Bluetooth Dongle For PMR446 Radio - Any Comments?

PhaedrusMC

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I recently got an SMH-5, which will replace the Autocom system I currently use.

So I'll then be able to use my phone, GPS, listen to music, and talk two-way with my mate, etc.

But this means I can no longer use the job PMR446 radio to talk one-way to third parties.

No-one seems to sell a bluetooth-enabled PMR446 any more, so the obvious solution is the Sena SR10.

But as an alternative to the SR10 (€180 + the adaptor cable for the job Kenwood radio), I'm curious about this €110 Midland dongle:

http://www.maplin.ie/p/midland-wa-bluetooth-adapter-for-2-pin-midland-pmr-a40uz

Any of you guys have any experience with it or similar?
 
One of our IAM group Observers uses a similar thing for his Kenwood ,The one your have a link for is Midland radio Specific. They have different two pin adapters. You will also need a Blue tooth PTT to operate the PMR Radio.

Thats a lot to connect up with a bluetooth link ! even more so when you put into the connection equation GPs,Music, Phone etc .....our guy had lots of drop outs when riding and it took him ages to pair the system together. He binned it and bought the SR10 ,never had a problem since
 
The SR10 is a good bit of kit, but be careful if you end up with too many devices paired to the headset. You can have (at least on the 20S) a max of two devices paired at once - so if you have a GPS, a phone and the SR10 then you've got to pick one to unpair.
 
This is great timing, was just wondering how I could get my pmr connected up to my bluetooth setup :thumb2

My Setup :
Schuberth SRC connected to Iphone and Garmin 590 LM
Garmin 590LM should be able to be bluetooth connected to the PMR radio via SR10, unless SRC doesnt limit connections.

RBW.
 
In my case, the usage will be either/or - the radio usage will be for one application, the bluetooth application will be for another.

When using the radio for comms, I won't be using GPS or phone.

For personal use, I'd be using just bt comms, GPS & phone (calls & music), and not the radio.

The big fail with the SR10 for me seems to be its battery life - website says 3.5 hours. I could be needing it all day. And hard-wiring to the bike isn't an option.

PTT isn't a requirement for me; VOX-only is fine.

Maplin's description of the Midland G10 radio (for example) includes this line:

"The radio has a 2-pin Kenwood style socket for optional headsets, earpieces and microphones."

This suggests that that dongle - as it fits the Midland G10 - will also fit Kenwood radios, no?
 
I use the SR10 linked to a Kenwood radio for work with no problems at all, battery life is never an issue and only charge for a short time every couple of days.

It's also simple enough to charge on the bike whilst it's in use.
 
It's also simple enough to charge on the bike whilst it's in use.

My application is on multiple bikes, none (bar my own) with power sockets.

I just looked here, and it says 12 hours talktime, 10 days standby ? https://www.sena.com/product/sr10/#specs

Be interested where you have seen 3.5 hours.

RBW.

My mistake. On that same specs page, it lists charge time as 3.5 hours. I obviously mis-read things. 12 hours talk time is plenty impressive. :thumb2

So where should I be looking for an SR10 at a good price? Decent Irish online seller is €200, FC-Moto is €180. Any decent sellers out there doing them cheaper?
 
The SR10 is a good bit of kit, but be careful if you end up with too many devices paired to the headset. You can have (at least on the 20S) a max of two devices paired at once - so if you have a GPS, a phone and the SR10 then you've got to pick one to unpair.

Nope , you pair the phone to the GPs , then the GPs to you helmet , that's linked in as one pair then .
 
In my case, the usage will be either/or - the radio usage will be for one application, the bluetooth application will be for another.

When using the radio for comms, I won't be using GPS or phone.

For personal use, I'd be using just bt comms, GPS & phone (calls & music), and not the radio.

The big fail with the SR10 for me seems to be its battery life - website says 3.5 hours. I could be needing it all day. And hard-wiring to the bike isn't an option.

PTT isn't a requirement for me; VOX-only is fine.

Maplin's description of the Midland G10 radio (for example) includes this line:

"The radio has a 2-pin Kenwood style socket for optional headsets, earpieces and microphones."

This suggests that that dongle - as it fits the Midland G10 - will also fit Kenwood radios, no?

Pretty sure the midland and kenwood have different pins ,even though they are two pins . Don't think they use comparable fitments
 
Yes there are different types of leads, so need the right one for your radio, there is a list on Sena's website. I was recommended a 'Wouxon' PMR so need to check which lead (I think its the Kenwood one).

I also wanted to check the difference between the sr10 and sr10i, and found the information below which is quite straightforward.

Here is the difference between the SR10 and the SR10i.

They are the same unit except for the accessories that come in each of the packages.
The SR10 is for motorcycle and powersports. The SR10i is mainly for industrial use.
The SR10i only comes with a belt clip and a USB charging cable.
The SR10 comes with a mount for motorcycles, wired PTT and extension, USB cable, 3.5mm audio cable, cigarette charger, and belt clip
If you're on a motorcycle, buy the SR10.

rgds

RBW.
 
I use the SR10 linked to a Kenwood radio for work with no problems at all, battery life is never an issue and only charge for a short time every couple of days.

It's also simple enough to charge on the bike whilst it's in use.

Useful to know :thumb2
Which helmet headset are you using Tim?

I'm thinking of moving away from Autocom wired system to a more portable set up.
 
Nope , you pair the phone to the GPs , then the GPs to you helmet , that's linked in as one pair then .

What bearing would that have on music sound quality? I have my phone and GPS (Zumo 550) paired with my SMH-5, and the same music file sounds way better when played from my phone than from the 550. If phone is paired with 550, and then 550 paired with SMH-5, won't the music sound quality then be that of the 550?
 
SMH10 use it every day for work Toddy.

Thanks Tim, that's exactly why I asked! If it works everyday for you at work it will be more than sufficient for my occasional use. I shall take a look at the SMH10 and SR combination :beerjug:
 
So in my case, I'm looking at this as my set-up:

  • SMH5 (for now - may upgrade later)
  • Zumo 550
  • Mobile phone
  • Kenwood radio
  • SR10 (+ SC-A0110 Kenwood 2-pin cable)

But before I decide for sure on the SR10, can those of you who have experience with it please confirm the following for me:

  1. When using the radio, I can operate by VOX, rather than PTT?
  2. I connect my Zumo 550 (by bluetooth or aux cable) to the SR10?
  3. I connect my Kenwood radio (by cable) to the SR10?
  4. I connect the SR10 (by bluetooth) to my SMH5?
  5. I connect my phone (by bluetooth) to my SMH5?

I'd like decent music audio, so as the SR10 can't provide that (music wouldn't be required when I'm using the radio anyway), and as music audio from the SMH5 speakers is shite when played from the Zumo and great when played from my phone, having my phone connected directly by bluetooth with my SMH5 is the only way to achieve that?

Would it be the case that sharing music played from my phone with another SMH5 (by bluetooth) would provide proper stereo audio for both mine and the other SMH5?


Thanks to the replies & comments on here, I'm finally getting to grips with what I've found to be a murky quagmire - few shops have understood what I've been asking, let alone know the answers... :thumb2
 
Im not sure on the VOX ,but SENA SMH5 to SMH5 alone will operate on Vox so can't see why your set up won't

Connect the Zumo to the SR10 via blue tooth will not be a problem.
connecting the SR10 to the SMH5 will be a doddle.
connect the SR10 to the Kenwood using the lead for it not bluetooth.

Not sure on the music quality loss you are asking about .

My set up is ,i connect the iPhone to the Nav. this is then linked to my Sena 10r . I use the kenwood with the supplied PTT and lead through the SR10 to the 10u. If I am listening to music from the nav and the Kenwood comes live, the music drops out till the transmission is done , then kicks back in.

With the SR10, you will get a handbook showing around 10 different ways of connecting various components.

Be patience as it can be stressful setting it all up, I would say add one thing, try it then add another in time, If you try to add all the items you are asking about you will be choking it in the bin in frustration ,good luck
 
Thanks. Yep - playing around with this stuff usually lets you get the optimal set-up.

Same 320kbps mp3 file transferred from my laptop to my phone SD card & to my Zumo 550 SD card. Sounds shite played from the Zumo, sounds great played from my phone (Xperia M4 Aqua). I don't know why, but it does. Maybe later/newer Zumo are better?
 
Nope , you pair the phone to the GPs , then the GPs to you helmet , that's linked in as one pair then .

Unless you want to listen to music from the 'phone, then it doesn't work (at least not with a TomTom Rider 400) :(
 


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