Nav 5 - forced to go wireless and lacking volume?

rjsmith26

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Currently use a 660 with an autocom (all wired no bluetooth).

As part of this setup struggled with volume. Everyone bangs on about speak position and fiddle with this and fiddle with that (I have also tried a starcom digital and even quieter so that went back).

I ride with a tourX and earplugs - don't want earplugs with speakers built it - most folks seem to have reliability issues with these at somepoint due to delicate cables to ear plugs.

So whats the solution - I have an amplirider from canada (brilliant bit of kit - with volume knob next to 660) with it inserted between my auto com and 660 line input.

At last I have volume (rant:why the friggin hell do all intercom builders not argue with the PC rules about volume and not deafening people - when general research recommends that you should wear ear plugs when riding a motorcycle due to the noise in your helmet - i.e. most people wearing helmets are likely to use ear plugs and hence need decent volume for the intercom system).

So am happy with my current setup (have been for past few years). Problem -

Considering upgrading to a GSA TE with a Nav 5 - welcome to wireless.

1) I guess the question is - anyone with a intercom that supports blue tooth that wear normal ear plugs that is frggin loud enough?

2) From what I see Nav 5 / Nav prep on the TE is no line out cables so you MUST go bluetooth whether you go Nav5 or 590?

3) Anyone using bluetooth comms back to autocom with an amplirider inline between nav unit and intercom unit and if so what bluetooth receiver are you using?

Cheers
 
When i upgraded to NAV 5 i had to get the BT02 dongle/module from auto com so the Nav unit could be used.
I too wear ear plugs and although the volume isn't quite as loud as i would want it is acceptable !

I have heard of people using a dremmell to access the audio out socket on NAV 5 so they could hard wire it but sounded too risky for my liking
 
I'm using an autocom with the Nav V on my LC. I need a very loud system as I am quite deaf (over 50% loss in midrange frequencies) and I wear hearing aids normally. I also wear good ear plugs on the bike to protect the hearing I have got left.

I went to Sam at Chainspeed to get specialist advice and he also fitted the system - highly recommended for both knowledge and after sales service!

It's the Logic system as this has 8 ohm speakers, are louder apparently. It's powered off the bike and has wired connection to the rider. The Nav V is connected to the Logic via the Bluetooth module (BTM 02A) and I have then connected my phone to the Nav V. I also run a bike to bike radio set up for Observer runs and keeping in touch with others on group ride outs (Kenwood hard wired into Logic with PTT)

I find I have no problem hearing the turn directions when using as SatNav. I can also hear the phone fine and music (stored on SD card on Nav). Occasionally I mis-hear things on bike to bike at high speeds, but I do that in normal life so no problem really! I have the volume on the Nav cranked up to full. And on the Logic it's at about 90%

I have some ultimate sound ears, which are even clearer than the speakers, but they are a bit of a faff to get just right so don't use them that much.

All in all it's a great system and if I can hear it then most folk with normal hearing should have no worries at all!:thumb

Hope that helps
 
Thanks Yellow P - a few questions.

If you buy a GSA TE with BMW cradle - is it easy to remove / swap for a 590 cradle? is it a different cradle? assume it is to have fly leads for the cables?

And if you go 590 - is there any friggs available yet to get this to work with the thumb wheel on the bike?
 
I had the same issue - changed from a Zumo 660 to a Nav 5 - everything was wired on the Zumo to an older style Autocom. but when I changed the bike I got a free upgrade to a BMW Nav5 but as already said the Nav 5 needs a Bluetooth connection to play music and to hear voice commands. So I bought new from Chainspeed a new Autocom SPA system with bluetooth dongle and connected it all up as per Sam's recommendations.

What a pile of crap! The Bluetooth is forever dropping out and the voice prompts and music cannot be heard (I too ride with earplugs in). The only way I have been able to overcome the problem is to go back to my old 660 mount with the Nav 5 in it and wire it up again - this gives me voice prompts at good volume - but you cannot get music without the Bluetooth dongle connected. When I connect the dongle to the Nav 5 it quietens the music down and the voice prompts (that are still wired) so I gave up and now just dont bother with music on the bike.

Autocom and the new Nav 5 are not the best piece of engineering mastercraft!
 
Riktus said:
I had the same issue - changed from a Zumo 660 to a Nav 5 - everything was wired on the Zumo to an older style Autocom. but when I changed the bike I got a free upgrade to a BMW Nav5 but as already said the Nav 5 needs a Bluetooth connection to play music and to hear voice commands. So I bought new from Chainspeed a new Autocom SPA system with bluetooth dongle and connected it all up as per Sam's recommendations.

What a pile of crap! The Bluetooth is forever dropping out and the voice prompts and music cannot be heard (I too ride with earplugs in). The only way I have been able to overcome the problem is to go back to my old 660 mount with the Nav 5 in it and wire it up again - this gives me voice prompts at good volume - but you cannot get music without the Bluetooth dongle connected. When I connect the dongle to the Nav 5 it quietens the music down and the voice prompts (that are still wired) so I gave up and now just dont bother with music on the bike.

Autocom and the new Nav 5 are not the best piece of engineering mastercraft!
Click to expand...

That's a shame! Did you speak to Sam as he is usually really helpful?

I initially had a problem with Bluetooth dropping out and it turned out to be nothing more than a faulty cable connector which Sam replaced. The speaker position in the helmet can be really sensitive too!

Since I can hear voice prompts and music with no problems, and I'm a deaf old git, it would suggest you've had some sort of fault with your system to cause the issues you've mentioned.
 
Yellow Peril said:
590 can be used wired
Click to expand...

Can you elaborate please.

I'd like to use my 590 in my work vehicle (My old 660 could be connected so that the voice and music would come through the speakers).

Cheers.

FYI.......... The cradle for the 590 is different to the 660 one, so they will need swapping.
 
Yellow Peril said:
590 can be used wired
Click to expand...

Can you elaborate please.

I'd like to use my 590 in my work vehicle (My old 660 could be connected so that the voice and music would come through the speakers).

Cheers.

FYI.......... The cradle for the 590 is different to the 660 one, so they will need swapping.
 
The 590 cradle basically comes with all the same connections as the 660 cradle therefore I just plugged everything back in and bingo voice prompts and music. Could be a bit more interesting when it comes to the k but hay that's part of the fun, as that will need the nav 5 cradle removing and 590 installed and then splice into the built in stereo, got the bits almost time to get the soldering iron out :rolleyes:

The 590 was obviously developed with the same objectives as the 660 as a multi use satnav for use on your bike as well as in your car, BMW version is solely developed to sell BMW bluetooth helmets, don,t even know if it has a car mount kit :nenau if so how does it get the sound out?
 
How can you play Bingo when you are riding your bike ? :D
 
I have fitted Autocom and radios to a lot of BMWs now and to at least 4 GSA LCs with the Nav 5. So far, too much volume has been an issue but never too little. The systems I have installed have used the new Autocom SPA/BTM02 combination which works really well once it is installed and settled - it does take some time and care to get it working because of the link between phone/Nav 5 & BTM - sometimes the phone wont pair until the BTM is paired - sometimes you need to pair the phone first. Once paired there is very little control over volume but accessing the volume menu shows a spanner at the top left - accessing this gives the Audio mixer which will allow you to change the volume and balance of the media and sat nav outputs - this can make a difference and allow you to turn up the volume on the Autocom box. I hav eto confess that I use earbuds which make volume control a little less critical but, in my experience, there is more volume available than is required by most.
 
rjsmith26 said:
Thanks Yellow P - a few questions.

If you buy a GSA TE with BMW cradle - is it easy to remove / swap for a 590 cradle? is it a different cradle? assume it is to have fly leads for the cables?

And if you go 590 - is there any friggs available yet to get this to work with the thumb wheel on the bike?
Click to expand...

In short no (or not recommended) the cradle is wired at the factory. The thumbwheel will not work with any other device other than the BMW Nav-V

In theory you could rewire or work out how the thumbwheel works electrically but then you'd need to develop some interface from that to the other sat nav, assuming you could work out what input the other sat nav needs

You also risk damaging the electrics if the wiring isn't supported because of the canbus nonsense that the bike uses

Bearing in mind that for another cradle you'd have to adapt the wiring and that might affect your resale value
 
Hi Reckless - which Aux on the SPA do you plug the BTM02 into please ? I've just swapped over my SPA from a faulty to a new (to me) one. I've got BTM02 into the Aux3 - Riders Phone socket and I'm getting music from Nav V but dont seem to be hearing or sending audio to iPhone (which is happily connected to Nav V). All kinda worked before....have I plugged into the wrong Aux ? I havent moved the BTM02 - same cable etc that worked with the old SPA....

[EDIT] - Just found old email from Sam at Chainspeed and he advised 'Riders phone socket' which is Aux 3 from instructions.
Can't work out why the phone audio is coming through then - I did unpair and repair the phone to the NAV V just in case - still same :(
 
I know you've said you don't want in-ear monitors because of faulty cables etc, but I wouldn't rule them out. I have poor hearing following 18 years shooting stuff and blowing things up in the Army but with my set-up I occasionally struggle to get the volume quiet enough. Depending on the music, the quietest setting is sometimes too loud!

My set-up:

Nav 5 (lowest possible volume on slider) -> Interphone F5MC (first click of volume above silent) -> In-ear monitor headset loom (here) -> Hearwave IEMs (here).

I think that many people's problems with dodgy cables on IEMs is caused by them forcing a helmet on and off their head, stretching the cable away from the in-ear part. I use a flip-front helmet and because you can open it up a bit more as you put it on the cables don't get pulled at all.

It's not a direct answer to your question, but hopefully gives food for thought if you really want clear audio.

Max
 
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