Ready2Talk PA System: Troubleshooting and Installation Guide

Introduction

Ready2Talk systems have been developed with the tourism industry in mind. They are manufactured in Canada and we have been selling these in New Zealand and Australia since 2013.  They don’t often have issues but, when they do the manufacturer has provided some troubleshooting help.

 

PA63 and PA64

• Always use a DIGITAL VOLT METER. Never use a test light to check power on a car that uses computers!
• Always make power checks with the PA connected and turned on. This helps to show resistive connections on power wires.
• If using a Ready2Talk T Harness to connect to an EOM stereo, please refer to that install sheet, or give us a call before proceeding.
• We strongly advise to watch our "Installation Concept - Set Up - Testing" video before proceeding

Issues and Solutions

1. The power light is on but no sound from either the stereo or mic? This is the MOST common question.

 

1) Check power for 12V on Yellow constant power wire at the plug. The Yellow power wire feeds the main amplifier chip. If there is no power on the Yellow wire, there will be no sound.

2) Check the 10A fuse at the back of the PA box. If blown after a short time of operation, it could be caused by low speaker impedance. See Issue #4

 

2. The blue power light is not on and there is no sound

1) Ensure the vehicles key is turned on.

NOTE: The blue power LED is fed by the Red accessory wire and has an internal resettable fuse on the PC board.

2) If your PA 64 has a front panel power switch, ensure it is turned on.

3) Check power for 12V on Red switched power wire at the plug.

4) Unplug the mic from the 4-pin socket, turn off the power for 1 min. With the mic still unplugged, turn on the PA and see if the blue LED stays on. If so, you have a short in the mic plug between pins 1 and 4. Replace the mic.

3. I have confirmed the power on the wires, but it still doesn't work

1) Check for the Black wire for a proper ground.

2) Temporarily connect both the Red and Yellow power wires directly to the vehicle’s battery. If the PA starts working, then recheck both the Red and Yellow power wires for full voltage with a meter.

3) There may be a resistive crimp connection at the PA's main plug or in the power wire coming from the bus. With the plug connected to the PA and the PA turned on, check for power with a meter where the wire connects to the terminal on the PA's main plug, red and yellow. If no power, you either have a resistive crimp at the main plug or in the bus's power wire feeding the PA.

4) If ANY of the speaker wires are pinched or shorted to ground, the PA will go into protection mode killing the sound feeding all speakers. With the PA turned on, cut one speaker wire at a time. When the PA comes to life, you have identified the shorted pair of wires. Or, cut all speaker wires and test each output wire pair with a test speaker to confirm the PA is functioning. If so, then meter each speaker wire to find the fault.

4. The PA is HOT or stopped working but the power light is still on

1)  The PA may run warm but not hot. If hot, please ensure each speaker load (per channel) is between 4 and 8 Ohms. If at 2 Ohms, the Spk load is outside the designed range and must be rewired. If this is not addressed, the PA's 10A fuse will blow protecting itself. Please see the speaker wiring diagrams in the manual.

5. The stereo sound shuts off when I turn off the power switch

1) This is normal. Since the PA 64 is installed between the stereo and on the PA 64? (not applicable with the PA 63 and PA 64 Ver. 2.3 the speakers, when the power switch is turned off, all sound will stop. as there is no power switch on the front panel) The switch can be bypassed by installing the included power switch jumper on the PC board. Please refer to the manual.

6. The mic works but not the stereo - or the stereo has low volume

1) Do you have the microphone turned on? With a PA 63, the music will mute with the mic on. With the PA 64, it too will mute when the "Audio Mute" control is turned fully clockwise. Turn off mic and retest.

2) Both the PA 63 and PA 64 take the audio input from the stereo's front channels. If the stereo's fader is set to the rear, there will be little sound feeding the PA's input. Set the stereo's fader to the middle.

7. The stereo sound is either very low or too loud and distorted

• Check that the "High/ Low" input switch on the back of the PA. "My factory stereo volume is now VERY touchy" If using an OEM / Factory stereo set the switch to High. If using an Aftermarket stereo set the switch to Low.

 

 

8. The stereo works but mic is not working

1) Is the switch on the mic turned on? Don't feel bad, it happens.

2) Check the setting of the mic volume control on the front of the PA

3) Try a different mic to rule out a mic issue.

4) Contact us for repair or replacement

 

9. There is feedback / squealing when using the mic?

1) Although all Ready2Talk PA systems are designed not to have any feedback, if you are standing too close to a speaker and have the mic volume set too high, this may cause the feedback condition.

2) All Ready2Talk mics are designed to be placed a max. of 1" or 3cm away from your mouth. If more, the mic volume will need to be increased to compensate, potentially causing feedback. Move the mic closer to your mouth and turn down the mic volume control.

3) There is a master mic gain control on the PC board for custom adjustments. Please refer to the manual for instructions or contact us before proceeding.

 

10. The front speakers are too loud compared to the rear speakers.

1) Adjust the two front channel level potentiometers on the PC board to level match the front vs. the rear volume. Please refer to the manual.

 

11. The stereo volume is hard to adjust when the mic is on

1) Adjust the stereo volume ONLY when the mic is off. When the mic (not applicable with the PA 63) is on, the PA 64 offers variable music muting from 0% to 100%, controlled by the "Audio Mute" knob. If the Audio Mute is adjusted when the mic is on, it will affect the stereo volume causing confusion.

Please watch the "Concept, Set up and Testing video

 

12. The Stereo and or PA only works on the front speakers? The concept for the PA 63 and PA 64 is, 2 ch. input and 4 ch. output.

1) This happens mainly when installing into a van using the factory If only playing on the front speakers, then the PA is not connected to OEM stereo) the rear speakers as designated in the diagrams. Check and follow the diagrams. Remember… the PA is installed between the stereo's 2 x front output channels and all the speakers in the vehicle.

13. I need more power, or I want to add a Subwoofer.

1) The PA 63 and PA 64 use the same 4 x 50 W amp IC as in many car stereos. If you require more power, connect RCA line level converter to the PA output wires or use an amplifier with speaker level inputs. Please contact us for more information.

 

 

HS BT4 Bluetooth Headsets

We strongly advise watching our "HS BT4 Operation" video before proceeding. 

General functions and indicators.

• Red LED on headset Indicates that the headset is charging, and it will stay on until fully charged.
• Green LED on headset If on fully, this indicates the headset is turned on and made connection with the receiver box and it's ready to use.
• A flashing LED indicates that headset is not paired with the receiver box and must be paired. See below.
• Blue LED on receiver box Indicates the receiver box is getting power from the PA box.
• White button on receiver box This is the pairing button. If glowing red this indicates it has connection with the headset, If not glowing red, then it hasn't found a headset.

Issues and Solutions

1. The receiver box blue LED is not on.

1) Ensure the 4-pin mic plug is connected into a Ready2Talk PA box, it will get power automatically.

2) Is the PA box turned on? Ensure power is going to the R2T PA box.

3) You are connecting it to another manufacturer of PA system? Even though other manufacturers use the same 4 pin mic plug, it won't work.

2. The headset is not working.

1) Is the headset's power switch is on, is the green LED on or flashing? If the green light is not coming on, that indicates that the battery is dead. Charge the headset using the included USB C cable. See "How to charge the headset" below.

2) Is the green LED flashing? This indicates the headset can't find the receiver box and they need to be paired together, or the receiver is not being powered. Check that the receiver's blue LED is on.

3. How to pair a headset with a receiver box?

1) Please watch our pairing video

2) Ensure that both the blue LED on the receiver box and the green LED on the headset are flashing. Locate the black pairing button on the back of the headset. Push and hold the headset's black and the receiver's white pairing buttons at the same time. After 4 seconds, the headset's green LED and receiver's white button will go solid. Remove your fingers form both and now that headset is paired with that receiver box.

4. How to charge the headset?

• The HS BT4 uses a USB C charging socket and can be connected to any USB phone charger. When connected the red LED on the headset will always glow and will go out or dim when fully charged. The amount of charge time depends on the battery's residual charge when connected, between 15 min to 4 hrs.
• Note: We recommend using an uninterrupted wall charger rather than the vehicle's lighter socket, as the on-board computer can shut off all power 30 min after the key is turned off. You think it's charging all night but it's only receiving a 30 min charge!

5. The mic is crackly, robot sounding or poor range

1) 99% of the time this is caused by a low battery. Charge the battery. Important: In this case, please note how long it takes for the red LED to go out. If more than 3 hours, this proves a low battery was causing your issue and you should review your daily charging routine.

Please read #4 "How to charge the headset?" above.

Note: In case of an emergency, the headset can be charged using the receivers USB socket and you can use the headset as the same time.

6 Poor range?

• Other than a low battery, poor range is caused because BT signal is being attenuated. Ensure that the headset has a clear view of the receiver box. We claim 30ft (10m) of operating range, but it can offer up to 60ft (20m) with a clear line of sight.

And another from the manufacturer - regarding crackling on the HSBT4

•  Generally issues with crackling are due to a dead battery  The red Led on the headset is the indicator of it being full charged, but like in the Transit vans, if he’s charging it in the van, the Can bus shuts off the lighter socket after 30 min, it appears as though it’s charging because the light is off in the morning, but it’s only getting 30 mins of charge per day.  Like a bank account, if you don’t put enough money in… the account runs out.