Intercom Battery Life on Long Rides: Charging and Power Bank Tips

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To keep a helmet intercom running on a long ride, start from your unit's manual rather than a marketing number, log your own ride times, charge fully every night, top up at stops, and carry a power bank and a short cable if your unit can charge in use. Cold weather and heavy use cut runtime, so plan with a margin. This guide covers runtime planning, charging routines and power bank rules for touring.

Start with the manual and your own numbers

A quoted talk time is a starting point, not a promise for your ride, because real touring conditions vary. Some manuals do not give a runtime at all. An older Cardo manual for its PACKTALK and SMARTPACK units, for example, says nothing about standby or talk time, and the maker's support page for a later unit does not list a runtime number either. If your manual or spec sheet gives one, treat it as an upper bound.

Build your own numbers instead. Charge the unit fully, ride your normal route with your usual settings, and note the battery level at your first stop and your last. Some units can announce their battery level, and the older Cardo manual mentions a voice command for it, so check how yours reports it. After two or three rides you will know how much of a day the unit lasts, and you can plan around that.

What tends to drain the battery

Runtime depends on how you use the unit. The following usually reduce it, but your manual will give the details for your model:

• Constant intercom with several riders. Group links can keep the radio busy.
• Music and navigation prompts at high volume. Loud audio can draw more power than quiet audio.
• Cold temperatures. Battery University's explanation of lithium-ion cells says that cold raises internal resistance and lowers available capacity, and that the effect is temporary, with capacity recovering once the cell warms up.
• Your phone's battery. If navigation or music streams from a phone over Bluetooth, a flat phone ends the audio even when the intercom still has charge. Charge the phone with the same care as the unit.
• An aging battery. A unit that was fine when new may last less after a few seasons.

It also helps to check the manual for settings that save power, such as lower volume or fewer active features. Which settings exist varies by model, so read yours before you assume anything.

The practical lesson from the cold point is to build in a margin on chilly days and to start with a unit that is warm and fully charged. For the temperature range in which your unit may be charged, rely on the maker's manual. Do not assume it is safe to charge a cold battery.

A nightly and daytime charging routine

At night: charge the unit fully with the maker's cable and a wall charger. The older Cardo manual says a wall charger charges faster than a computer's USB port, and that charging switches the unit off automatically. Cardo's support page for a later unit recommends leaving a unit that will not charge on the charger for at least four hours straight and suggests plugging a unit in for a full four hours at least once every three months to preserve battery life. Those are one maker's instructions for its own units. Follow your own manual.

During the day: top up at fuel and lunch stops with a power bank, even if only for 20 or 30 minutes. A short top-up at each stop can be the difference between a full day and a silent final hour. Keep the cable and the power bank somewhere you can reach them without unpacking the bike.

Charging while you ride

Some intercoms can charge while in use. Cardo's support page says its units can charge while riding from a 12V bike charger or a power bank. Plugging the cable in shuts the unit down, so you switch it back on and keep riding. Other makers do things differently, and some units cannot charge in use at all, so check your manual before you buy a cable.

If you try it, set it up at a standstill first:

1. Route the cable so it cannot snag. Turn your head fully each way with the cable connected, and make sure it does not tug on the helmet or catch the controls.
2. Use a short, right-angle connector if the port allows it. It sits flatter against the helmet and is less likely to catch.
3. Keep the power bank secure. A zipped jacket pocket or a tank bag is better than a loose spot where it can slide around or pull on the cable.
4. Do not open the unit. Cardo warns that opening a unit means it is no longer waterproof. Use the maker's port arrangement, and close any cover after charging.

A USB socket wired into the bike is an electrical job. Follow the bike's manual, make sure it is fused as the manual or socket maker directs, and ask a qualified installer if you are not sure. Do not tap wiring you cannot identify.

Power banks and flying

If a tour involves a flight, the FAA's guidance on lithium batteries applies to your power bank. Spare lithium batteries and power banks must travel in the cabin, not in checked luggage. Damaged or recalled batteries are not allowed in either carry-on or checked bags. Keep terminals from touching metal by leaving the power bank in its retail packaging, in a case or in a protective pouch, and check your airline for its own limits on the number of power banks. Our guide to flying with a helmet covers other travel details.

A multi-day packing table

For more on system choice, see our communication systems buyer's guide. Group riders should also read the group ride setup guide.

Frequently Asked Questions