Once you have the volume dialed in how you like it, the conversation between driver and passenger doesn’t have to compete with engine noise or anything else. In other words, you don’t have to be constantly yelling at your spouse (although my spouse is usually yelling at me to slow down and not take the corners so fast).
The noise cancelation really works well. With the headsets on, the engine noise seems like a faint background sound. You seldom get the wind whistle through your mics and the conversation is carried out without the need to raise your voices.
Now if you want to tune into other units, all you need to do is to match their channel with yours. (You may consider having an extra set of walky-talkies programmed to your system so you can connect other riders in your group. We had a Links two-way radio which we gave to a couple who didn’t have a radio system. We were able to keep in contact with them throughout the ride. TheCom was very compatible with the Link.
We found that the range of reaching other units via walky-talkies were dependent to the power and range of the walky-talkies. However, if you’re trying to reach riders with TheCom or another brand of two-way radio with better range, you can reach them up to 10 miles away, depending on the terrain.
On our initial test ride with TheCom, the two users (myself and Clint Wheeler) were much like the two old guys on the Muppets—Statler and Waldort. Neither one had great hearing and both had the tendency to offer sarcastic remarks throughout the ride.
