Viewing 27 posts - 1 through 27 (of 27 total)
  • Bluetooth handfrees car radio help for an idiot
  • timbur
    Free Member

    Morning all,
    I need a bluetooth car radio that’ll make my phone work legally.
    Nothing fancy but it would be good to be able to bluetooth music as well as calls without any wires hanging out the dash.
    Looking at a Pioneer MVH-390BT from Halfords. Any help appreciated on that.
    The car car take 1 or 2 din if anyone has any recommendations.
    I won’t be on the phone much but it’s useful to have it once in a while.
    No need for CD.
    iPhone compatable.
    Prat proof.
    Help :O)
    Thanks
    Tim

    weeksy
    Full Member

    I bought a £15 thing from Halfords that goes on your visor… it worked realy really well.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    I just bought a £13 plug in device for my daughters phone/car.

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01EV4SS5Y/

    Teamed with one of these
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B014GZ27S2

    LOLs at weeksy. We’re obviously not playing the STW game properly 😆

    timbur
    Free Member

    What sort of madness is this?
    Handsfree and streams music?
    £13-15?
    Link?

    timbur
    Free Member

    Mmm, I’ll need to charge it = cable
    Would prefer a one box solution.

    iamanobody
    Free Member

    are there enough empty fm frequencies to make that useable?

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    You’ll need a cable running from the phone to your power socket. Don’t you have that already or is there some sort of ICE device you can slide your phone into?

    If you’re not covering the whole of the UK every day, it shouldn’t be a problem

    http://www.frequencyfinder.org.uk/FM_Stations.pdf

    timbur
    Free Member

    My phone lasts the day so I don’t tend to charge it in the car.
    Bluetooth is clean and tidy and I like less for me to balls up.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    Will it still last all day if you’re playing music and streaming it over Bluetooth though 😉

    timbur
    Free Member

    I work locally and don’t do many miles. Little self employed gardener so it won’t take a hammering.
    Come on people. found a cheaper Kenwood now. Looks OK for me.
    Do I really have to go into Halfords and talk to the spotty geek in the ICE department?

    just5minutes
    Free Member

    Nothing fancy but it would be good to be able to bluetooth music as well as calls without any wires hanging out the dash.

    As no-one else has said it, the evidence is that making handsfree calls whilst driving results in as significant impairment to driver awareness and reaction times – similar to that whilst driving drunk:

    Driver reaction times are 30% slower while using a hands-free phone than driving with a blood alcohol level of 80mg alcohol per 100ml blood (the current limit in England and Wales), and nearly 50% slower than driving under normal conditions.

    To the OP, why would you want to risk harming your own life, or those of other people in the car, or other vulnerable road users (cyclists like us!) all for the sake of waiting a few minutes and calling when the car is stationary?

    http://www.brake.org.uk/media-centre/1582-yet-more-evidence-to-support-brake-s-calls-to-ban-dangerous-hands-free-phones-in-vehicles

    iamanobody
    Free Member

    Hmm jumping on the back of this – what stereo unit will fit (and allow use of the steering wheel volume etc) my 2005 V70 to allow phone connection/hands free?
    My Jabra drive arrived last week and is great for calls but always up for more seamless options 🙂

    captmorgan
    Free Member

    Can’t help with specific models but all the Bluetooth connections I’ve used haven’t allowed you to browse albums, playlists etc these have to be selected on the phone, which puts you at risk of the laws for use of a phone in a car.

    The wired connections have allowed browsing of the media from the head unit and therefore eminently more useable.

    jam-bo
    Full Member

    The wired connections have allowed browsing of the media from the head unit and therefore eminently more useable.

    how is that any less distracting>?

    captmorgan
    Free Member

    The wired connections have allowed browsing of the media from the head unit and therefore eminently more useable.

    how is that any less distracting>?

    Where did I comment on the level of distraction? I believe that I covered the legal aspect did I not.

    Do you not change radio / cd settings while behind the wheel?

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    I thought this had all been cleared up and that, legally, there was no problem touching a phone as long as you weren’t holding it?

    Anyway – has no one heard of voice commands?

    khani
    Free Member

    A pioneer DEH-X8700BT, it’s got a connection for steering wheel control with Bluetooth phone and music and a usb lead for charging stuff plus voice control for making calls, fitted one in mine and it’s been great, mine was about £130ish from Halfords with BC 10% discount,
    I fitted it myself but it’s got a separate mic (included) and DAB arial (that you have to buy separately for a tenner) or they fit for an extra £30
    They do a cheaper non CD player version as well

    just5minutes
    Free Member

    The wired connections have allowed browsing of the media from the head unit and therefore eminently more useable.

    The level of distraction is just the same – the driver still has to take their eyes off the road long enough to cause an accident.

    [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=sUYyDiyx8AU[/video]

    juanghia
    Free Member

    What Just5minutes said.

    If you can’t drive for an hour or two without calling someone or having someone calling you then you need help not a handsfree mega steering wheel blue toothed up, multimedia interactive car.

    captmorgan
    Free Member

    Can anyone point me to the research that proves that operating audio via the head unit is the same as drink driving or operating a handheld mobile phone?

    I assume that no one here looks at there sat nav screen or changes volume, radio station or cd while driving?

    amatuer
    Full Member

    I have something similar to this parrot
    Use it mostly for listening to music either Bluetooth from my phone or pre-loaded on a Sd card.

    V8_shin_print
    Free Member

    I have a Pioneer MVH-X560BT but looks very similar in ability. It’s very flexible in what it can do, here are some of the ways in can connect for music:
    1. aux in
    2. BT (app setup to start playing when connection detected)
    3. USB stick out of sight (useful if i forget my phone)
    4. USB stick in the front (not used yet)

    To answer a call you just press the big button when the phone is ringing.

    It came with a mic on a wire and sound quality is good even in a noisy car. It was very easy to fit due to it only being about 100mm deep. My one and only bug bear is it forgets all the settings when the battery is disconnected. Not just the time, but everything – setup, phones, display colour, etc. Apart from that it’s been perfect for the occasional use it gets.

    email in profile if you have any specific questions.

    timbur
    Free Member

    Kenwood bought, fitted and doing what I want it to do. £55 bargain in my world.
    Thanks for those that helped.
    No one died between purchase, fitting or trial run.

    captmorgan
    Free Member

    jam bo – Member
    how is that any less distracting>?

    just5minutes – Member
    The level of distraction is just the same – the driver still has to take their eyes off the road long enough to cause an accident.

    juanghia – Member
    What Just5minutes said.

    If you can’t drive for an hour or two without calling someone or having someone calling you then you need help not a handsfree mega steering wheel blue toothed up, multimedia interactive car.

    captmorgan – Member
    Where did I comment on the level of distraction? I believe that I covered the legal aspect did I not.

    Do you not change radio / cd settings while behind the wheel?

    captmorgan – Member
    Can anyone point me to the research that proves that operating audio via the head unit is the same as drink driving or operating a handheld mobile phone?

    I assume that no one here looks at there sat nav screen or changes volume, radio station or cd while driving?

    No rush gents…

    martymac
    Full Member

    While i agree in principal about the level of distraction using a phone in the car, the argument about taking your hands off the wheel is not really relevant, unless your car has auto lights, wipers and gearbox etc.
    Its the fact that your mind isn’t on the driving that’s the problem, i do 130k miles a year ( coach driver) and its quite easy to spot a driver who is distracted (whether its a phone call, talking to passenger, fumbling in handbag or whatever)
    Btw, im certainly not claiming to be any kind of driving god, but i do pay attention to the road and surrounding environment, thats the main thing imo.
    Anyway, back to the OP, i may be a little late (typical bus driver etc) , but my wife had a Bluetooth head unit in her previous car, a sony one, it was around £70, worked well, if i was buying another id say go for one with a separate mic, they sound better at the other end of the call.

    scaredypants
    Full Member

    captmorgan – Member
    Can anyone point me to the research that proves that operating audio

    captmorgan – Member. browsing of the media

    via the head unit is the same as drink driving or operating a handheld mobile phone?[/quote]
    Sorry, no. 🙁
    Nor can I supply evidence that embracing stupid actions just bevause they’re not explicitly illegal is a cock’s trick – you could try the annals of the bleeding obvious, I guess

    captmorgan
    Free Member

    So scaredypants

    No sat nav in your car?
    Changing radio station is selecting media, don’t do that?
    Adjusting the heating, don’t do that either?

    I think though I didn’t expressly say it that it is safer to operate the phone via a head unit, removing the temptation that many people have to fiddle with them while driving, by using a hardwired connection. removing the risk of prosecution and reducing the chance of distraction.

    But crack on with the holier than thou attitude, it rocks.

Viewing 27 posts - 1 through 27 (of 27 total)

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