Broadcast incoming calls over boat stereo?

[SMB]

Question.. Is there anything out there that allows you to broadcast an incoming call (either an alert tone or a ringtone) over a boat or car stereo? I'm looking for something that, while I'm on our boat listening to music or the engines are running, or both, will do this so I don't miss calls. I know there's something out there to broadcast music from your phone over the stereo and you can take incoming calls, etc.. But I either listen to Sirius or my iPOD and won't be using my phone as a music source.

Thanks!!

 

[Tim K]

You just need a boat stereo that has bluetooth phone integration. You may need to buy a new stereo unless yours has this. Many aftermarket stereos offer this but usually require some adapter. A quick look at Crutchfield shows a couple of Kenwood Marine receivers offer this feature with the bluetooth adapter (an extra $150). You can certainly find them cheaper elsewhere.

 

[SMB]

Thanks! So, just to confirm, going this route doesn't leave me dependent on my phone as the source for music?

If that's the case, I'll check to see if the stereo has bluetooth integration; it might be, as it's an '08. Otherwise, I've now got a good excuse to upgrade the stereo

 

[vincentp]

Thanks! So, just to confirm, going this route doesn't leave me dependent on my phone as the source for music?

If that's the case, I'll check to see if the stereo has bluetooth integration; it might be, as it's an '08. Otherwise, I've now got a good excuse to upgrade the stereo

You're not dependent on the phone for audio playback, no. Just get a stereo that supports Bluetooth and do the following (this is how it is on my Droid with 2.0, it may be slightly different on older Android versions):

-Pair the Droid with your Bluetooth Stereo
-Go into your Bluetooth settings on the phone
-Long press on the stereo on your device list and choose "Options"
-From there you can make sure you have it set to transmit audio and/or media, whichever you want it to.

A BT enabled stereo should pause playback when a call comes in regardless of whether you're listening to music through BT or through another source on the deck. As long as it's paired and connected with the phone this should work - it works fine on my car's deck.

 

[SMB]

That's awesome, thanks! And thanks for taking the time to also include step-by-step instructions for pairing. Have great weekend! Stacey..