Autocom can't hear Escort

[Albert]

I have an Autocom Active plus on my RT and am trying to connect the sound from my Escort 8500 radar detector without success. Escort's output is mono and I have the Autocom isolator (part 1285) which has both mono and stereo inputs. If I connect the Escort to the 1285 mono input and connect that to Aux3 on the unit I get nothing. If I try to go directly into Aux 3 I get nothing. If I hook a headset up to the Escort directly I do get sound from one ear piece (which I assume is correct). I don't really know what to look for next. Any help is much appreciated.

 

As background I have my cell phone in Aux1, my iPod in Aux2 and want to use the 1285 isolator in Aux3 with gps on the stereo side and the Escort on the mono side.

[FlyingFinn]

Albert,

 

That setup sounds correct, 1285 in Aux3 is the correct way to add one mono and one stereo audio source to Active Plus.

Something's not working right.

 

Can you try this.

Connect the 1285 to Aux3, then your iPod to port-A of the 1285.

Do you get sound? How about when using port-B?

 

--

Mikko

[Albert]

Thanks Mikko, that sounds like a good test. Another thing I found in searching the web is that a number of people have found that the mono plug in the Escort needs to be pulled very slightly out before contact is made. I'm going to try that too. Thanks again.

[markgoodrich]

Albert, I just went through this exercise. Did you buy MONO cord to go from the Escort to the Autocom? Gotta have it. Then you need a mono-to-stereo converter plug thingie, female on one end, which the mono cord plugs into, then the male end of the converter goes into the isolator. Bryan McGuire at McGuire Distributors (Autocom distributor in NY) had to modify the isolator for me. Call him.

[Albert]

Thanks Mark,

I bought a mono cord from Radio Shack. Do you mean there's a "special" mono cord from Escort or Autocom that I need? The 1285 isolator from Autocom has 2 inputs (one stereo and one mono), and a single output that plugs into the Autocom. Thanks for the heads up, if I can't get this working I'll give Brian a call.

[94aero]

Should work!

[Albert]

Quick update on this. I did find an odd fix for the problem. It turns out if I reverse the connections to the 1285 the units work. The Autocom doc for the 1285 indicates jack A is stereo and B is mono. Hooking the Garmin to A and Escort to B results in no sound. Reversing this I get both to works. Perhaps it's a typo, but it works now anyway.