Motorola HF820 Bluetooth

[Ajlelectronics]

After reading comments here, I got a Motorola HF820 to connect into the intercom system, a Starcom Digital. Very impressed initially and it was tucked away out of sight. Connection into the Starcom via the 2.5mm headset socket.

Using it with a Nokia 7373 (you know, a little pink thing that 'er indoors likes) set to automatic answer. This works fine handheld or on the car Bluetooth (Nokia) but the HF820 will not auto answer. Is this normal, or have I missed some setting up? I can't imagine how it could be used if auto answer is not possible.

[lnowell]

My HF820 does only what my phone tells it to do. It is only a speaker that works via Blue Tooth. Your (and my) use of the device is through the ear connection, which bypasses the speaker - but the function is the same.

My wife's phone gave me a lot of trouble on the auto answer function - but I knew it was how I was programing her phone - not the HF820. Once I found the correct auto answer option, it worked fine.

If your cell phone (the one you use while on the bike) and HF820 work just by themselves, it should work the same way when plugged into your system.

[AlaskaFish]

Andy, I also made the recent purchase of an HF-820 and it works great! Did you go through the pairing process completely? I even punched in the "passkey" of "0000" which the HF-820 manual says to enter for the pairing, even though it is aimed at a Motorola phone. My phone is Nokia also, but a different model: 6126.

What I really appreciate about the HF-820 is no interference between the cell phone and my BMW Comm system (which I got big time when hooking a phone up direct with the cord!) plus the fact that my phone stays on my person when I'm off the Bike.

John

[jhsonderb]

Using it with a Nokia 7373 (you know, a little pink thing that 'er indoors likes) set to automatic answer. This works fine handheld or on the car Bluetooth (Nokia) but the HF820 will not auto answer. Is this normal, or have I missed some setting up? I can't imagine how it could be used if auto answer is not possible.The HF820 is a just a conduit to your intercom system. It doesn't have an auto answer function. Your phone has to have that function. I have a Nokia 6133 that has an auto answer function. However, I don't generally hear a ringing sound in my helmet. Usually, the radio/audio sound mutes. That is my signal that a call may be coming in. I have to answer: "Hello" (usually a couple times, although probably only once is enough) to answer the incoming call. If your Nokia phone is paired and "connected" (you should be able to verify that is connected by viewing the bluetooth status on your Nokia phone) and your Nokia model has autoanswered function as you think it does then the HF820is doing it's job.

[zippy_gg]

The HF820 is a just a conduit to your intercom system. It doesn't have an auto answer function. Your phone has to have that function. I have a Nokia 6133 that has an auto answer function. However, I don't generally hear a ringing sound in my helmet. Usually, the radio/audio sound mutes. That is my signal that a call may be coming in. I have to answer: "Hello" (usually a couple times, although probably only once is enough) to answer the incoming call. If your Nokia phone is paired and "connected" (you should be able to verify that is connected by viewing the bluetooth status on your Nokia phone) and your Nokia model has autoanswered function as you think it does then the HF820is doing it's job.I use the HF820 with my Motorola phone and Baehr with success. Funny thing is if I connect my phone directly to the Baehr cable I do not get a ring when I get a call, but I do when I use the HF820.

[AlaskaFish]

One other item I forgot to mention is the fact that with the HF-820 and my Nokia 6126 I do hear the ring along with the tunes being muted, so I know to quit singing and say hello! Like someone mentioned earlier here, you do need to set up your phone for "Auto Answer" in order to be able to make the connection however.

John

[Buchnerb]

I have an HF820 I bought on the web the only literature that came with it was a one page sheet saying how to turn it on and how to link it. I have a couple questions for those who have one. How long does the battery last? What does the button on the face do? What does the button opposite the earphone jack do?

If anyone could scan a manual I would appreciate it.

Bruce Buchner

[sparky_k1200lt]

I use the HF820 with my Motorola phone and Baehr with success. Funny thing is if I connect my phone directly to the Baehr cable I do not get a ring when I get a call, but I do when I use the HF820.

My Samsung phone is the same way...if you have a headset plugged in, you will *not* hear the ring thru the headset. The phone itself rings (with its custom ringtones), just as if you had no headset plugged in. Using the Bluetooth connection, the phone itself rings (with its custom ringtones) on incoming calls *and* the Bluetooth unit also rings (with its own non-customizable ringtone).

I have my phone set to 'Auto answer on handsfree', so that it will auto-answer when I have a headset plugged in or when I'm connected to a Bluetooth unit.

The manual for the HF820 is available onlne at click here (http://direct.motorola.com/HelloMoto/NSS/include/SupportManual/HF820_Manual_9474A31A.pdf) , and is the same manual that I received with my HF820.

[Buchnerb]

I have an HF820 I bought on the web the only literature that came with it was a one page sheet saying how to turn it on and how to link it. I have a couple questions for those who have one. How long does the battery last? What does the button on the face do? What does the button opposite the earphone jack do?

If anyone could scan a manual I would appreciate it.

Bruce Buchner

To quote the famed Rosanne Rosannadanna "Never Mind."

It was all on the Motorola web site.

Bruce

[BEhrler]

I have the HF 820 also but I have a problem with it. It works fine when I turn it on but after a few minutes it turns itself off and will not receive or transmit any calls. How do you get it to stay on?

[lnowell]

I have the HF 820 also but I have a problem with it. It works fine when I turn it on but after a few minutes it turns itself off and will not receive or transmit any calls. How do you get it to stay on?


My HF 820 will stay on until I either turn it off or walk (with my phone) far enough away from it to cause it to disconnect.

On occasion, I have to go to court to represent the local Habitat for Humanity Affiliate. Since most courts will not allow phones, guns (bummer), knives, you name it - on your person, all these items must remain in your car. On more than one occasion I have placed my phone in my center console along with other personal items while forgetting to turn off my HF 820. Returning to my car I have found that I had received (not missed) several calls.

Note to self - either turn off the phone or HF 820.

[GBaker]

I have the HF 820 also but I have a problem with it. It works fine when I turn it on but after a few minutes it turns itself off and will not receive or transmit any calls. How do you get it to stay on?



I have the same issue. When you get a call do you push the button on the face of it to start and end the call?

Gene

[BEhrler]

I have the same issue. When you get a call do you push the button on the face of it to start and end the call?

Gene

I hope someone chimes in with the procedures that work. I don't have my phone set to auto answer. I wonder if this is why the HF820 shuts itself off? The manual is less than helpful for sure.

[GBaker]

I hope someone chimes in with the procedures that work. I don't have my phone set to auto answer. I wonder if this is why the HF820 shuts itself off? The manual is less than helpful for sure.

I agree. Mine is a BlackBerry and it does not have an auto answer feature. Would think bandwidth would not be an issue with it as it sends and recieves emails and the internet......

Oh the woes of modern electronic toys... :D

[scottydawg]

I agree. Mine is a BlackBerry and it does not have an auto answer feature. Would think bandwidth would not be an issue with it as it sends and recieves emails and the internet......

Oh the woes of modern electronic toys... :D
I believe the bandwidth issue is referring to Bluetooth bandwidth not your cell phone provider ;)

[zippy_gg]

I have the same issue. When you get a call do you push the button on the face of it to start and end the call?

GeneNo need if your phone is set to auto-answer

[zippy_gg]

I hope someone chimes in with the procedures that work. I don't have my phone set to auto answer. I wonder if this is why the HF820 shuts itself off? The manual is less than helpful for sure.I only experienced this when the battery was low on the HF820. Be sure to keep it charged, and turn off the HF820 when not in use.

[BEhrler]

My HF820 is fully charged and works fine for one call either receiving or sending. However, after about 5 mins it turns itself off and will neither send or receive a call. Does anyone know if it's related to the phone not being on auto answer?

[jhsonderb]

My HF820 is fully charged and works fine for one call either receiving or sending. However, after about 5 mins it turns itself off and will neither send or receive a call. Does anyone know if it's related to the phone not being on auto answer?My HF820 shuts off automatically if my paired and connected bluetooth phone is moved out of range, like when I go in for breakfast and keep my phone with me. If I leave my phone on the bike, the HF820 stays connected. I just experimented with my Nokia phone by turning the auto answer function off. My HF820 did not turn off so i don't think the status of your auto answer setting would cause the HF820 to shut off.

After your HF820 turns off, does your phone still indicate that bluetooth is "on"? Maybe your phone is losing the bluetooth connection which shuts of the HF820 (does it have a time out setting?) or you have a defective HF820.

[BEhrler]

My HF820 shuts off automatically if my paired and connected bluetooth phone is moved out of range, like when I go in for breakfast and keep my phone with me. If I leave my phone on the bike, the HF820 stays connected. I just experimented with my Nokia phone by turning the auto answer function off. My HF820 did not turn off so i don't think the status of your auto answer setting would cause the HF820 to shut off.

After your HF820 turns off, does your phone still indicate that bluetooth is "on"? Maybe your phone is losing the bluetooth connection which shuts of the HF820 (does it have a time out setting?) or you have a defective HF820.

The bluetooth indicator on the phone does turn off at the same time that the on indicator (blue flashing light) goes off on the HF820. I know my phone is OK because it works with my bluetooth earpiece fine. It might just be that the HF820 is defective. Thanks.

[AlaskaFish]

Well, you guys had me so worried about the possibility that my HF-820 might be shutting itself down that I decided to do a simple test today! I turned on the 820, confirmed that it had the requisite 2 flashes to signify a Bluetooth connection to my phone, then let it sit near me while I read the Sunday paper and took a nice cozy nap on this rainy Portland day. After about 1.5 hours I checked and the 820 was still sitting there flashing away merrily. Plus there had been no calls made or received during that time.

So, as long as the two devices (the 820 and your cell) are paired up, the unit should be ready to do it's thing. This was important to me since it will be in my Tankbag when I am on the LT and out of sight. It is good to know that it will be there if anyone should call. Of course, if you do get 0ff the Bike for longer than 5 minutes or so, you will need to turn the 820 back on in order to pair it up again.

FYI,

John

[mtrevelino]

I just received the HF-820. I too have the Blackberry phone that does not have auto answer. I assume that I will have to press the center button on the HF-820 for it to pick up. If I keep it in the oddments box I can easily press the button.

I plan on installing the car adapter to supply 12 volts when the bike is on. Even if my bike is parked for a couple of days, the internal battery should keep the HF-820 on, then recharge when I start the bike. Does anyone see any problems if I power it this way?

Another question, I have two cell phones and I know that I cannot get both phones to access the HF-820 at the same time, so I plan on forwarding one phone to the other. Do I have to "re-pair" the HF-820 with each phone? Basically, if I use one phone for work, than want to use my other phone on weekends, do I have to "re-pair" the HF-820 with the second (weekend) phone, then "re-pair" it again with my work phone?

[zaphod]

I tried permanently mounting a 12V power supply but whenever it was plugged into the HF-820 I got a terrible audio hum, so it came out pretty quick. I could have tried to isolate it but the unit holds a charge for several days, so I figured I would just uncomplicated things and yank the charger.

[waynelt]

Each of your phones will remember the pairing was done to the HF-820 you shouldn't have to do it again.

If you turn on both phones in the vicinity of the HF-820 (that's also turned on), the first phone to connect to the HF-820 will be the only one paired, the second phone won't be successful. If you turn off phone #1, it will then disconnect from the HF-820, which will then be available for pairing. You may have then have to power cycle the second phone to get it to connect, I'm not sure it will recognize that the HF-820 is now available.

I just received the HF-820. I too have the Blackberry phone that does not have auto answer. I assume that I will have to press the center button on the HF-820 for it to pick up. If I keep it in the oddments box I can easily press the button.

I plan on installing the car adapter to supply 12 volts when the bike is on. Even if my bike is parked for a couple of days, the internal battery should keep the HF-820 on, then recharge when I start the bike. Does anyone see any problems if I power it this way?

Another question, I have two cell phones and I know that I cannot get both phones to access the HF-820 at the same time, so I plan on forwarding one phone to the other. Do I have to "re-pair" the HF-820 with each phone? Basically, if I use one phone for work, than want to use my other phone on weekends, do I have to "re-pair" the HF-820 with the second (weekend) phone, then "re-pair" it again with my work phone?

[mtrevelino]

Thanks Malcolm and Wayne. I appreciate your replies.

For as little as I will use it, I will probably take Malcolm's suggestion and just power it through itself and recharge it. The next time that I have the side panel off I may hard wire the 12v supply, but I assume that I can test this first while the bike is sitting in the garage and running to see if I hear any feedback or buzzing.

I need to play with it a little more to see how it will pair with the individual phones. Just messing with it, I believe that I had to power off/on the HF820 and shut off one cell phone for it to find the other. No big deal.

[mtrevelino]

I am glad that I searched for this post. This weekend was the first time that I got to try out the HF-820. I was a little concerned with it shutting off, but after reading this POST I see that it is normal if you walk far enough away from the HF-820, it will shut off.

[GlennM86]

Mike,

What kind of phone are you using?

[wcarter]

The little booklet I received with my HF820 had very little information. I was able to find a "real" owners manual in pdf format on Motorola' website. Lots more information.

I think the manual said that the unit would power down if the paired device was out of range for 5 minutes.

Before I learned that, I thought it was just randomly shutting down. It's good to know that you can just walk away from the bike and it will shut down and save power.

My only minor complaint about the HF820 is that I can't tell when it need recharging. The manual says it does a rapid series of beeps when its battery is low but I don't recall ever hearing it.

[mtrevelino]

Mike,
What kind of phone are you using?
Samsung Gleam SCH-U700. I like it as it has the headphone jack in case I wanted to connect it directly to my Autocom system.

[namrehwp]

for you blackberry users i have found by setting your phone to TTY on, you will get the phone to ring while riding , you have to press the answer button in order to answer but you know you have an incoming call.

[swamprat]

Need a cooler head to prevail

I purchased the HF 820 a several weeks ago through ebay. The kit arrived and I tried to charge the HF820 and NOTHING. Sent the device and all accessories (as told to by someone in Bombay), paid $14 bucks shipping trying to get the device back before May 27th (NOT A CHANCE). Just received the replacement TODAY with NONE of the accessories (car charger, home charger or manual which was all sent). In the past I had a Motorola phone with the same charging system, I used that charger and NOTHING again. I have read the manual at least 20 times trying to find if I am missing something but the HF820 remains dark and lifeless.

Motorola was very apologetic and will be sending out the charges, does anyone know what maybe causing these problems?? I am beyond frustration with this whole set up.

[mtrevelino]

What do you mean when you say that it did nothing? Not having it in front of me, I believe that there is a blue light on the side while it is charging. You should at least be able to press the power button and see if it makes any sounds. Here is the link for the instructions. Good luck!

[ArthurKnowles]

Forget the instructions that tells you it will start to charge in a minute or two. My first charge took about 15 minutes before the stinking charge light came on. After that, with a partially charged battery, the charge light always came on in the first minute. So, just give it time to start that initial charge cycle. Lots of time.

[swamprat]

The device had no lights no sounds - nothing, I was packing it up as my son came home from school and asked if he could trouble shoot it (a 10 year old). He blew in the charger and took a q-tip with alcohol on it cleaned the connectors and plugged it in.

Darn thing lit up and started charging - I do not believe the device was new because the q-tip had some gritty dirt on it BUT it seems to be working or at least charging now. All it cost me is dinner at Arby's.

Thanks for the response

[sparky_k1200lt]

My first charge took about 15 minutes before the stinking charge light came on.

Mine seemed brain-dead when I received it also....left it on charge while I read manual (pamphlet?), looked for a blue light that wasn't lit, searched online, ate dinner, returned, and voila! It started working the way I thought it should have from the beginning. Might have been an hour or two on charge by that time.

[bjedruszczak]

That's exactly what happens when you discharge the battery completely. Then when plugged back in to the charger, nothing seems to happen. After a while it comes back to life.
I've got mine for over a year and it works great. For what I use, the battery lasts about 2 weeks between charges.