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Schuberth SRC comm system.. using it..

My best riding buddy and I both bought the SRC units so we could chat with one another when we're riding..

Firstly, the sound quality from the tiny speakers is horrible when you're used to having earbuds. Solution: modify the SRC so you can plug in your favorite earbuds. MUCH BETTER.

Pairing with iphone was easy. Accepting calls and talking while riding is pretty awesome.

Pairing with another SRC proved to be a giant waste of time. Worked fine while we walked around the house.. We played music, took calls and did the intercom thing together... Seemed great.

Then we tried it on our bikes. Music worked good.. phone calls worked good.. Intercom thing: not so much. We had a very hard time pairing with each other to chat. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time it didn't.

After messing with the settings and trying it on several occasions, we both decided it was more trouble than it was worth.. I removed mine from my C3 and it's sitting in the box in the closet. Oh well...
 
iPod Touch Gen 4 issue

One issue I ran into was trying to pair a new Gen 4 iPod Touch to the SRC at the same time as my cell phone.

The version 3.0 software says that it can pair to both a music source and a cell phone at the same time. This is true, as long as your music source isn't recognized as a cell phone! Apparently, the iPod Touch Gen 4 has enough advanced features that it is recognized as a phone, not a music device (I get the "phone connected" message when it connects). I could connect EITHER the iPod or my cell phone, but as soon as I connected the second one, the first was disconnected.

I reverted to an iPod Touch Gen 3 and everything works as expected. It pairs as a music device (I don't get the "phone connected" message) and my cell phone connects as a phone.

Just something to be aware of.
 
Loch, thanks! Good info. Wonder what other MP3 players have BlueToof...

Sony makes one that I'm aware of.

I use a Gen4 iPod Nano with a Kokkia brand mini Bluetooth stereo transmitter plugged into it. That in turn is paired to my SRC as my MP3 player. Works great.
 
SRC Problems

Sometimes after the GPS gives me instructions the radio does not come back even after five or ten minutes. Has anyone experienced that?
 
Bernie - nope. Mine always comes back in about 5-10 seconds... but..

Loca,

Based on your experience, I picked up an iPod Touch, 3rd generation, 32GB.. (cheap actually, and delivered to my door by a nice young lady who wasn't using it anymore..)

It pairs fine with the SRC, no announcement at all on the SRC that it did pair (which surprised me a bit) - but as soon as my GPS gives a direction, the BlueTooth disconnects (and the iPod uses it's internal speakers..)

Anyone have that experience? I see nothing in the iPod to make it auto-connect (which the GPS does have..) mebbe there's an app for that? Or an app that keeps it from disconnecting?

Other then that.. it works fine, even can jump songs forward/reverse with the buttons on the SRC.. so they are talking the same language.

The iPod has OS 4.1 (8N117) - iTunes wants to install a newer (5 something OS) - but I believe the 3rd Generation won't run that, plus from what you said, newer may not be better..
 
I'm getting one mid week and a friend has the SRC

What did you do, if applicable.

I believe if you go to Cardo's website - there is a downloadable manual. I know the manual they put up for their Software Revision 3 (used on the earlier models) specifically talks about syncing with later model units.. I suspect that same procedure would work fine with the SRC since it's made by Cardo, and if you updated it - it is running the same software version.
 
Sony makes one that I'm aware of.

I use a Gen4 iPod Nano with a Kokkia brand mini Bluetooth stereo transmitter plugged into it. That in turn is paired to my SRC as my MP3 player. Works great.

Question - does it stay connected or reconnect if something like a phone call or GPS direction announcement is made?

I did some in-garage testing yesterday.

In order to get the iPod Touch 3G to connect, I must tell it to connect to the SRC. It knows about the SRC, but the BlueTooth on the iPod is apparently an afterthought by Apple, and it doesn't offer auto-connect.

I checked by triggering a GPS announcement, and watching what the iPod does. It disconnects the SRC Bluetooth connection, and stops playing whatever was playing. It never reconnects, and it won't start playing what was playing automatically.

Dumb design (don't get me started on their docking connector, as an ex-engineer, whoever designed it should have been fired, there is a thriving aftermarket built up around replacing them..) But I digress..

So - using an external BlueTooth dongle - does it autoconnect, or stay connected and let the SRC prioritize the connections?

One other question for people who've tried it - has anyone used the SRC wire that is for connecting to an MP3 player? Any info on how well that works would be great.. although it defeats the wireless part of the equation which is a primary reason to buy the SRC.
 
I believe if you go to Cardo's website - there is a downloadable manual. I know the manual they put up for their Software Revision 3 (used on the earlier models) specifically talks about syncing with later model units.. I suspect that same procedure would work fine with the SRC since it's made by Cardo, and if you updated it - it is running the same software version.

I did get the Cardo extra sheet with info. But, they don't say exactly which Cardo the SRC is! So, I was trying to see if you had discovered which directions apply.

It looks like they are all quite similar, so it should work out. I'll post the results.
 
Question - does it stay connected or reconnect if something like a phone call or GPS direction announcement is made?

So - using an external BlueTooth dongle - does it autoconnect, or stay connected and let the SRC prioritize the connections?

Yes, it autoconnects SLOWLY after the GPS or phone interrupts end. The sync light on the remote dongle flashes rapidly for about 15 seconds before the music continues.

From section 6.3 in the SRC owners manual: "however, after you terminate your call, some MP3 sources may not automatically continue but require manual re-activation."
 
Yes, it autoconnects SLOWLY after the GPS or phone interrupts end. The sync light on the remote dongle flashes rapidly for about 15 seconds before the music continues.

From section 6.3 in the SRC owners manual: "however, after you terminate your call, some MP3 sources may not automatically continue but require manual re-activation."
Interesting. WebBikeWorld had a review of Firmware 3.0 as used on the Cardo unit.. (it's the same firmware we have) - with a test of a number of combinations of phone/gps/MP3 player. None of them worked as we'd like.. some had really odd behavior (switching from stereo to mono..) others never reconnected, some required powering down both the SRC and the GPS or MP3 player to reconnect.

I tried tonight, having my iPod forget all it's network connections, and deleted the pairing-link for the SRC. I then recreated it. Did the same thing on my NAV-III.

Now - sometimes - as you said - about 15-20 seconds after the GPS goes silent the music comes back on. I'd say one out of 3 times (this is 100% better then before when it never came back..) On those instances I was watching the BT connection on the iPod for the SRC, and it tried a few times, then finally reconnected. Sometimes the music also restarted by itself, other times I had to restart it.

The WebBikeWorld article also mentioned using the BT button on the SRC (it's the "A" button - that's not in the manual ANYWHERE..) to trigger a reconnect, but it was apparent that the author was uncertain if this actually did anything... Maybe I'll try that next..

BTW - I updated the iPod to iOS 5.1.1.. the behavior didn't change. In a writeup for 5.1.1 it was claimed the BT menu had been moved forward in the menu hierarchy, but that's a lie - it's still buried 3 levels deep..

Thanks for the info on the Kokkia - If I feel rich I might try that next and just shut the iPod BT off.. best price I saw one for was around $50
..

LINK to WEBBIKEWORLD article on Firmware 3.0: http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcy...ider-g4/software-version-3-upgrade-report.htm

UPDATE: After spending a lot of time playing with this combo (iPod-Touch G3 iOS 5.1.1, HTC Incredible-II Android phone, BMW Navigator-III) I understand why one of my riding companions with the SRC was still wearing his earphone/earplugs to listen to music. It simply doesn't work like it should.

Combinations I tried:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* iPod Touch G3 set for streaming music, linked to SRC
* HTC phone linked to the NAV-III
* Output from NAV-III sent to SRC


Results - this sometimes, but rarely worked. If the GPS is quiet - the music can stream from the iPod to the SRC. It seems to require an initial linking done from the iPod to the SRC. If the GPS decides it's time to make an announcement - the iPod BlueTooth is disconnected. Sometimes, after the GPS is quiet for 10-15 seconds, the iPod reconnects and play resumes. This is a sometimes - the more usual result is the iPod either switches to it's internal speakers, or it stops playing the music (pauses it) and never reconnects. Sometimes it reconnects after the music is paused, and to get it streaming again one must press the > play button on the iPod. The NAV-III isn't capable of passing through streaming music from the HTC phone (tried that - doesn't work.)

The controls on the SRC sometimes control the iPod Touch playback (FF, RW, next-track, last track) - but not always.

This is as close as it got to working.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* iPod out of the scene entirely
* HTC phone used for phone and streaming music - connected to the SRC
* NAV-III connected to the SRC (and not connected to the phone.)


Results - not good. The HTC phone happily does work as a phone, and does stream the music to the SRC, but once the GPS makes a peep - it's disconnected and doesn't auto-reconnect. The phone switches to playing the music (and using the phone functions) on it's internal speakers. Also interestingly - the SRC gets confused about what is what.. calling the HTC phone "GPS connected" and the NAV "Mobile Phone connected".. even removing all pairings from both the SRC and all devices doesn't cure this behavior.

This wasn't useable at all, which is a shame since the controls on the SRC do control the MP3 player in the phone quite well.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* iPod out of the scene
* HTC phone set to only stream music to a BT connection to the SRC (this is an option on the HTC BT setup for this connection.)
* NAV-III connected to the SRC
* HTC phone BT link to the NAV-III


This didn't work particularly well. Again the SRC got confused as to what is what (confusing the phone and GPS), and it simply disconnected things more or less at random. If the NAV-III was set to "autoconnect" it would connect/disconnect/connect/etc..etc..

Useless.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you read the WebBikeWorld article - it notes that Scala certified the iPod-Touch and a Garmin 660 as being a working combo. The article reports less then stellar results with the certified combo, and nothing else they tried worked as claimed. These were my results also.

Conclusions: If you're buying the SRC to listen to music, and receive phone calls, and listen to GPS instructions, you're going to be disappointed. I'd wait for the next software release. It does work for two of the three purposes - GPS instructions and phone calls (even though it seems to get confused as to which is which..)

My thought of buying a NAV-IV to use it's streaming music function was also dashed on the rocks of reality by the WebBikeWorld article. That didn't work well at all for them with a Garmin 660 (probably the Garmin firmware on the NAV-IV) so I see no reason it would work better on the NAV-IV.

It appears the SRC really isn't capable of handling two BT connections at the same time. It tries to do switching between the connections (enabling one, disabling the other) without good results. If the first scenerio was reliable, it would be the answer to my needs.. but as I noted, I now understand why my friend continues to use wired earplugs for music (which has the downside of not muting for the GPS instructions.)
 
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Don, from www.cardosystems.com/SRC I gather the SRC is a G4 in disguise. I will verify after I pick up my G9 tomorrow.

Re: MP3 Was fussing over buying a bluetooth dongle for iPod for $49. But, have a Zumo 550 with an extra 2GB card. Last night I put some MP3 files on both the system memory and on the SD card. All music seems to be there and should play over to the G9. Will confirm.

Web research says even 16GB cards (slow ones probably) will work on the 550. For $16, I can get one! That will hold all maps and all my music library. And, the 550 is hard wired so all day listening would be no problem. Will let you know how it all works out.
 
Don, from www.cardosystems.com/SRC I gather the SRC is a G4 in disguise. I will verify after I pick up my G9 tomorrow.

Re: MP3 Was fussing over buying a bluetooth dongle for iPod for $49. But, have a Zumo 550 with an extra 2GB card. Last night I put some MP3 files on both the system memory and on the SD card. All music seems to be there and should play over to the G9. Will confirm.

Web research says even 16GB cards (slow ones probably) will work on the 550. For $16, I can get one! That will hold all maps and all my music library. And, the 550 is hard wired so all day listening would be no problem. Will let you know how it all works out.

Ed, please DO let us know how it works for you.. It would be wonderful if all worked as claimed, but I'm pretty much resigned to it not happening.

BTW - one complaint I saw in reviews about the Garmin 660 for streaming music was apparently every time it's selected the 660 decides it must reindex all the MP3 files, and if you have a lot of them (say 16GB worth, which I do..) it can take a LONG LONG time to do, effectively freezing up the 660 until it's done. Perhaps the 550 does it better..
 
Don, I currently have less than 100 MP3 files loaded, just filling up the memories. If you look at Zumo forums, you will find a utility to put only 20 files in a folder. That is supposed to fix the problem. Since I have 11GB of music, I will be looking at that utility to avoid the delay.

We will see, hopefully tomorrow evening or Thursday.
 
Whee!! May have an answer to the iPod reconnect problem.

Got back from a ride to the gym today (took the long route there, about 20 miles since the gym is within walking distance from my house.. but I digress) and tried something with the iPod/SRC/Navigator-III combo.

I tried connecting the iPod via BlueTooth to the SRC last, after the Navigator-III showed it connected to the SRC and after the NAV-III showed it connected to my phone.

I then sat on the bike playing with it a bit. I had music streaming from the iPod to the SRC. As expected - when I pressed any button on the GPS, the music immediately cut out and I heard whatever the GPS wanted me to (in this case "Butternut Road ahead...")

On the iPod the music app immediately paused playback, and the Bluetooth disconnected from the SRC.

When the GPS was done talking to me, I tried pressing what Schuberth calls the MP3 button on the helmet (it's Button-A, but that is nowhere in the manual that I could find, I found it in a Cardo manual..) One press, and as I watched the Music app restarted streaming, and the Bluetooth reconnected with the SRC and I had music in my ears again. Cool!

I tried this about a dozen times. It worked each and every time.

Go figure. Will report back after a ride tomorrow with a report on useage on the road.. :)
 
Thanks for button A tip

Got to try my G9 with Richard's SRC yesterday.

His iPhone would disconnect as you described. Have told him your tip. Hope it works for him.

My Zumo 550 streams the mp3 audio, but treats it as higher priority than intercom and won't let me trigger the intercom or get R's calls. Useless. But, Bluetooth audio is lower priority, so the new Nano w/Bluetooth should work...
 
I got to use it while riding today.. and in general, it worked well. The music would either start streaming all by itself after a GPS announcement (what I would expect would happen) or start if I held button A (MP3 button - found it on a diagram in the instructions) for the 2nd beep.

Only problems were - several times I managed a combo of button presses that sent the helmet off to neverland (despite being on..) Nothing beeped or responded. No GPS, no iPod.. The A and B buttons were doing a fast red/blue combined flash.. I suspect I got it into Intercom-Pairing mode somehow. It required shutting it down and restarting it (then doing the dance with all connections before the iPod connection) to get it working again.

I'm thinking a chart of the possible functions of each button and every combo of buttons would be useful. Right now the instructions are by desired function ("press A and B to do this.") I think a chart of "If you press A for 3 seconds while in standby mode - this happens" "If you press A for 6 seconds while in MP3 mode - this happens" would be a useful thing. I suspect it might be easier to remember that way (at least for me..) When I have time I might put one together.

Be interested in how it works out for your friend..
 
'm thinking a chart of the possible functions of each button and every combo of buttons would be useful. Right now the instructions are by desired function ("press A and B to do this.") I think a chart of "If you press A for 3 seconds while in standby mode - this happens" "

That's a great Idea! If you or someone could whip one up nicely and have it for a copy and print here I for one would be much appreciating! Stick that user guide in the tank bag window.

I just got the unit and find things like button location with gloves on hard to feel for and the FM receiver IMO is lousy with static. The speaker quality with MP3 is very good. Now I am just waiting for a call while riding or pair up with a like cardio user for the rest!
 
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