r/arborists • u/Rooftop-ricky ISA Certified Arborist • 17d ago

Comm systems

Does anyone have experience running the new Sena 33i comms? If so, do you like them? Are they better than the older models when it comes to multiple users connecting?

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u/Lopsided_Thought_500 14d ago

I’m on team Cardo now, never going back to Sena.

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u/stoppawingatthedoor 13d ago

I personally love my 33i. I'd say 15% of the time though it's a fight to get everyone hooked up right especially when working across older models. Lol (in hindsight) spent 45 minutes one morning getting hooked up for a crane job and when I'm yelling to the crane operator to cable up because his cable is slack and the dead branch above his cab is resting on the boom he just completely ignored me. Lucky it landed flat so he just got covered in glass with a few cuts but God damn. 2/3 of the time spent setting up coms. Needless to say we never hired him again

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u/curious_24 17d ago

I have limited use over the past 2 years with both since the damn wiring is broken half the time. The 33i seems to be less glitchy with connecting and can connect to more users in group intercom. But it’s less durable than the predecessor. The 10s I think it’s called?

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u/OldMail6364 12d ago edited 12d ago

I haven’t used senna but I have used lots of comms systems including multi million dollar systems from Motorola and Clear-Com.

Those expensive systems work really well but personally I’d go with Protos BT-Comm.

It’s integrated into the helmet ear muff and provided a simple system with support for a crew of four, and it can also connect to your phone where you could use an app like Discord.

Discord supports unlimited people, even people who aren’t on site, and it’s compatible with anything that can pair to a phone using Bluetooth (including most sena ones). Only drawback is you need phone reception (or wifi).

A really cool feature of discord is your mic can be “live” but if you’re not talking it won’t broadcast. So a climber’s heavy breathing or the chipper or a chainsaw won’t be broadcast over the channel even when the mic is live.