Talking on the Bluetooth and the CB on one Sena headset

I've been wanting to implement Bluetooth bike-to-bike communications from my Goldwing to my son's Versys, he of the adult disdain for the chatter and nonsense of CB radio.

But I don't want to give up my CB. It bugs me if something on my bike doesn't work, and there are rare times when it can really make the difference. Round a bend on a hilltop and find a traffic logjam over the horizon, and all of a sudden that silly Children's Band radio can actually help.

Sena's tech representatives are quick to tell you, though, that a Goldwing pilot can't talk on a CB radio if he has a Bluetooth helmet.

Bluetooth and CB both use RF. They are related. Einstein's Fear of Relatives says you can't talk on the CB if you are talking on Bluetooth. Or something like that.

After dancing a jig around the capabilities of their devices with Sena tech support, I think I see the answer.

I'm ordering a Sena 20S, which I'll install in my helmet. I'll leave the tether on my helmet but take out the hardwired speakers. The speaker leads will get a mini stereo connector to plug into the auxiliary input on the Sena.

So, Goldwing audio out to my Sena speakers via the tether and the aux jack on the 20S.

Goldwing audio in for the CB from the original hardwired mic, down the original tether to the bike.

Bluetooth audio for the cell phone and bike-to-bike via the Sena's mic, also in my helmet.

One set of speakers in the helmet, the Sena speakers, two mics, Bluetooth and hardwired.

If I want to use the CB, the bike's FM, or the bike's iPod control, I'll need to use the tether.

If not, Bluetooth bike-to-bike will still be up.

Yes, I'll still have to use a tether at times. I'll get Bluetooth on my bike for about $500 less than a complete Bluetooth system, and I'll have partially independent volume controls for front and back seat audio - but I think my wife will want her own Bluetooth rig pretty quick.

I think that will work.

Am I crazy?

I think you would need a Sena SR10 on the Goldwing audio and CB and just bypass the bike's Bluetooth. I am planning to get the SR10/20S setup for my CB/Ham setup.

http://www.sena.com/product/sr10/

Good points, Cheez.

I could use the SR10, but it's monaural audio, not stereo, and I think the Sena headset has to be flipped between profiles to switch from intercom/bike-to-bike mode, and SR10 mode to the radio.

That's why I'm thinking of keeping the Goldwing audio via tether. I'll pick up the ability to use Bluetooth bike-to-bike and with my cellphone, I won't have to change profiles to hear Goldwing audio or talk on the CB.

The stock Goldwing setup doesn't have any Bluetooth capability.

I can dig it- do me a favor and post up the solution you wind up implementing- could save me some pain/trouble on my build. Good luck!

I have the SR10/SMH10 and use the SR10 to interface my CB radio (Midland hand held) and GPS to my SMH10, which in turn is connected to my iPhone. Worked great on the Republic of Texas 1000. The only issue is that Sena have been cheap *****e$ when it comes to ground loop isolation so you can either power your radio or your SR10 from the bike's electrical system, but not both unless you isolate one.

I ran the SR10 and my SMH10 off their internal batteries until I got to the 10 hour mark or so and then I ran them of external batteries (New Trent 10,000 mAh for the SR10 and one of those lipstick style 2500 mAh ones in my jacket pocket for the SMH0.

Worked just fine.

Project Frankentooth is a raging success so far - just don't tell Sena what I've done. I think I'm violating their company policies.

I called Sena back with a question about what level their Aux input needed and told the Sena rep if I'd known how I could use the hardwired Aux jack I would have bought their stuff weeks ago. He said that Sena's policy is to discourage any use of wires. I told him that as nice as he and everyone else I'd spoken with was, Sena's management is daft.

To recap, I had tethered, hard-wired audio between my helmet and my Goldwing. I cut the speaker wires, pulled the hardwired speakers, slid the tether mount back an inch and mounted a Sena 20S a little forward of where most folks would put it - but it's still handy.

I velcroed the Sena button mic front and center inside my full-face Shoei GT Air. It works great.

The Sena clamps over the boom of my old tethered/hardwired mic, which rides just below the Sena button mic. That mic remains connected via tether to my bike, just like it always did.

The wire stubs from the old tether clamp assembly got soldered on to a 2.5 mm stereo plug - tip is left channel, ring is right, and sleeve is common (the shield). I have about two inches of wire between the new stereo plug and the tether clamp assembly.

I used selective pairing to pair my phone as phone-only, and my iPod as music-only. This may not be optimal, because I only have Sena voice commands over music. I can't send a voice command all the way through for the iPod's interpretation.

I can turn music on and off, but there's not much other control over the iPod. Control of the phone is pretty complete, but Sena speed dial doesn't work - the phone's speed dial works fine, though, so I have full voice-control access to my phone's contact list. Confusing, isn't it?

Curiously, if I plug something into the Aux jack on the Sena 20S, it disables music via Bluetooth. So, for normal, untethered operations, I unplug the Aux input and tuck the plug up under the Sena to keep my little patch cord out of the way.

If I want to use the bike's intercom (wife's helmet isn't Bluetooth yet) or the CB, I tether up and plug my new 2.5 mm connector into the Sena.

Either way I have pretty full use of the phone, can listen to my iPod, bike-to-bike comm, and when tethered I add use of the CB and the bike's iPod USB interface.

I am satisfied with the hook-up. Actually, even Sena grudgingly suggests it will work.

In one of my calls to Sena, I asked if I could put a remote mic for my voice recorder in my helmet to record and listen to the voice recorder's playback via the Sena's Aux port. Sena's techs liked that idea - oh, yes, absolutely, that will work GREAT.

Well, darn it, I continued, I just looked and the mic cable I've got isn't plugged into a voice recorder, my extra mic is plugged into a CB radio - and the headphone source I've got plugged into the Sena is getting fed from a CB radio, not the voice recorder like I thought. It should still work, right? I can listen and talk on the CB this way, right?

And the Sena guy followed the script like he's supposed to and told me it wouldn't.

Except, of course, it does.

So, that's how I did it. No Bluetooth on the bike. Goldwing audio via the tether, using the Sena's speakers by way of the Sena's aux jack, mic audio for the CB and the bike's intercom via a second, hardwired mic.

One Sena 20S for the helmet, no wiring harness, no Bluetooth "headset" for the bike, no second SR10 to talk on the CB. I sometimes use a tether. I saved $500 or thereabouts, and I don't have to switch Bluetooth modes to use the CB.

I might be better off pairing my iPod as a second phone, but there's a problem. Sena's documentation is clear how to pair a second phone, but completely silent on how to use a second phone. I have no idea how to select which phone gets voice commands.

But that's for future experimentation. Now it's time to go riding!

A little more info, from email from Sena, regarding the 20S. I had called asking about pairing a phone and an iPod both to the Sena, and if there was a way to select which device got voice commands:


Note that if you're pairing with other Sena headsets, you don't use Universal Pairing/HFP#2. Senas talk to Senas outside of the three standard Bluetooth connections.

It might seem confusing, but it's not really so bad.

In the general case, entering phone pairing is very simple per instructions with the unit. Pairing for intercom with another Sena is pretty easy, too. Just put one in each hand and shake them vigorously.

Overall, I'm happy. If you can stand a tether for Goldwing audio functions, such as USB control of an iPod, the CB Radio, or the bike's CD player, a tethered mic and the Sena's Aux jack will do the trick.

Otherwise, stick with modern times and all Bluetooth connections and it works pretty well.