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They said it couldn't be done. Even Triad's website says that you cannot use the Triad with the StarTAC.
Not true (anymore)....
I'm not selling anything (just in case this sounds like a classified, which it is not), I'm just passing on my experience for others. With MUCH cooperation from Jim Uhl at Triad, and from the makers of a product called the "CellPort," I worked through the kinks and have a successful installation, with auto-muting, and volume control on the steering wheel of a StarTAC connected with a Triad to the Saab 9-5 (no reason it could not be done with a 9-3). I used the Saab mount, and it looks quite nice. Bonus: you can buy a Nokia adapter and hook a Nokia up to the same CellPort without rewiring anything (great if two drivers have different brands of phones).
I have photos, wiring diagrams, etc., I'm happy to share with anyone interested. I did all the pre-wiring myself, but I did NOT do the install itself, so don't ask me things like which way I ran the wires, etc.
Two Caveats:
#1 - I could not successfully use the Saab mic for both the OnStar AND the StarTAC. Perhaps an electrical engineer could work out the circuitry to avoid the problems we experienced, but suffice it to say that putting in the separate mic for the CellPort seems the best solution. I have photos of that, too -- it is not objectionable.
#2 - We first experienced whine on both the phone and OnStar, but after setting up the separate mic for the CellPort, that was eliminated on the phone side. There remains a whine (discussed elsewhere on saabnet, solution being devised by others) for the OnStar only (not the StarTAC/CellPort). I contacted OnStar and spoke with them. They also heard the whine (I can hear it in the car as well when using OnStar), but they had no trouble hearing me and had no trouble capturing GPS. If you are a big OnStar user, this would be annoying. I use OnStar a few times a month and it's a nit. I can live with it until the whine problem is solved.
That's it! I'll set up a page with photos so I don't have to send them to multiple people, but if you want the link to the wiring info and photos, just drop me an email and I'll mail you the link when I get this set up later this weekend. It will include a link to a place that sells the CellPort (you can look at one at http://www.cellport.com but they don't sell them direct -- you must use a dealer). I'll check with the manufacturer -- if enough people are interested, perhaps we can buy them in quantity from the manufacturer for less.
It looks and works great, folks. For reference, the CellPort is about $159 from the place I found it, I think, and the Triad was a bit less. Install is, of course, extra. I probably was raped cost-wise, but I got the installers to give me a flat-rate fee for doing something I wasn't sure could be done and included hassling with the mic situation to see if we could share a mic (total $150).
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