More electronical weirdness--solved??

[Bob]

1) On the last ride, my iphone started playing music every time I keyed the mic--well after I released the PTT that is. Either Pandora or MP3's whichever was the current app of choice for music. I was having to press-hold the jog dial on the sena to stop the music after every radio transmission. Driving me nuts.

2) THEN--after stopping for a break I noticed that every time I pushed the PTT and released it, I heard this beep, the same sound the iphone makes whenever you plug power into it. Wondered WTF was THAT all about? But I couldn't hear it while riding at speed so I just ignored it for a while.

Later in the day, I noticed the music had stopped coming on with the PTT, so maybe the problem fixed itself.

Then, today I remembered all this and a thought occurred to me: Could the RADIO transmission's RF energy be strong enough to somehow be causing these weird things, cause they were happening when I PTT'd. So I hooked everything back up and guess what? When I keyed the mic---even with the radio NOT connected thru the Sena---the 12V USB power adapter supplying power to the iphone would cut OFF--momentarily--and re-start when I released the PTT, causing the phone to emit the "power-up beep". Damn. I had to move the radio 18" or more away from the USB adapter before it would stop doing this.

So maybe this was also causing the music to start with the PTT, as some times it has done this right after I plugged in the power to it, or cranked the bike, as if it had gotten the "play" command. Also, I had just started using an old Verizon brand USB adapter because my old one crapped out. So I went to Walmart and got a new one and it works fine, no interference from the radio.

Anyway, sorry for the wordy thread, but maybe this will ring a bell with someone else having weird electronical issues. Is electronical a word?

[Ed]

I've been blaming the Garmins for it, but we've talked numerous times about my GPS saying "power lost" when I hit the PTT... maybe it's been the USB adaptor.

You might try it again with your F4011 at the low-wattage setting, the flakiness has definitely been affected by moving the radio around... I haven't been reducing the Icom output, and that might have an effect.

[Bob]

Oh yeah, same issue wasn't it? You were using a USB adapter also? Could be a certain common component that converts 12V to 5V or whatever thats sensitive to RF energy. I did try the 3 power settings on the radio and it made a small difference, i.e. the higher the power setting the further away it would interfere. And the position makes a difference, when I turned the antenna horizontally the range got less. But makes you wonder about the "R2D2 effect" and the "overwhelming static effect" and the possible causes---maybe RF energy bending some blueteeth or something for a nanosecond, lol. Maybe the SR10 needs a "shielding box" around it.....

[Ed]

I've seen numerous posts here and there about DIY-ing 12VDC down to 5VDC using small IC (integrated circuit) regulators... wonder if inside the IC is where the radio energy works its' mischief, not too far-fetched since a transmitter is screaming radio frequencies at it from inches away.

[Ed]

Just thinking out loud, but... maybe I'll try wrapping the USB adaptor with a couple of layers of tin foil, or drop it into a little metal canister (like the little ones that mints come in) for some shade-tree RF armor.

[Bob]

That might work--or make it worse if it acts as an antenna/amplifier for the RF's. Worth a try. Or get a new $5 Wally world usb like I did--it isn't subject to the RF's.

[Ed]

Curious- how is the Wallyworld unit not susceptible?

I've used a couple of the SAE-to-USB adaptors sold here & there, like these guys:

http://www.batterystuff.com/battery-cables-connectors-plugs/qdc-bt-usb-081-0158.html
http://www.aerostich.com/sae-to-usb-adapter.html

...and the better-quality ones seem to suffer from it somewhat less. Now that I think back- the worst of that GPS on/off issue by far, for me was when I was using a cheapie cigar-lighter insert USB port which I'd modded with a power cord.

It'd be interesting to get some definitive results to go by... Aerostich also sells this 12V-to-USB option:

http://www.aerostich.com/usb-power-wire.html

...which would be easy to relocate well away from the radio gear (just use a longer USB cord), although a.) the price makes my eyes water profusely and b.) it'd be a drag to get it neatly stowed under the tank somewhere then have ignition noise become an issue.

[Bob]

This is the unit I got at WW, although it was only $5.00 in the store. Weird--usually stuff is higher in the store than online. Anyway, it just isn't affected by the radio, even with the antenna right up against it. The other one was a Verizon with a hard-wired micro-usb cable plus a USB socket. I was using the USB socket with an Apple firewire plug for the iphone.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Griffin-Strai ... r/28877573


Edit: how could that direct-to-battery job from Aero work, without draining your battery? I thought they all had circuitry in them....

[Ed]

Building something more DIY-ish looks like more my cup o' tea:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Waterproof-DC-DC-Converter-12V-Step-Down-to-5V-Power-Supply-Module-3A-15W-BLACK-/221605016721?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3398b03491

That's the style I was using when I had the most of the on/off/on GPS headaches, Bob.

edit: the Bandit has all the accessories running off a switched SPST relay, and I'd do the same for anything hardwired to the SV.

[Bob]

Maybe in the Verizon adapter, the hard-wired micro-usb cable was acting as an antenna and capturing the RF's and funneling it back into the unit.

[Broz]

Now that I think about it I haven't had this music problem since I swapped the usb 12v adapter.

[Bob]

Now that I think about it I haven't had this music problem since I swapped the usb 12v adapter.

What kind did you have prior--did it break?

[Ed]

Dunno... but I'm willing to put in a little time with a soldering iron, if it eliminates the irritant of having the GPS p*ssing me off.

[Brick]

Hmmm... My SR10 is inside of the RKA aluminum box. I have only had perhaps 2 R2-D2 episodes. Hmmmm???

Oh yeah, same issue wasn't it? You were using a USB adapter also? Could be a certain common component that converts 12V to 5V or whatever thats sensitive to RF energy. I did try the 3 power settings on the radio and it made a small difference, i.e. the higher the power setting the further away it would interfere. And the position makes a difference, when I turned the antenna horizontally the range got less. But makes you wonder about the "R2D2 effect" and the "overwhelming static effect" and the possible causes---maybe RF energy bending some blueteeth or something for a nanosecond, lol. Maybe the SR10 needs a "shielding box" around it.....