Bluetooth adapter/interface / ..UPDATE... I finished this project!

[NCGhostrider]

I have been doing a lot of reading.  I see the same question about a true interface for Valk I/S and gl1500s.  I am looking for a way to do away with the cords for the headsets, keep cb usage and of course add cell via bluetooth.  I haven't seen a viable solution yet.  With as cheap as bluetooth technology is, you would think it would be available.  I noticed some members here have asked the same question.  Did anyone make any progress?

Playing the stereo thru bluetooth to bluetooth headsets is easy.  The cb transmit and Honda intercom options seem to be the problem.

Am I going to have to build my own interface?

Craig
NcGhostrider
99 I/S

[PAVALKER]

Have you seen this......   http://www.sena.com/product/sr10/

[IamGCW]

James III has the SR10 on his standard.  He connects it to his Scalla G9.  Maybe contact him on the Florida board for his opinion. 

Gil

[BnB Tom]

Have you seen this......   http://www.sena.com/product/sr10/

 +1

[NCGhostrider]

From what I have seen thus far, unless I am missing something, the Sena SR10 is close, but I don't see a support option for the Valkyrie I/S or GL1500.  I might be able to make it work.   It does offer support for multiple handheld radios, which would be great for ham radio or even FRS.

BTW, even the Harley guys are asking the same question.  Harley offered a Bluetooth adapter for their some of their bikes, which uses a similar interface as the I/S and GL1500, but they apparently dropped it.

A company called AKE out of Germany may have an option, but reviews are slim, at least in the US.  I am looking further into that route.  


Craig
NcGhostrider
99 I/S  

On a quest for Bluetooth happiness

[BnB Tom]

Check out their main web site.  They have several options available.

SR10 is just ONE of their products.

[NCGhostrider]

Posting my findings for future reference.  Maybe this will help someone in the future trying to do what I perceived as a simple project.  

Still digging on this project.  I have contacted both Sena and Sierra concerning the Valkyrie Interstate.  Sierra makes a cable that will use the Sena smh10 module, but it is for GL1800 and even GL1500 Goldwings (by special request for the GL1500).  

I have queried further from Sierra regarding the differences in harness for the GL1500 Goldwing and the Valk Interstate.  Apparently the cable they produce installs in-line with the communications harness, thus the problem, or at least perceived problem.  It is apparently different from the Valkyrie Interstate.

There is another company in Germany, AKE Electronics.  They make a device for the Goldwings and I think the Valkyrie Interstate is listed.  It plugs in like a regular headset to one of the Valkyrie communication ports.  I have contacted them to make sure it is compatible, I am sure it is, but have not heard back yet.  It appears this is currently the only off the shelf product available.  

I will post more as I continue searching.

Craig
NcGhostrider
99 I/S

[fordmano]

Well when you find a solution please please please let us know I would love to dump the hassle of having to plug in and out every time we stop and get off the bike.
I just need the cell to radio (would be my Pandora connection and any iPod function) and headset to headset comm.

My wife and I actually get a chance to talk in a pleasant manner when we are on the bike together and I have to keep that.

[KG]

sena smh10 in helmets  and sm10 transmitter mounted on handlebars with patch cable into interstate faring connector.

patch cable will connect the sm10 to the I/S radio and transmit it by Bluetooth to the helmets.

The snh10 will pair up helmet to helmet, to the sm10 transmitter and allow rider and passenger to Bluetooth to their phones.

We can talk helmet to helmet or push the big button and listen to the radio then hit the big button and talk helmet to helmet again.

my phone to my helmet and her phone to her helmet. when she talks on the phone I listen to the radio or vise-versa. Thank goodness I don't have to listen to her on the phone!!! but practice answering and switching back and forth before going riding. my wife looked like she was slapping herself silly while trying to figure out how to answer her phone going down the road.

CB radio - you can listen but not transmit. If I ride in a group I like that I can still hear any instructions or info.

That's about the best option I could find no one has a wireless setup yet to transmit on the CB.

there is an option for a wired PTT button to mount on the handlebar for 2way radio but I don't know if will work through the I/S harness. You may have to push the PTT button for the sm10 and also push  the button on the I/S control to transmit.

I have also thought about removing speakers from a old headset and using Velcro to fasten just the mike when I want to talk over the CB. I don't use the CB much but having a cable from me to the bike is still a pain.

[NCGhostrider]

What you have found and are using duplicates what I have found thus far.  Thanks for the confirmation!

A few more details as I think I understand them.

I think the AKE system will work since it plugs into the cord interface like a headset.   But, some of the reviews I see are not all positive.   It is hard to keep things paired at times.

I would like to be able to transmit on the CB occasionally, especially since I have spent a few dollars getting the Bluetooth stuff, and am relatively close to a solution.  I also have Sena SMH10 headsets.   I noticed that the SMH20 is also available with reported longer range.  Sena products usually get high reviews.  I have looked at and tried at least one other product.

For those who are interested.  The problem does not lie with the ability to stream live stereo music to the Bluetooth from your I/S.   That is easy.  Of course the Bluetooth headset will respond to your phone if it is paired, and even your GPS if it is Bluetooth capable.   In addition, you can use the Bluetooth headsets to communicate with your passenger, or even other riders that are near by (up to 4 total riders with the Sena Products).  Sena allows you to be in conference mode so all riders that are linked can hear each other at the same time.  This is something many Bluetooth headsets will not do.

Where you encounter problems, is the ability to transmit back to the I/S on board CB and intercom.  Most of us wouldn't care about the on board intercom because we have that ability in the Bluetooth headsets.   But occasionally it would be nice to use the CB, especially since it is there, and it lets all riders in range hear you (instead of a limited number of 4 or ??).

From what I have read, for any of the systems to work, you have to toggle between duplex (both transmit and receive) and stereo receive.    AKE has a button that you press to do that when you need to use the CB.  The adapters for some of the Harleys and 1800 Goldwings that use Sena also require you to "Jog" between the modes.  If you don't switch back, you hear your onboard music from the bike in mono, not stereo.

Now, if you add pairing a phone, or mp3 player or GPS,  all need connections.  So do you pair to the device mounted on the motorcycle or directly to the headset?  In most cases you pair to the bike mounted Bluetooth device.  Otherwise you do not have enough pairing options to do everything that is needed to operate a phone, use the CB, stream music and or GPS, and then use the headset communications.   For instance, the phone needs duplex for phone calls, but that pairing switches to stereo receive automatically when not in phone call mode (if you use your phone to stream music).  

GPS might need stereo if you feed music from it, that might present a problem.  Helmet to helmet needs duplex.    This starts to get confusing, because each device needs a channel, sometimes that channel needs to be duplex or stereo.

Anyone confused yet?   Its amazing that a simple wired cable we have used for years is so hard to replace.  But if you break that cable down, it was essentially 3 channels, one for left, one for right, and one for transmit.  The CB borrowed the transmit side when you press the PTT button.

Cost Analysis  (numbers are approximate):  At present, you can buy Sena SMH10D headsets for about 150.00 per piece or 280.00 per pair.  There are mounting options, be sure and do your homework to make sure the microphone position or mounting style will work with your helmet.

Pairing device for the bike.  Another SMH10 without headset.  90.00.  A harness for a GL1800 from Sierra Motorcycle is about 130.00  / No comparable solution found for a Valk Interstate yet.

The alternative pairing device from AKE is about 200.00  It is self contained, and installs using the regular headset jack from your Honda.  

Either way, we are in the 500.00 range for communications thus far.  Of course good corded headsets and necessary cords are around 300.00 from J&M.  Actually could be much more depending on the model.  You are corded, and you can't answer your phone with it.  

BTW, J&M does not offer a Bluetooth solution like is being described here.  Just in case someone asks!

This project/research is not over, but responses are slow from vendors.  

My writing to these long posts get interrupted often,  I apologize for grammar problems!

I will make more details available as soon as I can.

Craig

NcGhostrider
99 I/S  

[KG]

I used this cable to connect the sm10 transmitter to the I/S headset plug it is $22

http://www.amazon.com/Sena-SC-A0121-3-5mm-Stereo-5-Pin/dp/B0087NB6D2/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1437153571&sr=1-1&keywords=Sena+SC-A0121+3.5mm+Stereo+Jack+to+5-Pin+DIN+Cable+for+Honda+Gold+Wing

I can listen to any mode of radio, aux input and cb through it. 

we pair our headset to each other for intercom.  We pair our phones to our helmets so while one talks on the phone the other can listen to music or cb. If we connect to other riders we connect one phone to the sm10 on the handlebars but then sometimes both have to listen to the phone conversation.

I use a mp3 player through the aux input for music. My wife likes to talk a lot on the intercom so most of the time music comes through the speakers

[KG]

oh yeah on the I/S radio controls  if you set the squelch high enough to cancel out far away signals you can listen to music on the radio and the cb will override the music when a signal is strong enough.

[fordmano]

Thanks, appreciate the information.

Now I just gotta get momma to let go of some cash.
I figure she will go for it since she hates the dang wires more than I do and she has all kinds of troubles connecting.

[NCGhostrider]

Project completed / At least for me.  And it works!!!

I did not hear back from any vendors with a positive response concerning the Valkyrie Interstate, except for AKE.  Link is below:

http://shop.ake-electronic.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=79_84

I can not confirm that it will work with the Valkyrie, but I did receive an email that they did have a product that would.  Let me state, if it plugs into the regular headset connector, it will work.  

The problem with the Sierra connectors are that they install inline with the headset harness.  Apparently our harness is different than a Goldwing 1500 or 1800.  I could not confirm that.  They did not respond to email requests.


What I did.....

I built an adapter.  I am using Sena SMH10 headsets.  My wife and I can communicate person to person.  She can connect to her phone.  I can connect to mine.  
I used a SMH10 on the bike.  I built an adapter using an old headset plug that interfaces with the Valkyrie and used a Sena helmet clamp kit for the basis of on board bike system.  

Someone had already done this, and I can not take credit.  He is the designer of the Sierra interface that works with the Sena systems.  

His system uses a smh10 and a sm10.  You switch back and forth to get stereo in your headsets, and then go to the mono system for CB usage (transmit).  You can listen to the radio, it is just in mono in that mode.

I don't like headsets blaring in my hears for hours, so I just used the mono system  (SMH10 and did not add the SM10 for stereo) and I can talk on my CB, or even listen in my headphones, but I usually just leave it on the bike speakers.

How it works.  I leave my headset in standby or connected to my wife's headset if we are talking.   The phone will override if it rings or you make a call, it does this by default, automatically.

If I want to talk on the CB, I connect to the bike unit, PTT on the bike works as normal, and you can choose to hear the cb or radio or both using your on board bike controls.. (just like a wired headset).  But, it is in mono, not stereo.  Phone still overrides if it rings or you make a call.

Disconnect or un-sync to return to standby, or reconnect to your riding partner or whatever device.

Transmit audio was really decent on my test CB I had set up.  

Links for the interface design, and the thread that I found my information on are below.  

http://support.sena.com/entries/20845262-would-love-to-see-a-goldwing-factory-audio-cb-interface

It took me about an hour to solder the resistors and plugs together.  I am working on mounting options and will decide if I will need to charge the SMH10 while driving or not.  I figure that is the easy stuff.

No more cables for me...     Note:  It is easy and cheap to just hear the CB and on board radio... This interface lets you talk on the CB also.   That was my long term goal for this project.

I have several dollars invested.    3 SMH10s  One for me, one for the bike, one for my wife.  I used an extra SMH helmet clamp kit as the mounting option for the bike because I can plug and unplug my headset cable interface from it.   I spent a few buck in plugs, resistors, heat shrink etc...

Good luck with your quest if you seek to do as I have done.  It is a shame that no one has come up with an off the shelf unit that is simple and cost effective.  If you read the thread at SENA, it has been on going for years..

I didn't post pictures, since it is only a cable, and it looks like the ones in the link above!


Ride on...

Craig
NcGhostrider
99 I/S