GPS research

[Chuck35]

I am trying to decide which GPS to buy.

Currently use Nolan N-Com BT helmet, and a cheapo BT dongle to Transmit from my XM unit.


GPS must be waterproof, allow routes to be imported and be visible in daylight. Voice guidance is very desirable also.
I want XM with weather and traffic supported. (I have a gxm30)
It would be nice to manage phone calls with the GPS. I am willing to add a Sena SM10 in order to do this over BT. I realize that with any but the 600 series I'll have to use a dongle for BT stereo.

Current research has the Garmin Zumo 550 in the lead followed by the StreetPilot 2820.

A big unknown is if the phone audio and mic will work from N-com -(bt)- Sena SM10 -(cable)- GPS -(bt)- Phone. If this will not work, BT in the GPS is of little value to me and other models may be acceptable, (ie 2730)

If anyone has a similar configuration, please advise of your results.
TIA for any advise,

 

[garyahouse]

By XM, you're referring to satellite radio?? Is music part of this equation? If I'm not mistaken, Garmin Zumo 550 will not give you stereo music. Forum, correct me if I'm wrong.

Gary

 

[ahchiu]

I have the Zumo 550 and I'm happy with it, music is good enough for riding, not sure about pairing 2 devices the the 550, I run mine through the Autocom.

 

[Silver Ranger]

I have a zumo 350LM as my GPS with Bluetooth to my Sena SMH-10. I only use it for GPS. I also connect to my IPhone for music. I like the set up except for one thing. I can not make calls on my phone when I have the GPS linked. GPS voice and my music are very good. I use custom made earplugs designed for motorcycles with the highest Db filter they make. I think it cuts background noise and improves music quality.

 

[lacofdfireman]

Your best bet will be the Garmin Zumo 600 series. It will allow you to do all you want to do that you are talking about.. The Zumo 550 is a good GPS but remember it is a discontinued Garmin Product. I also believe that they had some map issues and not sure if they got those straightened out or not. You can pick up a used 550 for $450 and under I would think. A new 665 will cost you $800 plus mounts and maps. OUCH..

 

[tcfjr]

By XM, you're referring to satellite radio?? Is music part of this equation? If I'm not mistaken, Garmin Zumo 550 will not give you stereo music. Forum, correct me if I'm wrong.
Gary

The Zumo 550 will give you stereo music -- either from the XM puck or from on-board MP3s -- but only from the 3.5mm audio jack on the mounting unit. All bluetooth output from the 550 is in mono.

I connect the audio jack of my Zumo 550 mounting unit to Sena SM10 bluetooth transmitter, and pair the SM10 to a Sena SMH10 bluetooth headset, and get both XM and MP3 from the Zumo 550 in stereo, along with voice navigation prompts, voice traffic advisories, and the other Zumo audio goodies. For phone calls I pair my Android phone to the Zumo. My radar detector audio also connects to the SM10.

This setup works really well for me, with only two minor downsides: 1) there is no known way to pair both an SM10 and a phone directly to the SMH10 via bluetooth, so if you want audio from your GPS, you can't also have music from your phone; 2) the batteries in both the SM10 and SMH10 are good for 18 hours per charge, so if you're on a really long ride, you'll have to come up with a way to charge them. I plug my units into the Powerlet outlet during meal stops, and a 30 minute charge gives me another 6 hours+ of use. I also carry a portable USB charging pack, so if needed I can plug the SM10 transmitter into the bike power, and plug the SMH10 headset into the charging pack, to get continuous power.

 

[lacofdfireman]

So if I add the SM10 to my sena SMH10 I cannot hear phone, radar and GPS? What if the phone pairs to the GPS first instead of going straight to the Sena Smh10? Then can I pair the GPS to the sm10 with my radar and hear everything?

When I had my Starcomm it ran everything. Never thought the wireless stuff would be more of a pain than cords.

What I want to run is:

iPhone

GPS

Radar

 

[Chuck35]

Great reply's Guys!
I had been hesitant to post this question assuming a fast track to NERPT.
Some of the fine details just can't be learned by reading the sales literature.

By XM, you're referring to satellite radio?? Is music part of this equation? If I'm not mistaken, Garmin Zumo 550 will not give you stereo music. Forum, correct me if I'm wrong.
Gary

That's where the SM10 comes in. It takes the stereo signal from the 3.5mm jack and broadcasts it to (up to 2) BT headsets.

There are a few things I'm not sure of as far as the SM10's capabilities go.

I have a zumo 350LM as my GPS with Bluetooth to my Sena SMH-10. I only use it for GPS. I also connect to my IPhone for music. I like the set up except for one thing. I can not make calls on my phone when I have the GPS linked. GPS voice and my music are very good. I use custom made earplugs designed for motorcycles with the highest Db filter they make. I think it cuts background noise and improves music quality.

I have my Nolan headset linked to the cheapo BT dongle as A2DP only and the Droid phone linked to the Nolan headset as phone only. This allows an incoming call to override music. Calls out can also be made via the Nolan, but you have to remember the button sequence lol

Can you pair the SMH-10 in similar fashion?

Your best bet will be the Garmin Zumo 600 series. It will allow you to do all you want to do that you are talking about.. The Zumo 550 is a good GPS but remember it is a discontinued Garmin Product. I also believe that they had some map issues and not sure if they got those straightened out or not. You can pick up a used 550 for $450 and under I would think. A new 665 will cost you $800 plus mounts and maps. OUCH..

The 665 sounds like everything I ever wanted in a GPS and audio setup. It would also keep me from dropping a C-note + on an SM10.

My issue with the 600 series is I have read they are rather dim. Do you have any problems with it in the sun?

My phone is useless in the sun, at times I have wanted to toss it in the street and keep riding.

By XM, you're referring to satellite radio?? Is music part of this equation? If I'm not mistaken, Garmin Zumo 550 will not give you stereo music. Forum, correct me if I'm wrong.
Gary

The Zumo 550 will give you stereo music -- either from the XM puck or from on-board MP3s -- but only from the 3.5mm audio jack on the mounting unit. All bluetooth output from the 550 is in mono.

I connect the audio jack of my Zumo 550 mounting unit to Sena SM10 bluetooth transmitter, and pair the SM10 to a Sena SMH10 bluetooth headset, and get both XM and MP3 from the Zumo 550 in stereo, along with voice navigation prompts, voice traffic advisories, and the other Zumo audio goodies. For phone calls I pair my Android phone to the Zumo. My radar detector audio also connects to the SM10.

This setup works really well for me, with only two minor downsides: 1) there is no known way to pair both an SM10 and a phone directly to the SMH10 via bluetooth, so if you want audio from your GPS, you can't also have music from your phone; 2) the batteries in both the SM10 and SMH10 are good for 18 hours per charge, so if you're on a really long ride, you'll have to come up with a way to charge them. I plug my units into the Powerlet outlet during meal stops, and a 30 minute charge gives me another 6 hours+ of use. I also carry a portable USB charging pack, so if needed I can plug the SM10 transmitter into the bike power, and plug the SMH10 headset into the charging pack, to get continuous power.

Just to confirm (As I am older and not as smart as I used to think I was)

Phone control is on the Zumo 550 and you have phone call audio / mic BT thru the SM10? (the phone music "A2DP" is not an issue for me)

I assume there are priorities?

Phone overrides music, Turn here from GPS overrides everything?

If the SM10 has switched power, it will work fine? some devices don't work when charging ;(

 

[lacofdfireman]

Yes be glad you are the one starting this topic and not someone else like me or it would have been in the NEPRT thread before you hit post... lol.. Oh well. I didn't ever see me needing the XM, Sirius radio or Traffic and WX so I went with a Zumo 660. It's in the mail so I haven't played with it yet. I had a guy email me that he was selling a Used Zumo 550 that worked great for $375 if anyone is interested I could PM you his email info and you could contact him and see if it's still available. I spent a little extra and bought the 660. Hoping it will be everything I want it to be..

 

[wfooshee]

I have a 2820 but not for music. I don't listen to music when I ride. It's visible in daylight, waterproof (actually immersible,) and talks to me via BT.

It handles the phone by being a go-between. You pair the phone with the GPS, and the gps with your helmet headset. The GPS is your phone interface, so your phone stays in the luggage or your jacket pocket. Phone book, caller ID, etc. is on the GPS screen.

It can play music via BT but not in stereo. It does stereo via the audio out jack, but now you're into external equipment. It doesn't have enough memory to be a real music player, anyway.

If music were important, I'd probably not like the 2820 so much, but seeing as I could care less about music, and the 2820 was on eBay for less than 200 bucks, then it's a win-win for me.

 

[Chuck35]

Well after a lot of head scratching and soul searching, I ordered the Zumo 665 kit (with black locking mount) from Touratech today.

It is a lot of coins but within $100 or so of what I'd spend on a 550 after mount, Sena SM10 and Lifetime maps.

Thanks for the replies and advise. I hope I'm nearly as happy with it as most of you seem with yours

 

[tcfjr]

Just to confirm (As I am older and not as smart as I used to think I was)

Phone control is on the Zumo 550 and you have phone call audio / mic BT thru the SM10? (the phone music "A2DP" is not an issue for me)

I assume there are priorities?

Phone overrides music, Turn here from GPS overrides everything?

If the SM10 has switched power, it will work fine? some devices don't work when charging ;(

That's about it. You pair your phone with the Zumo 550, which allows you to make and receive phone calls. The Zumo pairs with the SMH10 headset in phone mode, so your phone calls are in mono, with the SMH10 microphone for your voice input. The stereo port on the Zumo mount plugs into the main port on the SM10, with the radar detector on the Aux port., and the SM10 pairs to the SMH10 in full stereo. So you hear all the stereo output from your Zumo (voice nav prompts, XM radio, traffic advisories, on-board MP3s, on-board audio books) in stereo, with phone calls in mono.

The SM10 has a power switch, but works while charging. I did an SS1K a few months back, and the charge on the SM10 lasted until the last 45 minutes of the ride, but if you regularly ride longer than 17 hours at a stretch you'd want to make provisions for on-board charging.

 

[Steel_Gin]

I was thinking about getting a GPS but since I only go on one trip a year on my FJR, spending a lot of money on one didn't make sense to me. I have an Android phone and someone from this site suggested using the Sygic program and I liked it. Phone, GPS and music all on one device. One drawback, I bought a Ram Ball mount thinking I could see the map as well, wrong; I couldn't see it very well at all. Had to lean forward just to get an OK view of it. Ended up putting the phone in the "glove box" plugged in to the power, it was still able to capture the GPS signals and it worked great. It gave me plenty of warning for upcoming turns; Music would pause, then I’d hear the instructions for the upcoming turn then the music would pick up where it left off. Yeah seeing the map is nice but with the advanced warning it gives not seeing it was not an issue. Besides, we’re on motorcycles and need to keep an eye out for the other guy so we don’t end up under whatever they are driving.

The reason I don’t use the GPS already on the phone is I don’t purchase very much data for it. The trip would have burned it all up in a short time. With Sygic you download the states you need (when on WiFi) to the phone and it doesn’t use any data when you are off WiFi as long as the traffic and weather alerts are tuned off. They have a seven day free trial, I have no complaints, it worked well.

In case you are wondering about the headset I’m using: Bluetooth Sena SMH-10 with the Universal mount for the mic. Easy installation, long battery life and good sound quality; I like it a lot.

 

[302]

Tom Tom app in my i phone 5 and U Clear 200 or Collett Coumunicator 900 plus both work extremely well with the blue tooth from the phone.