Fitting a Parrot MKi9200 BT Hands-free

[Conan_the_Librarian]

Thought I would write up my recent install of the Parrot MKi9200


I have an HTC Touch Diamond that I'm not to impressed with, but it does. I have also installed TomTom Navigator 6 on it. I gave up my CD Multi Changer to gain some space in the boot and once the TomTom was working I lost the built in SatNav as it is no longer supported.

Now the speaker on the HTC is weedier that a weed on Weedol. So I can't hear it over the radio and that's bad; because it has my camera alerts and the detector I have dosen't pick up a lot of them!

So I don't want to do a full RNS install yet, I want to hear what my TomTom is telling me and I would like to carry and listen to my music collection. Oo, and use the phone hands free with voice dialling.

So I spend some time researching and come up with the aforementioned Parrot. It's delivered next day for £142 and with 3 hours work (a lot of which was spent deciding were to put things and how to run the cabling) it's in.

I, of course, emptied the box on my bench and threw away the instructions because I am a real man! I then took a photo af all the bits......


Undaunted I started by removing the radio and a couple of switch blanks.



The cableing coming out of the blank is my LPG switch/indicator.

Basically, there is a loom that plugs in between the radio and 2 of the plugs at the back. You then run the Mic, Screen and accessory leads and plug them all in.



This is me testing it all before it goes back.

I mounted the screen on the centre vents,





I then cut a wee valley in the top of a blank and ran the lead to the back of the Climate Control where I was putting the control box,



Then it was reassemble it all,





The mics' are stuck in front of the instrument pod and the cable run behind.

The control box is behind the passengers tunnel panel below the climate control and the bluetooth works just fine.



The control in currently on the steering wheel, on the inside at the 1:30 position. I tried outside at 2:00 and inside at 5:00. It works well here but blocks the view of the instruments which I find a minor annoyance. I may fit it on the centre console behind the gear selector so a passenger can use it as well.

So what can I do now?

I can listen to music,
on the phone,
On a MMC card,
on an Ipod,
On a USB stick.

TomTom comes over the car speakers whether the radio is on or off.

The Parrot controls pre amp volume and mutes the radio when playing music, mutes the music when TomTom makes an announcement.

The phone and applications on it have full voice control and the screen shows a photo of callers and album art of the track your playing if it is on the MMC/USB or phone.

The phone is mounted on my right hand upper vent and has an independent power supply. The inboard GPS is fed by a re-radiating aerial hidden in the A pillar.

I'll update after a bit of use.

[Dezzy]

Nice touch to get the A8OC plate in the background there Mike. I see the unusual wood colour now too.

[Oli18]

Nice one mate! How are you finding it so far? worth the cash?

Oli

[PsYcHe]

All the Parrot kits I've ever seen were worth it.

Better than most of the manufacturer kits by a long way.

A very nice install Mike..

[Lloyd]

ive got the same kit but it works independent of the radio , I don't ever have to turn it on and it only comes out the front speakers , dummies at halfruds are less than useless in supplying what ever cable I require to get rear speakers working or the whole unit to go through the car stereo . as a bt kit I cant fault it and I have a 30gb ipod in the glove box with tunes and I can stream my iphone music and my wifes iphone which is great but I just want to experience all speakers working

[Lloyd]

Updated screen saver on this today and hard wired my active dension iphone 5 cradle , would be brilliant if it all worked off the parrot cables but alas parrot don't do a lightning connector