Bluetooth Choices?? HELP!

I really hate using the aux cord in the cubby to play music from my phone and want to Bluetooth it either through the USB in the saddlebag or through the cubby. I already ordered the TPCROMEER USB from comments on another post but after searching YouTube found this MPOW Wireless Bluetooth 3.5mm Car Aux Audio Stereo Music Receiver Adapter/Mic US that seems would work well also, although the whole video was in Spanish and Yo no hablo mucho.:p

Looking for opinions:confused:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlgzUB5VQXs

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Originally Posted by Big TP

I really hate using the aux cord in the cubby to play music from my phone and want to Bluetooth it either through the USB in the saddlebag or through the cubby. I already ordered the TPCROMEER USB from comments on another post but after searching YouTube found this MPOW Wireless Bluetooth 3.5mm Car Aux Audio Stereo Music Receiver Adapter/Mic US that seems would work well also, although the whole video was in Spanish and Yo no hablo mucho.:p

Looking for opinions:confused:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlgzUB5VQXs

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I can tell you what I use.

1 adapter from headset jack 5 pin den to 3.5
2 Sena SM 10
3 Sena 20s headset.
What this setup let's you do,
Plug headset jack into Sena sm10 and you can receive and make phone calls ,listen to any source
of sound from bike.
I have XM radio plugged into cubby and thumb drive in saddle bag.
Also have Zumo GPS talking when directions come from Zumo.

XM Radio... hmmmm... a thought. Love it in my cars. How do I go about that?

Want to try the Bluetooth options first so not to get too involved other than just using Pandora. Lot of mixed reviews as to quality and reliability. Guess for $9 it's worth a try.

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Originally Posted by Big TP

XM Radio... hmmmm... a thought. Love it in my cars. How do I go about that?

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Lots of options. The easiest is to trade in your bike for a new Wing, which has XM integrated into the stereo system. Beyond that, you can get XM through a Garmin 660 GPS, but that is an expensive unit. You can also get the SiriusXM app on your Smartphone and plug it into your saddlebag USB for stereo sound, or through the 3.5 aux jack, which is mono. There are other options to install a Bluetooth receiver to stream anything through your phone to your bike's sound system. The BT receiver connects to the 3.5 mm aux jack and your phone streams through that receiver.

Here is the auto bluetooth device I installed that works great! I installed the The TaoTronics Bluetooth Car Kit under the cubby and a USB plug for power. I'm using it for my GPS, but it would work just as well for a phone. The unit turns on when I power on the bike and immediately connects to my GPS.

Attachment 5714

This unit was posted over on a Goldwing Facebook page as a reliable solution. Supposedly the same unit as a JL Audio unit. YMMV.

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...85&oe=5C377C19

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...7d&oe=5C1DBB64

https://www.sonicelectronix.com/item...er-MBT-RX.html

Love my XM on my bike, had an old delphi skyfye unit in parts bin, just reactivated it, got a car dock with antenna and mounted it on a heavy duty Ram Mount connected to an electrical connection mount on left clutch side. Ran power from cubby, plugged dock into 3.5 MM connection, and ran Antenna wire under skins to back of bike in around 1 hour. Place radio in AUX and there you go. Radio control works for sound only not station changing. Will never go back to radio except for weather reports.

Good options! May go with simplest first and give it a try. Although hiding the XM radio leaves a nice clean look instead of a cell phone mounted on a Ram mount. I assume Car radio shops or Best Buy can sell and install the XM?

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Originally Posted by VStarRider

Lots of options. The easiest is to trade in your bike for a new Wing, which has XM integrated into the stereo system. Beyond that, you can get XM through a Garmin 660 GPS, but that is an expensive unit. You can also get the SiriusXM app on your Smartphone and plug it into your saddlebag USB for stereo sound, or through the 3.5 aux jack, which is mono. There are other options to install a Bluetooth receiver to stream anything through your phone to your bike's sound system. The BT receiver connects to the 3.5 mm aux jack and your phone streams through that receiver.

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What makes you think the 3.5 is mono?
I beg to differ.

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Originally Posted by Big TP

Good options! May go with simplest first and give it a try. Although hiding the XM radio leaves a nice clean look instead of a cell phone mounted on a Ram mount. I assume Car radio shops or Best Buy can sell and install the XM?

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XM just plugs in to power in cubby and 3.5 plug in cubby.
Plug in the anttena and you got it,,no special tech needed.

Sounds simple enough. Can you recommend a XM radio model? Parts needed. Do you have a photo of the set up?

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Originally Posted by Big TP

I really hate using the aux cord in the cubby to play music from my phone and want to Bluetooth it either through the USB in the saddlebag or through the cubby. I already ordered the TPCROMEER USB from comments on another post but after searching YouTube found this MPOW Wireless Bluetooth 3.5mm Car Aux Audio Stereo Music Receiver Adapter/Mic US that seems would work well also, although the whole video was in Spanish and Yo no hablo mucho.:p

Looking for opinions:confused:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlgzUB5VQXs

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It's very simple. Get a bluetooth transmitter/receiver, here is one inexpensive option, but there are many you can get on walmart.com or amazon for under $30.00. Hook it up to your 3.5 in cubby, connect it to your phone via bluetooth, and you can play your music through the bike. It's as easy as it sounds, and it sounds better than my thumb drive I have hooked up in the saddle bag. Just be sure to set the source on the bike to auxillary, I believe it is. The bluetooth receivers are small and don't take up much room in the cubby. No need to spend a lot of money. I've never spent over $23.00 and they work great.

https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Ada...th+transmitter

Well got it narrowed down to the XM radio kit or the Bluetooth transmitter. Pros and Cons. Have a feeling I will trying both:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Big TP

Well got it narrowed down to the XM radio kit or the Bluetooth transmitter. Pros and Cons. Have a feeling I will trying both:rolleyes:

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The problem with the XM kits is they take up the entire cubby if you don't hard wire them. It's a lot to keep up with. If you are willing to spend the money, get a Garmin Zumo 665 GPS. I found one on ebay, and it solved all of these issues. It is gps, sirius/xm, bluetooth, stores music you can play, can answer phone calls, etc. I use mine primarily with a bluetooth helmet. I wanted xm and this was a compact, easy to use/store/remove answer for me, allowing gps, xm, music/audio books, and bluetooth in one unit. I ran the sirius antenna to under my luggage rack, and the wire is totally hidden. The mount is on a ram ball, and so far it works great. The zumo even has weather capabilities and warnings if rain is near and weather radar, which is pretty awesome if you ever need to dodge the rain. They were selling these as the solution on Harleys before they integrated the gps into the bikes. I believe this unit is discontinued, but I can't figure out why. It's a great little system for a bike that doesn't have all the above integrated. It was a little pricey (around $450-500 used), but far less than the $28,000 to get the new gold wing with all the goodies. :icon_wink:

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Originally Posted by Big TP

Well got it narrowed down to the XM radio kit or the Bluetooth transmitter. Pros and Cons. Have a feeling I will trying both:rolleyes:

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You might want to add an adapter the goes from 5 pin din to 3.5, this then will plug from your headset jack to
Bluetooth transmitter. Going this way you have access to all sources of sound that your bike offers.

Well the $9 Bluetooth USB seems to do the job. Odd thing is sometimes the music that plays through the phone through the BT USB starts up a little fast then slows to regular speed..maybe something in the digital conversion. Only tested it in the garage and not on the road to see if it loses signals. May still want to go with the XM radio option though..

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Originally Posted by Big TP

Well the $9 Bluetooth USB seems to do the job. Odd thing is sometimes the music that plays through the phone through the BT USB starts up a little fast then slows to regular speed..maybe something in the digital conversion. Only tested it in the garage and not on the road to see if it loses signals. May still want to go with the XM radio option though..

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Interesting. I've never used a bluetooth receiver with a USB connection, only the 3.5, but have not had that issue. Is your bluetooth in the saddlebag? If so, is the phone in the saddlebag as well? If not, maybe that has something to do with it.

The Bluetooth USB is in the saddlebag just hanging there completely out of the way. Very small thumb drive size. Phone stays in my pocket after I press the BT button and it connects. I can control Pandora music functions like skipping songs and and volume control through the bike's controls so no need to handle the phone after start up. You can place phone in glove box or cubby also. I don't think the proximity has anything to do with the intermittent speed variances of the music but probably the buffering since I was in a weak signal area. I just can't take traditional radio any longer with continuous commercials and poor audio.

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Originally Posted by Big TP

The Bluetooth USB is in the saddlebag just hanging there completely out of the way. Very small thumb drive size. Phone stays in my pocket after I press the BT button and it connects. I can control Pandora music functions like skipping songs and and volume control through the bike's controls so no need to handle the phone after start up. You can place phone in glove box or cubby also. I don't think the proximity has anything to do with the intermittent speed variances of the music but probably the buffering since I was in a weak signal area. I just can't take traditional radio any longer with continuous commercials and poor audio.

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That is pretty cool that you can use the hand controls to skip songs and adjust the volume. When I ride with a bluetooth helmet, I can do that with the helmet controls. I have a small usb thumb drive attached in the bad with music that I can do that with, but it is not a bluetooth transmitter. Glad you got it worked out. I am with you on traditional radio. I just don't listen to it anymore. The XM is nice as I can break up music with some Fox News, a ball game, or other talk radio, and when I'm on the road for any good distance, it is nice to have options.

How can I protect theft of a XM radio in the left side cubby? The antenna is a dead givaway.

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Originally Posted by Big TP

How can I protect theft of a XM radio in the left side cubby? The antenna is a dead givaway.

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That was part of my problem. There is so much wire, then you have to unplug it all, store it, pull it all back out, reconnect it all, or I guess just leave it in there and gamble. It worked ok, but was a giant PITA. The zumo makes it easy. Just click it off of the mount and put it in the side bag, in it's zippered case, or just carry it in with you. Again, it was a litte pricey, but really gave me enough "technology and gadgets" to keep me from spending crazy money on a bike with it all integrated. At some point I would like to have all of that integrated into a bike (NEW Goldwing DCT), but I enjoy the F6B so much, this was a great solution for me. I'm really surprised there aren't more gps options with sirius xm built in, but I guess it's because the bike manufacturers built it all into the bikes in recent years.

:agree:

I use the MPow and it works really well. I figured for 15 bucks it was worth trying. No issues with it at all
15 dollars well spent

Yep, I think I will shelf the XM radio idea for now. Seems like too much :bsII: to deal with.
Wondering if the little bit of choppyness is caused by it being in the saddle bag vs the cubby onto the aux cable. Closer proximity or less interference?
Maybe you made a better choice there sir22. Thanks all who opined:biggthumpup:

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Originally Posted by shortleg0521

What makes you think the 3.5 is mono?
I beg to differ.

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I read that somewhere here on this forum, as a disadvantage to using that over the USB in the bag. I assumed the poster knew what they were talking about.

FWIW, just my 2 cents worth, it takes less than a minute to pull the XM radio head and store it in the locked center console or the saddlebag, The quick disconnects the 3.5 plug, power cord and antenna and you are done. If you want to take the dock off the Ram mount add another 15 seconds. I got about $25 in my ram mount. Now if money is no object and you want to spend big bucks on a TPS/XM/GPS system go for it. I have a small used GPS unit mounted as well. Whenever I stop I always pull them off and store them under lock, easy peasy. I got less than $50 bucks in my two systems, its your choice.

I see your points but for me it's not about cost but about convenience and personally I like simplicity. Less is better for me. Just another thing to think about. Now of course it definitely had it's advantages and performance is better than Bluetooth-ing music through a phone, but I guess it's about reaching a point of satisfaction. Never say never

Copy, for me just wanted to have more choices over the FM/AM system with its limited antenna range. I used a phone for a while, but it comes with its own challenges etc. For me the XM is really great during longer rides as well and I like my systems, they are cheap, functional get the job done, but understand to each there own.

Kevin, What model XM radio do you have?

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Originally Posted by Kokomo Kevin

FWIW, just my 2 cents worth, it takes less than a minute to pull the XM radio head and store it in the locked center console or the saddlebag, The quick disconnects the 3.5 plug, power cord and antenna and you are done. If you want to take the dock off the Ram mount add another 15 seconds. I got about $25 in my ram mount. Now if money is no object and you want to spend big bucks on a TPS/XM/GPS system go for it. I have a small used GPS unit mounted as well. Whenever I stop I always pull them off and store them under lock, easy peasy. I got less than $50 bucks in my two systems, its your choice.

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Is your antenna hard wired or installed? When I used the portable unit I did not run the antenna anywhere, just mounted on the dash with some velcro and would pull it off for overnight stops. That's why I had all the wire to contend with. Plus the unit with the power cord plugged in ate up the entire cubby space, not a bad thing, just not ideal. Then I needed a seperate gps to pull off each stop. I would have kept doing that, but after researching I found the zumo was a better option for me, much simpler and faster, with a single unit that offered everything I wanted. I would still love to jave all that integrated into the bike, just not for the money it would take (right now) and not ready to give up the f6b yet. I like the weather and radar as well.

I mounted a heavy Ram mount on an electrical connection mount on the clutch side. Using a XM cradle which is powered by a plug in from cubbie. 3.5 MM connection and power connection to cradle. Antenna plugged into cradle and ram through the skins to back behind passenger backrest. Antenna works good and is hidden. I can detach the actual XM head from base for storage or when weather gets bad. Can detach XM mount is less than 30 seconds to store it as well. The main reason I like this set up is that I can take my XM head off it and move it to my 3 other vehicles which have XM mounts. I am cheap and do not want to have 3 XM subscriptions to pay for each month!

For those that were worried about the XM radio getting stolen , all you do is
unplug the radio from it's cradle . all wiring stays put.
Also antenna goes under fairing out of site.
The reception is fine. This is where all bike manufacturers place it.

Thanks shortleg! I was a little longwinded!

Update... Well so far so good. The Bluetooth gizmo seems to do the job streaming music from the phone. Plus I discovered a much better app than Pandora.. Called JANGO. Much faster, no ads, no buffering, unlimited skips!! XM radio on hold for now.