JET
Well-known member
FWIW-
Thought I would put up a post with another alternative to comms,nav and streaming music. I'm using a Droid with my Sena SMH-10 dual unit.
Pairing/connecting
The Droid works great with the Google maps, streaming music and phone. Easy pairing/connection to the Sena unit. The GPS over rides the music when it's time to turn. I didn't use the display because the voice over was all I needed. I did have a hard time once trying to tell if the unit was on. I had stopped and was attempting to communicate to my passenger. The Sena unit has a noticeable lag bewteen the time it takes to hit the large "jog" button and the actual time it connects to the passenger unit. Probably about 3-5 seconds.
Accessibility:
The Sena buttons were easy to operate with gloves. Turning on/off is real easy and the unit changes state fast. Forwarding through my music playlist was easy. Adjusting the volume was effortless. Using one button for pretty much everything makes it easy. I forgot to try and make a call because I was having fun riding. But the incoming call would be fairly easy to see if the display brightness was turned up a little. I'm not sure if I would use the phone anyway. I hate people that drive and use their phone so I only imagine using that as an emergency. But I will test that once and probably never use it again.
Mounting:
I used the RAM universal mount. It held the phone tightly and offered plenty of cooling, but no weather protection. However, the plan is to stick the phone in my jacket during inclement weather as the smartphones all put off some good heat when multi tasking. The small finger clamps worked well and I used the medium sized ones on the ends to keep the phone from sliding out left or right.
Charging:
Didn't need to charge the phone while riding all day (7-8hrs). Granted I didn't use the GPS the whole time either. I did make up a pigtail with an SAE plug on one end and a cigarette lighter adapter on the other end for just in case. I figured I could charge my phone or the Sena units if needed. I have a SAE plug from the battery tender connection, so it's there if needed. This sat in the glovebox for the trip.
Custom Maps:
I made a map in Google then sent it to my phone and followed that, it was pretty easy to do. You can make custom maps and then save them. Of course I can just access the custom maps through the phone via Google directly without sending it to the phone.
Sound:
I just ordered a "earbud" clamp mount as the included speakers are horrible. It reminded me of when I was a kid with my first transistor radio kit.... :blink: I plan to find some speakers instead of earbuds, but I may try earbuds at least once.
Pros:
- I didn't have to buy a GPS
- I already have alot of music on my phone
- SAE to cigarette adapter is convenient, no drilling holes in the fairing
- The mini USB charging connector for the Sena unit is the same for my Droid so I only need one charging cable
- Easy to set up
- Easy to control various features
- Phone didn't over heat
- Custom maps are easy to make on a pc and access on the phone
Cons:
- Lag between pushing the button and "linking" to my passenger
- Included speakers stink for music, lousy quality
- My microphone moved a couple of times and my passenger couldn't hear me but I wasn't sure what was happening.
- It was a pita mounting to a Bilt helmet with the internal "sun visor" as the button for the visor was right where the boom mike came out of the Sena unit.
- No immediate weather protection due to mounting style
Possible mods:
- The Droid turns into "Nav" mod via the proximity of a magnet in a certain location on the back of the phone. This gives you a reduced "Home" menu, shortcuts to music/phone etc , and orients the display horizontally. Otherwise the display was vertical, but the phone oriented horizontal. A piece of magnetic tape should work to activate Nav mod.
- Find some decent non-earbud speakers to mount in the helmet
- Make a easy removeable clamp for the cigarette adapter to mount it to the triple tree where the other wires are. Maybe velcro even.
Overall I think it was worth it. I saved some cash as I wanted to have comms with a passenger anyway. And I didn't have to buy a GPS. If I can fix the quality of the sound that will be a big plus, if not then at least I can listen to something. But then again, I've done a 12 hour ride in the cage with no radio at all and didn't regret it. It was nice chatting with my passenger, and pointing out all the stupid stuff going on around us that she missed :huh: . She did ask if I looked at everybody I passed, and I said mostly. Only because I constantly scan and always make watch body language for accidental lane changes, someone bending over to pick something up, people reading or on the phone, etc. Anyway, it was nice to converse, and just as nice to hit the mute button when the road sarted getting twisty
Thought I would put up a post with another alternative to comms,nav and streaming music. I'm using a Droid with my Sena SMH-10 dual unit.
Pairing/connecting
The Droid works great with the Google maps, streaming music and phone. Easy pairing/connection to the Sena unit. The GPS over rides the music when it's time to turn. I didn't use the display because the voice over was all I needed. I did have a hard time once trying to tell if the unit was on. I had stopped and was attempting to communicate to my passenger. The Sena unit has a noticeable lag bewteen the time it takes to hit the large "jog" button and the actual time it connects to the passenger unit. Probably about 3-5 seconds.
Accessibility:
The Sena buttons were easy to operate with gloves. Turning on/off is real easy and the unit changes state fast. Forwarding through my music playlist was easy. Adjusting the volume was effortless. Using one button for pretty much everything makes it easy. I forgot to try and make a call because I was having fun riding. But the incoming call would be fairly easy to see if the display brightness was turned up a little. I'm not sure if I would use the phone anyway. I hate people that drive and use their phone so I only imagine using that as an emergency. But I will test that once and probably never use it again.
Mounting:
I used the RAM universal mount. It held the phone tightly and offered plenty of cooling, but no weather protection. However, the plan is to stick the phone in my jacket during inclement weather as the smartphones all put off some good heat when multi tasking. The small finger clamps worked well and I used the medium sized ones on the ends to keep the phone from sliding out left or right.
Charging:
Didn't need to charge the phone while riding all day (7-8hrs). Granted I didn't use the GPS the whole time either. I did make up a pigtail with an SAE plug on one end and a cigarette lighter adapter on the other end for just in case. I figured I could charge my phone or the Sena units if needed. I have a SAE plug from the battery tender connection, so it's there if needed. This sat in the glovebox for the trip.
Custom Maps:
I made a map in Google then sent it to my phone and followed that, it was pretty easy to do. You can make custom maps and then save them. Of course I can just access the custom maps through the phone via Google directly without sending it to the phone.
Sound:
I just ordered a "earbud" clamp mount as the included speakers are horrible. It reminded me of when I was a kid with my first transistor radio kit.... :blink: I plan to find some speakers instead of earbuds, but I may try earbuds at least once.
Pros:
- I didn't have to buy a GPS
- I already have alot of music on my phone
- SAE to cigarette adapter is convenient, no drilling holes in the fairing
- The mini USB charging connector for the Sena unit is the same for my Droid so I only need one charging cable
- Easy to set up
- Easy to control various features
- Phone didn't over heat
- Custom maps are easy to make on a pc and access on the phone
Cons:
- Lag between pushing the button and "linking" to my passenger
- Included speakers stink for music, lousy quality
- My microphone moved a couple of times and my passenger couldn't hear me but I wasn't sure what was happening.
- It was a pita mounting to a Bilt helmet with the internal "sun visor" as the button for the visor was right where the boom mike came out of the Sena unit.
- No immediate weather protection due to mounting style
Possible mods:
- The Droid turns into "Nav" mod via the proximity of a magnet in a certain location on the back of the phone. This gives you a reduced "Home" menu, shortcuts to music/phone etc , and orients the display horizontally. Otherwise the display was vertical, but the phone oriented horizontal. A piece of magnetic tape should work to activate Nav mod.
- Find some decent non-earbud speakers to mount in the helmet
- Make a easy removeable clamp for the cigarette adapter to mount it to the triple tree where the other wires are. Maybe velcro even.
Overall I think it was worth it. I saved some cash as I wanted to have comms with a passenger anyway. And I didn't have to buy a GPS. If I can fix the quality of the sound that will be a big plus, if not then at least I can listen to something. But then again, I've done a 12 hour ride in the cage with no radio at all and didn't regret it. It was nice chatting with my passenger, and pointing out all the stupid stuff going on around us that she missed :huh: . She did ask if I looked at everybody I passed, and I said mostly. Only because I constantly scan and always make watch body language for accidental lane changes, someone bending over to pick something up, people reading or on the phone, etc. Anyway, it was nice to converse, and just as nice to hit the mute button when the road sarted getting twisty
