Bluetooth Your Scanner

[TBone]

As much as I hate the bluetooth headset I constantly have to be on the cellphone I'm talking to myself dipshits this is a pretty neat little mod for anyone who uses scanners.

Attach a CARDO BTAII bluetooth adapter to your scanner. You may have
to use a submini(3/32 2.5m) jack to Mini(1/8 3.5mm)plug stereo
adapter or the same to mono depending on your scanner. It works
great upto 30ish feet, but most of the time I get as far as 60 feet.
You can use most any Bluetooth headset, but I recommend you buy the
BTAII adapter and the CARDO scala 500 headset as a pair if you can
find them. The BTAII and Scala 500 are "Paired" at the factory it
makes it a lot easier. Also if you buy the paired package the charger
is a dual charger, you can charge the adapter and headset at the same
time. The BTAII submini plug has three contacts similar to a stereo
plug, except the tip is the "mike" and the ring is the "speaker"
inputs. Look to ebay for the best prices, I have found a few
BTAII/scala 500 sets for under $20.00. Dont buy from DarkskyRacing,
or Nerak0301. They both sold dirty/used, BTAII's only, as new
BTAII/Scala 500 sets, denied responsibility. You can probably do the
same with any brand of Bluetooth adapter, but I tried the CARDO BTAII
with the SCALA500 headset and it works great and is easy to operate.

http://www.cardowireless.com/cardo_adapto

It would be pretty nice to be able to stash the scanner in your pack and have nothing but an ear piece in. You could even have just the antennae exposed if it fucked up signal strength. With a distance of 60' you could leave you pack behind and wander all over the vicinity. I don't know if I could justify dropping that much on a "convenience" though. Pretty neat idea either way.

*edit* I didn't read the whole article but $20 on ebay may be worth it.

 

[cozmic]

Nice. I want to do this!

 

[BenjiRidesBoxcar]

Sick mod

 

[Doobie_D]

Figured I would update this thread because having wireless scanner capabilities is fucking awesome.

Also rest in peace T-Bone. He had some great stories. And was a cool person.


So a few weeks ago I was looking to do this to my old ass radio shack scanner. The original CARDO BTAII transmitter and headset that T-Bone writes about are obviously an older model and damn near impossible to find for a decent price.

After alot of googling around I found a solution that cost me $13.39 for a fairly small Bluetooth transmitter/receiver. I already had the Bluetooth headphones because I use them for work. But I was relieved to find out that they do in fact pair with the transmitter...so..

Transmitter:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/192967689851

The transmitter itself is 1"x2" and includes a 6" cord that plugs into your scanner and the transmitter.

I think I'm going to put a small piece of stick on velcro on it so it will stay affixed to the side of my scanner when I need it.

The headphones that I use:

Anker curve

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/223542023877

I know there are cheaper Bluetooth headphones out there but these last around 12 continuous hours on one charge and have stood up to some serious downpours. They also charge really fast. Plus I know these pair with the transmitter. But I'm sure other, cheaper headphones would also work.




I did a test with everything set up and I got 70ft away on a flat, unobstructed road before I lost sound. Like T-Bone was saying about the Bluetooth setup you can put your scanner in the top of your pack and have the anntena peeking out and not have to worry about a long goofy wire hindering your movement. You could also put your scanner up in a tree or some high spot to catch some better reception while your hanging out in the jungle. And the headphones make great earplugs.. Earplugs that block flange squeal AND TELL YOU WHY YOUR TRAIN JUST WENT INTO EMERGENCY.