Cardo's in AFF helmets?

[SRI85 0]

I use a cardo system in my motorcycle helmet and use it to accept phone calls and communicate with my riding buddy who also has one. Works really good.

So i was thinking about AFF. I think it would be a good advantage to be able to talk to the student in freefall instead of hand signals. What do you all think?

if you dont know what a carido is then here is a link
http://www.cardosystems.com/us/homepage

Its probably not necessary for every AFF, but maybe the people having difficulty. and obviously it needs to be a full face helmet.

[JohnnyMarko 1]

$$$$$$$

[Ron 7]

If you think that is expensive.......... This may not be the sport for you.

OP.. Not a terrible idea. We played with it for some contracts a few years ago. We found that most times it really did not help. I think you will find that manipulations and hand signals works just as well.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[jonathan.newman 1]

Quote

I think you will find that manipulations and hand signals works just as well.

Manipulation and hand signals work great... until they don't. I jumped with a student who was signaled to do a PPT, then got the wrist-tug (and fought it), then signaled, then manipulated, then signaled and manipulated a third time. The main side then gave him two whomps on the helmet and yanked his wrist back while he was still stunned.

After that, I looked at putting together a VOX system using the motorola handsets that we already used for canopy instruction. The chief instructor thought it would be too distracting and was not thrilled with the idea. I say that it's another tool, and you don't HAVE to say a word.

I never thought about motorcycle intercoms, but I might have to try a pair. The long-range ones might even cover the canopy flight portion.

[Scrumpot 1]

I have used a VOX set-up as you example, in the past. Not for AFF though. I can say it was just plain WEIRD (even though it did function great), and indeed for some reason, just processing the "extra" sense of hearing during those jumps actually did seem distracting, and took a good nearly dozen jumps to get used to, to the point that it was not a "distraction".

Just my own anecdotal experience / input. But based upon it, I would think anyway - for students, would probably rather be counter-productive.

I dunno though, that may just be because I had already become so accustomed to jumping without auditory/verbal input/exchange taking place - that in of itself influenced my perception/experience? Maybe for a student who otherwise would not have all the pre-conceived expectations it might work? I dunno, but then again - "experimenting" with students to find out, i don't think would be at least up my alley, personally - either.

You-all do it, then let me know how it all works out.

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[AggieDave 6]

What studies have taught us, is that one of the first things to happen to people in a high stress "fight or flight" situation is auditory exclusion. Sympathetic nervous system does many things well for our body, but for people engaging in high risk activities for sports, it is something that you have to over come with exposure. Meaning, just because you, as an experienced jumper, don't experience auditory exclusion (among other "symptoms" of a SNS response) doesn't mean that someone with less than 10 jumps won't.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[riddler 0]

I actually tried this very thing with another experienced skydiver. I thought it would be good for the same reasons you do. They work for motorcycles, so they should work for students, right?

They didn't. We held onto each other, with our faces just a few inches away from each other, flying on our bellies. I could kind of read his lips, but I couldn't hear his words through the speaker. It was probably the fact that the wind was making noise in my helmet. Or it may have been that the mic was expecting wind rush from the front, not the bottom. Or it may have been that they work fine for 50 MPH, but not 130 MPH.

After break-off, that's what his mic did - it broke off. We thought we would be able to hear each other great under canopy, but somehow, his mic was completely ripped off his helmet on opening. So we didn't get to hear each other under canopy either.

Seems like a good idea, but didn't work on the jump I tried them on.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[TiaDanger 0]

One of my tunnel coaches uses a sound system for tunnel and coach jumps. I wear a small sound unit on a lanyard inside my jumpsuit thats connected to ear plugs with embedded speakers. He has a microphone in his helmet that he speaks into. It produces extremely clear sound that's easy to hear, and I find it to be very helpful and efficient in the tunnel. No time wasted on feedback.

And for the record: the appropriate ranking of cool modes of transportation is jet pack, hover board, transporter, Batmobile, and THEN giant ant.
D.S. #8.8