Autocom re-installed. This time noise free...

[4INer]

I just finished re-installing my autocom (and XM radio). I sent it back to autocom to have the intercom overide shut off. The overide is what cuts music input volume by 50% when the intercom is in use. A good thing for some, but not so good if you tend to sing along with the music. At any rate, my first install was OK, but I had a lot of alternator whine at anything over 4000 RPM. So with lots of help from this forum I re-installed the autocom differently than I did the first time. I used a Centech fuse box and the relay that goes with the Centech. Then I connected both the XM power and the Autocom power through the fuse box. I grounded the fuse box to the frame using the right rear mount bolt for the foward seat height adjustment plate. The relay is connected directly to the power side of the battery, with the power for switching the relay on comming from the aux. fuse in line (using a T-Tap) under the left side cover. I fabricated a mount for the centech out of Stainless and used machine screws to attach it to the inside of the rear fender. All connections were heat shrinked, and I wire tied everything to the frame. I now have plenty of extra power connection possibilities for future audio upgrades (should be adding a Zumo soon), and the audio is now noise free at any RPM. Thanks to all who helped.

 

[Louie Louie]

I just finished re-installing my autocom (and XM radio). I sent it back to autocom to have the intercom overide shut off. The overide is what cuts music input volume by 50% when the intercom is in use. A good thing for some, but not so good if you tend to sing along with the music. .

Great post. Glad its working for you. Great point about singing along. I use the amplirider. I have the same issue about singing along, how did you fix that. Dan helped with my InSTall and did an outstanding job. I am also awaiting a Zumo. The Autocom rocks!
Enjoy!
Louis

 

[4INer]

I have the same issue about singing along, how did you fix that. Louis

I shelled out 25 bucks and sent it back to autocom for them to disable the intercom overide. I think they called it option A. Now I can sing along and not get an ear full of nothing but me.

 

[Louie Louie]

I shelled out 25 bucks and sent it back to autocom for them to disable the intercom overide. I think they called it option A. Now I can sing along and not get an ear full of nothing but me.

lmao. Thanks bro.!

 

[Marshal_Mercer]

Or -- you could turn the VOX off.

Marshal

 

[4INer]

Or -- you could turn the VOX off.

Marshal

.......... What, and not be able to listen to my wife while we're riding????

 

[Marshal_Mercer]

.......... What, and not be able to listen to my wife while we're riding????

The VOX feature does not defeat rider-to-passenger communications. It reduces auxilliary functions', such as radio/MP3 player, and GPS inputs, volume so that the rider can speak with the passenger. Dial down the VOX pot. You're done.

Marshal

 

[Louie Louie]

Or -- you could turn the VOX off.

Marshal

Do you mean in the unit itself or on the PTT control?

 

[Marshal_Mercer]

Do you mean in the unit itself or on the PTT control?

On the unit itself. The PTT over-rides the units controls.

From what I read, the idea was to be able to sing along with the tunes instead of muting, and also talk with the passenger. Turning the VOX sensitivity off allows one to do both. I would install a PTT also, but that's just me. With PTT you get tunes with singing, or no tunes with talking.

Yelling and pointing also works.

Marshal

 

[dmulk]

Does the Centech fuse box come with a relay?

Thanks,

<D>

 

[4INer]

Does the Centech fuse box come with a relay?

Thanks,

<D>

No it doesn't. You have to buy it seperately, but Cycle Gadgets carries both of them. Here http://www.cyclegadgets.com/Products/product.asp?Item=CEN for the fuse box, and here
http://www.cyclegadgets.com/Products/orderbysku.asp

 

[4INer]

On the unit itself. The PTT over-rides the units controls.

From what I read, the idea was to be able to sing along with the tunes instead of muting, and also talk with the passenger. Turning the VOX sensitivity off allows one to do both. I would install a PTT also, but that's just me. With PTT you get tunes with singing, or no tunes with talking.

Yelling and pointing also works.

Marshal

I think that turning the VOX sensitivity off would have disabled the voice overide, but it would also have disabled teh auto-volume control. All I know for sure is that I called Autocom and they told me the only way to be able to do what I wanted (disable the 50% reduction in volume when talking and still retain all the other features such as auto volume control) with my unit (the Pro AVI) was for me to send the unit back to them. And for 25 bucks it now does exactly what I wanted it to do.

 

[Marshal_Mercer]

I think that turning the VOX sensitivity off would have disabled the voice overide, but it would also have disabled teh auto-volume control. All I know for sure is that I called Autocom and they told me the only way to be able to do what I wanted (disable the 50% reduction in volume when talking and still retain all the other features such as auto volume control) with my unit (the Pro AVI) was for me to send the unit back to them. And for 25 bucks it now does exactly what I wanted it to do.

4INer:

That explains it: Pro AVI! You're right. $25 well spent.

Marshal

 

[dmulk]

Hmmm.... that link to the relay didn't work. What is the relay part number?

Thanks again chuck!

<D>

 

[dmulk]

Nevermind. Found it.

Ordered direct from Centech. Jim was great!

<D>

 

[malanclay]

Out of curiosity How did you have it wired in first? When you were getting the noise?

 

[Fastraveller]

Yeah, I'm also interested in where you found the source for the whine. Are you saying the relay stopped the whine, or, was it something you did during RE-installation that you don't think you did during the original installation? I developed a whine after my autocom had been installed for a while and I am thinking about "re-installing" it to check the connections and condition of all the wires in case some insulation may have melted or worn through.

David

 

[MLRickards]

Thanks to 4INer for the posting that caused me to stop mid-reinstall and change things up a little. The result...a similarly noise-free Autocom experience.

My original set up:

Autocom wired to the battery (via relay)
V1 radar detector - powered by quartet harness
Quest 2 GPS - powered by quartet harness
Delphi SkyFi XM - powered by quartet harness

Had an alternator type whine. Not bad at highway speed (covered by music and road noise), but annoying at idle or slower speeds.

New set up:

Autocom powered via Navone Engineering isolated power supply (with relay being switched from quartet harness)
Zumo 550 powered from Centech fuse block
V1 - powered from Centech fuse block

The fuse block is switched via relay using the quartet harness.

I'd post pics, but 4INer's are better and I'd hate to show the world how seriously I ripped off his approach! I just don't have the fancy mounting device he built for the Centech

Not even a hint of whine or other noise. Based on everything I've read in the forums from experts like Rob H. and others, I chalk the success up to eliminating the quartet harness as a power source and use of the isolated power supply for the Autocom.

Personally, I don't care if the reason is a dose of special fairy dust...I just love having a noise free comm system now!

 

[MLRickards]

So, would it work to run the DN ps through the switch I have in the fairing pocket....

questions, questions, questions....I'm not really wanting to pull the trigger on that ps and have it not solve my problems. I've now officially spent way more than what the com unit itself costs.

I'm probably not your best source for advice on the relationship between your switch and the ps, although it seems simple enough to just put the switch inline to control power to the ps itself.

I am however, absolutely the right person to sympathize with you about spending more on a comm system than originally intended! And my baseline started with the Autocom. The $149 bluetooth dongle was the latest slap upside the head. Between the Autocom and the Zumo 550, I've got nearly as much invested as I sold my 1984 Nighthawk for a few years ago.

But, what I'm choosing to focus on today is how much I'm loving the final outcome That's particularly what I keep reinforcing to my wife who was starting to wonder about the cost to enjoyment ratio

 

[MLRickards]

I think I'm going to put the Amplirider in the tail of the bike and invest in a couple of really long 3.5mm audio cables and a long s-vid cable to control the remote volume on the Amplirider.


Uggg.

I did end up leaving the Autocom in the back, under the seat versus putting it in the fairing pockets. After seeing 4INers post, I started thinking about what a pain it would be to have to disconnect the Autocom wiring everytime I wanted to take the left side tupperware off.

I like the set up with the Autocom and Centech in the rear where the owner's manual was. Have that mounted via velcro in the saddle bag cover.