Weird headset results?

[WillumEr6]

Being a complete novice to using a SatNag on a bike, I'm a bit puzzled by what the bleep is really happening with my XT and headset.
Someone set me straight.........
The software says it's up to date (6.02)
Bluetooth is 'Enabled'
The XT says it's connected to the headset, the headset says it's connected to the XT.
The XT is in 'bike' mode (icon at top)
The Bluetooth logo is 'blue'
The XT has been connected to my iMac and a bunch of MP3 tracks added to the MP3 folder. (and now disconnected and powered from a wall wart)
An 8GB SD card, loaded with MP3 tracks, has been fitted.
Four problems:
1. The biggest problem: When linked to the headset, the spoken commands just aren't coming through. The music - if playing - is muted whilst the command is being given but silence from the headset. (the speaker is muted)
2. If I tap the 'Music' icon from the "Where to'/'View map' screen, choose a track and tap play, it plays a bar or two, then goes back to pause. Selecting 'Play' again does the same thing. If I return to the "Where to'/'View map' screen, it automatically resumes playing after a brief pause.
3. There seems to be no recognition of the SD card and the tracks on it (MP3 selected as source)
4. I can't find any way to make the XT repeat the last nav command. I've seen various ideas but none work.

I seem to have read half the internet, looking for a solution - but nothing helps resolve it. The Garmin instructions often don't match what I see on my screen.
What am I missing?
If anyone has a clue as to what it/me has done wrong, I'm all ears.

Will

[jfheath]

First of all, Welcome to the Forums

This might give you some ideas. Genrally speaking, Bluetooth issues are often due to other devices that are around finding the devices that you are using. Go round all of your devices and unpair your XT, your headset and your music source from each one of them. Delete all of the pairings on your XT.

And start again.

Go through it step by step. First get the music playing through the speakers.
Then get the headset connected. Done forget the mute, the volume control and the Mixer on the XT. Sometimes volume control for the headset is given to the headset itself.

Anyway - you get the idea - this document goes through it in detail - but it was written for the 590. The XT is similar, but you may have to make your own modifications.

I have not had any success playing music from spotify on the Android smartphoen through to the XT. It stops and starts every few seconds. I gave up (unlike me) - but I decided that I preferred my music to come from the MP3 folder.

[WillumEr6]

Thank you. I'll go through the doc you attached and try everything you suggest in it, then report back.
Will

[WillumEr6]

Thanks for the help but, sadly - Nothing!

I followed all the options/methods you gave me in the .pdf (modified a bit to suit the XT), even reset the Bluetooth to factory defaults and 'hard restarted' the XT, tried with a song playing and not, Media enabled and disabled, told the XT to forget the headset, re-paired it, you name it.
The mixer is correctly set, the XT internal speaker volume has been set at max, min and all points between, the headset volume is at max.
I've looked back at the headset spec and it's quoted as "Bluetooth 4.1+EDR, CSR"
I've looked everywhere I can ref the SatNav Bluetooth detail (XT Manual, Quick Start Guide, 'About' in the Device tab) and all I can find is the Bluetooth Firmware notification of 12.0.26 P6
Would that make a difference regarding compatibility with the Bluetooth standard of the headset? I'd have hoped not and I'd have thought not, considering the headset plays MP3 media from the XT OK (apart from the XT 'shuttering'/pausing it at times), the 'Pause/Next Track/Previous Track functions work OK and the XT is pausing the track whilst the nav info is passed.
It just does not pass the info to the headset, not even the 'Button' clicks - which are set to on.

Is it time for a call to Garmin UK? I think it might be..........

Will

[jfheath]

Mine is 12.0.26 P6 as well. I haven't got a clue what that means.

Files on the SD card must be stored in a folder called MP3 on the root of the SD card.
If stored in internal memory, they must also be stored in a folder called MP3 on the root directory.

MP3 means MP3 not mp3 or Mp3. ie it MP3 MUST be in uppercase, or the XT will not find it.

If using Windows, you may find it difficult to rename the folder mp3 to MP3 - this is becasue windows is not case sensitive - it is 'case tolerant' - it is quite happy to recognise MP3 and mp3 as meaning the same thing. Other operating systems are not happy, and the XT is one of them. So to use Windows to change mp3 to MP3 - it doesn't think that nayhting needs to be done, and although it accepts the command, it does nothing. So instead, you first have to change mp3 to (say) xyz. Then change xyz to MP3.

That should allow the XT to find the files.

It might be time to call Garmin - BUT - they will tell you that it is the fault of the headset, not the fault of the XT. That is their default position.

So before you do that - have you got anything else that you can pair via Bluetooth, to play the XT sound through ? A TV set, a Bluetooth Speaker, a radio, another headphone, you car ?

If you can establish that it doesn't work with other devices - and better still if you can state that those other devices will play sound from your smartphone - then that would suggest very strongly that your XT BT isn't functioning as it should.

I have just retried my connection. I have a very cheap BT headset which I bought just for problem elimination. I had the music playing throught he XT speakers - so it was finding the MP3 files. I paired and connected the headset while the XT was playing its music, and as soon as the pairing was established, the music was immediately diverted from the XT speakers to the headset.

The master volume was also diverted to the headset - so I had no control over the master volume on the XT. But I did have control over the media volume in the mixer. It is worth checking that the media volume is not turned right down, once the connection has been made. The Mixer is available from the volume button on the XT's media player.

[WillumEr6]

Thanks again and all points noted.

I'm using an iMac and a Linux laptop, so no Windoze shenanigans to dodge round. (Is the XT is Android or Linux-based?) I'll try and reformat the SD card, call it MP3 and ensure all the files are in a MP3 folder, just to be sure.
To be honest, not being able to use the SD the card isn't a huge problem, there's plenty of space on the XT itself and I'm unlikely to listen to anything else whilst riding, not even the phone. I only got the headset to listen to the nav commands.
Point taken ref the Garmin standpoint. It's the default of a awful lot of big tech companies. The only one I've found otherwise is TP-Link, who have in the past jumped through a lot of hoops to resolve a problem for me.

I will hunt around and pair the XT with our TV/car/something. I might even try the iMac, maybe even my laptop and see what happens, then substitute my iPhone and compare. I'll try the BT headphone on other things as well.

As far as your XT immediately swapping MP3 playback to the headset, that sounds pretty much like the same result that I was getting. The headset even says 'Connected', or 'Disconnected' when it happens and the master volume control goes to the headset but I didn't recheck that it hadn't messed with the XT's volume controls, so I will. The other thing the XT is doing is the chopping up of the music playback and the random pausing of the playback after a second. Restart it and it does the same thing - but not always. Sometimes it works fine. PITA.

[jfheath]

Aha. That last paragraph sounds familiar.

Did you install the link to Garmin Explore ? If you did, that may be the issue. I don't know why or how, or why it hasn't done it for me since, but I got that on 3 occasions when messing with the explore website. At the time, I performed a full system reset to factory condition, which stopped it from happening. Then when I tried doing stuff with Explore, it started again.

To check, go to Where To->Explore.

If it is connected, you will get a menu with an orange header and a list containing tracks, routs, waypoints, collections.

If it isn't you will get a menu screen with 3 icons and two buttons Cancel / Connect Now. This screen pops up when you first set up the machine and seems to imply that you need to set it up. You don't.

You can try disconnecting from Explore. With Zumo in landscape mode, enter the Diagnostic Page.


View Map->tap speed in bottom left corner->press the circular speed button top centre and hold it for 10 seconds.

This gives you a diagnostic menu. next to the bottom is 'Developer Test and Tools. Tap that.
Next to the bottom of the next list is 'Reset Explore Database' . Tap that.

Nothing happens, but that has disconnected from the Explore link. Check by going to Where To->Explore again.

You should get the screen with 3 icons and buttons for Cancel / Connect Now if it is disconnected.

See if that helps things.

I found this method out after I stopped having the issues. But it may work.

Otherwise, try a system reset. You will lose all of the settings and preferences, and will lose any track logs in your GPX / archive folder, so if you want those, then connect via Usb and save them to a computer. Also any favourites / Saved places.

System Reset is in Settings->Device->Reset->Delete Data and Reset Settings

or you may want to try Reset Default Settings first, from the same menu.

After that, I am out of ideas. Apart from checking you have v6.20 of the XT software.

[WillumEr6]

Yet again, my grateful thanks.
Round three!

I followed through the routes you suggested. I'd never to my knowledge tried to install/connect to Garmin Explore but I did as suggested and it is most definitely not connected now.

The headset connects to and functions perfectly with the iPhone
The headset connects to and functions perfectly with the iMac.
The XT connects to and functions perfectly with the iPhone.
The XT will not connect to the iMac. They both go into a pairing loop, the iMac complaining of an unrecognised response code.

The combination of iPhone, XT and headset, all linked through Bluetooth, function correctly in terms of the music being muted during an incoming and outgoing call. (the outgoing calls were made from the iPhone handset - I get the idea that Explore has to be active to use the 'Hands free' functions of the XT)
The 'Pause' function on the Music player is flakey to say the least. Quite often it will restart the track after a few seconds of being told to pause, either by the XT screen, or the headset. It has also started playing again after a few other screen changes.

I then carried out a full 'Reset', followed through everything -except the Garmin Explore - re-paired everything, etc, etc ......... and it's just the same.
One thing I did note is that this time, the 'Settings' button now had a little yellow 'info' marker and the first option is 'Complete Setup'. That was not there before the Reset. Perhaps it had taken it upon itself to try and link up with Garmin Explore and failed.

We are even more down the alley of the XT simply being faulty (bad software) in refusing to communicate Nav instructions through Bluetooth.

Out of interest, when I went into the 'Developer Test and Tools' option, I noted. that there are an awful lot of Bluetooth function controls. I was very careful to avoid touching them, although I would hope that any alterations would be undone by a 'Factory Reset'

With regard to XT software version: I think I may have 'typo'd' in an earlier post.
Mine is 6.20 (and not the 6.02 I stated. Doh!)

Will

[jfheath]

I'm lost for any other ideas then. Well done for getting all of that sorted out though.

I get the idea that Explore has to be active to use the 'Hands free' functions of the XT)

I use my Android phone with the XT. I never place a call when riding, but I answer calls. I don't have to touch anything. The phone answers without me having to touch anything, the XT displays the name and number of the caller and gives me a few seconds before it answers, and when the call has finished, the phone disconnects when they disconnect at the other end.

And the only time I have Explore enabled is when I am messing around with working out how it all works. I don't remember having to set the phone up to do this automatically, although it was something that I had to do when I owned a cheap Nokia ThickPhone.

[WillumEr6]

......................
I never place a call when riding, but I answer calls. I don't have to touch anything. The phone answers without me having to touch anything, the XT displays the name and number of the caller and gives me a few seconds before it answers, and when the call has finished, the phone disconnects when they disconnect at the other end.

I will be even more basic, in fact, it's unlikely I'll ever have the phone connected, or the music playing - which makes it even more annoying that the one function I want to work just will not.

I think I've proved beyond reasonable doubt that the XT Bluetooth has problems.

Thanks again for all the help. All I can do now is contact Garmin and see if they will give some help.
I'll report back.

Will