Bluetooth microphone

marpel · March 27, 2012

I have just ordered the OGM1 (through Walt at ADC - excellent experience by the way) and am awaiting it's arrival. Although I am leaning towards the suggested location for the Bluetooth parrot mike, adjacent to the rear-view mirror, I am wondering if others have tried any alternative locations and their experiences (good or bad) with those locations.

As an example, my vehicle (2012 Sierra SLE) has two seemingly meaningless "pockets" either side of the climate controls and was wondering if the mike could be fitted in the one closest to the driver. If it was close enough to the entrance, I wonder if the sound would be degraded or not.

Whatever the eventual location, I want to ensure the placement is unobtrusive, professional looking and appropriately fitted.

Any ideas or thoughts (pictures even, if available) would be appreciated.

Thanks

rpowell911 · April 4, 2012

Don't know just what the overhead console looks like on your truck, but on my 2012 Tahoe, it has the OEM Bluetooth mike located in the left rear corner, behind a small grille. This microphone and grille are present even if you don't have factory Bluetooth.

When I got my OGM-1, I wanted to add the microphone in an unobtrusive place, also. I removed the overhead console, removed and unplugged the OEM Bluetooth mike, and used the small, flat, stick-on pad that comes with the OGM-1 mike to mount the OGM-1 mike in the same place as the OEM Bluetooth mike, facing down and toward the driver.

IF you do this, make sure you have the clearest, shortest path to the radio, as being mounted here, there was not too much extra slack in the OGM-1 mike cable. I ran my cable down the right side A-pillar, then under the defroster tray, along with the GPS antenna cable, to the radio. If I had run it further down the right outboard side of the dash, to the underside of the dash and then behind the glove box, I doubt if it would have reached properly. I did have to remove the assist handle on the right side, so that I could remove the right side of the defroster tray. Took longer to write this than it did to remove and replace the A-pillar trim, though.

Had a Pioneer head unit in my older 2009 Exploder, its microphone mounted at the windshield near the mirror. The new location at least seems (according to the few folks I talk to on the phone...) to have a good bit less wind noise. Of course, that could be due to many variables besides the location of the microphone.

It DOES, however, make the microphone installation completely invisible, which was my original goal, anyway. And, it doesn't seem to adversely affect the performance.

Just sayin'

Rod

wottenad · April 6, 2012

Don't know just what the overhead console looks like on your truck, but on my 2012 Tahoe, it has the OEM Bluetooth mike located in the left rear corner, behind a small grille. This microphone and grille are present even if you don't have factory Bluetooth.

When I got my OGM-1, I wanted to add the microphone in an unobtrusive place, also. I removed the overhead console, removed and unplugged the OEM Bluetooth mike, and used the small, flat, stick-on pad that comes with the OGM-1 mike to mount the OGM-1 mike in the same place as the OEM Bluetooth mike, facing down and toward the driver.

IF you do this, make sure you have the clearest, shortest path to the radio, as being mounted here, there was not too much extra slack in the OGM-1 mike cable. I ran my cable down the right side A-pillar, then under the defroster tray, along with the GPS antenna cable, to the radio. If I had run it further down the right outboard side of the dash, to the underside of the dash and then behind the glove box, I doubt if it would have reached properly. I did have to remove the assist handle on the right side, so that I could remove the right side of the defroster tray. Took longer to write this than it did to remove and replace the A-pillar trim, though.

Had a Pioneer head unit in my older 2009 Exploder, its microphone mounted at the windshield near the mirror. The new location at least seems (according to the few folks I talk to on the phone...) to have a good bit less wind noise. Of course, that could be due to many variables besides the location of the microphone.

It DOES, however, make the microphone installation completely invisible, which was my original goal, anyway. And, it doesn't seem to adversely affect the performance.

Just sayin'

Rod

Ok, now you have me droolin' - pics please!

MikeNH · April 6, 2012

Nice idea but you do lose OnStar communication by doing that unfortunately.

rpowell911 · April 6, 2012

Nice idea but you do lose OnStar communication by doing that unfortunately.

True about hte OnStar, but the PPV Tahoe I have doesn't have OnStar, anyway, so no loss here.

@Walt, I'll try to get some photos this weekend, and post them. Piece of cake, really. Remove the snap-in overhead light lens carefully, remove the two Torx screws, console falls into your hand; then I just stuck the little sticky-pad thingy to a flat spot very close to the left-side open grill (inside) after removing the OEM mike, and snapped the OGM-1 mike onto the little ball. I then zip-tied the cable to something sturdy inside the overhead console (so I wouldn't ham-handedly snatch it out while running the cable), and ran the cableto the right A-pillar, down to the defrost tray, and paralleled it with the GPS antenna cable to the radio. Ta-Dahhh! Invisible microphone.

By the way, Walt, your installation videos were invaluable in the install on my truck. Without your guidance, there's no telling how long I woulda taken trying to get to the GPS antenna mount area, and getting the mike and antenna cables run to the back of the head unit.

I sure hope Advent knows how lucky they are to have someone like you supporting their company.

Camera at home; pics to follow.

marpel · April 7, 2012

Rod,

Unfortunately I ran the wire and placed the mike in the spot just beside the mirror (as in Walt's video) before your reply arrived, as i needed to get things in order quite quickly.

So, my question is - To get to the Bluetooth mike into the Onstar mike location from where it is now and so i don't have to take everything apart again, is the path from the headliner to the overhead console too narrow or restricted to run the mike from where it is now to the Onstar mike location (or did you push through the opposite/jack end of the wire first from the console side)?

On a related note, if anyone is interested, I found the space above the headliner quite large (up to 1/4 inch wide opening in some spots), which allowed the mike cord to slip out if not pushed way in. I happened to have some extra 1/4 inch round foam backer rod handy (used in construction or home handyman stuff to place in wide cracks prior to putting in caulking or grout). The stuff is weatherproof, soft and flexible and fits into the opening perfectly (after placing the wire) and prevents the wire from falling out. Stuff comes in rolls of about 10 feet, I think, and is quite cheap to buy from any DIY store.

Marv

rpowell911 · April 9, 2012

Rod,

Unfortunately I ran the wire and placed the mike in the spot just beside the mirror (as in Walt's video) before your reply arrived, as i needed to get things in order quite quickly.

So, my question is - To get to the Bluetooth mike into the Onstar mike location from where it is now and so i don't have to take everything apart again, is the path from the headliner to the overhead console too narrow or restricted to run the mike from where it is now to the Onstar mike location (or did you push through the opposite/jack end of the wire first from the console side)?

On a related note, if anyone is interested, I found the space above the headliner quite large (up to 1/4 inch wide opening in some spots), which allowed the mike cord to slip out if not pushed way in. I happened to have some extra 1/4 inch round foam backer rod handy (used in construction or home handyman stuff to place in wide cracks prior to putting in caulking or grout). The stuff is weatherproof, soft and flexible and fits into the opening perfectly (after placing the wire) and prevents the wire from falling out. Stuff comes in rolls of about 10 feet, I think, and is quite cheap to buy from any DIY store.

Marv

Marv,

You should have absolytely no problem with running your already-installed mike through the front of the headliner gap into the cavity where the overhead console is mounted. You might need a small amount of slack in the cable (6-12 inches) in order to place the mike at the rear (vehicle rear) of the overhead over the mike grille.

If you have not already removed the overhead console, PLEASE remember to gently remove the reading light lense, then remove the two torx bolts holding it in first, then gently tug on the mounting clips at the front, and it should pop right out. You can unplug the OnStar mike, as it only has about a 6 inch pigtail. It just clips in, also. there are several places you can use a small zip tie to anchor the new mike cable so you don't accidentally pull the mike out of alignment. Mine, when clipped onto the provided sticky pad, and placed properly, points down and to the left, which works great for me when driving and talking on the phone.

Good luck, and let me know if I can help further.

Rod

Doug_Scott · April 9, 2012

Something to keep in mind in regards to mic placement, the higher pitched the sound, the more directional it is. If you put the mic in the pocket next to the climate control, your wife will have to look at it when speaking if she wants to be heard. The lower the frequency, the more non-directional it becomes.

marpel · April 9, 2012

Rod,

Thanks for the info. I am going to give it a try. Although I don't think I have the amount of slack you suggest up in the console area, I think I have sufficient slack left behind the glove box, so it should be easy to get some from there. Certainly far easier than pulling the head unit out again to run the narrower jack end through, as I feared may be required.

doug_scott,

I actually ran some tests, by hand holding the mike at various potential locations in the truck, including those cubby holes and the sound was about the best up near the mirror, so I eventually settled on that location. I did, however, use one of the cubby holes for the medialink outlet (saw a photo of it somewhere on this forum). I just dremelled a hole in the back of the cubby hole while the dash was apart for the head unit instal and screwed it to the ceiling of the cubbyl. Because the hole is up and to the back of the cubby, it's not visible and the outlet placement looks almost like factory install.

Marv