Feed back through speaker when using Freewire

[2003Cobra]

I just installed a Honda OEM CB and all the filters on my 2003 trike. I'm using the Sena Freewire to connect to my 20s on my helmet. When I have just the CB working I can communicate just fine and my buddy can here me and I can hear him just fine. When I turn on audio weather it be radio or the J&M Digital player and I try to use the CB I can hear fine but when I transmit I get feed back through my external audio speakers and my buddy can't understand me. If I run the audio and CB through the headset then it works ok except when I transmit I can hear a faint feed back through the headset but my buddy can understand me. When we eliminate the freewire the best we can tell everything works fine. I don't have a 5 pin lower wire to actually voice transmit but with out the Freewire connected with audio going to the external speakers I can hear my buddy and he can hear my beep. I have the freewire installed in the left front fairing pocket. Hopefully you bluetooth gurus can clue me in on what is going on. Thanks Bill

[newday777]

I don't know enough about Bluetooth nor any about the freewire to help there but can say don't hit transmit without a mike hooked up. You can hurt your cb.

[WingAdmin]

It sounds like the Freewire, or more likely, the wires hooking the Freewire in place, are not adequately shielded. It's acting as an antenna, and when you transmit with 4 watts of power only a few feet away, it's injecting that power into the unit and feeding it through the speakers as a result.

Make sure all your grounds are in place. You could try wrapping tin foil around the wires hooking the Freewire up to the bike, and connecting that tin foil to ground, to try to shield it.

Don't shield the Freewire itself, or the Bluetooth won't work.

[2003Cobra]

I will try the foil and see what happens. I do have a question, when installing the CB the installation instructions had us put a Ferrite on the rear headset plug wire but not on the front. I'm not sure I know what a Ferrite does but shouldn't there be one on the front Headset plug wire as well? Thanks

[WingAdmin]

I will try the foil and see what happens. I do have a question, when installing the CB the installation instructions had us put a Ferrite on the rear headset plug wire but not on the front. I'm not sure I know what a Ferrite does but shouldn't there be one on the front Headset plug wire as well? Thanks

A ferrite (toroid) is used as a choke. When a wire is wound through a toroid ferrite choke, it uses electromagnetic resistance to block high frequency signals. So yes, it can be used to block the RF picked up by wires that are acting as an antenna. The passenger wire is longer than the driver - perhaps that's why there is no choke on it?

You could try putting a toroid choke on the wires just before they enter the Freewire as well, for the same reason.

[2003Cobra]

I tried the tin foil and ground it with no success. I have 2 ferrites that were left over from the previous installation. One was on the rear headset wire (replaced with the new one) and one that was on the power wire for the Harley CB that had been installed. I will give them a try. Both were like looped around the ferrite but when we installed the new one the instructions said to just install it along the wire nothing about any loop. Should they be looped or just connected over the wire? Thanks Bill

[2003Cobra]

The 5 pin cord came in and now I can receive and transmit but when I transmit I can hear my self but it is understandable and no static and garble. On a side note when I had everything apart I notice my front speakers were looking a bit shabby. So I have decided to replace them and the new speakers will be hear tomorrow. I don't think this will fix the problem but you never know.

[cihilb]

Check the ground strap on the antenna in the trunk. Make sure it's clean and tight at both the antenna and bottom of the trunk. Also make sure the strap is not broken at one of the bends. I had this happen on my 2004. Not with a freewire, but using the 5 pin cable. I added a piece of copper braid to the ground connections.

[2003Cobra]

Thanks Clhllb, The antenna is brand new OEM with a new grounding bracket. At one point I ran a new grounding wire to the bracket but that didn't help. I have not tried the braided wire though. When I bought the bike I found the rear speaker wires cut and the trunk light wires cut. I fixed all of them but I just can't help feeling those cut wires have something to do with this, just haven't figured out what.

[PastoT]

I use Freewire devices on my 02 for pilot and pillion, and one thing you shouldn't do is run the external speakers. The original issue is one of audio feedback between the speakers and the hot mic in your helmet. Run both the Radio audio and CB to your helmet headphones and that should stop. The echo you hear is called side-tone or talk-back in radio terms; both the Sena units and our bike's Intercom provide a slight echo to allow the user to hear themselves allowing us to verify the mic is working and at an audible level. I found the Sena option during setup using the Sena Device manager. If you turn that option off it will silence the echo and perhaps allow you to turn on the bike speakers for the CB - I've not tried this as I use my CB at highway speed and I'd never hear it over the wind. The ferret coil on the rear passenger pig-tail is to filter cross over RF from the CB antenna wire that is right there immediately next to the rear pigtail.

[2003Cobra]

Thanks PastoT, I will have to look for the side tone setting. I've been using the CB with both the CB and Music going to the headset and that pretty much cures the problem except on long rides I get tired of listening to music through the head set. But I can hear my voice faintly when transmitting on the CB so the side tone could very well be the issue. I will check it out. Thanks