Audio & Video Tech General discussion of audio and video for the Ford Ranger.

Bluetooth integration with factory radio

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Old 01-01-2010
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Bluetooth integration with factory radio

I have the pioneer 6 CD changer factory radio and want to add bluetooth to it because of the new hands free phone law in Oregon. I am not sure if there is anything that will work with my factory radio and have looked around a bit. I dont want to spend more than $100 since I could get a whole new deck for a little more than that. What have you guys done to get bluetooth in your truck? Are there any RCA jacks or aux inputs on the back of the factory radio?

If there is no way to add it to the factory radio for a reasonable price what aftermarket decks are you guys using to get bluetooth and how much are they?
 
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Old 01-01-2010
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I've heard good things about the Parrot kits, supposed to be top of the line.

Amazon.com: Parrot Evolution Bluetooth Car Kit: Electronics

My mom has a cheap one she got at Costco, it works ok. I wouldn't bother putting it in mine though
 
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Old 01-01-2010
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Parrot is the only way to go.
 
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Old 01-01-2010
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Originally Posted by 04blackedge
I've heard good things about the Parrot kits, supposed to be top of the line.

Amazon.com: Parrot Evolution Bluetooth Car Kit: Electronics

My mom has a cheap one she got at Costco, it works ok. I wouldn't bother putting it in mine though
So with this parrot there is nothing else to buy? Can you mount it anywhere (out of sight)? How does it connect to the radio, I don't see any wires in the pictures?


What do you guys think about this?
 

Last edited by Woods-Rider; 01-01-2010 at 01:47 PM.
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Old 01-01-2010
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Are you serious lol. Look at the website, its cheap china junk.
 
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Old 01-01-2010
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With the Parrot you buy the module and the wire harness you need. You can mount everything under the dash, except for the controller that has the caller ID answer and hang up, and volume on it.

And don't buy crap, its just a waste of money.
 
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Old 01-01-2010
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So you don't control the phone volume with the factory volume **** on the radio with the parrot system?

Check this.
 
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Old 01-01-2010
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LOL!!! im not tryin to be a goober here...but people have suggested the best thing you can buy and you keep lookin at the cheap double dins that will crap out in a mth or so. If thats what you want get it....lol!! I've heard several great thing about the parrot and im lookin into gettin one myself. If your lookin to keep your cost down and have something that is quality and works i would suggest the parrot.
 
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Old 01-01-2010
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That last link is a kenwood nav, thought those were supposed to be good.

All the reviews for that parrot on amazon say they suck with road noise which i have a lot of.

Have you guys heard anything about Boss? Found this at costco. I think I might go pick it up and see how i like it since they have an awesome return policy.
 

Last edited by Woods-Rider; 01-01-2010 at 06:09 PM.
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Old 01-01-2010
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Jupiter Jack! Jupiter Jack!
 
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Old 01-01-2010
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WTF is that?
 
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Old 01-01-2010
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Eh it looks ok, they do have a great repair policy. This is what my mom has:

Costco - Hot Buy VR3 Bluetooth® Speaker Phone

It works decently, can hear and talk fine. Its not the prettiest though
 
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Old 01-01-2010
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if youd rather invest in a new deck over that parot thing, you dont necessarily need to go dbl din. there is lots of nice aftermarket decks from pioneer, sony and many others that support bluetooth. we also have the new hands free law where im at, everyone is looking into all this fancy stuff for their vehicle, why's no one just getting bluetooth ear pieces??
 
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Old 01-02-2010
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Old 01-02-2010
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i just live in a state that doesnt have any sh!tty hands free laws! thats what i use

lol but really, my aunt in california has some 40 dollar thing that is a speaker phone that mounts on your visor or something and it connects to your phone via bluetooth. its pretty loud and displays who's calling you on the little screen it has. i dont think it would work for me because my truck is too loud inside with the tires and exhaust drone and whatnot.

not sure what your setup is though. good luck!
 
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Old 01-02-2010
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I'm gonna buy the Jupiter Jack just because Billy Mays said it's great.
 
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Old 01-02-2010
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I dont like the looks of single din units which is why I'm looking at doubles. I really want it integrated into my stereo so it automatically mutes it when I get a call. I do have a lot of road noise in my truck so I don't think some of those clip on bluetooth units will work for me. Most of their reviews say they work as long as the road noise is low. I also want something I can hook my iPod up to, I'm so tired of the crappy FM transmitter. I dont want the ear piece because I don't want to have to hook anything up to make or receive calls every time (kinda defeats the purpose of hands free IMO)
 
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Pioneer F700BT. Looks good, and has the bluetooth feature. It copies all of your contacts to the headunit too when you get in the truck. Mutes the music/movie when you get a call. If my truck was driven far enough everyday I would get the mic for it.
 
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Old 01-02-2010
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^^
That does look nice, but it's more than I can justify spending (especially since I need two, one for each car)
 

Last edited by Woods-Rider; 01-02-2010 at 02:50 PM.
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I really wouldn't go with anything cheaper than that, anything less will be a cheap brand.
 
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Old 01-03-2010
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Guess I am getting a cheap brand then. Can't justify spending as much on a radio as some people do on a whole car lol. I ordered that Boss unit from costco in one of my previous posts and costco has an excellent return policy so I'm gonna give it a try. My only problem is that I cant find an install kit for the 04 outback that will work with a double din.
 
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Old 01-11-2010
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So I got that radio and installed it. I was not real happy with how it integrated into my system. I have the stock sub in the center console and the sub out on the deck is an RCA which apparently only put out mA whch is not enough for the stock sub and amp so I have to use a rear speaker out to get my sub to work. Also the system is only 80W while my stock system is 290W (or does "Output power: 80W x 4 channels" mean 320W?). It just doesnt sound as clear as my stock HU. I'm not necessarily going to get a different one because I dont want to spend more that $200 on a HU, but is there any way to make the sub out on this HU output more amps so that I can hook my sub up to it? Would amping the system help the sound quality or is that not a very money efficient way of going about it?
 

Last edited by Woods-Rider; 01-11-2010 at 10:42 AM.
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Old 01-11-2010
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Chrysler's UConnect works on any make and model radio you just hook into the wires it tells you to and your good to go
 
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Old 01-11-2010
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What is the UConnect for, the sub?
 
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Old 01-11-2010
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Nah its for bluetooth on your cell phone
 

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