PowerSports Business

January 23, 2017

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Dynamic Meshwork Communication technology also showcased BY LIZ KEENER MANAGING EDITOR Cardo Systems will be releasing a new scala rider Freecom line of communicators in Febru- ary, the company announced at AIMExpo. SCALA RIDER FREECOM Freecom will replace the current Q Series of products and will be available through distribu- tors Tucker Rocky and Parts Unlimited. "They're all going to have 4.1 Bluetooth, slimmest communicators in the market, rede- signed audio kit surface mount so that noth- ing hangs down lower than the helmet, large 40mm HD speakers, parallel audio streaming and all will have Cardo Gateway — every inter- com will support universal pairing," Cardo VP of sales Jamie Cheek said. Each Freecom unit will also have VOX, which is voice control for receiving or rejecting incoming mobile or intercom calls, as well as FM radio with quick scan and the RDS radio data system. Each unit is 100 percent water- proof, and they all work with Cardo's SmartSet app, which works as a full remote control. The Freecom 1 is designed for the solo rider. "It gives the rider the ability to use his phone or GPS while they ride. They can make a call, get directions and listen to music on the slim HD 40mm speakers," Cheek said. The Freecom 2 is for a rider and passenger, while the Freecom 4 is for two- to four-rider communication intercom. "The Freecom 4 is group intercom from two to four riders up to three-quarters of a mile, and one nice thing over the Q3 that it's replacing is that in the Q3, you could bring in four people, but you had to toggle to talk to different people in the group. Here, you have full Bluetooth intercom confer- ence," Cheek explained. The Freecom 2 and 4 also offer par- allel streaming, which allows music or GPS directions to play in the back- ground of a conversation. "I know personally there's noth- ing more obnoxious than listening to a song and having it stop-start, stop- start, stop-start while you're talking to somebody. It's a major feature. It doesn't sound incredible until you see and experience going from not having it to having it," Cheek said. DMC MESHWORK TECHNOLOGY In addition to the new Freecom products, Cardo also highlighted its Smartpack, Packtalk and SmartH at AIMExpo. The SmartH is a Smartpack communicator designed specifically to work with and fit on HJC helmets. All three products use the Dynamic Mesh- work Communication (DMC) technology, which was released more than a year ago by Cardo. DMC uses meshwork communica- tion rather than Bluetooth to connect riders. In essence, it allows riders to disconnect and reconnect instantly with each other without having to pair back up each time, like some traditional Bluetooth communicators do. And it allows one rider to drop out, while the con- nection among the others continues. "Bluetooth is a daisy chain; you break the chain, the group goes away. You change the dynamic of how everyone's connected after you've set it up, and you have to stop and start over again," Cheek explained. "The DMC uses Bluetooth for connectivity … but it's a mesh- style, meaning it's a self-repairing network, and when it recognizes a change, it adjusts to resolve that issue immediately, so it will bounce a different way to get to everyone in the group. So everyone is in communication with everyone else in the group." Cheek has experienced the benefits of the DMC himself while dirt riding, street riding and snowmobiling. The DMC technology is unmatched, he said. "When you've paired to someone, you're now pretty much paired for life. If you leave your house with the device on and you ride up to your buddy's house to meet up with him, when you get within range of his communica- tor, if it's on, you're now connected. There's no pairing that has to go on," Cheek said. The DMC technology is especially useful when riding in mountainous areas or when a group gets separated. The connection may break for a period, but it will mend itself as soon as the devices are in range again. It's also helpful when some riders continue on a jour- ney, but one person drops out of range for a stop or to go home. Conversation among the others can still continue. "That's what DMC really is. It's a self-heal- ing mesh network that gets rid of the daisy chain and increases functionality," Cheek said. The Smartpack connects two to four riders up to three miles, while the Packtalk works for 2 to 15 people up to five miles. PSB www.PowersportsBusiness.com Powersports Business • January 23, 2017 • 23 MOTORCYCLE Cardo introduces scala rider Freecom line Concerns raised about motorized access to public lands The designation of two new national monu- ments by President Barack Obama on Dec. 28 could jeopardize access for responsible motor- ized recreation on more than 1.6 million acres of public land in Utah and Nevada, according to the American Motorcyclist Association. Using the Antiquities Act of 1906, the presi- dent designated 1.35 million acres in southeast Utah as the Bears Ears National Monument and nearly 300,000 acres in Clark County, Nevada, just northeast of Las Vegas, as the Gold Butte National Monument. "We are concerned about continued access to these public lands for responsible motor- ized recreation," said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations. "With the national monument designation comes a review of management plans that could curtail or eliminate some off-road riding areas." The Antiquities Act authorizes the presi- dent to issue proclamations to protect "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific inter- est," while limiting those designations to "the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected." "These new designations cover far larger areas than needed to ensure that historic land- marks are preserved," Allard said. "None of the Utah congressional delegation wanted this, and many Nevadans were opposed to it, too. "The designation of national monuments, whether by the president or by Congress, should include careful consideration of the wishes of local stakeholders, including nearby communities, elected officials and those who use the land," Allard continued. Utah's attorney general has threatened a lawsuit to reverse the Bears Ears designation, and the Utah congressional delegation vowed to pursue legislation to undo it. A study by UtahPolicy cited by U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) found that 60 percent of Utah residents opposed designating the Bears Ears area as a national monument, while 33 percent supported the proposal. Nevada's congressional delegation was divided along party lines, with Democrats praising the designations and Republicans con- demning them. Christy Goldfuss, managing director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said the Antiquities Act does not give a president authority to undo a desig- nation, a position the courts have upheld. She acknowledged that Congress could take action, though. "The AMA supports the congressional del- egations that work with local stakeholders and Native American tribes on these issues," Allard said. "Presidents should not bypass Con- gress on issues of public access to U.S. lands, and the opinions of all stakeholders — gath- ered through town meetings and formal com- ments — should factor heavily into the final decision." PSB AMA objects to scope of two new national monuments President Barack Obama designated 1.35 million acres in southeast Utah as Bears Ears National Monument in late December. Left:Cardo has partnered with HJC to develop the SmartH, a Smartpack communicator that works with HJC hel- mets. Right: Cardo's scala rider Freecom line will be released in February. The Freecom 4, shown, is for two- to four-rider communication intercom. PHOTO BY JOSH EWING

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