Review of GlobalSat Bluetooth devices

This review covers Bluetooth^TM devices from GlobalSat. I have included the Globalsat BTA-830, BTH-820, and BTA-809. US Globalsat is generally known for its GPS product line which includes Bluetooth GPS devices. They have leveraged their Bluetooth knowledge to come out with a group of Bluetooth devices that have nothing to do with GPS but are primarily concerned with audio. In addition to the devices in this review GlobalSat also makes a BTH-818 which a headset with caller-id built in and a USB Bluetooth adapter for PC and MAC use. This is called the BTA-806. (Link provided because it is hard to find this product on their web site.)

The BTH-820

This unit is the heart of the Bluetooth audio line. It is a Bluetooth capable headset that can receive stereo music or can serve as a remote cell phone headset with its built in microphone. It can also serve as a limited function remote control device. Technically it supports the Bluetooth profiles of HSP (Headset), Handsfree, A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution), and AVRCP (Audio Video Remote Control). It is available in two colors as shown. It is a small device, only an inch wide and 2.5 inches long.

For a particular profile to work there must be a corresponding Bluetooth unit at the other end that understands the profile. For Headset/handsfree this would be a Bluetooth capable Cell phone. For A2DP and AVRCP Global-Sat makes a BTA-809 adapter that can plug into the bottom of an iPod. Global-Sat also makes the BTA-830 which can convert any audio output into A2DP to send stereo signals to the BTH-820. The advantage of using one of these devices is the connection is basically automatic. You just turn the two units on by holding the power on button for a few seconds to place it in discovery mode and they will connect. I have covered these connection choices in separate sections below.

For the HS profile you would normally hook it to a cell-phone where it would replace the speaker and microphone providing hands free use. The microphone on the BTH-820 is located in the control piece and isn't particularly sensitive. This means you must locate the control within about a foot of your mouth. Audio is sent to both earphones. The volume control is on the control piece as well and works for both the headset profile and for the A2DP profile. To answer a phone call you tap the power switch which will turn off the stereo audio. Note that that headset and A2DP profile can work with different devices and this is generally how it would be set up.

The earphones as supplied are pretty sensitive. You can use other headphones or earphones but they may not be as loud as the ones it came with. They work pretty well and sound good but are not of professional grade. There doesn't seem to be enough power to use the larger over the ear headphones unless they are very sensitive.

the BTH-820 is a class 2 device meaning it has a range of up to 32 feet. It uses Bluetooth version 1.2 hardware and software meaning it does support frequency hopping for less interference with other devices and a cleaner signal.

The built in battery provides 100 hours of standby time and about 5 hours of listening time. You cannot charge the unit while using it.

The BTA-809 or iWAG-T

The BTH-820 can talk to an iPOD directly using the BTA-809 Bluetooth transmitter (gateway). The BTA-809 can plug directly into the connector on the bottom of the iPOD and take over the iPOD controls using the AVRCP remote control capability. This will allow you to start and stop the current song and switch to the next or previous song. No other control is supported. This makes it basically the equivalent of an iPOD shuffle.

The Power connection on the BTA-809 will charge the unit and pass the power on to the iPOD. You can continue to use both while on the charger for unlimited connection time.

The output signal volume level from the BTA-809 is just barely adequate when used with the BTH-820. I found that I had the volume setting up to maximum much of the time. This is because the audio is coming from the bottom of the iPOD which bypasses its internal power amplifier.

The BTA-809 should be able to work with other Bluetooth headphones or speaker systems supporting the A2DP profile but I didn't test it with any other devices.

The BTA-830

The BTA-830 can be used with any audio source. It has a 3.5 mm audio connector and connects via the headphone jack available on most devices. It works particularly well with mp3 players, PDA's, TV's, etc. You can use an adapter to even plug it into a 1/4" plug on stereo systems. Using the BTA-830 on an iPOD will typically provide more volume output than the BTA-809 but there is no remote control capability. The unit is circular about 2 inches across.

I found that the unit worked fine but as the battery started to run down the unit would start to drop out the signals. I could only get about 1.5 hours before dropouts started to appear while listening to a TV show. The unit claims about 5.5 hours. Perhaps I should have moved closer to the signal.

Talking to a PC

The BTH-820 can also talk to a PC or Mac computer. However, many of the units available do not support the A2DP protocol or implement it in a way that is not compatible. I am sure that the GlobalSat BTA-806 will work but I do not have one. I do have an AnyCom USB-250 adapter and it will work with the BTH-820 using A2DP or the HSP capability. Note that the USB-250 is a class one device. It will extend the range slightly when talking to the BTH-820 even though it is only a class two unit.