Car Stereo with Bluetooth and Remote Control

Richard10002

Richard10002

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I want to change the boat stereo to one with Bluetooth and a handheld remote control. I want to play music via Bluetooth from my Android Phone, (Samsung Galxy S3), and hands free phone calls would be nice.

Halfords have 25 models with Bluetooth, but none say they have remote controls.

However, in the reviews of one of the Sony models, the reviewer said it was a pleasant surprise to find a remote control in the box, so I wonder how many car stereos have remotes, but don't tell you in the blurb?

Anybody got any suggestions for what I want, or should I just buy the Sony from Halfords?

Many Thanks

Richard
 
I bought a Pioneer DEH4400BT (from Halfords) for Bluetooth but it didn't come with a RC. That's another £30 with no guarantee it will work from the cockpit as it says "line of sight" operation. Fine in a car but it's a bit further from our cockpit to the radio.

It does save a lot of faffing about with CD's (particularly storage) and other stuff. It also gives a convenient USB plug in to charge the phones.

Cheers.
 
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I dont think you need a remote, do you? You use the phone handset . BTW, I do find it needs line of sight.. maybe the output/receivers arent very powerful?
 
My Pioneer has a remote, but the actual pickup angle is quite narrow, and the unit is mounted at the chart table facing out. It really only picks up from about 30 degrees either side, and mine won't work from the cockpit unless I stand in a particular place.
 
I have a Sony, it has a remote control and it needs line of sight. I think you'll find that most if not all remotes are infra red so that will usually be the case. Given that the radio is mounted in the only practical position at the chart table, it is then almost impossible to use the remote from the cockpit, especially in bright sunlight, and completely useless in the cabin. If your radio is sited more conveniently then it might be a nice to have, but I'd forget about it. If you want to play music and receive calls then you should have all the control you need from your handset using bluetooth.
 
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The Sony car radio I fitted about 4 years ago does not keep it's station memory. Despite examining the instructions and wiring diagram every year when I get pissed off with retuning the radio, I can't figure how to maintain a constant power supply without a switched power feed like a car ignition switch. i have tried all the wiring options shown on the instructions but when i switch off the radio, (not just sleep mode) the radio memory wipes after about 7 days. It would seem Sony don't expect anyone to fit their radios in anything except cars.
 
I had a Sony DAB radio in the boat. It was superb, no problem with storing stations in memory (a separate memory wire with a very small fuse bypassed the master switch). The remote was fine (though why on earth people want a remote in a car I don't know....I generally find I can just reach forward and the radio is always within reach). BUT the radio used a lot of power so I ended up putting it in my car and bought a portable for the boat.
 
Piddy said:
I bought a Pioneer DEH4400BT (from Halfords) for Bluetooth but it didn't come with a RC. That's another £30 with no guarantee it will work from the cockpit as it says "line of sight" operation. Fine in a car but it's a bit further from our cockpit to the radio.

It does save a lot of faffing about with CD's (particularly storage) and other stuff. It also gives a convenient USB plug in to charge the phones.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

I prefer Pioneer to Sony and liked the sound when I paired with it in the shop.

Where did you find /buy the remote? Is it the CD-R33?
 
FullCircle said:
My Pioneer has a remote, but the actual pickup angle is quite narrow, and the unit is mounted at the chart table facing out. It really only picks up from about 30 degrees either side, and mine won't work from the cockpit unless I stand in a particular place.
Click to expand...

Hi Jim et all,

Thanks for all the replies,

The unit will be in the lounge, and I'll be using it mostly with my backside firmly glued to the sofa :) So line of sight will be fine.

I want a remote so I can do everything including turning it on and off. I'm guessing that won't be an option with any bluetooth control I.e. You have to turn it on before being able to activate bluetooth etc..
 
Richard10002 said:
I prefer Pioneer to Sony and liked the sound when I paired with it in the shop.

Where did you find /buy the remote? Is it the CD-R33?
Click to expand...

Hi Richard,

That's the one I looked at...
I didn't buy one as I assumed the line-of-sight would make it pretty useless as the radio is at the chart table.
One thing that keeps catching me out is the auto phone answering - as it was supplied I installed the microphone and got a horrible shock as my Father started speaking to me just as I was crossing the bar into Beaulieu with inches beneath us - and he was in Scotland! It took a few moments to work out what was going on. I then disabled the auto-answer....

With decent speakers down below the unit sounds great and with a bit of practice at setting volume levels when using the BT music source, it works really well.

Piddy.
 
These are good

Richard10002 said:
Ordered the Pioneer DEH-X5500BT for £98, plus remote for £28, free postage on this one.

http://www.roadradio.com/Pioneer/DEH-X5500BT/

Thanks for all the help - particularly with finding a remote that works with the Pioneers.
Click to expand...


http://www.classiccarstereo.co.uk/c...sound-model-two-radio-black-control-face.html

This radio can be mounted anywhere in your boat. I store music on SD cards which it plays without any probs or from USB or jack.. I found with bluetoth that it ran the phone battery down quick (perhaps my phone)

The remote is radio NOT IR so it will work from anywhere in the boat. The main bits can be fitted anywhere dry in the boat.
 
Richard10002 said:
Ordered the Pioneer DEH-X5500BT for £98, plus remote for £28, free postage on this one.

http://www.roadradio.com/Pioneer/DEH-X5500BT/

Thanks for all the help - particularly with finding a remote that works with the Pioneers.
Click to expand...

Road Radio refunded my money as not in stock, and no more coming. Bought a Sony MEXBT3900U for just under £100, including a remote, from Halfords. Connected it up in place of the previous stereo, added a couple of Kef Egg speakers, and it seems like the dogs danglies. 1 minor problem with the continuous power that needs sorting - might have to run a cable the length of the boat :(
 
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