Hopefully this doesn’t sound completely stupid. Is there any chance that the xp1000 LED tail lights will fit the s800? I am pretty new to this and haven’t been around any xp1ks yet. If they won’t, does sombody make replacement led housings for the s800? Something similar to what automotive has available. Thanks in advance for any help.

After being the “forum guy” for over a year with Rugged, I’ve found there to be some common questions that people ask me about our equipment. Anyone who’s messaged me for help or advice knows that we love to help you fully understand everything there is to know about our products. The only problem is a lot of the questions I field are done through PM’s and not available for the rest of you guys to see. Therefore, I’m making this thread to cover some of the most common questions I find people asking me.

“Why do I need an intercom? Can’t I just use a radio?”

An intercom is a device that allows passengers in the same vehicle to talk continuously through headsets or helmet kits. Each helmet kit or headset is built with speakers and a microphone to talk and listen through. The advantage to using an intercom system is to be able to clearly talk back and forth to passengers with minimal background noise. With the background noise reduced, the off-road adventure can become much more pleasant.

2-Way radios allow you to communicate to another vehicle with a radio that is on the frequency/channel. A 2-way radio can also be connected to an intercom system. Combined together, you can now talk freely to all passengers in the vehicle and communicate with others in your group outside the vehicle.

So back to the question – can’t I just use a radio? Sure, but try sticking your head out the window of your car while on the freeway and try and talk to your passengers. The same goes for loud offroad vehicles. It’s quite difficult to rely on yelling to communicate back and forth. Also, if you’re required to wear a helmet, hearing the radio is difficult, and there would be no way for you to respond over the radio.

With intercoms and helmet kits, speaking, listening, and transmitting becomes clearer and simpler. The intercom is the "hub" that delivers clear audio from all sources and devices into your headset or helmet kit for the best in communications.

“What’s the best radio for me?”

If you’re always going to be within a couple miles from your riding group, a handheld will work just fine.
If you want the most cost effective option, then the RH5R is our best choice. Not only is this an affordable 5 watt option, but also runs both UHF and VHF bandwidths. This radio is small, easy to use and offers a variety of accessories to make even better.

If you need a radio that can withstand harsh environments such as rain/mud, we have the 5 watt HX400 handheld radio. It’s a bit more expensive, but the quality and lifespan of this radio is worth the extra money:

Handheld radios are great because they are portable and easy to carry. Their only downfall is limited distance to communicate with other people.

If you need more power and range from your radio, then the 50 watt mobile radio is your next option. Our most popular mobile radio is the Vertex VX2200 radio which is a 50watt VHF Race Radio. Correctly tuned, this radio can transmit up to 25-30 miles (plus or minus for terrain). You will find this type of radio in a lot of desert race trucks, or used as a base camp radio setup. This radio is the most expensive option, but well worth the money if you spend a lot of time in the desert with friends and family.

“The music volume on my VOX intercom (357, 660, 686) is very quiet and doesn’t mute when I speak”

This is normally caused when your VOX dial is set to be too sensitive. If the VOX is set too sensitive, the intercom thinks that you’re speaking all the time, and the music is being lowered to accommodate when it thinks your talking. The trick to setting the vox is first to put your microphone as close to your lips as comfortable, intermittently touching your lips while you talk is best if possible. While speaking into the mic, turn the vox dial until you can no longer hear yourself talking into the mic (this is called side tone, when you can hear yourself talking from your own speakers). If you have music playing through he intercom at this point, it should raise back up to proper music level and you wont be able to hear your side tone. Now turn the dial back until the music drops back down (or you hear side tone again) and stop right there. Keep in mind though, when the vehicle is not moving, the ambient sounds are much quieter than at speed. The faster you go, the louder it will be, and you may have to lower the VOX sensitivity slightly so background noise doesn’t key the mic. After a little bit you should be able to find that “sweet spot” on the VOX for your vehicle.

“Are you guy’s going to be having any specials soon?”

Good question! We actually have a newsletter you can sign up for that will get you the fastest notification of sales and specials we are offering. Click here to sign up! We also have a pretty beefy clearance section of our website that I update with items quite regularly. We have everything from display model intercoms and refurbished radios, to discontinued headsets and cables. Often times, you may even be able to piece together a full intercom kit for much less than you’ll ever see one for sale. Products move in and out of that section fast so check regularly if you’re looking for something. It also never hurts to shoot me a PM to see if I have any demo/clearance items that may not be up on the website yet.

If you have any questions that pertain to communications equipment, feel free to get in contact with me here, through PM or give us a call. I will be updating this thread regularly with more frequently asked questions to provide a resource for anyone looking to get more info about our systems.

Just put in a dual battery with isolator. Can I ground the second battery to the first battery or should I do a separate ground for it?

I decided to set up an tablet for GPS like many have done on here. I was going to buy an iPad and use motion x, as I already use it on my iPhone 6, but the screen is too small for me. I picked up a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0" used really cheap locally. As motion x doesn’t support android I started looking for a new program. I tried a lot of free and paid apps, but the one that really works best for me is Gaia GPS. It may be one of the most expensive, but the maps are great for my area and it works perfectly on the device I have. I ordered an otterbox for it, and will be using a ram mount. I’ll post more pictures as I get the parts and pieces in the mail. Attachment 135353

Attached Thumbnails

 

I’m building a metal roof for a 15 rzr 900 4, going to have a Jvc Bluetooth reciever and 2 switches on each side for the front area along w 2 6×9 and 2 6×9 in rear, done lights and front and rear LEDs. Now if I use blue sea fuse block, could I install fuse block in roof and only have one positive and groundran down from roof? Would like to have them ran in roll bar.

In the process of making my own fiberglass pods for my rzr 800 s.

Hi all, new to the forum and the Polaris community….finally. Working on putting together our sound system now and have gone with the Infinity 612M’s (4 of them) and Fosgate RM110D4B 10" sub.

The Infinity speakers are 75rms and the sub is 200rms/400max I’m thinking a 4 channel marine amp at 6-700 watts should be good. Running the 2 front speakers off one channel, rear 2 speakers off another channel then bridging the 2 remaining channels for the sub. Trying to understand how running two 4ohm speakers off one channel affects the omhs of the amp and how to calculate the total amp watts I need.

Kind of a challenge building the system instead of an off the shelf solution but it’s fun learning!

Hi all, new to the forum and the Polaris community….finally. Working on putting together our sound system now and have gone with the Infinity 612M’s (4 of them) and Fosgate RM110D4B 10" sub.

The Infinity speakers are 75rms and the sub is 200rms/400max I’m thinking a 4 channel marine amp at 6-700 watts should be good. Running the 2 front speakers off one channel, rear 2 speakers off another channel then bridging the 2 remaining channels for the sub. Trying to understand how running two 4ohm speakers off one channel affects the omhs of the amp and how to calculate the total amp watts I need.

Kind of a challenge building the system instead of an off the shelf solution but it’s fun learning!

Hi all, new to the forum and the Polaris community….finally. Working on putting together our sound system now and have gone with the Infinity 612M’s (4 of them) and Fosgate RM110D4B 10" sub.

The Infinity speakers are 75rms and the sub is 200rms/400max I’m thinking a 4 channel marine amp at 6-700 watts should be good. Running the 2 front speakers off one channel, rear 2 speakers off another channel then bridging the 2 remaining channels for the sub. Trying to understand how running two 4ohm speakers off one channel affects the omhs of the amp and how to calculate the total amp watts I need.

Kind of a challenge building the system instead of an off the shelf solution but it’s fun learning!

I have a 2008 RZR and we just got back from Windrock and did a little night riding. I rode all day without my headlights on and had no problem, but at night when I turned my headlights on the battery light would flash every 15-20 min and when we got close to the truck my whole gauge cluster went out except the speedometer and the back light. I recently hooked up a light bar and a winch and thought that was the problem, but I unhooked all of it and let it idle with the headlights on and the battery light began flashing after 25 min. I did some reading and saw where some people say it could be the voltage regulator, but if that was the case shouldn’t it do if the headlights are off too? I am thinking it’s my battery because it’s about a year old Walmart everstart. I am going to to try a new battery any thoughts on what the best one would be? The only other thing I plan to add are some speakers. I am going to try to get away with running one good battery because I rarely right at night and only occasionally use my winch, but would use the stereo often.
Any help is gretly appreciated!