Another trip, another kit prep: Part 1.

Queued up for the weeklong studio shutdown over Christmas -> a little Latin American paragliding by way of a guided XC course.

Airline tickets, accommodation, travel insurance, SIM Card, and a ride arranged from the airport: Check.

Now for the kit.

Clothing: Arcteryx Drac shell + Ravean Heated Down jacket + Arcteryx Alpha SL gloves + Arcteryx Neck Gaiter and Fortez Beanie.
Comms: Baofeng BF-F8HP (and Code Red bone conduction headset) + Delorme InReach.
Cameras: MOHOC + YI 4K (plus Feiyu Gimbal).
Instruments: Flymaster NAV + XCTracer + GPSBip + Recon Instruments Snow2 (plus GliderHUD).

Laptop: ASUS T102HA 10 inch + WD MyPassport 1TB Wireless HD.
Power Pack: Anker 2nd Gen Astro Pro 2 20k mAh (great charging multiplexer, plug into wall + plug 3 USB devices into it).

Continued in Part 2

Paragliding Kit Considerations: Comms Part 4 - Headsets

Motoring along.

We have a radio, we have a satellite tracker, and we've decided on a mounting platform.

Now time for augmentation.

Can you hear me now?

On the ground, everything on the radio comes through clear and concise. But once in the air, we can't make out a thing. The 30+ kph relative wind has a tendency of messing with the best laid plans.

If after experimenting with location and orientation we find that things are still not to our liking, then we need to look at additional technology (which of course comes with additional cost, complexity, and the opportunity for Mr.Murphy to visit).

Hand Held PTT Speaker Mic

A Hand Held Push To Talk (PTT) Speaker Microphone is the simplest, most flexible, and most reliable addition we can make. The unit can be moved around on our webbing, even positioned post launch on the riser. The cabling and connector will be fairly robust and capable of accepting the abuse from the typical paragliding day (including retrieve).

A quality Hand Held PTT Speaker Mic is a good place to start if a stand alone radio is just not working in terms of TX and RX clarity while paragliding.

Side note: I have a PTT unit that I take with me on courses/trips just in case one of my more complex (and seemingly failure prone) headset configurations acts up. It has saved me more than once.

Headsets

Wind noise still interfering with our ability to hear what is being said? Time to explore headsets.

Paragliding headsets come in one of two flavours:

1. Wired.
2. Wireless.

Wired Headsets

A wired paragliding headset is a good place to start when moving beyond the Hand Held PTT Speaker Mic. 

Motorcycle Headsets

At the lower end of the spectrum are units developed for use in motorcycling such as those manufactured by Tork, retailing around $50 Canadian. The sport model can be used with a full face helmet, while the open face model can be mated with a snowboarding helmet that has ear flaps designed to accept a sound system. 

But keep in mind, one gets what one pays for. These units will not last long - especially the thumb mount PTT switch and the open face boom mic. I took a similar unit to Annecy for a pair of SIV courses, removing the boom mic and PTT switch. Jocky Sanderson's voice came through loud and clear, even in a full on spiral. But the unit failed shortly after completing the second week.

Airsoft Headsets

Don't. Just don't.

Except ...

The Code Red Battle Zero Bone Conduction Headset. The unit relies on vibration through the jaw/skull for both TX and RX. The 'headphones/mic' sits on the upper most contact point between jaw and skull, leaving the ears completely unobstructed. Inbound voice has a 'voices inside your head' quality to it (though a little on the faint side) while those on the other end have noted that the users voice comes through loud and clear.  The cabling is kevlar lined and the connectors fairly robust. The headset, PTT unit, and radio connection cable are all separate and all individually replaceable.

The one catch (aside from RX voice being faint) is that the connectors are screw on, which precludes any chance of a quick disconnect in the event of a water/tree landing. It is highly recommended that users of this headset move their radio mount to a Chest Harness.

The vendor supports multiple radio variants (including the Kenwood connection used by Baofeng) but does not support Yaesu (and has not indicated there are plans to).

Paragliding Headsets

Dedicated paragliding headset solutions exist and certainly should be on the pilots radar for examination.

Two examples are the Thermal Tracker and the Gidercom Cloudbase.

Reviews of both have been fairly positive and they have options for both full and open face helmet form factors. 

Thats said, be wary of thumb mount PTTs as the wiring on even the high end units will fail given the amount of bending it typically experiences. Often times a thumb mount PTT with a broken wire will lock in the transmit position - quickly killing the radio battery and earning the wrath of any pilot in transmit range.

Wireless Headsets

At the cost of increased complexity and price, wireless solutions improve configurability by removing the need to consider cable routing restrictions.

Off label usage of snow/power sports solutions such as the since discontinued UClear HBC100+ and WT300 can provide for a reasonable cord cutting experience. 

The UClear HBC100, mounted using 3M Dual lock (mitigate entanglement risk).

Toggle mount of the WT300 BT PTT switch.

Similar options exist from Sena.

Otherwise, the full face Glidercom Raptor is worth examination. Starting at $350 US, it would be prudent to see if someone has a sample to take for a test drive prior to purchase.

Aside from cost, the biggest drawback of wireless units is the need to ensure everything is fully charged. If the battery in one component is left uncharged, the entire system is useless.

That's all fine and dandy, but what do you use?

The complete setup.

Baofeng BF-F8HP - basically an upgraded UV-5R.

Delorme InReach for Android/iOS

Code Red Battle Zero Bone Conduction Headset + PTT for Baofeng/Kenwood

Coaxsher RP-1 Scout

Paragliding Kit Considerations: Comms Part 3 - Pouches

Hooking it all up

Radio? Check.

Satellite Tracking? Check.

With Primary and Secondary Comms in order, now its time to mount everything up.

Holders

Clips/Velcro

The most basic of solutions involve simply mounting the radio/satellite tracker directly onto the harness using any provided clips or the flight deck using velcro tape. A secondary attachment via a leash of some form is a must - losing a piece of electronics worth several hundred dollars @ 1000 meters will not only be detrimental to our bank account, but also to any unlucky bystanders below.

Using the included clips to mount the radio to the harness comes with a downside - the clips are likely not easily replaced but very easily broken. Then we are left with a face slapping radio during a take off run. 

Using velcro to mount to the flight deck is not much more secure, especially if the radio employs an extended life (larger/heavier) battery. Then there is the minor matter that we are using up valuable flight deck real estate. Real estate that would be better suited playing home to some form of visual navigation aid.

Harness Mounted Pouches

A more secure method of mounting involves placing the radio/tracker in a pouch and attaching it to the harness. 

An increasingly common method used by paraglider pilots involves mounting a purpose built pouch onto one of the carabiners used to attach the wing. This configuration works best for radios paired with a headset or Push To Talk (PTT) speaker mike of some form. A secondary attachment via a leash (typically to the carabiner) is again a must.

The above example can be found at ParaSupply.

Another possibility is to borrow some tech from the military/law enforcement (Mil/LE). The Mil/LE world has devised a modular pouch system that accommodates many of their mission specific needs by supporting configurable layouts for ammunition, first aid, and communications. Referred to as Modular Lightweight Load carrying Equipment (MOLLE) , this system is exactly as the name implies. The attachment system for the pouches is known as Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) - a series of horizontally aligned 1.0 inch wide webbing strips sewn in 1.5 inch sections. Each 1 inch wide row is separated by a 1 inch gap. The pouch and webbing onto which it is to be attached have the same PALS configuration. A MALICE clip is threaded in an alternating manner underneath the aligned rows of webbing strips.

An example video of the mounting process.

Now our harnesses typically do not include PALS webbing, but a radio pouch backed with PALS can have a MALICE clip run through the webbing and then run underneath the cover for the shoulder strap tension adjuster.

One example is the Tactical Tailor Small Radio Pouch.

Radio snug as a bug.

MALICE clip in black.

If I were operating a school of my own, this is likely the method I would use to mount the radio and use a soldering iron to burn additional holes in the front of the pouch to reduce obstruction of the speaker. Then I would likely realize that what is useful for a school environment is probably useful in an SIV one as well.

Side Note: a MALICE clip can be used to also secure the satellite tracker pouch (such as the one included with the SPOT) to the shoulder strap adjuster covers. Useful for those who do not fly with a flight deck.

Keep in mind, we are attaching our radio and tracker to the harness in a more secure manner than just using clips/velcro and a leash (BTW - remember to use a leash, even with this solution). This may make things more difficult to remove when packing up (if we plan to use the radio/tracker during retrieve). Also if we use any form of wired headset with the radio, we are binding ourselves to the harness which will complicate extracting ourselves in the event of a water landing (especially if the pouch covers the plug).

Chest Harness Mount

Desire to keep your comms setup disjoint from your paragliding harness? Then a chest harness is likely the best way to accomplish this and still keep things relatively organized. 

There are several Search and Rescue (SAR) chest harness manufacturers whose product meets our needs quite well.

One such example is Coaxsher.

A chest harness allows the paraglider pilot to simply step into and out of their harness without having to worry about disconnecting a headset, keep their radio and satellite tracker on hand during retrieve, and have a consistent comms platform without having to worry about which harness they may be using (hike and fly vs distance XC).

The biggest disadvantage is the lack of line of sight to the radio and tracker if the pilot wishes to adjust device settings (such as a radio frequency) mid-flight.

And again, a secondary connection via a leash is a must.

Continued with Radio Headsets in Part 4.

Paragliding Kit Considerations: Comms Part 2 - Satellite Tracking

Plan B: Look to the Sky

Radios work wonderfully when they have line of sight to someone else listening on the other end. 

Place a large mass of rock in the way - they don't work so well. Flying alone with no one on the other end, might as well carry on a conversation with the clouds.

Flying XC or even just bobbing about at your local site alone - you need a Plan B to back up that radio.

The answer: satellite tracking.

A satellite overhead will have a much clearer line of sight to you than a pilot on the backside of the mountain and the two options I will present have contracted out to a dedicated emergency response service in the event the subscriber (you) is in trouble.

SPOT Satellite Communicator

Almost always the initial choice of pilots wanting a backup to their radio. 

Compared to its main competitor, the Delorme InReach, the SPOT is priced much more competitively both in terms of unit cost and subscription plans (especially for Canadian residents). The Gen 3 messenger unit above can be found retailing for just over $150 Canadian (of note: there is a promotion at the time of this article offering a 50% rebate) and service (including unlimited tracking) is $150 / year.

The one catch: the SPOT Satellite Communicator utilizes the Globalstar Low Earth Orbit  (LEO) constellation, which comes with some limitations.

Notice India/Nepal and especially notice South Africa - spotty to zero coverage in some of the meccas for paragliding.

Delorme InReach

Paraglider pilots are increasingly turning to the Delorme (recently acquired by Garmin) InReach for their satellite tracking needs. Utilizing the Iridium LEO constellation, InReach has complete global coverage (unlike SPOT). The service is also capable of transmitting not only location information, but altitude as well - useful for a retrieve service trying to determine if the pilot is about to land. The ability to do two way messaging via a SMS like service is also available.

But these improvements come at a cost.

One can expect a unit to cost 2 to 3 times as much as the SPOT (the above InReach Explorer will cost north of $450 Canadian) while subscription plans go anywhere from reasonable for EU and US residents to outright highway robbery for those registering from Canada/New Zealand/Australia (especially with respect to tracking). Mitigating the pain for those of us in Canada is the ability to suspend service for part of the year. 

GEOS Worldwide Monitoring

Both SPOT and Delorme have partnered with GEOS Worldwide to provide 24/7 monitoring in the event a subscriber requires assistance (triggered by activation of the SOS button on the device).  GEOS helps coordinate with Search and Rescue and will notify the emergency contacts you have registered on file with your device. 

Of note: Service levels will vary across the world, especially in countries that may be facing a trade embargo by the United States (where GEOS is based). Additional costs incurred by GEOS in the subscribers rescue may be passed on to the subscriber (i.e. helicopter extraction). Accidental activation of the emergency beacon can result in expenses and penalties being levied upon the subscriber (don't let your toddler get a hold of the device).

One Last Note (or two... or three)

Regardless which unit you get - they need to be fed with lithium batteries. Alkaline will not be able to  keep up with the power draw these devices require nor do they work as well in the cold temps we frequently find at altitude.

If you are going to get an InReach, be sure to get a plan with tracking (which the SPOT includes). Tracking allows others (via a webpage) to see a breadcrumb trail of our movements. This is very useful if you fail to arrive at a predetermined time/destination - fellow pilots and rescuers can narrow down where they need to search (or simply hang tight while you hike out).

If you are a paragliding pilot and do get a SPOT/InReach (with tracking) - consider signing up for Dave Wheelers XCFind page (a donation of $20 I am sure will be greatly appreciated by Dave).  XCFind centralizes the SPOT/InReach tracking info for pilots, making it a one stop shop for figuring out who is where.

Continued with Radio Holders in Part 3.