Sena 20s, Garmin 590, iPhone, MP3 player, Valentine1 Radar Detector

I've got the Sena 20s, Garmin 590, iPhone, MP3 player all hooked up and all seems to be working.

Now....how do I connect the Valentine 1 Radar Detector so that I can hear it? Does anyone have this same setup? I have searched the internet for 2 days :-/

I called V1 and they said that their BT module only allows you to see the Radar Detector blink - WTH?.

That's not going to help me because I can already see it, and furthermore, I don't want to be looking at it :-( .

I would prefer to look where I am going, not the RD. I want to hear it.

Anyone have any suggestions that they have actually had success with and that don't cost a fortune?

Thanks!

Try this paste of a PM I received from a fellow forum dweller as we both worked through some stuff for Iron Butt rallies. We've got four of them between us and five FJRs. It applies to your case...mostly. Key differences in your case being no MP3 player and you gotta buy an SM10 and assuming an audio box for the V1. I would note the Sena 20S is WAY better than an SMH-10 was for this kind of advanced connectivity. The PM is about 3 1/2 years old, but I found WELL WORTH wading through as I found what he said to be 100% correct and the terms he used are very specific (i.e. "phone selective paring", "media selective pairing"). By the end of a 3 day stretch I had my audio setup actually working the way I wanted it!

Also can confirm the BT module for the the V1. Very disappointing.....but it is what it is.

---------

I spent a bit of time playing with my audio setup tonight. I think we have the same priorities, but they might be slightly different depending upon how you want the phone to work. My favored setup at the moment is:

Valentine 1 <-> Remote Audio Adapter <-> SM10 Aux Port

iPhone 6+ < Bluetooth > Zumo 590 < Audio Out Jack > SM10 Music Port

iPhone 6+ < Bluetooth > Sena 20S

SM10 < Bluetooth > Sena 20S

I'm using media selective pairing to pair the 20S with the SM10 and phone selective pairing to pair the 20S with the iPhone. On the Zumo 590, I select Media and Apps but leave Phone deselected on the bluetooth settings.

This gives me Radar, except for during phone conversations. It does work during intercom conversations using the audio multitasking feature of the 20S. With the SMH10, you'd lose radar audio in during intercom conversations in addition to during phone calls.

iPhone audio comes through and GPS voice instructions interrupt the iPhone audio. The one thing that doesn't work here that I'd like is if the Zumo paused the iPhone audio during a voice instruction and then un-paused it when the voice instruction was done. The Zumo media controls work to play/pause select audio from the iPhone.

By pairing the phone to the 20S using phone selective pairing, I'm trading off the ability to dial and see incoming caller id on the Zumo for the ability to use Siri. For me, the iPhone is mounted on the bars and lights up when someone calls so I'm good with this. I've also read a lot of complaints about call audio quality using a Zumo in the middle of the phone and headset. I'm not sure how many of these applied to the 590 vs. other devices since I'm not that interested in the calling features of the device.

The one spot that this setup seems to be weird lies in the USB port on the 590. I haven't completely narrowed down what the cause is but the 590 has the ability to perform media functions on an iPhone or iPod using the USB port. If the iPhone gets connected this way, the SmartLink features won't work because they only work over bluetooth. Unplugging the iPhone for a second to allow it to connect over bluetooth and then plugging the charger back in seems to remove the issue but to completely solve it, I'll probably just not use the charging port on the 590.

I think this configuration gives you everything that you were looking for. If you pick up a 20S, you'll gain the ability to hear all of the audio routed through the SM10 during intercom conversations in addition to ambient noise mode. Other than that, the SMH10 works about the same.

If you find a better configuration, I'd be interested in hearing about it.

-Erik

Iris, not sure if you would be interested in this product, but it works fine for me.

https://www.legalspeeding.com/HARD-System.htm#.V6u-E4rD_MI

I am using a wired connection for the V1 to my helmet because I rely more heavily on the audio alerts than the visual alerts. This requires use of the Valentine audio adapter which is then plugged in the AUX port of my 20S. I only use the V1 on trips, so dealing with a coiled cord going to my 20S is manageable.

My setup is:

• 20S connected to iPhone via BT
• 20S connected to GPS via BT
• 20S connected to V1 via the Valentine remote audio adapter which is connected by a coiled cord to the 20S AUX port. I have to plug/unplug this cord whenever I mount/dismount the bike, unless I remove my helmet first.

When the V1 alerts, the 20S pauses my music, delivers the audio alert, and then resumes the music a few seconds after the alert ends. I don't think I've ever been on a phone call when the V1 has alerted, so I'm not sure how that would be handled by the 20S. I have a feeling the AUX port might take priority, but I should probably investigate that.

Isn't this topic NEPRT? JK - but seriously, when y'all figure this out, please let me know. It's the holy grail as far as I'm concerned. I've fought this same damn battle for so long I resigned to just sticking ear buds in my ears for the RD alert and fuh get about it.

Thanks for the replies.

I bought a small device from Best Buy that converts anything to BT. This works for Sony mp3 player I have. I'm going to buy another one and try it for the V1 audio accessory box (which I already have).

This device is not meant for smart phones (specifically says that on the package). It only cost about $25.

I was thinking this might work. It doesn't need to be in stereo, so mono is fine.

I will try it and see if it works. My RD is already hardwired and I have that little audio accessory box from Valentine, so I'm thinking that I would just plug this device into the little audio port.

I'll post up if this works. I might also try some of the other options above as they seem promising.

Just curious, why the MP3 player, couldn't you use your iPhone? That would eliminate one number from the equation, which might help. IDK :unknw:

Anyway, best of luck.

Good question. I was using my iPhone but then I didn't want to keep charging it. And I didn't want to have it plugged in the whole time.

I could also have listened to music through the GPS, but there were some issues with that, so I gave up on that idea.

The MP3 player was used on an all day ride and at the end of the day, the battery still had almost a full charge. Plus, then during a lunch break, I could use my phone to do other things with like upload pics to Facebook or whatever.

I put ALL my music on an SD card in the 590, (nothing on the GPS), that should work for you

I agree with LKLD. Not sure why you wouldn't use a powered USB connector to keep your phone charging while you ride and lose the MP3. Time to move into the 21st century.

Ditto! It's the best way to go!

I just tried plugging the Bluetooth Universal Audio Transmitter into the Audio Accessory port from Valentine, and it works great.

I can hear my V1 through my Sena.

I agree that putting music on my SD card for my GPS would be what I would really want. For some reason, it's not working. I tried to make sure my music was all MP3 formatted.

I will have to address this issue, but right now my MP3 player works great, so there is no urgent need for me to futz with it.

Which devices do you now have connected to the 20S via BT? Just the two adapters you picked up from Best Buy?

I have 4 things hooked up:

iPhone 4s

Garmin GPS 590

Valentine 1 Radar Detector's Audio Output

And a Sony MP3 player

Hence the title of the post. The last thing I hooked up was the Radar detector.

Yes, I know that you are attempting to connect four devices - I was asking which ones you currently have connected via Bluetooth. This is important because the 20S only supports two active BT connections at any given moment. If I understand your earlier post correctly, you intend to have your MP3 player connected to 20S using the BestBuy transmitter #1, and the V1 connected to 20S using transmitter #2. That will work fine, however, doing so means that you cannot make any additional wireless/BT connections to the 20S; your phone and Zumo will be in the dark.

In reality, how the 20S handles more than two BT connection requests varies with device and type of pairing that was used. Sometimes, the 20S will drop a current connection to open the channel for a new device to connect. Other times, the 20S will maintain both of the original BT connections and will refuse the new device.

The least expensive solution to what you are trying to accomplish would be to pair your phone to the Zumo, load your song catalog onto the Zumo, and then use one of the BestBuy BT transmitters with the V1. This way, you are down to two active BT connections with the 20S: the Zumo and the V1, which the 20S will support. Problem solved. There are other options too: use a cord from the V1 audio adapter to the 20S, or purchase the Sena SM10 which would give you some additional flexibility.

Oh. Gotcha. You know, I just realized that I didn't try all the connections at once (that was stupid).

I guess my concern was being able to hear the V1 at all.

You make an excellent point.

I'm going to have to try everything all at once and probably try to get rid of the MP3 player. It would be much more convenient to listen to music through the GPS.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the RD input response needs to be immediate. Running a separate BT profile for the RD input will result in a significant delay between when the detector first alerts and when you hear it in your headset

I think the solution Ignacio gave you is the best one, and what I have running (now) on my Vstrom. I have a SM10 BT transmitter hard wired to my GPS and RD. I have MP3s running on the GPS media player, and the turn by turn prompts as well as the RD are all real time with no delays

Instead of a Sena set up I use a Mix-It amp mounted in the glove box with my RD and Garmin 665LM GPS audio cables run to it. I plug a generic Bluetooth transmitter into the audio output of the Mix-It and pair to a Motorola Sound Pilot Bluetooth receiver that I slip into my inside jacket pocket and connect to my Big Ear earspeakers. I have switched power to the Mix-It, RD, GPS, and Gerbing heated liner controls and unswitched power to a Powerlet charging port run from a Fuzeblock mounted under the seat with a single feed from the battery. I get radar alerts, GPS prompts, and MP3 music (from the GPS) simultaneously with no delays.