I give up on connecting the cell phone to the intercom

[ThreeWheels]

Ok,

Some of you may remember, but in a nutshell here is the issue.

The BRP system does not directly support a cell phone connection. There are no plugs or converters to tie a phone into the entertainment harness or any of the intercom components,(cb/audio/radio).

The Zumo line of GPS, however does support a cell phone with one caveat.

There is no "out" connection from the BRP intercom to the Zumo cradle, only an audio "in" from the Zumo to the intercom system.

So, if you bluetooth your cellphone to your Zumo, the Zumo can answer phone calls, and you can hear the caller, but you can't be heard since the mic from the headset is isolated from the GPS.

The Zumo cradle has a separate mic "in" plug. I was experimenting with using a second independent microphone, just for phone calls. I would wind up with two booms on my helmet, like Neil Armstrong. Of course that would be the extent of any similarity.

I have failed to find anything that works well.

Another possibility is wearing a small bluetooth headset under the helmet, but I can't find anything that will fit. Here is the smallest I've found.

http://www.cellxpo.com/SbCategory-Bluetooth_Headset-H9.asp?gclid=CMPTroeeqKMCFSEJswod6Alh3w

I tired one and wound up returning it because it hurt to wear it under the helmet.

I've looked at the Scala units, but they require speakers mounted in the helmet, something I already have with the wired BRP system. I can't fit two speakers in one pocket of the helmet. I suppose I could take out one of the speakers and use one speaker for the BRP intercom and the other speaker for the Scala/phone, but frankly, I don't need to receive phone calls that badly when I'm riding.

As a last ditch attempt, I tried one of those small boom mike/earplug headsets to plug the phone in and skip the whole bluetooth/intercom thing. That didn't fit well under the helmet either.

I'm just irked because the Starcom, MIT-100, Scala and Autocom systems handle the cell phones just fine, along with multiple other inputs.

In the end, it doesn't make much difference. I'm not that important anyway................................

Oh well,I've got better things to worry about.

I'm off to the Dragon in a few weeks. A few of us are going to make it into a SS1K ride.

 

[Y Rider]

I have the Zumo 660 on my Spyder which has Bluetooth. Amy and I have the Nolan Triligy helmets with the N-Com intercom system. The Zumo connects to our helmets and my Blackberry 9700 connects to the Zumo. We can talk to each other, take or make calls and get navigation info without any problems. Only thing we can't get to the helmets is the stereo output. I may do something like Phil did and use a Bluetooth transmitter that uses the speaker outputs as the audio source.

 

[docdoru]

1. Connect (Bluetooth) the Zumo to your Scala
2. Connect (Bluetooth) your phone to your Zumo and on your phone give the privileges for Zumo to display the phone book.
A call will display on your Zumo, select "answer" or "ignore".
Important: respect the 1-2 order.

 

[clueless]

you could try a throat mic ... http://www.clearercom.com/triumph.htm

 

[ThreeWheels]

Thanks ! That's a great idea I hadn't thought of !
I'll look into that.

you could try a throat mic ... http://www.clearercom.com/triumph.htm

 

[ThreeWheels]

Thanks for the heads up clueless. Your screenname is a misnomer.

The throat mic fits the bill. I can run the throat mic wire inside the loop section of the lower cord from my headset, and it makes for a nice installation.

Since it's a separate mic, I can uninstall it fairly easy, in less than two minutes.

 

[clueless]

glad it worked! if your going to Cuba see ya there. if not look us up in Maggie Valley...

 

[billythekidd]

I can talk and hear through my J&M setup as well. People say it sounds like I am in a tunnel though, but they can hear me and I can hear them. I am bluetoothed through the zumo 660 and the harness that plugs into the system in the rear near the right saddlebag.


Willy

 

[ThreeWheels]

I can talk and hear through my J&M setup as well. People say it sounds like I am in a tunnel though, but they can hear me and I can hear them. I am bluetoothed through the zumo 660 and the harness that plugs into the system in the rear near the right saddlebag.


Willy

So you have the Zumo blutoothed directly to the OEM intercom system ?

You speak through the helmet microphone, the same on that is used for the CB and the phone transmits your voice to other people ??

WOW, that's what I've been trying to do all along.
How do you have that hooked up ?

 

[billythekidd]

I purchased the little connector that plugs into the harness (in the rear by the right saddlebag) from BRP. I have a zumo 660 that I bought at Getfeetwet with the cradle and harness that came with the zumo 660. I ran the wires from the cradle to the harness from BRP and plugged it in. I also use the power from the little BRP harness as well. I have a HTC Hero cell, that I connect to the zumo via blue tooth and I can make calls (talk to people) though they say it sounds like I am in a tunnel and receive calls (hear people). Hope that helps. I have the Nolan 103 Helmets and J&M Headsets (bought from J&M with headsets installed by J&M) from last year. I believe it was the top of the line J&M for audio (music) and the Aero III mike... I would have to check which J&M mike but I think that is correct.

Willy

 

[stevedfive]

That is amazing. So you used the Garmin MC harness that has the mic-in jack attached? We know the BRP Garmin harness does not have the mi-in jack attached. I guess I am not sure how you connected the BRP mic to the Garmin harness?

 

[billythekidd]

I guess now I am confused. I am now wondering where the mike is picking up my voice as well. I just plugged it in the way I said and can make calls. The people say I am hard to hear and it sounds like I am in a tunnel, but I thought it was just because the mike was in my helmet. I am wondering if the phone in the trunk is picking up my voice or the where it is picking up my voice from, but I can defiantly make calls. Does anyone know if there is a mike on the zumo itself? Maybe it was just picking up my voice externally on the zumo and sending it to the phone.


Willy

 

[billythekidd]

Ok, so I have the zumo in my hand and there is a small mike hole in the front. To test it I just called my house from my zumo, via the bluetooth and can talk from the zumo to the house without my helmet on. So the unit is picking up my voice and not the mike in the helmet.


Duh, sorry for the confusion. Old brain thought I was talking through my mike in the helmet.


Willy

 

[ThreeWheels]

Ok, so I have the zumo in my hand and there is a small mike hole in the front. To test it I just called my house from my zumo, via the bluetooth and can talk from the zumo to the house without my helmet on. So the unit is picking up my voice and not the mike in the helmet.


Duh, sorry for the confusion. Old brain thought I was talking through my mike in the helmet.


Willy

No problem. Glad it's straightened out.
I am forced to use a second mic, the throat mic that clueless suggested.
The Zumo 550 comes with two cradles. The one for the car has an included mic and speaker. The one for the MC has an audio out and a mic in to connect the sound system. The throat mic seems to work as an input to the Zumo cradle, but it's not the best.

 

[clueless]

I purchased the little connector that plugs into the harness (in the rear by the right saddlebag) from BRP. I have a zumo 660 that I bought at Getfeetwet with the cradle and harness that came with the zumo 660. I ran the wires from the cradle to the harness from BRP and plugged it in. I also use the power from the little BRP harness as well.

Willy

Where did you exactly find the purple plug you used for the BRP connector. i thought it was under the LEFT hand side near the battery. is it on the top of the RIGHT saddlebag the opposite the battery? is it under the passenger handle area? I have the plug but could not find the MALE plug to connect with on the Spyder

 

[ThreeWheels]

Where did you exactly find the purple plug you used for the BRP connector. i thought it was under the LEFT hand side near the battery. is it on the top of the RIGHT saddlebag the opposite the battery? is it under the passenger handle area? I have the plug but could not find the MALE plug to connect with on the Spyder

It's under the right side passenger grip. Here's a video from this site. Watch he whole video but pay attention at out about 5 minutes into the video and again about 7 minutes.

Incidentally, you don't need to strip ALL the panels like they did.



http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/video.php?do=viewdetails&videoid=148

 

[clueless]

It's under the right side passenger grip. Here's a video from this site. Watch he whole video but pay attention at out about 5 minutes into the video and again about 7 minutes.

Incidentally, you don't need to strip ALL the panels like they did.



http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/video.php?do=viewdetails&videoid=148

not a big deal taking off the panels now that i have done it once. more times I do it the faster it will be ...LOL

thanks! see ya on the ride today in Cuba ....

I had that side total stripped down before when I was checking the wiring for the passenger heated grips but will check again when I get back from Spyderfest.

 

[stevedfive]

Questions

Since I can hear phone conversations in my wired helmet helmet via bluetooth to the Garmin GPS, how would I talk back since there is no mic jack to connect to?

Since the Garmin allows you to bluetooth a phone and another device at the same time, what if you plug a Gamin microphone into a bluetooth transmitter/converter, then sync that device to the Garmin. Could you now talk on your phone thru the Garmin? Does that make sense? :dontknow:

 

[ThreeWheels]

Since I can hear phone conversations in my wired helmet helmet via bluetooth to the Garmin GPS, how would I talk back since there is no mic jack to connect to?

Since the Garmin allows you to bluetooth a phone and another device at the same time, what if you plug a Gamin microphone into a bluetooth transmitter/converter, then sync that device to the Garmin. Could you now talk on your phone thru the Garmin? Does that make sense? :dontknow:

Yes, it makes sense. It's a shame that BRP can't include the same technology that most of the other major intercom manufacturers have.

Incidentally, I found out why the throat mic was working so poorly for me. I was speaking at an elevated volume which caused distortion. If i speak at a normal volume the throat mic seems to be OK.

Are you sure you don't have a wired mic connection to your Garmin ? I understand it's not on the cradle, but it may be hanging loose somewhere inside the bodywork. If it is, you could fish it out and make up your own connection.
I just think it unlikely that BRP would go to the expense of ordering custom harnesses.

 

[stevedfive]

The Garmin mic jack is attached to the harness that came with the BRP unit. The techs were instructed to just tape it up. So unwrap the jack and feed up to the console or glove box or somewhere near the headset jack and connect it to a bulkhead connector.

I can tape or wrap the Garmin mic onto the BRP mic and run the wire down inside the headset cable. Then plug the mic in and BAM! At least thats the thought. I wish I was good with tools.