Aasland
Depleted
As my riding season is drawing to a close, I figured I'd share my experiences using the Sena, Android and Garmin on the FJR.
The components:
1. Samsung Epic in a Ram-Mount Aquabox. Charged with a USB cable in a Belkin cig lighter adapter.
2. Garmin 550
3. Sena SMH10 headset
Pairing:
The first problems I had were pairing the Sena to both the Garmin and the Epic. Theoretically I was supposed to be able to pair the Epic to the Garmin so I can use the Garmin to view/manage callers, then pair the headset profile of the Sena to the Garmin and then the Audio profile to the Epic. I got this to work once, but the audio would pause every couple seconds so that was unworkable. When I unpaired the Garmin the audio worked great. Based on this, I decided to not pair the Garmin at all, and do all the audio and headset connections through the Epic. I decided it was not worth the hassle and unreliability to get the GPS voice prompts. Just as well, the Garmin display crapped out on me thousands of miles from home.
So, the Sena is paired with the phone only. When I turn on the Sena, it beeps twice to indicate that each (headset and audio) profile has paired. On the phone I installed an app called Car Home Ultra which I configured to launch when the Sena pairs, and exit when it unpairs. This app gives me big buttons to launch commonly used apps like DogCatcher, direct dial the wife or voicemail, etc. It also allows me to return to a screen where I can launch things, because there was no way for me to press the "back" button (more on this later). By turning the Sena off and on again, Car Home Ultra is relaunched. Also, this app has a "do not dim or lock display" function which is crucial on the bike, as once the display locks I cannot unlock it without taking the phone out of the Aquabox and I don't dare do that unless I am stopped.
The Epic mounted in the Aquabox remained secure and dust-free. It did get hot - once in a while it would refuse to charge due to the heat. Note I did not activate the GPS on the phone. The heat was a function of the phone's heat trapped in a small sunlight enclosure plus ambient temperatures. When the ambient temps were over 95F or so this problem arose. Otherwise it worked fine.
Controlling the phone became an issue. Before leaving home (humid Minnesota) my Tourmaster deerskin gloves worked pretty good through the Aquabox membrane. The Epic has the capacitative amoled LCD screen and then four capacitative buttons on the bottom of the phone (home, menu, back, search). It also has some physical buttons on the sides which were going to be unaccessible in the Aquabox. I could never get the four bottom buttons to work through the aquabox membrane. Never. That means I can't get to the home screen to back out of in-app menus. That's why it was important that I could return to the Car Home Ultra launcher by cycling the Sena.
In an attempt to make those buttons work with gloves, and gain more consistent button usage, I tries the Digits Glove Pins. It did give me better control and consistency through the membrane, but I still could make use of the four bottom buttons. The pack comes with four digits. The first one fell off, so I threadlocked the next one. In a week the silicone part peeled off, same thing happened to the third one. I gave the fourth one to my brother. Next I tried the Glove Tips. These worked better, for a while, except for those four important buttons. Eventually the adhesive to the glove gave up and I would glue it back on. Then, as I traveled in drier climates, the Glove Tips stopped working too. I'm guessing there wasn't enough moisture to conduct lectricity from my hand to the Glove Tip. At times it worked better to simply use my middle finger which had no special tip on it.
Also of note is that the phone screen (at full brightness) is hard to see in bright daylight. It's ok for listening to music or taking calls, but I wouldn't want to use it as a GPS. And this is on a phone which is known for a bright vibrant display, one of the best in the industry.
In the end, I have to conclude that Garmin got it right with the 550 (and presumeably newer 6xx models too). The touchscreen is bright and easy to see in all lighting conditions, and it responds beautifully to inputs. Physical buttons for quick actions are appreciated. AD2P and 3G (or even wifi) would be nice, with the ability to run Android apps like DogCatcher would be the cat's meow. Using a phone on the bike still has a looooong way to go.
Now, the Sena's.
These worked nearly perfect. Once in a while we would have a glitch where I could not connect or disconnect to another rider, but they could connect and disconnect with me. My dad used earplugs and speakers and it worked great for him (no phone or music pairings). My brother hates earplugs and used just his speakers, with mp3 from his fuze hardcoded in. He had pariing issues with his phone, but it was an odler phone. I used Etymotic's with the earbud Sena helmet plate and that worked great until my Sebotek tips stayed in my ears one day. After extracting them with a Leatherman, I glued the stock tips to the Ety's and will be looking at upgrading to Ultimate Ears custom units over the winter.
So, there you have it.
The components:
1. Samsung Epic in a Ram-Mount Aquabox. Charged with a USB cable in a Belkin cig lighter adapter.
2. Garmin 550
3. Sena SMH10 headset
Pairing:
The first problems I had were pairing the Sena to both the Garmin and the Epic. Theoretically I was supposed to be able to pair the Epic to the Garmin so I can use the Garmin to view/manage callers, then pair the headset profile of the Sena to the Garmin and then the Audio profile to the Epic. I got this to work once, but the audio would pause every couple seconds so that was unworkable. When I unpaired the Garmin the audio worked great. Based on this, I decided to not pair the Garmin at all, and do all the audio and headset connections through the Epic. I decided it was not worth the hassle and unreliability to get the GPS voice prompts. Just as well, the Garmin display crapped out on me thousands of miles from home.
So, the Sena is paired with the phone only. When I turn on the Sena, it beeps twice to indicate that each (headset and audio) profile has paired. On the phone I installed an app called Car Home Ultra which I configured to launch when the Sena pairs, and exit when it unpairs. This app gives me big buttons to launch commonly used apps like DogCatcher, direct dial the wife or voicemail, etc. It also allows me to return to a screen where I can launch things, because there was no way for me to press the "back" button (more on this later). By turning the Sena off and on again, Car Home Ultra is relaunched. Also, this app has a "do not dim or lock display" function which is crucial on the bike, as once the display locks I cannot unlock it without taking the phone out of the Aquabox and I don't dare do that unless I am stopped.
The Epic mounted in the Aquabox remained secure and dust-free. It did get hot - once in a while it would refuse to charge due to the heat. Note I did not activate the GPS on the phone. The heat was a function of the phone's heat trapped in a small sunlight enclosure plus ambient temperatures. When the ambient temps were over 95F or so this problem arose. Otherwise it worked fine.
Controlling the phone became an issue. Before leaving home (humid Minnesota) my Tourmaster deerskin gloves worked pretty good through the Aquabox membrane. The Epic has the capacitative amoled LCD screen and then four capacitative buttons on the bottom of the phone (home, menu, back, search). It also has some physical buttons on the sides which were going to be unaccessible in the Aquabox. I could never get the four bottom buttons to work through the aquabox membrane. Never. That means I can't get to the home screen to back out of in-app menus. That's why it was important that I could return to the Car Home Ultra launcher by cycling the Sena.
In an attempt to make those buttons work with gloves, and gain more consistent button usage, I tries the Digits Glove Pins. It did give me better control and consistency through the membrane, but I still could make use of the four bottom buttons. The pack comes with four digits. The first one fell off, so I threadlocked the next one. In a week the silicone part peeled off, same thing happened to the third one. I gave the fourth one to my brother. Next I tried the Glove Tips. These worked better, for a while, except for those four important buttons. Eventually the adhesive to the glove gave up and I would glue it back on. Then, as I traveled in drier climates, the Glove Tips stopped working too. I'm guessing there wasn't enough moisture to conduct lectricity from my hand to the Glove Tip. At times it worked better to simply use my middle finger which had no special tip on it.
Also of note is that the phone screen (at full brightness) is hard to see in bright daylight. It's ok for listening to music or taking calls, but I wouldn't want to use it as a GPS. And this is on a phone which is known for a bright vibrant display, one of the best in the industry.
In the end, I have to conclude that Garmin got it right with the 550 (and presumeably newer 6xx models too). The touchscreen is bright and easy to see in all lighting conditions, and it responds beautifully to inputs. Physical buttons for quick actions are appreciated. AD2P and 3G (or even wifi) would be nice, with the ability to run Android apps like DogCatcher would be the cat's meow. Using a phone on the bike still has a looooong way to go.
Now, the Sena's.
These worked nearly perfect. Once in a while we would have a glitch where I could not connect or disconnect to another rider, but they could connect and disconnect with me. My dad used earplugs and speakers and it worked great for him (no phone or music pairings). My brother hates earplugs and used just his speakers, with mp3 from his fuze hardcoded in. He had pariing issues with his phone, but it was an odler phone. I used Etymotic's with the earbud Sena helmet plate and that worked great until my Sebotek tips stayed in my ears one day. After extracting them with a Leatherman, I glued the stock tips to the Ety's and will be looking at upgrading to Ultimate Ears custom units over the winter.
So, there you have it.
