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I have read with much interest the various postings on how to take advantage of the built-in speakerphone capabilities on the 9-5. I have a '99 9-5 SE 2.3 5-speed and wanted to get something like this set up, but I didn't want to spend $200 for the handsfree kit my phone manufacturer sells, just to cut off the speaker and microphone. My phone, a Samsung 3500 (Sprint PCS) has a headphone jack on the top for use with their handsfree earpiece/mic. I wondered...
So here's what I did:
I ordered the phone connector ($13 plus shipping) from saabcatalog.com. You can also get it from the dealer, but mine doesn't seem to know what they are doing (maybe that's why they are closing thier doors tomorrow), so I ordered it off the 'net. It took about a week to arrive.
Then I went to Radio Shack and bought the following:
Their cheapest phone headset with the 3/32" plug (I had bought just the plug but it was a pain to make the connections)
275-1565b Push on/push off soft-feel switch (SPST)
275-1566a Momentary soft-touch switch (SPST) - looks the same as above
270-1801 Project enclosure (because I don't want to drill holes in my dash... yet)
I also used a 3-foot length of category 5 cable I had lying around.
After using my handy VOM that cost me a jillion bucks a few years ago to find out what my phone is expecting as far as microphone and speaker impedance goes, and what the little button on the mic shorts out to answer the phone or activate the voice dial, I went to work.
On the Samsung phone, tip (what I will call contact 3) is the microphone, the second ring (contact 2) is the speaker, and the last, big ring (contact 1) is the ground.
At this point, if your phone doesn't have a separate headset jack like mine, you might have to buy your particular phone's headset or earpiece with thier proprietary plug on it. The one for my girlfriends big Qualcomm costs fifty bucks, but most are cheaper. I know it'll hurt to cut off the earpiece end, but it will be worth it.
If you are going really do this (and you should), you now need to look at page 5 of the instructions included with your Saab wiring harness and write down the wire colors next to each connection pin number. It is much easier to do when the harness isn't already mounted. Trust me, I know.
Now that we have collected parts and knowledge, let's rock.
Remove the ACC controls, which is under the radio. You don't need the radio removal tool that causes the parts guy at the dealership to look at you like you have two heads when you ask about it. The ACC panel just pops right out. Since my dealership sucks, they left a gap between the ACC and the radio last time they reinstalled my radio. I just inserted a flat-head screwdriver into the gap and ->gently<- pried the ACC out. It came out without a scratch. For those of you who haven't dealt with Camelback Saab, just use a thin screwdriver. Pry from the top only; if you go from the sides or the bottom, you might mess up your wood (not the voice of experience, thank you).
Find the gap that leads to the passenger footwell (or driver if you prefer) and feed the loose end of the cable from within the cavity out into the footwell. Behind the ACC just left of center is the female end of the connection. It is in a little bracket, so you have to slide it to the right to free it. After swearing a little, I realized that a little locking mechanism was preventing me from mating the two. Just push up on the maroon tabs sticking out from the bottom of the car's harness. Insert your new harness into the car's and watch the locking mechanism work in reverse. Squeeze it a bit to tighten it up, insert it back into the bracket, pull the slack into the footwell, and put the ACC back.
Now let's build the control box. Cut the business end off of the headset, leaving as much wire attached to the jack as possible. On one long side, drill three holes in a row: one hole just big enough to pass the headphone wire through, and two 13/32" (3/8" works) holes for the switches. On the opposite side, drill a hole big enough for the cat 5 to pass through. Feed both wires through and tie a knot about 3" from the end so they don't pull out. Strip about 2.5" of jacket off the cat-5 and cut off the brown wires (you won't need them). Insert both switches and tighten the nuts around them. Solder the following connections:
On the push-on/push-off switch connect the orange cat-5 wire to one terminal, and the orange-white to the other terminal.
On the momentary switch solder to one terminal the headphone ground wire (connection 1), the blue-white cat-5 wire and the green-white cat-5 wire. On the other terminal of the switch, connect the headphone microphone wire (connection 3) and the green cat-5 wire.
Connect the headphone speaker wire (connection 2) to the blue cat-5 wire.
Use a multimeter to make sure you don't have any shorts, test the switches, and screw the lid on the box. Strip a couple of inches of jacket off the loose end of the cat-5, cut off the brown wires, and strip about 1/2" of insulation off the rest of the wires.
Go to your car. Connect the following wires:
Orange-white cat-5 to harness pin 4
Orange cat-5 to harness 5
Green-white cat-5 to harness 3
Green cat-5 to harness 10
Blue-white cat-5 to harness 8
Blue cat-5 to harness 7
Do this neatly with crimp connectors and make sure you don't have any bare wires exposed. Tuck the box between the seat and the center console with the buttons facing up (duh).
With my phone, I didn't have to mess with the microphone input level. You shouldn't have to either. If you do, just pull down gently on the overhead console at the edge closest to the window. Remove the little bitty harness and use needle-nose pliers to move pin 2 to the pin 1 location. Just pull gently on the wire; it will come out.
Plug the little plug that's flopping around on the wire into your phone. Turn the car on and play the radio. When you press the push-on/push-off button (what I shall call the Mode button), your radio will mute and your SID will say "TELEPHONE". Now push the momentary button (the Trigger button), your phone should say, "Who would you like to call?" over the front stereo speakers. This assumes you have the same phone as I and that you have programmed in some voice dials. Make a call. Call your girlfriend and tell her that you rule. That's what I did. When you want to hang up, just press the trigger button. When you are done making calls, press the Mode button. Isn't it cool how the radio fades back in? If your phone rings, just hit the Mode button, then the Trigger button to answer.
Ultimately, I'm going to move my buttons from the little box to the little blanks next to the SID (where the TCS button would normally go, I think). I didn't want to start thrashing on my dashboard until I knew everything worked. I think I am going to have the wire to the phone come out of the armrest so I can hide it when I'm not using it.
The only thing this whole setup doesn't do is charge your phone or automatically swich Modes when a call comes it. That is what the Mode button is for. For a $200 savings, I can push one button a couple of times a day. And I have never run out of juice on this phone anyway.
So that is my saga. I'm sorry it is so long. If anybody has questions, post them here for all to read and I will do my best to answer them. It took me a couple of hours to do all of the work, plus about an hour to figure out the connections, which I have already done for you.
-Chris
, Mon, 20 Nov 2000 14:50:30, Wed, 29 Nov 2000 15:03:38
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