Stereo bluetooth for your comm system

[worldbound4now]

Over the duration of my 05 ownership, I have also been a happy owner of an Autocom Pro-7 sport communication system (now obsolete). With the creation of new communication devices, I was trying to chase down an easy solution to integrate my phone, and now my GPS device, into my autocom system. About two years ago, I found a solution and am finally posting up a suggestion/solution/recommendation for many of you.

My solution:

The Plantronics Pulsar 260 headset system. This item supports stereo bluetooth WITH mic lead. The Pulsar 260 unit has a 2.5mm stereo headset jack on it, so many of you can easily wire it to your phone input on your Autocom, Starcomm, or other communication system. Plantronics no longer makes the unit, but you can find it online for around $50, which seems to be less expensive than many other motorcycle specific bluetooth dongles for your comm system.

I have hard-wired in a mini-usb power supply for continuous charging while on the bike by hacking into a car charger and soldering the positive and negative terminals to lead wires headed to my switched power supply under my seat. I also have an autocom unit that does not support a stereo headset phone lead, so I took a 2.5mm four pole lead wire and spliced it with the 3.5mm mono headset lead that came with my Autocom device. I suppose those with stereo headset leads could easily connect without the need to "make" a wire by using a lead wire like this.

This device has survived 110+F summers and mid-20F winter rides over the past couple of years and continues to thrive. I have only used it to connect/pair with one bluetooth device at a time (was my phone, now my Garmin 765t) and have great success.

If needed to repeat, I would not hesitate to purchase this item again. This was a great lower cost alternative for me when compared to the $120-$160 cost of the Starcom BTM-02 or the Autocom BTM-02A units.

EDIT: Just for clarification, I am using the BT dongle to connect peripheral devices to the Autocom unit and continue to have my helmet wired to the bike.

 

[Denver_FJR]

Nice! I've considered cannabilizing a cheap bluetooth headset as well, but integrating the microphone into the helmet has held me back. Were you using the mic on the Plantronics?

 

[worldbound4now]

Nice! I've considered cannabilizing a cheap bluetooth headset as well, but integrating the microphone into the helmet has held me back. Were you using the mic on the Plantronics?

No. The fantastic thing about this device is that the mic is NOT built into the dongle like so many other competing brands. On this model, the mic was built into the headphone/headset that comes with the device. The dongle has a four pole (common ground, mic, left, right) 2.5mm plug which allows you to use an external microphone.

 

[Fred W]

So, to get this straight, you are using this dongle to connect your BT phone output and BT GPS output into your Autocom intercom system, right? IOW, you are still using your old wired helmet headsets inside your helmet(s) and just using the BT dongle to connect the peripherals to the intercom?

 

[worldbound4now]

Yes, I am using the BT dongle to eliminate wires needed to connect peripherals. I am still using the traditional headset lead to connect my helmet to the bike. Reading my original post, I can see how this information would have been important. It is quite handy to keep my phone in the map/chest/napoleon pocket of my 'stitch and just get on the bike and ride without having to wire in. It's also nice to know that if I go down, my phone will be on me and not on the bike, wherever it happens to land, in the hopes that I can still call for help if needed. I have noticed over the past few days that my music quality is better when hard-wired into the Autocom unit, so I've wired in the GPS unit for navigation and music with a ground loop isolator in the audio circuit and went back to having the phone connect via bluetooth.

 

[DesignFlaw06]

As another option, here's what I added to my J&M system.

Kensingtom LiquidAUX Bluetooth Car Kit

It fits well inside the glove box, and even has a USB port so I can plug the phone in. I don't use it for phone calls, and the internal mic on it sucks anyway. But the steering wheel remote wraps nicely around the left hand grip and gives me control of the music on my phone. I bought a panel mount cable and mounted that inside the glove box so everything is nice and neat.

I think all in all, I found it for around $35. But there's no charging required, and I can charge my phone if I need to or other device.

 

[worldbound4now]

That Kensington option is pretty cool. One limitation that I see is what I found in other products.... there doesn't seem to be an option to use your own external headset with mic.

 

[Fred W]

Worldbound,

It sounds like you already have a BT capable GPS unit, like maybe a Zumo or nuvi 765, right?

Why not just pair your cell phone to the GPS and wire the GPS to the Autocom?

I feel like I must be missing something here? :huh:

 

[HelzBelz]

Worldbound,

It sounds like you already have a BT capable GPS unit, like maybe a Zumo or nuvi 765, right?

Why not just pair your cell phone to the GPS and wire the GPS to the Autocom?

I feel like I must be missing something here? :huh:

one problem with that plan if you have the 765 instead of a the zumo..

I have the Nuvi 765t.. I love it for GPS and lifetime traffic, but it has no mic input. it is purely speaker phone, but can do earphones. No mic input.

So I run it and my Droidx separately to the Autcom, so I can hear music from either (redundancy...), and can speak to pillion or phone.

 

[RZ350]

one problem with that plan if you have the 765 instead of a the zumo..

I have the Nuvi 765t.. I love it for GPS and lifetime traffic, but it has no mic input. it is purely speaker phone, but can do earphones. No mic input.

Sorry about going off topic a bit...

Helz Belz - I have a Nuvi 780 and I believe the docking cradles are shared by the 7XX series. The aux mic input is a 2.5mm jack on the cradle. The GPS unit, as you know, has only the audio out. I connect the audio out and mic in to my helmet and can make calls (assuming a BT paired cell phone) and listen to MP3 music, along with priority GPS voice prompts.

 

[Fred W]

one problem with that plan if you have the 765 instead of a the zumo..

I have the Nuvi 765t.. I love it for GPS and lifetime traffic, but it has no mic input. it is purely speaker phone, but can do earphones. No mic input.

Sorry about going off topic a bit...

Helz Belz - I have a Nuvi 780 and I believe the docking cradles are shared by the 7XX series. The aux mic input is a 2.5mm jack on the cradle. The GPS unit, as you know, has only the audio out. I connect the audio out and mic in to my helmet and can make calls (assuming a BT paired cell phone) and listen to MP3 music, along with priority GPS voice prompts.

RZ is correctamundo. I had a 765T and it too has the mike input jack on the supplied cradle. It's a 2.5mm mono jack, as I recall. You have to use the 3.5MM stereo jack on the GPS unit itself for the audio output. If you use the RAM cradle to mount the GPS the Garmin cradle is snapped on first and then the RAM cradle over it, so you retain the mike and power inputs.

Here's a Video that tells a whole bunch'a thousand words.