AUTOCOM - TECHNICAL ADVICE

Complete installation advice can be found in your manual but the notes below can serve as a quick reference guide:

Location: Identify a suitable location for the Autocom unit. This invariably will be in the ‘storage area’ underneath the bike seat. The main requirement is a dry location away from excessive heat. Some areas of a motorcycle are prone to electrical interference ie spark plugs, HT leads/coils and voltage regulator. Avoid these areas where possible and route your cables accordingly.

Live Switched Feed: Connect the Black (-ve) wire directly to the battery negative terminal. Connect the red (+ve) to a live switched feed. This could be the feed to the rear tail light, or you may have an ignition switched aux socket on the bike which you can connect to. Your motorcycle service department can best advice you if you’re not sure where to find a suitable connection. BMW owners will be familiar with the Can-Bus electrical system present on their bikes.

The best way to connect into this system is to use our Direct Battery Connection cable part 2437. This cable connects straight to the battery, therefore bypassing the Can-bus. The cable has an inline relay which requires a live switched feed in order to be triggered and to allow the flow of current from the battery to the Autocom.

Portability: Where storage space is at a premium or portability is required, consider fitting your system into a tankbag or tailpack. The system can still be bike powered using alternative power cables. Parts 2430 and 2429 substitute the standard power supply cable. Part 2429 is fitted to the bike and 2430 is fitted to the Autocom. With the Autocom system in your tank bag, simply plug into the 2429 connection to pick up power. PTT can also be incorporated into the 2429 cable. For the PTT version use part 2432.

Interference: Some motorcycles are prone to causing electrical interference. It is not predictable or even specific to a particular brand or model. In fact on two identical motorcycles, one may produce interference, the other may not.

If you experience interference on your Autocom system, first disconnect all connected devices ie GPS, radio etc. If the noise is still present, establish whether it is ‘airborne’ interference. Try the Autocom in a different location or orientation. Also try re-routing your cables. If this doesn’t have any effect then it’s most likely that the noise is from the bikes electrical system. In this instance we can supply a filtered power supply cable 2439A. Part 2437 can also be used since this connects straight to the battery thus bypassing the bike electrical system.

There are two ways to communicate from one bike to another.

License-free PMR Radios or ‘Walkie Talkies’. A radio connected to your Autocom can be activated by VOX (voice operated) or PTT (Push to Talk). Its integration into the intercom system is seamless with no loss of other connections or devices. Radios tend to be powered by their own internal batteries. We can provide suitable power interfaces for the Kenwood UBZ and Kenwood TK3301.

Transmission distance is governed by the power output of the radio. In the UK we are limited to 0.5 Watt which is effective for approx 1.5miles, but this figure is dependant on the terrain, environment and also the radio position on the bike. To get the best transmission from any radio the aerial should be upright.

The bike you are transmitting to must also have a radio to be able to receive your transmission and to be able to transmit back. Ideally the second bike should also be using an Autocom system.

There is the option of using just a radio, headset and PTT cable setup, rather than connecting into an Autocom. This is a lower cost option for bike2bike communications but bear in mind there will be no noise cancelling and this type of system is only useable for speeds approaching 45mph. The ambient environmental noise above this speed makes this type of system ineffective.

A radio when connected to an Autocom system will deliver excellent radio communications at realistic road speeds. PMR radios are still the choice of the professional rider.

Bluetooth Bike2Bike A wide range of Bluetooth Headsets are on the market which offer bike2bike communications. Bluetooth signals are affected by terrain, environmental factors and rely more on a ‘line of sight’, unobstructed by other road vehicles/trees etc. For short, infrequent journeys and when riding within sight of each other, Bluetooth can provide bike2bike communications with the convenience of a wireless system.

Logic and SuperPro Automatic users need to fit cable 2356 to give the required 5 pin radio cable connection. (Further details can be found in the user manual Page 9). NB: Pre-2009 models already have this cable fitted.

Now you need a suitable radio cable ie Kenwood, Motorola, Icom etc. So for a Kenwood radio, use our Kenwood cable 2369. Finally, connect your radio. Your Autocom system is now configured for VOX activated radio transmission. Talking into your headset microphone will trigger VOX and cause the radio to transmit. Instructions for setting the VOX can be found on page 8 of your manual.

An alternative to VOX transmission is PTT (Push to Talk). A small button mounted on the handlebars causes the radio to transmit when pushed. Our PTT cable 2388 provides this functionality as well as an integrated switch to easily change between Vox, PTT or Constant transmit.

We recommend Kenwood PMR radios for connection to Autocom systems.

Any phone with Bluetooth can be connected to your Autocom using our Bluetooth module BTM-02A. The BTM-02A has an A2DP stereo Bluetooth profile for playing music from your phone as well as an autoanswer feature. Calls are automatically answered after 3 rings.

How this is achieved depends very much on the functionality and connections available on the GPS.

If your GPS has an audio output, it can be connected using an Isolated Audio Cable For example: Part No: 4004
If your GPS can pair to a Bluetooth headset it can be connected using our Bluetooth module BTM-02A

For this to work, the GPS must have a microphone output, either in the form of a 3.5mm socket or via Bluetooth.

The Garmin Zumo 550/660 can be used in conjunction with a mobile phone by using our Isolated Zumo cable 4066 which picks up the mic and audio signal present on the Zumo. The TomTom Rider can also be used in this way but must be connected using the BTM-02A since it has no audio/mic cable connections.

The mobile phone in either case is paired using the Bluetooth functionality of the GPS. One of the advantages of using your phone thru the GPS is visibility of incoming calls and the managing of address books on the GPS.

Many of the lower cost car Satnavs claim to have Bluetooth connectivity. They do, but only for connecting your mobile phone. They can’t pair to a Bluetooth headset and so they can’t be connected to your Autocom using our Bluetooth module BTM-02A. In addition they don’t have any audio output connections so connecting via a cable isn’t an option.

Garmin Zumo 550/660: Connect using 4066 cable or BTM-02A.. Phone connectivity – Yes
TomTom Rider 1 & 2: Connect using BTM-02A.. Phone connectivity – yes
Garmin Zumo 350: Connect using 4004 cable or BTM-02A.. Phone connectivity – No

When connecting any bike powered audio device to your Autocom (which is also bike powered) it is highly recommended to use isolated audio cables. These cables feature an inline isolation transformer which prevents interference, ground loops and poor quality sound. Failure to use isolation can potentially damage amplifier circuitry particularly in the case of GPS units.

We supply isolated mono (4035, 4036) and stereo audio cables (4004) as well as the Garmin Zumo 550/660 specific cable 4066

Many motorcycles, BMW, Honda Goldwings, Harleys etc have an onboard sound system. Your Autocom can easily be connected to this using an Isolated Audio Cable 2273 or 2275. These cables are connected into the speaker wires of the bike system. The bike sound system can now be listened to in the Autocom headset. Part 2275 features a switch which allows you to switch between the on-board bike speakers and the Autocom Headset.

Logic: Rider & Passenger Headset: 2116
Superpro Automatic and Pro AVi: Rider( with ANS) : 2110A. Passenger : 2113A
All other 7 pin Models: 2113A

Please Note: The 5 pin Autocom systems are obsolete and discontinued and no spares / accessories are available.

Our Bluetooth module, for connection of GPS and mobile phone, is compatible with all of the 7-pin Autocoms providing:

• The Autocom is bike powered.
• The correct connecting cable must be used between the BTM and the Autocom.
• Some pre-2009 units may require a very simple modification to their circuit board, to remove a 9Vd.c. voltage which is present on Aux 1.

The following units are classed as Pre-2009:

• Easi 7 Advance
• Active 7 Smart
• Pro 7 Sport
• Active Plus*
• Pro-Avi*

*The Active and AVi units may have a 9V voltage on Aux 1. This should be disabled before connecting the BTM-02A – please refer to ‘PowerLink’ Section.
The BTM should be connected to Aux 1 (phone input) using the supplied 3 pole cable BT-201.
The 3 pole plug can be recognised by the 2 black rings on the black plug.

You may have a power link fitted next to Aux 1 on your Autocom circuit board (Active Plus & AVi models). This provides a 9Vdc supply which needs to be disabled. Refer to the Powerlink document. It will show photographically where the link is fitted.

If the link is present then simply cut it with some small wire cutters to disable it. If the link is not fitted then you don’t need to make any modification, just use the BT201 cable as described in the previous section.

Position of the microphone is extremely important. It needs to be centrally placed in front of your mouth and as close as possible to your lips, preferably touching but certainly no more than 5mm away.

This position ensures that you are talking into the ‘loud spot’ of the microphone. The ‘loud spot’ is the area on the microphone where the most volume is produced from your speech, with the least effort. The intercom circuitry has been designed and tuned around this loud spot.

Consider the amount of ambient noise present inside a motorcycle helmet; it really is quite considerable. If your mic is positioned too far away, your voice needs to travel across this area of noise before it reaches the mic. The result will be a poor signal to noise ratio. This will result in difficulty achieving a satisfactory VOX setting and volumes will need to be increased more than necessary, thus amplifying unwanted noise.

With the microphone positioned correctly and the VOX level adjusted, you are set for noise-free communications under all conditions and at all times

If you want the best sound and volume from your speakers, you need to maximise their positioning.

• They should be in line with your ear canal/ear hole. A 5mm(1/4inch) misalignment of the speaker with your ear canal can cause a 50% loss of volume.
• They should be as close as is comfortably possible to your ear canal. Too far away and the soundwaves need to ‘fight’ their way across the ambient noise present inside the helmet thus reducing your perception of volume. We can supply Velcro backed foam speaker pads, part no: 2161 to achieve a closer fit if required.
• Before installing the headset into your helmet, experiment by playing some music through the system and hold the speakers against your ears. By moving them around you will hear the difference between correct and incorrect positioning. You will now know the quality and volume the system is capable of producing.

I only have sound coming through one speaker:

• Check pins in headset or extension lead. There should be 7 straight pins.
• Try a second ‘known good’ headset and/or extension lead to confirm it is definitely a headset problem.
• Possible water ingression of the Autocom unit

I can hear electrical interference through the Headset:

• Unplug everything from the Autocom except for a headset – if the noise disappears, plug your external devices in one by one, until you identify the device which is picking up the interference – then confirm that you have the correct cable for the device.
• Check for ‘airborne’ interference – usually, changing the location/orientation of the Autocom will the remedy the problem in this instance.
• A ticking noise is usually caused by the ignition system – use filtered power cable 2439A
• A buzzing noise increasing with revs is usually caused by the alternator - use filtered power cable 2439A
• 2437 can be used for direct connection to the battery thus bypassing the bike electrical system.

I can hear ambient/wind noise through the headset:

• Ensure mic is positioned correctly. The beige side of microphone should be almost touching your lips (no more than 5mm away)
• Check VOX setting – if this is too sensitive then the microphone will be triggered by ambient noise. Increase the Vox to a less sensitive setting.

Problems with Bike-to-Bike Radios:

• Ensure that you take turns to speak and that you leave 2 seconds between transmissions.
• Ensure both tranceivers (radios) are on the same channel.
• Check cables for damage and their connections to the radio.

Phone/GPS Volume is too quiet:

• Ensure speakers are correctly positioned.
• Adjust volume on the GPS/Phone.

When using the Phone thru a GPS…I can hear caller but they can’t hear me:

• Refer to document ‘Output Level Adjustment’ (Logic & SPA only)