Talk to Rider through Tower Speakers?

Seeing the HSE thread reminded me of something I've been wanting for a long time. Anybody have any CB type mic through the tower speakers that would mute the tunes so you can yell...."WAIT LONGER!! YOU ARE LEAVING TO EARLY!!!!" hahahaha. I have a bullhorn, greatest addition one could imagine for talking to riders...but having an integrated one would be sick.

wetsounds 420 equilizer has it and I scream at people all the time.. it fades out my tower speakers for the mic then resumes playing after the mic has been off for a few seconds... worth every pennie imo

Doesn't Bazooka make a one of these too?? I recently saw one on eBay, but it was not being advertised as a Bazooka part even though it was. Did they scrap the idea?

times 2 for the wet sounds, great product.

I just found it. Of course it's no where near as good as the Wetsounds setup, no EQ, etc...



Bazooka MPA1000B

http://www.wetsounds.com/pages/products/WS-420.html

You hit the key on the mic, it mutes the tower speakers so you can talk to the rider or whoever, let go of the mic key and the music begins to play after a couple seconds.

Also, has eq adjustments for just the tower. And separate Eq adjustments for the in boats and sub control.

Separate volume for the tower and in boats. Line driver.
Aux input.

And Boat Link Aux output. Which if you haven't tried it yet. Is a lot of fun.

For instance, you have the WS 420 and your buddy has it too. You tie up in a cove. Run a 3.5 mm cable (headphone jack) out of your boat link out to his aux in.

Now your source either i pod or cd whatever is playing over both boats.

Another buddy pulls up and ties up. Come out of the second boats WS 420 and link to the third one.

Mem Day weekend we had 3 boats tied up all with large Wet Sounds systems. I played a jet fly over and the entire cove at Devils Cove was looking up thinking there were jets flying over.

Tim
Wet Sounds

Here are some pics

So sweet!!!

Now that is cool!!

WetSounds 420- it works well to verbalize your frustrations for people not driving the line correct.

Yeeeaaaah, I need to get one of those. Are there any other good faders/equalizers to split the tower speaker output from the boat speaker output?

The WS-420 is a great product. So is the Bazzoka PA system. We set one up just last week, and if you not looking for an EQ and just want the PA the Bazzoka works great. We sale them at my store. If you have anymore questions feel free to give me a call.


Howie
Earmarkmarine.com
214-222-0924.

+1 For wetsounds 420

Jason, the WS420 does split the tower and boat speaker outputs as well. (That's really the primary function imo). You can adjust the volume, as well as the bass/mid-bass/mid/treble for each. I couldn't be happier with mine, other than my mediocre job of mounting it.

Tlat,
I understand that the WS 420 splits the outputs and looks like an amazing addition to any boat. I was wondering if there was a cheaper option other than the WS 420 until I get the green light from my "accountant"

the lesser featured Bazooka unit costs $99.

I need that! DRA Gary has one and i couldnt believe how clear you could talk through it. Ive seen the other brands and they mainly create a bunch of fuzz when you try to talk.

Bill, I was looking at getting the Bazooka myself. I didn't think I could drop the coin on the obviously better 420 yet. I just haven't been able to find any feedback from someone who owns one or have used one.

Jason, I think there is a clarion eq that lets you fade between two areas, such as tower and boat. I am not sure on the cost, but it sounded like it may be cheaper when people talked about it. (I love my WS420 though-my advice would be to hang in there until you can get one)

TIM!

i KNEW that couldn't have just been that Tige playing so FREAKING loud!

We were tied up about 3 boats down from you in the cove on Mem day sunday, that setup was FLIPPIN sweet. Got to leave mine off all day and save the batteries!

Tony,

Well we had just my Tige playing at first for the first hour or two.

One of our buddies was next to us in the BU but he only had 2 pairs of XS650 in the factory cans so no pro audio on the tower. Then the MC pulled up with a 3-Some and had the EQ. So that was when we linked them all up.

Next time. You need to tie up and add your to the boat link!!!!

Tim
Wet Sounds

I haven't broken down and gotten the 420 just yet...it's next on the list though. I feel so insignificant with my measly 1 sub and 2 pro 80's! ;)

That stuff sounded great!

+3 for Bazooka if you do not need the EQ.

Bob, if you have the Bazooka, give us your review on hookup, ease of use, static, etc.

if you just want to be able to talk back to the rider and don't want to spend the cash yet for the 420...just go to radioshack or walmart and get a cheap cb radio that has the pa output. you can get one of those for like 15-20 bucks and just hook the pa output up to your tower speakers...you can set it up to when you click the mic the music cuts and the pa takes over then it'll cut back to music. just a CHEAP "in the mean time" pa until you can save for the 420!

Funny thing about these mics on the 420... you can yell at other boats and they hear you. I found that out a couple weekend ago when somebody powerturned in the glass we were riding... potentially dangerous.

Allen:

My buddy has one on his boat and I am adding to mine. From what I heard (from him) hookup is a breeze. It is a preamp that uses all low level RCA inputs. Just come out of your HU into the MPA-1000 then out of MPA to amp. Because it is pre-amp you have volume controls on mike (for both voice and music). You can even flip switch on the unit and mix voice and music (for kareoke). I also has a line level input on front of unit for ipod hookup.

No static (all pre-amp) and easy to use.

That is all I can add at this point. Again, if you do not want an EQ built in, it is a good product for a good price.

Bob, if you don't mind me asking, where are you getting yours from? Thanks for the review.

I have not tried out the Bazooka unit out and it looks like a pretty good alternative without the EQ. Bob's input looks positive. I found this to be the cheapest place so far and I have bought items from this vendor before no problems.

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=18184

(Message edited by wakemann on June 17, 2008)

WHY NOT TALK TO THE RIDER WHEN YOU COME AROUND TO PICK HIM OR HER BACK UP? JUST SEEMS LIKE A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.

lol

Allen:

My buddy purchased from a local SAS/Bazooka Reseller (Louisiana) and I will do the same. Looks like Howie is also a reseller

Howie
Earmarkmarine.com
214-222-0924.

From a money savings standpoint, I think $99 is about as cheap as I have seen them. Crutchfield sells them for $149.

Here is their dealer locator if you want to do local.

http://www.bazooka.com/findARetailer.asp


BTW, here is the product overview from Crutchfield:

Got a lot going on in your boat? Bazooka's MPA1000 marine mixer lets you hook multiple music sources into one compact console, and it includes a microphone that turns your boat's tower speakers into a PA system.

The mixer features inputs for 3 components: front and rear stereo inputs for your boat's CD player, a minijack input for your iPod® or portable MP3 player, and a mic input for the included microphone. Just connect the mixer to your boat's amplified speaker system, and you'll be able to switch between music from 2 different sources, plus turn on the microphone to communicate with skiers, wakeboarders, or other boats.

You'll find separate volume controls for music and the microphone, and you can select between muting the music or mixing it with your voice when you use the mic. Front and rear preamp outputs allow you to connect the mixer to your amplifiers and tower speakers.

Details:
marine mixer
microphone with coil cable
built-in source selectors
4-channel music input
two sets of preamp outputs connect to your boat's amplifier
auxiliary minijack input
microphone voice input
separate music and voice volume controls
mute or mix music with voice-over functionality
warranty: 1 year

Disclaimer #4 - this is NOT meant to replace or compete with the Wet Sounds product!

This is similar to the radio shack model we occasionally use
http://cgi.ebay.com/V2GO-GO500-Karaoke-Mixer-Box-1-Mic_W0QQitemZ270218730645QQihZ017QQcategoryZ64605Q QrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp163 8Q2em118Q2el1247
Doesnt have all the bells and whistles the others have but does the job for mixing audio with the music, having volume control, and multiple mic's.