SENA SMH10 Troubleshooting

I finally replaced my mic and everything works great. If you order from Amazon make sure you get the right one as Sena has like 3 different mics for the SMH-10.
 
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I use to have that problem too. We have since switched to the wired mics and have them attached to the brim of the helmet. If you stick with boom mics you will keep replacing them. I've gone through nearly a dozen amongst our company
 
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The sena are a great motorcycle communication system and for light duty tree work. They are not for abusive environments such as our type of work. That includes the tuff talks. I have spent 3 years with the senas diagnosing every problems and have been researching an alternative every since. The mics will probably need replaced about 6 months. The fragile wires become compromised at hard/soft junction. The system shutting off intermittently is from either foreign buildup on the unit connection prongs or from the small spring loaded prongs push into the contact plate and it causes it to indent and cannot always make a connection. Unfortunately all of these headsets are not true noise cancelling and though I have not completed any scientific tests I feel they may promote hearing damage. One guy on a saw and it's as if everyone on the crew is awkwardly group hugging him. ( audibly and theoretically ). If your going to pay $400 for tuff talks, you might as well spend a little more on something quality. I'm sorry to tell you the tuff talks didn't last us a week. Just not robust enough and same confusing connection issues They are just the rebranded sena 20s.
I'm not here to tear down the senas, they have done great things for the industry at a low price point. But as we find out how important communication is, I find that much of what's on the market is frustrating.

I have talked with most of the large players in the headset market, I'm told that tree work is not the direction of their marketing and innovative strategy.
That leaves you with only two choices if your looking for high quality communication systems ( this is not for the cheap who don't understand the buy the best and get the best mentality)
Sonetics A+ quality. A+sound. F-distance. C-price
3M. A+ quality. B-sound. A+distance. B-price

That's your only choices right now it may change in the future
 
Our batteries are not lasting as long as they used to. Quit on a crane job the other day... Perhaps they have longer battery life with 2 or 3 units going than they do with 4 units?

Has anyone purchased a backup set of main modules (the pack that comes on and off the helmet) for the SMH10's? All I am finding for a part # for the module only is SMH10-M01. Are these compatible with any SMH10? I think we are running SMH10B's.

Also, they are like $110 each, so it would cost me $440 to have a spare set of modules for 4 crew members. Curious if anyone has another solution before I pull the trigger? TIA
 
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Agreed, check your connections. I know that helped with mine, now I just need friends to talk too. It's a little weird just having a conversation with myself. Lol.
 
treebilly said:
Check your mic connections to make sure they are tight. Also what distance are you at
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I'd say within twenty five feet is very clear. Once I get beyond that static seems to pick up and get worst but with spots of clarity as well.

Connections tight, used a very small dab dialectic grease on mic connection. Still the same
 
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I work in the rain a ton. Its not a big problem.

I wear ear plugs under ear muffs. Works great.



You can add noise into the microphone, that feeds into the ear muffs.

Just like you wouldn't fire up a saw next to someone without telling them they need to put in ear pro, you click out of the conversation if your going to buck up logs with a 066.


Ground guys that are not working around noise don't need to have the volume up to max, for sure.

Adjusting the volume controls helps.




They have wear parts, just like everything else.

They pay for themselves, in my experience. It treat my helmet like any other $300 tool, reasonably.



Thanks for the heat gun and dielectric grease tips.
 
IMG_0340.webp

This was my solution for low batteries. We pull em out a few times a week. $20 each if I remember right. Some heavy duty double sided Velcro and they won’t come off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
MikePowers321 said:
I'd say within twenty five feet is very clear. Once I get beyond that static seems to pick up and get worst but with spots of clarity as well...
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Are they still doing this, Mike? Not normal at all and if connections are good it is most likely a faulty part. With just the two, you have no good way to test them, so I would be inclined to recommend returning and replacing with a new set.
 
DSMc said:
Are they still doing this, Mike? Not normal at all and if connections are good it is most likely a faulty part. With just the two, you have no good way to test them, so I would be inclined to recommend returning and replacing with a new set.
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Yeah I am returning them and getting a new set from revzilla. I did all the troubleshooting with Sena with no luck so a replacement is on the way.

This time I will test them out BEFORE installing them in my helmet.
 
Brand new set of Sena smh 10R, beyond 25 foot, lots of static once again. I wouldnt mind a little static but this would be counterproductive to its purpose. I wonder if I should just try to stick with the smh 10. What do you guys recommend for a tried and true product??
 
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25-foot range is ridiculous. We get over 100 yards with the R's easy and they are rated for .5 mile. Is that a test with them mounted in the helmets or by themselves?
 
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Bad batch of product maybe? We got 3 years out of our 10s so i bought new ones...man oh man...the static we lived with and thought nothing of was gone! I couldn't believe the difference...my first pair that came from paul when he first melded them to treework were meh from the beginning...fine close, but obstructions and distance they were "clippy".
 
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