CB issues still and again

[Uncle Bob]

I have a 2017 RTS. It is on it's second CB unit. I have always had volume and static problems with it. I can barely hear it. I am the 2020 Assistant Platoon Leader for the Run For The Wall Spyder Platoon and need to have a good working CB to communicate with the other platoon leaders as well as the leadership up front. I have read posts on CBs and spyders. I have read about the cord motor cycledave built to make it possible to blue tooth some or all of the electronics. I now wear blue tooth capable hearing aids. Is there a way to hook them up with the electronics on my spyder? Especially the CB? If not, I understand there is a Motorola CB out there that can be hooked up to the spyder via blue tooth. If none of that works, can I use a Sena system somehow. I am desperate.
Thank you for any help you might be able to give me.
Uncle Bob

[Flamewinger]

I use a Midland 75-822 CB with Sena SR10 BT adapter. I have a USB power outlet with USB to Cig adapter to power it. It mounts to the center of the handlebars.

One other thing, when Honda came out with a CB there were problems and the solution was to make sure the ground for it was good. Then ground that ground and even again making really sure the radio was grounded. I found that a sheet of tinfoil in the trunk to the antenna bracket touches it greatly enhanced the signals. ( kinda like antennas on a metal car roof)

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[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I have a 2017 RTS. It is on it's second CB unit. I have always had volume and static problems with it. I can barely hear it. I am the 2020 Assistant Platoon Leader for the Run For The Wall Spyder Platoon and need to have a good working CB to communicate with the other platoon leaders as well as the leadership up front. I have read posts on CBs and spyders. I have read about the cord motor cycledave built to make it possible to blue tooth some or all of the electronics. I now wear blue tooth capable hearing aids. Is there a way to hook them up with the electronics on my spyder? Especially the CB? If not, I understand there is a Motorola CB out there that can be hooked up to the spyder via blue tooth. If none of that works, can I use a Sena system somehow. I am desperate.
Thank you for any help you might be able to give me.
Uncle Bob

There is no way to integrate the BRP CB into the BT add-on for the Spyder. That's because the same connector on the audio unit is used for either the CB or the BT adapter, but not both at the same time. Your easiest route is to do like Flamewinger suggests, i.e., BT connect a handheld CB to the helmet headset through the adapter, not through the Spyder audio. There is another possibility that I have thought about, but have not tried. Sena has what they call the Freewire BT CB to helmet connection. They have adapter cords for Goldwing and Harley, but not for Spyder. However, from what I have found all the various signal leads in the Harley system exist in the BRP CB system, but with different pinouts at the headset cord connection. If you are handy I think you could make a short adapter cable to go from the BRP pinout to the Harley pinout. I've considered doing it but I haven't felt compelled yet to go to a BT helmet headset. If you want more info on this approach let me know.

As far as CB static and volume problems I don't have any good answers, except make sure you have really good ground as FW says. Also, make sure the threaded connection of the antenna to the mounting block isn't full of thread locker. My CB works pretty decently but I switched to a no ground plane antenna from Firestik.

When my nephew and I went to the BRP Homecoming in Quebec in 2017 he used a Midland handheld with the SR10 adapter. We encountered two issues. The main one was ignition noise coming into the CB through the power plug in the trunk. He had to power the handheld with batteries only. The other was distance. The handheld did not have the range the OEM CB does.

[Flamewinger]

When my nephew and I went to the BRP Homecoming in Quebec in 2017 he used a Midland handheld with the SR10 adapter. We encountered two issues. The main one was ignition noise coming into the CB through the power plug in the trunk. He had to power the handheld with batteries only. The other was distance. The handheld did not have the range the OEM CB does.

When I tried the Midland in the ST powering it from a cig outlet I got static and had to use the battery pack. The way my USB is powered on the RT is from a Blackbox fuse block that is on when the key is on. I also got Ferrite beads on either side of the inverter? that is part of the USB to Cig adapter. https://www.amazon.com/Cigarette-Lig...%2C216&sr=8-10

I use this USB power outlet https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If I wanted I could add an external antenna and connect it to the radio but that means routing the cable through to the rear. Since you have a CB antenna you could try to make connection to that?

[jcthorne]

We have installed several of the J&M Motorcycle CB radio units on CanAm Spyders. They integrate well with Sena Bluetooth helmets and generally work far better than small handheld units. CB radio is always going to be 1960s analog radio tech but it can work pretty well for group communication when its the common form. I would love to convince all of my riding club to convert to Sena communications, but its not going to happen. CB is the common communications it seems.

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[JIM EVANS]

adjusting all the volume and squelch controls for proper volume is tricky once set mine worked fine... you also want to add an additional ground to the antenna and to the radio unit itself it does help.. that being said last summer made the switch to totally bluetooth from motorcycle dave as not a lot of cbs with those i ryde with more are usning senas and such