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Autocom no workie w/Passport 8500. Help!


STL RT Rider

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STL RT Rider

I have a Pro 7 Sport and cannot get the alert sounds to come through. I have a Garmin 378 w/XM that is connected to the "music" input and can hear it just fine.

 

I've connected the Passport to "Aux". I talked to the Autocom folks and they were very friendly and helpful, but no solution. They want me to buy their "interface cord" for $47, but I can't for the life of me understand why the one I have now won't work. BTW, it does work when I switch the lead to the XM, so I know both cords and both inputs work.

 

Now, the one suggestion they made is that I need to have a mono plug on the Passport (these are all 3.5mm audio plugs) so I did that by adding a Radio Shack adapter. I've tested the Passport earjack with a set of headphones, and it does put out plenty of alert volume. However, even with the adapter, no Passport comes through the Autocom. It does, oddly enough, mute the music when you turn it on, but no sound comes through as the Passport cycles through it's start up sequence.

 

I'm at a total loss now and am about ready to chuck this Autocom unless someone has any idea on how to get this working.

 

Thanks in advance for your consideration of my problem!

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Frustrating as hell, isn't it?

 

Read this: http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/881609/page/0/fpart/1/vc/1

 

Might be a clue in there for you. Pay attention to who the Autocom smart people are in there. Note that I am not on that list.

 

I suspect there's some grounding issue with plugging the Passport in direct, hence the isolated lead. Note in my thread that testing my V1 with headphones was NOT a good test since the Autocom looks totally different to the driver circuitry in the radar detector than headphones do. Are they suggesting the 1566.1 or the 1567.1?

 

Also note that once I got solid advice on which Autocom boxes to buy, my setup worked.

 

ps: the fact that it's muting but not passing audio sounds an awful lot like when my GPS was making a single "tick" sound and then not speaking to me - something incompatible the way you've plugged stuff in.

 

GOod luck. My local dealer was very good about swapping parts out for me even though they were electrical parts I had used - check w/ your dealer if the suggested isolator box doesn't solve your woes, see if you can return it.

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STL RT Rider
Frustrating as hell, isn't it?

 

Yes, it is. Thanks for the lead into the other thread Fugu. I searched but somehow didn't see it.

 

So I suspect the issue may be the same with the Passport, but I still don't see how Autocom's "special cable" is going to be any better than the one I have on there now. The Autocom tech said it is shielded and mono to stereo, but the cables I have on there now are Autocom's and are shielded, so what gives? Seems like it needs some kind of adapter that will convert the signal from the driver.

 

He did say I could return the cable if it doesn't work, so I guess I'll order it and see what happens. I can't think of anything else to do.

 

Edit; I think I get it now. I just ordered the cord which is an "isolated" lead with the little red box. Magic box I guess. Better be for $47 bucks. crazy.gif

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I still don't see how Autocom's "special cable" is going to be any better than the one I have on there now.

 

The $47 part he's referencing isn't just a cord (their plain cords are good quality and $7-$10). It's a black box that is an isolator - I'm guessing here based on my experiences but it probably isolates the audio circuit so the chip amp in the detector doesn't think it's being shorted when plugged into the Autocom.

 

Go to www.Autocomamerica.com and search for "passport" and you'll see the two $47 adapters I mentioned- one if you will use a phone input, one if you will use an audio input.

 

So it's not that it's a mono to stereo adapter, it's the isolation (which is probably a very simple circuit with $5 worth of parts, but it's the knowhow and testing you are paying for)

 

EDIT: just saw you found the magic box... It will be worth the dough the first time you ride it with everything working.

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I have the same issue with my SP3 and Pro 7 Sport. Have an Autocom cable, but it just wasn't the right formulation. I've called (voice mail) Motovan the Canadian distributor (and emailed) but no reply yet. I've had better success with emiling UK Autocom. They responded that I needed a different 'special' cable interface. But my local (Motovan) distributor is not answering my attempts at contact dopeslap.gif Managed to talk to a local Yamaha dealer and since they deal with Motovan, they will try to get the cable I need from Motovan. I hope soon as I was planning a long trip with my wife on some back roads next week. We'll see if we have to lug maps around. tongue.gif

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Try not plugging the 8500 cable all the way into the autocom. Mine works best pulled out a little; probably lifts the ground.

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Frustrating as hell, isn't it?

 

Yes, it is. Thanks for the lead into the other thread Fugu. I searched but somehow didn't see it.

 

So I suspect the issue may be the same with the Passport, but I still don't see how Autocom's "special cable" is going to be any better than the one I have on there now. The Autocom tech said it is shielded and mono to stereo, but the cables I have on there now are Autocom's and are shielded, so what gives? Seems like it needs some kind of adapter that will convert the signal from the driver.

 

He did say I could return the cable if it doesn't work, so I guess I'll order it and see what happens. I can't think of anything else to do.

 

Edit; I think I get it now. I just ordered the cord which is an "isolated" lead with the little red box. Magic box I guess. Better be for $47 bucks. crazy.gif

 

Steve, if you have any other problems, you can always call me at Brown Motor Works (909) 629-2132. I'm usually available to discuss Autocom configurations and to help people make sure they have the right cable, connecting the correct accessory to the proper Aux port.

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STL RT Rider

Steve, if you have any other problems, you can always call me at Brown Motor Works (909) 629-2132. I'm usually available to discuss Autocom configurations and to help people make sure they have the right cable, connecting the correct accessory to the proper Aux port.

 

Thanks Fernando! I may be calling you because the next trick is to get a Kenwood 3101 hooked into this thing.

 

BTW, seen you on the FJR board and learned of your slick tank bag setup for yours. I'd really like to do the same, so I can move this back and forth from the GS to the FJR. Right now I'm leaving it this way for the trip to the MOA National and some other GS trips I have planned, but eventually it will need to serve both bikes.

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