Starcom1 Advance
StarComl Advance
CW EVALUATIONS
Managing all that noise
GOT A LOT OF ELECTRONIC GADGETS? So do we. Problem is integrating all of
those devices so you can get directions from your GPS, a warning from a radar detector, a call from your boss, or angry admonishments from your passenger without flipping switches, messing with wires or having to fiddle with volume knobs.
U.K.-based Tecstar Electronics offers the StarCom 1, an amplifier/switching box the size of a deck of cards. With a durable, shock-resistant aluminum case, it’s a permanent, convenient solution to integrating multiple audio sources.
It’s easy to install. The kit is designed to fit under the seat of your motorcycle, but we also had good results placing it in a custom-made tankbag designed for the unit by RKA Luggage, a StarCom dealer (it’s also available through RiderWearHouse and other retailers). Once the unit is powered up, you just plug your gadgets into the three input jacks (phone, audio and auxiliary) and mount the included headset in your helmet.
The unit works well, compensating for wind noise so you can hear the audio output
Tecstar Electronics Ltd. Bramley Rd. St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, UK, PE27 3WS 011-44-1480-399499 www.starcom1.com Price...$288 Alps A Much better comfort arid volume than most in-ear speakers A Protect your hearing and enjoy tunes at the same time A Amazingly adaptable and flexible system Downs ▼ VOX misadjustment can cause the system to mute at higher speeds ▼ Instructions are light on detail ▼ Listening to Limbaugh can blur vision
loud and cleareven through foam earplugs-although the signal gets somewhat distorted at very high speeds. The main input is muted when your phone rings, and although the voice activation (VOX) is tricky to adjust properly (a push-to-talk option is available), callers hear you as well as you hear them. It also automatically mutes the main audio source (be it an MP3, satellite radio or on-bike stereo) for your GPS, radar detector and other devices (like your spouse).
If you really need these electronic diversions on your motorcycle, the StarCom 1 Advance is a practical way to manage all that noise.
