Satellite Radio and J&M and Zumo 550

[kdoddrell]

OK, this is probably lazy because I am sure there are other threads on this.

 

After only 3 years I have finally got the BMW branded J&M system working perfectly and now it is time for the last farkle (one more to see the last of the winter through!) and add satellite radio to the Zumo/BMW/J&M setup.

 

What do I need, oh wise ones, and any additional advise.

 

Cheers

 

 

[OoPEZoO]

Do you have one of the Zumo's with the built in Sat Radio receiver or are you looking to use a separate radio module?

[kdoddrell]

Zumo 550. I think I need the GXM 30 aerial, but it is how to connect it to the J&M that I want to ensure I get the right cable etc.

[LeftCoastMan]

Yes you need the GXM 30 antenna. It's plug and play (although you have to get the subscription from XM). It has a Mini-USB cable that plugs into the 550 bracket and is then covered by the GPS unit itself.

 

Now, your only issue is mounting the antenna. It has to be mounted horizontal. If you mount it vertical, you can get a signal, but if you're pointed north, you might lose the signal.

 

I mounted my 550 plus GXM30 using the RAM-XM30BRK mount which attaches to any RAM mount. I actually connected mine to the clutch reservoir cover. You can then screw the antenna into the plate, making it almost impossible to lose or get stolen.

 

 

[kdoddrell]

OK, cool - got that. What cable do I get to plug the Zumo into the J&M (BMW branded). Will the XM music be stereo or mono?

 

Thanks

[OoPEZoO]

Duh, I missed the 550 part of your subject line .

 

All you need to add Sat Radio to the 550 is the GXM30 antenna and a call to activate the service.

 

Is your 550 currently connected to the J&M system? If so, then you shouldn't need anything. The audio should come through the headsets just like normal. If your 550 is not connected to the system yet, then you need the JCB03-CFRG-D ($369.99) integration harness, and the Zumo 550 specific CFRG-D-CA02 ($39.99) harness as well.

 

Its stupid expensive, but thats the only way to get full function out of everything. The JCB03-CFRG-D harness also give you the option to later add a FRS radio, cell phone connection, and radar detector. The other option is to just connect the audio out of your Zumo to the line in jack of the J&M system. That should allow you to hear any audio coming from the Zumo, but wouldn't allow you to communicate through it at all.

 

The Sat radio signal is in Stereo, and comes through just under CD quality sound. Its not perfect, but while on the bike it sounds just as good as anything else you will listen to.

[kdoddrell]

Yes, I was hoping to avoid the cost of the integration harness (and I must confess a potential new drama, as it has only taken me 3 years to get the J&M CB working properly, so don't feel like having the whole bike pulled to pieces again). Now I am sitting here thinking that I might as well get the whole thing done properly.

 

Is the audio out from the Zumo 550 in stereo? When I plugged headphones into the audio out of the Zumo 550 I had to move the plug as though it was in mono in order to get sound in both ears?

 

If I decide to go audio out from Zumo to J&M, is there a cable to buy that works?

 

My brain is sore...

[OoPEZoO]

I am not familiar with the specific connections on the Zumo 550. I'm still living in the Garmin 2610 stone age. According to what I am reading though, it looks to me like the Zumo 550 has only one actual audio connection on the unit. Which is a headphone/line out connection, but it doesn't say wether or not it is stereo/mono. The cradle on the other hand has two. Onee is a standard 3.5mm 3-conductor plug for stereo audio out (which has to be stereo), and the other is a standard 2.5mm 2-conductor plug for a microphone in (which has to be mono).

 

I'm going out on a limb here because I don't know how you are doing this, but.......I think the connection you want is actually on the Zumo cradle, NOT the actual unit. So are you connecting head phone directly to the unit, or putting the unit in the cradle and plugging headphones into the cradle? I'll bet, that if you put the Zumo in the cradle, and plug your headphones into the audio line out jack of the cradle.......you should have stereo sound from the Zumo. You can then replace the headphones with the "line in" connection from the J&M system and you should be able to hear music from the Zumo in stereo through your headsets. I believe (and I could be wrong) that all spoken directions/voice and such comming from the Zumo, come through in mono. Only music will come through in stereo.

 

Make sense?

 

Edit: If you decide to do the audio out straight to the J&M system.......the line in cable should have been included with your system. It should have a square connector on one end with a male headphone jack connection on the other. Its the cable you see here in the bottom right

 

[LeftCoastMan]

Yes, I was hoping to avoid the cost of the integration harness (and I must confess a potential new drama, as it has only taken me 3 years to get the J&M CB working properly, so don't feel like having the whole bike pulled to pieces again). Now I am sitting here thinking that I might as well get the whole thing done properly.

 

Is the audio out from the Zumo 550 in stereo? When I plugged headphones into the audio out of the Zumo 550 I had to move the plug as though it was in mono in order to get sound in both ears?

 

If I decide to go audio out from Zumo to J&M, is there a cable to buy that works?

 

My brain is sore...

 

On my 550 the audio out is definitely stereo and not mono. However, I have found that older earbuds don't work so well. Or wiring is bad on your headset.

[kdoddrell]

Thanks guys. OK, just snuck out to the garage and tested the audio out on the cradle with a different set of headphones. Perfect stereo sound.

 

Now I notice that the dealer has used a mono plug for the audio line between the Zump and the J&M. Maybe that is why it does not work. I may need to replace that with the stereo cable that Keith has highlighted in the photo, but I do not have that one.

 

Looks like I need to find one of those cables, and get under the tupperware to where the dealer has plugged it in.

 

Thanks for the help.

[kdoddrell]

OK, just had emails back from Diana at Sierra Electronics and this is the cable to get stereo from Zumo to J&M.

 

http://www.sierra-mc.com/proddetail.asp?prod=JM%2DJCB03%2DRWC

 

Will install this weekend and see what happens.

[OoPEZoO]

Hold on a minute......

 

So let me get this straight. The dealer already has an audio cable connecting the line out from the cradle, to the line in on the J&M system? And that cable is a Mono cable?

 

I don't know much about the Zumo 550, but I know those J&M systems pretty well. You CAN'T get a mono "line in" cable from J&M, and a dealer wouldn't have the capability to do anything custom. So if the dealer put one in, I'll bet it is just an extension audio cable (male on one end, female on the other) that goes from the original stereo connection, through the mono extension cable, and over to the cradle......hence screwing up your stereo sound. Trace that mono cable connection from the cradle back into the bike. I'm pretty sure you will find that you already have the proper connection back there somewhere.

 

 

[kdoddrell]

Keith, I am sure you are right. When I look at the manual that came with the unit, there are 3 cables, a Navigator harness (mono), a stereo cable (stereo), and a cable called an AWD harness (mono).

 

The cable that they connected to the Zumo cradle is also the smaller mono plug. They put in an adapter (mono) to make it fit the cradle. It will not be until the weekend when I pull the tupperware off that I will see the conclusion to the mystery. And hopefully hear the conclusion as well!!

 

Right now, BTW, when I turn the aux volume up on the J&M all I get is a lot of noise, so I hope that is not a new problem somewhere.

 

I must confess to being a bit wary. I tour with a Harley rider and for the last 3 years he has given me grief about the CB (It took ages to get the aerial tuned to work properly) and it is finally very good. So don't want to ruin things now!

 

In fact I have time to pull it down on Thursday so will post the latest.

 

cheers

[OoPEZoO]

Really? Wow, I had mine tuned perfectly in about 2 minutes using my trusty SWR meter from radio shack. I use the CB almost every day on my daily commute, and it has always worked flawlessly.

 

I think the biggest problem with these J&M systems is that the dealers that install them don't have anyone around that is "teckno geeky" enough to get them working correctly. Its unfotunate, because the system gets a bad reputation when its really due to poor installation.

 

Are your instructions the same as you can download here? CLICK ME

Look at page 3. If you have more cables than that......you might already have that expensive add on harness that allows FRS and Radar signals. The more we get into this, the more I am thinking that you are just becoming the victim of a dealership trying to do work that they are not capable of. I'm definitely interested in what you find once you get teh plastic off. Either way, we'll get you all fixed up.

[kdoddrell]

My instructions are different. There are extra cables.

 

Anyhow, I took all the Tupperware off and found a stereo cable plugged into the J&M plug and going nowhere!! Then the mono plug plugged into the Zumo, I have no idea what that was connected to. I think they just hooked to something knowing it wouldn't work.

 

Found some pretty dodgy power wiring to the Zumo as well. So hooked up the stereo cable to the Zumo and perfect music from the Zumo through my J&M headphones in pure stereo. Awesome.

 

Next stage: Took delivery of the GXM 30 XM radio reciever and plugged it into the Zumo cradle. Now I can't get the XM menu on the Zumo. I press the music and then press the source button several times but it only goes between the music on the Zumo and audio books and then back to music again.

 

I think I have learnt my lesson to do everthing myself from now on, even if it takes a while to study it and do it. Feel pretty good about getting all the tupperware off for the first time.

 

Hope there is no screws left at the end.

 

 

[OoPEZoO]

I'll bet you already have that expensive add on harness then, and I'll bet that mono cable goes into the microphone in jack on your Zumo dock. You might also find that it includes the other part of the harness that will allow you to add a FRS radio, cell phone, and radar detector. I keep wanting to add a radar detector, but that stupid expensive harness is the only thing holding me up from intergrating one in. I can't justify spending more on the integration harness than I would on a top notch radar detector. Either way, glad you found out it was just a connection error on the dealers part.

 

I can't help you much with the actual Zumo/XM interface. Only thing I know is what I found from downloading the Zumo550 manual from the Garmin website. Page 33 just says to plug the antenna into the unit, and make sure unit is running off of an external power source (ie....not the internal battery). Other than that, you will also need to call Sirius/XM and have a subscription activated.

 

Maybe someone else can chime in on how its all supposed to work. It might do something goofy like disabling the option if there is no active subscription, or if it is running off the internal batteries. Beats me, but I'm sure someone around here has the right answer.