Bluetooth question

[Geezer]

Looking at the Sena website the only 2 hub devices I see are the SM10 and SR10. The SR10 is specifically listed as a two way radio device, but it also has all of the features of the SM10 and it's about $50 more. I don't see an SH10.

I also don't see SMH10-11. The SMH10 does come with helmet speakers, which is what I want. And it allows you to plug a stereo MP3 directly into it, as well as pairing with a stereo bluetooth device and pairing directly with a cell phone. So it has a lot of stuff that I probably don't need but may want to use at some point.

Has anyone wired a hub (either SM10 or SR10) to use power from the bike? One review I read said that it was an available option. It seems like a good idea rather than having to recharge the unit every night. I know the headset will have to be recharged, but the fewer things that have to be charged up every night the better.

 

[Geezer]

Greg - I took Sooze and I wireless earlier this year.
Like tcfjr, Sooze and I have SMH-10 headsets. We do the intercom thing through these.

I also added a SM10 BT dongle.

Dongle dongle dongle... I like saying, "dongle."

Anyway, the SM10 transmits XM (in stereo - it's A2DP) outta the Zumo along with turn-by-turn directions. I have my phone paired - as a phone - to my headset and the SM10 as a 'media' interface to our headsets.

The biggest PITA is getting all the volumes balanced. The SM10 has a volume boost feature which works well to listen to XM, but I haven't gotten my phone volume worked out yet. That's a low priority for me 'cause I don't necessarily want to talk on the phone while I'm riding anyway.

One thing aboot the SM10 - they say battery life is 8 hours. They MEAN 8 hours, too. Get to 8 hours and 1 second and that sucker has a dead battery. I got a power cord from RocketMoto and have it powered outta my Fuzeblock and it lives under the seat. For now. I may move it up to the glove box thingamabob if I get motivated.

Thank you. That answers my question about power from the bike. I like that idea. For my Ampli Rider I had to use isolators between the GPS and the mixer and between the radar detector and the mixer to filter out a lot of noise in the audio. Since you didn't mention that I assume there is no need for isolators when powering the SM10 from the bike.

I am not concerned about stereo right now because I don't listen to music, only the GPS, radar detector, and occasionally the two way radio. But I must have a reliable link to the radar detector. I think it would be nice to have the cell phone capability as an emergency feature, but I would not want to use the phone for casual conversations while riding. And I don't need the intercom capability at this time, though it may come in handy if I start riding with a pillion again.

 

[Fred W]

I fixed my prior post. I had the model numbers wrong. The SR10 is the one that is not stereo.

The SMH10-11 is the same as the SMH10 but with a universal headset clamp. This is probably the one you want. Keep looking for it.



Yes, I have the SM10 wired to bike power, but turn it off an on at the end/beginning of the day.

 

[Geezer]

Thanks Fred. I watched the youtube from the link you provided and I understand the SMH10-11 is the way to go. I will ask for it when I'm ready to order.

Too bad they don't offer a hub that combines the stereo capability of the SM10 with the two way radio capability of the SR10.

 

[Eric L]

just wired up the SR10 to the bike today. It's fed from the Zumo and the valentine one and is paired to the headset (as is the iphone). Went totally without incident.

It all seems to work, but there is a bit of bluetooth switching delay that might end up bothering me for the V1.

Powering from the bike seems an easy option. It comes with a 12V power cord. But since I charge the headset, I figure, why not charge the SR10.

 

[Geezer]

just wired up the SR10 to the bike today. It's fed from the Zumo and the valentine one and is paired to the headset (as is the iphone). Went totally without incident.
It all seems to work, but there is a bit of bluetooth switching delay that might end up bothering me for the V1.

Powering from the bike seems an easy option. It comes with a 12V power cord. But since I charge the headset, I figure, why not charge the SR10.

Cool. It is good to hear that people are happy with the Sena equipment. When you say 'switching delay', is that because of priority in pairing or does everything have a similar delay?

Do you have a two way radio to use with the SR10?

 

[Fred W]

Ah yes, good point. That is something else I forgot to mention. That switching delay is a regular thing with bluetooth. For most audio sources it is not of much significance, but for the RD input, as you can imagine, every split second counts.

The delay occurs when you need to bring one of the paired profiles online from standby or switch from one paired profile to another. So if you normally are in standby (quiet) or else listening to music from an "A2DP" linked source and something comes on the "Headset" paired link it takes up to a second for that audio to come up in your ears. OTOH using the SM10 hub since the SM10 is doing the switching and the RD audio also comes across in the A2DP paired link then there is no switching delay. There still is a delay if you opt for riding in quiet while the paired link comes online.

 

[BikerGeek99]

Thank you. That answers my question about power from the bike. I like that idea. For my Ampli Rider I had to use isolators between the GPS and the mixer and between the radar detector and the mixer to filter out a lot of noise in the audio. Since you didn't mention that I assume there is no need for isolators when powering the SM10 from the bike.

RocketMoto said that once you power the dongle (dongle dongle dongle dongle... I like saying "dongle") from the bike, then you would need a filter, so I bought one.

Dunno why, but for me, it is not needed - I get zero engine noise. Weird.

If ya go this route and find you need a filter, lemme know. I have one NIB sitting in the garage.

 

[Geezer]

Ah yes, good point. That is something else I forgot to mention. That switching delay is a regular thing with bluetooth. For most audio sources it is not of much significance, but for the RD input, as you can imagine, every split second counts.
The delay occurs when you need to bring one of the paired profiles online from standby or switch from one paired profile to another. So if you normally are in standby (quiet) or else listening to music from an "A2DP" linked source and something comes on the "Headset" paired link it takes up to a second for that audio to come up in your ears. OTOH using the SM10 hub since the SM10 is doing the switching and the RD audio also comes across in the A2DP paired link then there is no switching delay. There still is a delay if you opt for riding in quiet while the paired link comes online.

Ok, if I understand this correctly, if I have only one pair of bluetooth devices, like a hub and a headset, and I don't use standby/quiet mode, then there is no delay. The delay comes in if I pair a second device with the headset. I guess that could be a problem if I decide to use the intercom as well as the hub. For now I don't think that will be a problem for me.

 

[Geezer]

Thanks Geek. I have a pair of filters which I use with the ampli-rider and I should be able to continue using the same ones with the Sena hub if I need them. They are inline in the audio cable from the device to the mixer (or hub). If I run into a problem I'll remember your generous offer.

 

[SkooterG]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Fred W" data-cid="1114745" data-time="1387888538"><p>

Ah yes, good point. That is something else I forgot to mention. That switching delay is a regular thing with bluetooth. For most audio sources it is not of much significance, but for the RD input, as you can imagine, every split second counts.<br />

Good info. Sounds like even more reason for me to wait for the new model with dual Bluetooth channels that should solve that problem.

<br />

The delay occurs when you need to bring one of the paired profiles online from standby or switch from one paired profile to another. So if you normally are in standby (quiet) or else listening to music from an "A2DP" linked source and something comes on the "Headset" paired link it takes up to a second for that audio to come up in your ears. OTOH using the SM10 hub since the SM10 is doing the switching and the RD audio also comes across in the A2DP paired link then there is no switching delay. There still is a delay if you opt for riding in quiet while the paired link comes online. </p></blockquote>

 

[ElectricFJR]

I am no expert in this, but I thought that is what the Sena SR10 or SM10 is for?
BTW, I was finally, after a couple years of deliberation about to pull the trigger on the SMH10 system when I find out they are coming out with a new model - the 20S, sometime early 2014. So now I am waiting again...........

https://senabluetooth.com/product/intercoms/20s/

This may be just what I've been looking for. I have a Motorola S705 SoundPilot bluetooth receiver that I plug my Big Ear earspeakers into and drop in my inside jacket pocket. I pair it with my Garmin 665LM to get navigation prompts and XM music, which works great, but I need to also get radar alerts from my Passport 8500 (if only the 665LM had an auxilliary audio input jack for this). The Motorola receiver will only accept one bluetooth signal, but it sounds like the new Sena 20S will accept two bluetooth signals simultaneously so I could plug my Pama Bluestream dongle into the radar detector audio out port and pair it with the 20S along with the 665LM and get all required signals via bluetooth.

Does anyone else currently make a bluetooth receiver that will pair with 2 devices simultaneously to also accomplish this? I really don't need a microphone since I'm not interested in intercom or phone.

 

[Fred W]

Ah yes, good point. That is something else I forgot to mention. That switching delay is a regular thing with bluetooth. For most audio sources it is not of much significance, but for the RD input, as you can imagine, every split second counts.
The delay occurs when you need to bring one of the paired profiles online from standby or switch from one paired profile to another. So if you normally are in standby (quiet) or else listening to music from an "A2DP" linked source and something comes on the "Headset" paired link it takes up to a second for that audio to come up in your ears. OTOH using the SM10 hub since the SM10 is doing the switching and the RD audio also comes across in the A2DP paired link then there is no switching delay. There still is a delay if you opt for riding in quiet while the paired link comes online.

Ok, if I understand this correctly, if I have only one pair of bluetooth devices, like a hub and a headset, and I don't use standby/quiet mode, then there is no delay. The delay comes in if I pair a second device with the headset. I guess that could be a problem if I decide to use the intercom as well as the hub. For now I don't think that will be a problem for me.

Actually, anytime the BT headset is not actively playing sound in the ear speakers it puts itself into standby to conserve battery power. So if you were just riding along not listening to music this will happen. Then when anything "comes on" there is a short (1 sec) delay before the amplifier passes that sound.

 

[Geezer]

Ah yes, good point. That is something else I forgot to mention. That switching delay is a regular thing with bluetooth. For most audio sources it is not of much significance, but for the RD input, as you can imagine, every split second counts.
The delay occurs when you need to bring one of the paired profiles online from standby or switch from one paired profile to another. So if you normally are in standby (quiet) or else listening to music from an "A2DP" linked source and something comes on the "Headset" paired link it takes up to a second for that audio to come up in your ears. OTOH using the SM10 hub since the SM10 is doing the switching and the RD audio also comes across in the A2DP paired link then there is no switching delay. There still is a delay if you opt for riding in quiet while the paired link comes online.

Ok, if I understand this correctly, if I have only one pair of bluetooth devices, like a hub and a headset, and I don't use standby/quiet mode, then there is no delay. The delay comes in if I pair a second device with the headset. I guess that could be a problem if I decide to use the intercom as well as the hub. For now I don't think that will be a problem for me.

Actually, anytime the BT headset is not actively playing sound in the ear speakers it puts itself into standby to conserve battery power. So if you were just riding along not listening to music this will happen. Then when anything "comes on" there is a short (1 sec) delay before the amplifier passes that sound.

Thanks Fred. I think that is a shortcoming with the headset or maybe the Bluetooth architecture if a user can't set it to remain active.

 

[Geezer]

Thanks to everyone for you comments and insights. I decided to buy the Sena SMH10-11 headsets and SR10 hub.

The SMH10-11 is the same as the SM10 except it comes with a couple of different microphones so it is easy to get the right one to fit a modular helmet. The SMH10 with a fixed microphone boom requires the main part of the device be attached in a specific location on the helmet to put the microphone in the right place. That particular mounting location can interfere with the hings or latch of the modular helmet. I bought the package that comes with two of everything so I can use one for a pillion or lend it to a riding buddy.

The SR10 is a monaural hub that supports a two-way radio as well as having two wired ports which I will use for GPS and radar detector. It will also connect to a cell phone via Bluetooth. I plan to replace my AmpliRider with the SR10 hub. The only problem is that it doesn't require nearly as many wires, and I won't recognize my bike in the parking lot without all of the wires hanging off of it.

I'll post again after I get it all hooked up and try it out.

 

[Fred W]

Congrats. Good choices. I think you'll be relatively happy with that setup.

There will still be that annoying delay before you hear the RD go off, but you could always rig up some sort of a visual alert to assist with that foible. Or you could just ride slower. (Yeah right!)

 

[RichDoyle]

BTW, I found that on some helmets (okay, on one of mine), if you overtighten the SMH10 mounting bracket to the helmet the contour of the helmet will distort the shape of the bracket and cause various weirdness. It doesn't have to be cylinder-head tight. Just tight enough to stay in place.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Since he's gonna wire and it Fred, there shouldn't be any delay.

 

[Fred W]

Since he's gonna wire and it Fred, there shouldn't be any delay.

No, not really. The RD will be wired to the SR10, but the SR10 is a Bluetooth transmitter that will be paired to his SMH10 headset (headset profile). If he is not already listening to something coming through the SR10 (either listening to some other (A2DP) source, or just enjoying the quiet, when a new signal comes in from the RD it will take about a second for the BT link to re-establish itself from standby.

 

[Geezer]

Since he's gonna wire and it Fred, there shouldn't be any delay.

No, not really. The RD will be wired to the SR10, but the SR10 is a Bluetooth transmitter that will be paired to his SMH10 headset (headset profile). If he is not already listening to something coming through the SR10 (either listening to some other (A2DP) source, or just enjoying the quiet, when a new signal comes in from the RD it will take about a second for the BT link to re-establish itself from standby.

If I understand the instructions correctly, I can force the SR10 to keep the channel open by tapping the PTT button twice. I may have to do this every time I power it up because there don't seem to be persistent settings.