communicate. But anyway, I digress. I opened the Sena Bluetooth device manager and got the Side Tone feature activated. It’s one thing all aviation intercoms have and WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Absolutely wonderful. It’s a bit delayed but you can hear yourself as you talk to another person. Even with all the convoluted ways of turning it on, interfacing with other headsets, it’s a game changer. Side Tone in my opinion is absolutely essential.
I can’t believe Sena isn’’t marketing this headset to boaters. There are two other headset manufacturers I’ve discovered. https://eartec.com who makes the Eartec lite which looks like it’s comparable to TuffTalk Lite. And https://www.sampsonracing.com which is about 3 times more expensive but looks very, very heavy duty. Noise canceling, David Clark style headsets. etc. but not my style. I’m not trying to win the Indy 500. I just want to have some peace and quiet while I motor my way to Swans Island. I’ll let you know more about these headsets but holy cow, what a difference playing around in the settings makes. Side Tone is wonderful. I’m surprised they leave the default setting as “disabled”. The Sena headsets are comfortable, like my old Peltor aviation headsets. They don’t have noise canceling but they are pretty quiet.
We also attached a lanyard to them that clips to our PFD so we don't accidentally drop one overboard.
