op_MEN-NOV-2011-HI

NOVEMBER 2011

NOw wE’RE TALKINg BuRy ANNOuNCE THE LAuNCH OF THE CP1000 CARPHONE

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T H E I N - C A R AwARDS E N T E R T A 2011 I N M E N T A W A R D S 2011 SPECIAL EDITION

WINNERS SET TO CAPITALISE ON RECOGNITION

THE FuLL wINNERS LIST & PHOTOS INSIDE

INSIDE

HANDS FREE PHONE KITS COMPLETE GUIDE

INSTALLATION ACCESSORIES TOP PRODUCTS FEATURED

W W W. M O B I L E E L E C T R O N I C S N E W S . E U

BOOK NOw FOR THE MEN EXPO 13TH-14TH MARCH 2012 RICOH ARENA, COVNENTRy

WWW.MOBILEELECTRONICSNEWS.EU

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NOVEMBER 2011

04 ED SPEAK:

Edunit reflects on the month’s happenings and trade cockups

06-14 NEWS:

The new product launches never stop – more monthly happenings

20-35 MEN AWARDS SUPPLEMENT:

What a night! The complete story on who won what at the 2011 MEN Awards presentation with some surprise industry gongs and honour bestowed on a much-loved character known to all in the trade. Who was it? Check it out in our bumper Awards supplement

38-40 HANDS-FREE PHONE FOCUS:

Martyn Williams checks out the current market and products

42 DAB CONFERENCE AT THE BBC:

The digital radio road map discussed by movers n shakers

44 CONNECTS2 UK AUTODAB LAUNCH:

Massive new product launch prior to the Awards night

46-50 INSTALLATION ACCESSORIES:

Our man Millsy casts an expert eye over the market

52 NEMESIS TECHNOLOGY:

Product guide to the Award-winning Brodit phone holder and more.

54 MAKE A NOISE:

iPod/iPhone interfaces

CONTENTS

Richard Beavan of Mobile Radio Services offers a graphic description of the changes in our industry

56 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT:

It’s a political world of employment and Ian Murdoch offers some insight

58 OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS:

This month Arthur Deebie gets entrenched in the trade

60 V.C.E GUIDE:

The latest Mercedes Vito gets the VCE expert install tips

62 M.E.N DIRECTORY: Compiled this month by ed’s assistant David Greening

l usB/sd interfaces – SD card / USB drive audio integration with OEM system.

Charlotte Body PUBLISHER Tel: 01268 754 897 or 07903 944666 Fax: 01268 754429 email: charlotte@creativemedialtd.co.uk Martyn Williams EDITOR Tel: 07768 083748 email: edunit@edunit.plus.com Shauna Peters PUBLICATION MANAGER Tel: 01268 754 897 Fax: 01268 754429 email: shauna.peters@creativemedialtd.co.uk Peter Johnson ART DIRECTOR Tel: 01268 754 897 Fax: 01268 754429 email: peter.johnson@creativemedialtd.co.uk Loraine Winter DESIGNER Tel: 01268 754 897 Fax: 01268 754429 email: loraine.winter@creativemedialtd.co.uk Contributors: Adam Rayner: adam@talkaudio.net, Andy Mills (Millsy): millsy-max@hotmail.com, Arthur Deebie arthur.deebie@gmail.com Ben Chandler ben@scene-media.com If Creative Media publish any supplied text or photographs by way of contribution to the magazine, you automatically and hereby grant Creative Media a perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and licence to use, reproduce modify, publish, translate, create derivative works from and distribute such text or photography into any from, medium or technology now known or hereafter developed.

In addition, as between you and Creative Media, you assert and waive any and all moral rights in such text or photography. The views and opinions expressed by any contributors (including advertisers) to the magazine are not necessarily those of the magazine and should not be taken as such.

l Video in Motion interfaces – Unlocks the original DVD or TV tuner while vehicle is in motion.

l MultiMedia/rear caMera interfaces – Add video sources (Such as TV tuner, DVD player etc) to the existing OEM screen. Reverse camera input with automatic switching on reverse.

For further information/trade prices please call 020 3393 4308 or trade@xcarlink.co.uk www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu 3 www.xcarlink.co.uk

x`

GO 11/11 ED UNIT SPEAKS

AWARDS – A GREAT GET-TOGETHER AWARDS – A GREAT GET-TOGETHER Our 2011 Awards event will set a lasting trade and retail impression for customers seeing a product or service award posted on winners’ websites, business paperwork and marketing material. As a punter, I always look for the endorsement of awards on a product I am thinking of buying - so what’s not to like? I hope you agree that it was a great night for the industry to get together and do some catching up and maybe a bit of networking. All our lives tend to be busy so the opportunities to talk to fellow business people are usually few and far between.

The Awards have become established as a major annual trade event, so all I can say is – see you next year!

Clarion call “It’s funny that whilst others are shrinking, Clarion has recently moved into bright new UK head office” The copy in the Clarion advert in October’s MEN for me, totally sums up a lot of things about the prevailing business situation resulting in some organisations profiting from other company’s demise.

It makes me remember Panasonic, which gave me the impression of a huge company crippled by corporate

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www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu restraints. I also ask myself about Pioneer who, last time I asked, were unable to supply a sample product for review – it makes me question the possibility that the company is not addressing a wide front in its marketing and PR and is perhaps putting all its efforts into a single direction. Some pundits would equate this as eggs in baskets..

Hard of thinking?

A chap I know who’s keen on big sounds in his car had recently bought a nice little Golf GTI only a couple of year’s old and wanted to hook up some extra amplification for the system including a bass box and mono amp he got from his local dealer. The bass wasn’t kicking so he went back to the dealer for a solution to going louder. They part exchanged his amp for a more powerful unit. Unsurprisingly, there was no difference, they suggested a bigger amp but at this point, he phoned me.

Without boring you with the details, I suggested that he came over and borrowed my line driver (part of my 12v PA party system!) which yielded an immediate cure.

The bottom line of course, was that even a million Watt amplifier wouldn’t cure a lack of input voltage. Good for sales but bad for customer satisfaction!

NEXT ISSUE – SEND YOUR LATEST INFO – BE A PART OF IT! Features: Portable navigation market, Premium amplifiers and review of the year

MARTYN WILLIAMS

Editor edunit@edunit.plus.com

AUTOMOTIVE

13 Awards, 7 Golds.

Need we say more...

AUTOMOTIVE A W A R D S 2 0 1 1

GOLD - BEST ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

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FOCAL PS130

FOCAL PS165 A W A R D S 2 0 1 1

GOLD - BEST SPEAKER (over £150)

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KICKER EX4502 A W A R D S 2 0 1 1

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GOLD - BEST AMPLIFIER (under £150)

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GATEWAY 500

GOLD BEST VEHICLE INTERFACE

GOLD - BEST ALARM

ARMOUR AUTOMOTIVE SILVER - BEST DISTRIBUTOR

www.armourauto.com

GOLD - BEST COMPONENT SET (under £150)

CLIFFORD AVANTGUARD 5.5

AUTOMOTIVE

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GOLD - BEST CABLING/WIRING

FOCAL 165CVX

SILVER - BEST FULL RANGE SPEAKER (UNDER £150)

KICKER 11PHD12 SILVER - BEST BASS SOLUTION (OVER £150)

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AUTOLEADS SOT LEADS

BRONZE - BEST VEHICLE INTERFACE

FOCAL 165KRX2

BRONZE - BEST COMPONENT SPEAKER (OVER £150)

DENSION ICE LINK LITE BRONZE - BEST UNIVERSAL SOLUTION

For more information on the 2011 MEN Awards or to get your hands on any of the award winning products above please call sales on +44(0)1420 487110 or email sales@armourauto.com

AUTOMOTIVE www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu

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benefIts • RebRand with your own company name.

• Customer logs-in through your website • Your own web-site log-in • We can set-up a website for you • Provides ongoing monthly revenue • You Invoice directly to Customer • Rebrand the hardware to your own label • Money on hardware & installation

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NEATTRACK vehicle tracking solutions Tel: 024 7672 6618 e-Mail: sales@neattrack.co.uk www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu 6 WeB: www.neattrack.co.uk

NEWS

M.E.N EXPO 2012 – THREE MONTH’S TO GO

The success of the Mobile Electronics News EXPO 2011 and fantastically well-attended Awards event this year now brings us on to an EXPO of Olympic proportions, the 2012 MEN EXPO Trade Show.

Too early to start thinking about it? Not if you bear in mind that there are only three whole months in between now and March, and thinking ahead is always the best policy, particularly when the planning of budgets is involved. Many exhibitors at our 2011 Show have already committed to 2012, cashing in on the advantages of early booking and the wider choice of location. Sponsorship for EXPO has been a quick and easy decision for Kenwood, Midbass and Scorpion and there are still EXPO marketing opportunities apart from sponsorship. The Show will be at the premier venue of Coventry’s Ricoh Arena with its close proximity to M1 and M6 motorways – possibly the most accessible area from north and south in the UK. Exhibitor’s 2011 experience at the Show was the most positive ever, with a general view that the hardening of the market has blown away the chancers and the tyre-kickers leaving a hard core of professionals hungry to improve their business in every way possible. More information about EXPO can be viewed the M.E.N website or get on the phone to Charlotte who can answer all your questions.

Contact: Charlotte Body on 01268 754897

THE NEW BEATS Connects2 have introduced some new BEAT head units just in time for Christmas with the launch this month of three thoroughly modern models - the BEAT195 mechless receiver, 390 double-dinner and the 490 single DIN CD tuner. All have full iPod control and the 390 and 490 feature a digital radio tuner band.

The BEAT195 is the only new head unit of the three without a digital radio tuner stage but is consistent with a budgetlevel model. As mentioned, it’s a deck-less unit with a detachable front panel and 4x40W peak power. It has iPod full control plus USB and front panel AUX-In and also features an SD/MMC memory card slot. The FM tuner is RDS and it also has Bluetooth hands-free capability with phone number display, echo cancellation, background noise reduction and automatic pairing. The BEAT 390 is in the popular double DIN format with digital radio tuner which includes the more recent European DAB+ system.

It has Apple device capability with full control of iPod and iPhone. Other features include USB, AUX-In, SD/MMC memory card slot, CD deck with MP3 reading mode and FM RDS/AM tuner and has the same 40W amplifier section. The BEAT 490 is the answer to users requiring a CD deck and DAB/DAB+ tuner in a single DIN format with full iPod control and all the same features as the other two head units, including 40W per channel.

Connects2 0845 2575588 www.connects2.com

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NEWS

NEW PORTED BOXES Joining the Autoleads range of long-established sealed enclosures in 10, 12 and 15 inch sizes - single or dual, comes ported variants in 10 and 12 inch formats.

This high quality, high value range sees the addition of an already popular 6x9 enclosure. All Autoleads enclosures are made from MDF, fully carpeted with built-in binding posts. Trade prices start at £8.

Armour Auto 01420 487110 www.armourauto.com

First SmarTrack NEW CAT5 dealer ARRIVAL Congratulations to Mark Ingham of Safe and Sound Mobile for being the first dealer in the UK to have SmarTrack CAT5 accreditation.

Mark runs a successful business based in Leeds and has now completed his SmarTrack CAT5 product training (2) Installations. Mark had not fitted CAT5 before, Gavin Hennessy, a SmarTrack partner was delighted to meet up with Mark at this years M.E.N Awards, Mark said that this market is much larger than he realised and is looking forward to developing his business with SmarTrack CAT5 over the Gavin Hennessy (left) with Mark Ingham of Safe and next few years. Mark signed Sound Mobile up with SmarTrack in 2006 and added that our products and service just get better and better.

SmarTrack 0845 833 6971 or www.smartrack.eu

Congratulations to Lisa and Mick Stoddard whose baby, Thomas Peter, was born on the 27th September. All at MEN wish them every happiness with their special arrival!

GOT SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT? Then contact the editor Martyn Williams on edunit@edunit.plus.com

LUC

SALES

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AND

CSSA’s NEW AGENT

Rob Walker has been head-hunted by CSSA’s Managing Director Mick Barber and has been appointed Southern Area Sales Agent for the company selling Parksafe, Elite and Ivanhoe product ranges in addition to the non-competing products Rob is already handling.

Commenting on the appointment, Rob said: “Mick is a great team leader and I am really pleased to be associated with his company.”

Rob can be contacted on 07826653689.

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EDITO

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Now distributed in the UK by

Contact Steve Tookey to become a dealer Mobile: 07778 930224 Email: steve.tookey@vestatec.co.uk www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu Office: 01844219000 Fax: 01844219099 Rockford Fosgate UK

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NEWS

REMOTE START STORY Weather forecasters are predicting a third harsh winter in consecutive years which brings further sales opportunities of the new Remote Start range from Clifford.

Extreme weather warnings have flagged up snow as early as October/November and we should all be prepared by offering the consumer the ability to defrost there car from the comfort of their homes and keeping the vehicle safe by keeping the doors locked. Statistically 66,000 vehicles are stolen in the UK every year whilst being defrosted. A strong message for dealers to pass onto their customers.

Armour Auto 01420 487110 www.armourauto.com

PARROT SPREADS WINGS

Parrot UK is pleased to announce that as of November 1, dealers in the UK and Ireland will be able to source product from any of their Approved Partners in the UK and Ireland. This provides dealers with purchasing flexibility and constant product availability. The label on the side of the boxes will also change to state ‘Intended for sale in the UK and Ireland’.

Asif Gillani, Parrot UK’s Sales Director said: “We have received many requests from dealers over the last few months wishing to purchase products from their preferred Parrot Partner and this has not always been possible if that distributor was outside of that territory. With this change, we will enable dealers in both areas to purchase from a range of Parrot Partners giving them the flexibility they need in the current economic climate. With the recent addition of Clare Johnson to our team, we are able to react much quicker to dealers’ requests, further reinforcing our commitment to this channel” Parrot 0844 472 2360 www.parrot.com

PROFITS WARNING

Blackburn-based company Car Communications are sending a message to all dealers who are missing out on the excellent margins attached to the selling and fitting of OEM kits, saying you could be losing out on valuable business.

Car Communications are the official UK distributor for ViseeO kits and official UK Authorised partner for FISCON. This month Car Communications is offering a special deal to MEN readers on the recently launched ViseeO Talk2 CANSTD Concert3, Symphony3 Bluetooth and Talk2CAN-AMI iPod kits for Audi A4, A5 and Q5. The standard version is Bluetooth only and the AMI version is 2in1 (Bluetooth and iPod) - an industry first.

Please quote MEN when replying.

Car Communications 01254 694537 www.carcommunications.co.uk

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DENSION SOFTWARE UPDATE

Dension has increased its application and user functions by updating its software on the Gateway 5 interface. Re-written in-line with software changes by both Apple and VW, the Gateway 5 has kept ahead of the game despite continuous changes by vehicle manufacturers.

The clever folk at Dension have taken the Gateway 5 CAN-Bus product to the next level by offering the iPod, USB and Auxiliary input whilst using the vehicle display to show Bluetooth and media information to an increased range of applications in VW and BMW. Armour Auto 01420 487110 www.armourauto.com

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T H E

Internet in your car

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AWARDS 2011

Maps

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AWARDS 2011

Parrot dealers are now able to purchase stock from any of our Approved Partners:

T:01206 500 848

T:0161 494 4200

T:+353 1 448 1288

T:+353 45 407000

T:01162 449846

“Made for iPod” and “Made for iPhone” mean that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPod, iPhone, respectively, and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards. Apple is not responsible for the operation of this device or its compliance with safety and regulatory standards. iPhone and iPod, are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Parrot is under license. COYOTE, iCOYOTE and COYOTE logo are trademarks of COYOTE. LIVERADIO, ORANGE LIVERADIO and ORANGE LIVERADIO logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of France Telecom. Parrot trademarks figuring on this document are the property of Parrot SA. Other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Parrot SA - RCS PARIS 394 149 496.

www.parrot.com www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu

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NEWS

New MD for Dometic Dometic Group, the world-leading provider of leisure products for the caravan, motor home, automotive and marine markets, is delighted to announce the appointment of Mike Smith as the new Managing Director of Dometic UK, with effect from October 2011. Mike brings over 20 years of experience in internationally-managed, industrial companies such as BAE Systems, Webasto and Magna.

With an honours degree in engineering from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Mike has spent the majority of his career in Sales and General Management in a variety of locations. Most recently, Mike was COO of Metalrax Group PLC. Commenting on his appointment Mike said: “I am thrilled to be joining Dometic UK at this exciting time and I am looking forward to building on the success of the UK and global teams.”

The Dometic Group passes on its thanks to outgoing director Tim Shaw for his contribution and wish him well for the future.

Dometic 0844 626 0136 www.dometic.com

CNC-IT BESPOKE TRIM NEW KICKER PRODUCTS

Paul Godden, owner of West Sussex-based company Cnc-It, has a range of plastic stock of various thickness with finishes including carbon fibre and piano black, plus the typical automotive dash finishes found in today’s cars.

Using his computerised laser-cutting system, he is able to supply to exact dimensions (down to tenths of a millimetre) items such as facia-to-head unit trim pieces. The Sony unit image shown for example, has a matching piano black trim which fits perfectly around the head unit. Sony’s trim supplied with their head unit doesn’t actually fit properly!

A bespoke service of this type comes at a cost, and Paul quotes a minimum of £65 plus VAT for this type of job.

Cnc-It 01403 823628 www.cnc-it.co.uk

In 2009 Kicker entered the home audio arena by introducing the IK500 iPod Docking station which pundits agreed was one of the loudest docking stations in the world.

The IK500 has now been updated to the IK501 and other models have been developed such as the IK350, IK150 and small but powerful IK100M. Kicker has also introduced a fantastic range of ear buds and head phones with SRPs from £14.99 to £49.99 Armour Auto 01420 487110 www.armourauto.com

GOT SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT? LUCY POET

Then contact the editor Martyn Williams on SALES MANAGER edunit@edunit.plus.com T: 01268 754 897 M: 07951 698 873

F: 01268 754 429 E: lucy@creativemedialtd.co.uk W: www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu

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ANDY MILLS

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NEWS The Trade’s Number One Choice

ULTIMATE HEAVY DUTY VAN LOCK

Continued development at Veba has seen two key introductions this month with the AV2704 DVD Player and the AVDVBTMP4 Digital Tuner.

For more information on these new models visit the Armour Automotive website.

Armour Auto 01420 487110 www.armourauto.com

NEW

Tel: +44 (0) 1474 560077

l The only automotive locking product to achieve Sold Secure Gold Status

Unit C4, Imperial Business Estate, West Mill, Gravesend, Kent, DA11 0DL, United Kingdom Email: sales@locks4vans.co.uk | Fax: +44 (0) 1474 561112 www.locks4vans.co.uk

l Survived robust 5 minute attack test l Innovative double action latch l Slam or manual operation l Great introductory offer l Thatcham Deadlocks and Slamlocks also available l Free Training and Technical Support

Call Gary on

01474 560077

www.locks4vans.co.uk 14

VEBA ADDS TO RANGE

www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu

VESTATEC DISTRIBUTES ROCKFORD

Vestatec has been appointed the UK distributor of Rockford Fosgate and Lightning premium audio products.

Rockford Fosgate and Lightning will now be available alongside Vestatec’s existing stable of brands which include VT cruise controls, day time running lamps, speed limiters, Gentex reverse camera mirrors, Meta System vehicle security, telematics, parking aids and integrated Bluetooth and iPod solutions.

Vestatec’s Steve Tookey, who has many years of experience with the Rockford and Lightning, is the UK Sales and Product Manager for both these brands.

To become a dealer contact Steve Tookey on 07778 930224 Vestatec Distribution 01844 219094 www.vestatec.co.uk

PAY ONCE CELSUS FOR A YEAR’S MEDIADAB ADVERTISING IS SHIPPING Yes that’s right, dealers and industry professionals will be looking at your advert for a whole year if you spend a few quid on the MEN Wall Planner which will be going out with our bumper December issue for Christmas. If anyone has any training days or shows they would like to see on the wall planner then contact Publisher Charlotte Body on 01268 754897.

Additional December issue copies are also available by emailing admin@creativemedialtd. co.uk with your requirements.

The Celsus/PASER MEDIADAB integrated digital radio tuner is fully on sale. Product is shipping to Celsus in volume and the first batch was pre-sold but there is now plenty in stock this month to satisfy demand. Celsus has also developed a wireless remote control for vehicles without steering wheel controls making the tuner interface compatible with many more cars in the market.

Celsus 01202 664 390 www.celsusice.co.uk

FOCAL’S NEW AWARD

The Focal PS165 Performance Speaker adds the accolade of MEN Gold Award 2011 for Best full range speaker set over £150 to its prestigious EISA award for Best Product in the ‘In-Car Speaker’ Category 2011-12 All regular sizes are in the Performance range including 100, 130 and a 6x9 inch model. Trade prices start at £76 for the component models.

Armour Auto 01420 487110 www.armourauto.com

Now We’re Talking

BURY CP 1000 CarPhone NEW! BURY CP 1000 CarPhone Fixed car phone with advanced voice control

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AWARDS 2011

DialogPlus voice control – extremely accurate, rapid reaction word recognition, drivers hands remain on the steering wheel Magic word – activation of the voice control with a single voice command

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Text-to-speech – reads out text messages and phone book entries aloud

T H E

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AWARDS 2011

Dedicated SOS Button Illuminated Keypad – large, well-spaced, tactile buttons ensure accuracy and speed Supports Fixed SIM number Dialling

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COVER STORY

Now we’re talking!

BURY introduces the CP 1000 CarPhone with Advanced Voice Recognition

E

FEATURES l Full Dialogue advanced Voice Recognition (DialogPlus voice control)

stablished in 1987, BURY Technologies have been leaders in the development and manufacture of hands-free car kits. The company is probably best known for its Universal CarTalk, CC9060 Plus and CC9060 MUSIC Voice Recognition hands-free car kits.

l Magic Word function

Earlier in 2011 the company was approached to develop a fixed car

l illuminated keypad with large buttons

phone to meet the needs of the transport sector requiring a dedicated

l Dedicated SOS call button

permanantly installed fixed mobile phone in the vehicle. As a result, BURY

l Supporting of fixed number SIM dialing

Technologies are proud to announce the release of the new BURY CP

l 5 watt loudspeaker supplied as standard

1000 CarPhone .

l Strip line antenna supplied as standard

The new BURY CP 1000 CarPhone represents a major strategic step for

The new device will be the only voice recognition fixed car phone

BURY Technologies as the device is the company’s first mobile phone.

available in the market and with its advanced features of magic word

Drawing upon the company’s vast knowledge and expertise within

for making outgoing calls together with call accept or reject features

the car kit arena the new fixed car phone will incorproate many user

for incoming calls via voice commands the device allows drivers to

friendly features

keep their hands safely on the steering wheel at all times.

l Incoming call Accept or Reject via voice command l Memo Function l 12 -24 volt compatible (eliminating the need for voltage dropper when using the 5 watt speaker supplied) l 2.8 inch colour screen (ensuring system information is clearly displayed)

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|2011

About BURY Technologies BURY Technologies is one of the leading manufacturers of hands-free car kits, electronic logbooks and telephone cradle

The new BURY CP 1000 CarPhone represents a major strategic step for BURY Technologies

systems in Europe. Under the brand name of BURY®, the company manufactures and markets innovative products for the growing mobile communications market in over 50 different countries. BURY Technologies specialises in the development and production of high quality products for the automotive sector.

For further information on BURY company and its products, please visit www.bury.com

volt compatible when used with the loudpseaker (supplied) negating the Using the advanced voice recognition (DialogPlus voice control),

additional expensive costs incurred in purchasing and installing voltage

outgoing calls may be made by either accessing the SIM card

droppers required in many heavy goods vehicles. A strip line antenna is

phonebook and dialing a name for example Dial Office or by dialing

also included as standard.

a number.

To further enhance the features of the device, BURY have also The BURY CP 1000 CarPhone also features a Memo function which

developed two optional ancialliary accessories:

enables by a simple press of a button call information to be recorded on the phone, such as journey directions or a telephone number and

A secondary privacy slave handset with volume control will be available

replayed as and when required by the driver.

allowing the user to hold a private conversation, for example, in a chauffeur driven vehicle.

The BURY CP 1000 CarPhone has an illuminated keypad with large easy to operate buttons, a 2.8” colour display, together with a dedicated

An intelligient extension handset will also be launched during Q1, 2012

SOS call button to ensure ease of use. To support a requirement of many

enabling other vehicle occupants to make and receive private calls. The

companies in the transport sector the fixed car phone will also enable

intelligent handset could be used to provide a secondary calling facility

SIM fixed number dialing, allowing companies to pre-program and

in addition to the primary fixed car phone, ideal in security vehicles,

restrict telephone numbers dialed from the device.

emergency vehicles, motorhomes etc.

BURY will supply the device with a 5 watt loudspeaker to ensure optimum

The new BURY CP 1000 CarPhone is supplied with BURY’s standard 2-year

audio volumes levels within the vehicle, additionallly the device is 12-24

warranty.

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THE IN-CAR

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Shaken & Stirred “Pay Attention Bond, these gadgets could save your life…” as Q might have said. For it was the occasion of the eighth Mobile Electronics News awards in what has been our TENTH year of publication. Yours Truly was compere again at our now famously vital social-and-glory black tie gala event and the theme was James Bond.

I wore five O’clock shadow stubble with the collar open on my dress shirt and bow tie undone to show it was a real one, just like James’. We had tables all named after the movies and a brace of dancer lovelies who had stepped straight out of Casino Royale and were nine feet tall in their feather Vegas Showgirl costumes, to act as my greeters and to guide and be snapped with those folks collecting awards.

We had a few more ‘people’ awards this year yet had slimmed down the number of product gongs overall while adding a crucial extra product award too, called Editor’s Choice for equipment deemed awesome by Mobile Electronics News’ EdUnit himself. For this year, the industry’s voting effort was better engaged with and more comprehensively widespread than in previous years, resulting in the best spread of well deserved glory we have seen.New ‘People’ awards included an Installer Of The Year category for mobile installers and one I asked for, which was Best Technical Support.

Our Sponsors MEN joyfully offers up a profoundly heart felt thank you to our illustrious sponsors, Connects2 and Nemesis Technology, without whom, this totally vital event would never happen.

Connects2’s Josh Beddow said, “We were proud to sponsor the evening for the third time, it was a great night and we look forward to next year.”

Nemesis’ sales director Matt McPherson, said “On behalf of Nemesis technology, I wanted to thank the organisers for a great event. Well organised and with a great atmosphere. It was good, as a sponsor to get the opportunity to speak to our important customers but also hopefully make some new friends and new customers. We look forward to continuing our relationship with M.E.N. magazine and letting your readers know more about our innovative products coming to market soon.”

Let’s take you through them in the order we got them on the night….

E N T E R T A I N M E N T AWA R D S 2011

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2011 awards winners..

T H E I N - CA R E N T E R T A I N M E N T AWA R D S 2 0 1 1 Services to the Industry Award

Best Single DIN AV Head Unit

KEITH HOLNESS Many eons ago when Terrible Lizards still stalked Milton Keynes, a couple of chaps set up the first importation of the high end Japanese brand of car audio - Alpine. One of these chaps was Keith Holness, our winner of the Services to the Industry

Alpine IVA D511R

award. Since the 1st January 1986, Alpine has been in the UK and has built firm branding as the top end of car audio. Despite being the sort of chap much more comfortable with sending new employees to the stage to collect product awards rather than lording it up himself, however deserved, Keith has been a backbone for Alpine in the UK forever. The quiet one, pulling off deals at high levels and being a part of the UK planning and operations rather than frontof-house PR. Stuff that saw Alpine rise in the UK to be a true power and outpost of

Kenwood KVT526DVD

Japanese corporate empire, rather than a small two-geezers and a lock-up operation.

Keith is enormously loved by those he works with and universally respected by those he does business with. He has Alpine through his being like lettering in seaside rock

Still the sexiest and most ‘James Bondian’ of all Ice products, the single-DIN headunit with a screen that comes whirring out of the dash always impresses your mates and no fib, I’ve always described these items as ‘Bondian’. And Clarion’s VZ401E which took Bronze most certainly fits the bill in this category for being so totally well equipped and uniquely for having a double-DIN big brother identical in every screen and function except for the headunit’s format.

The Kenwood KVT-526DVD took Silver with a crisp button layout and a very cool Graphic User Interface (pretty screens) and the Alpine IVA D511R took Gold for its not just having all the same awesome connectivity as the others but also the Alpine IMPRINT capability, which is truly Next Level audio auto tuning tech. It’s like an expert with an RTA spent four hours with a 500 band four channel EQ.

(Translate THAT one to your Japanese colleagues without a picture, guys!) and has supported all ice media, both trade and consumer, again forever. A real powerhouse of the UK Ice industry, we salute you, Keith.

Clarion VZ401E

Best Double DIN (without Navigation)

Kenwood DDX4028BT

Alpine IVA-520R

Zenec ZE-MC294

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With well over 50% of all cars on the roads now either having a double DIN hole or the same space behind the panels, or coming with an OEM double-dinner when you buy it, this size of headunit has (somewhat bizarrely in some ways) become the new growth area of head unitry by market share. And the serious specification and capability with SD cards and USB inputs (and iPod and iPhone compatibility with an extra wire

by Nemesis usually!) is no longer solely the preserve of the major Japanese companies as our Bronze winner, the Zenec ZE-MC294 proves. A slice less costly yet still feature-rich. The Alpine IVA-520R took Silver for its smarts and the up-sell possibilities of the navigation add-on module NVE-M300P. With the Kenwood DDX4028BT taking Gold for the fight back against the newer less costly competition, with the most amazing touch screen product that sells for £350.

Delicious.

Best Double DIN (with Navigation)

Sony’s XNV-L77BT

Kenwood DNX9280BT

Alpine INE-S900R

This is the Sledgehammer Unit. Big real estate in the dash, big screen and there is no single question or demand the punter can ask without you saying , “Yes, it has that…” as these are the kings of the aftermarket. Double DIN with everything including navigation that makes a windscreen-mounted navigator look a bit wanky. (That said, the Clarion MAP790 uses the SIRF III chip….) The deeply desirable Alpine INE-S900R took our Bronze award with the brilliant One Look system that allows the user to show two functions at once and decide on their relative size and position on the screen. The Kenwood DNX9280BT won Silver, adding a third accolade as its predecessor won a Gadget Show test and this unit also won EISA’s Gold award in Europe this year. But Sony’s XNV-L77BT took Gold in this prestigious category here in Blighty because of the Tom Tom tie up that gives the user HD traffic safety alerts, local search with Google and weather updates. Plus the use of others’ actual speed data to find the quickest route with IQ Routes. It’s a killer unit.

P R O D U C T AWA R D S

Best Vehicle Interface

Dension Gateway 500

motorMOUTH

Best Security Product of the Year Security Product of the Year While we have alarms and tracking devices and fleet management tools, the overall security rating of a product comes down to the Thatcham Accreditation multiplied by the feelings and experiences of those who fit and use the products.

So it was about overall reassurance in this category, leading to some doublewhammy successes for certain products that have won in their own right within their own sector. Thus it was a Bronze award for the Scorpion Track system for being the UK’s most affordable with the lowest subscriptions yet offering a full service. The CobraTrack Plus With Web won Silver, as it has some extra features like tow-away protection, with Smartrack’s Protector Pro taking Gold because of the even higher tech that can send an e-mail if the battery gets disconnected.

All of the clever head units in the world are no use at all if you cannot get at the vehicle’s own steering wheel controls to interface with, as no buyer wants to take a leap backwards in the control of their radio. Autoleads SOT range took Bronze in the interface category for being reliably well designed and well stocked, despite the huge range they have to keep.

InCarTec’s bonkers little motorMOUTH device took silver for being a sale-froma-wall-hook, peasy to understand and giving hands free Bluetooth to anyone who has a cigar lighter in their car and the need. Great for hire cars. But the mighty Dension Gateway 500 easily stole Gold, for being such a competent and clever device. Paddling like fury digitally, so you don’t need to fret, this unit adds a whole world to any MOST car by fibre optics and digital jiggery-pokery. Bloody clever and all unseen in the car, it just uses the screen it came with.

Autoleads SOT

Best CAN Bus System

Connects2 CAN-01/2

Celsus Paser SlimKey2

Sailes Marketing CB2M200

This award was as ‘internal’ an industry award as it can get. No consumer will ever give a tuppeny damn about these products unless you get sold a duff one and sell it on to them as part of the job and then their system doesn’t work!

As you’ll need one of these to add an aftermarket headunit into a CAN-BUS equipped car, these items get seen either as an added-value to the sale or as a pejorative pain in the neck. On any of the three counts (function, added value or sale-inhibitor) it is crucial to get it right.

The adapter needs to be keenly priced, yet offer a bit of margin for the dealer, not piss off the buyer who has to have it as a small extra and of course plug-and-play perfectly. That said, you also want eager and attentive service and rapid delivery. I reckon it would have been a combination of the lot that saw our winning products placed as Sailes Marketing in Bronze with the CB2M200. then Celsus’ Paser SlimKey2 system in Silver with superspecialists’ Connects2’s CAN-01/2 taking Gold.

Best Headrest Product

Rosen AV7700

Alpine’s TME M780

In the way that you can hear a boom system and thus gauge how many there are in the traffic, this category is one that you can see being used while out driving.

And while it has most definitely stayed in the richer-owners bracket for purchase, there has been a revolution on the high street with TV sets getting fabulously sexy and kids will also be seeing others’ headrests glowing with Disney films as they sit in the traffic. So, in the “are we nearly there yet?” category, the well made and highly affordable C-KO HUDVD-7005 took Bronze, for being a whole headrest replacement and offering a DVD player and games system in the package. Alpine’s TME M780 took Silver for its 1,152,000 pixels versus the 336,900 usually found on this size screen, making it the closest to HD TV on the road.

The Rosen AV7700 from Cobra won Gold, due to it being a simple piggy-back system yet only an inch and a half thick and being designed to work safely behind ‘active’ headrests, like BMW & Mercedes.

USB input socket, too which is remarkable.

C-KO HUDVD-7005

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Best Head Unit (under £150)

Best Head Unit (over £150)

Alpine CDE 117Ri

Alpine’s CDE-120R

Sony’s CDXGT540UI

DEH-8300SD

A sadly shrinking and yet increasingly commoditised sector with some real horrid cheapo rubbish on sale in the more peripheral catalogue type businesses. This price of deck is thus no longer an entry level one but more importantly a contest to see who can cram ever yet more digital functionality in the single DIN chassis for the price sold. The Bronze award goes to Pioneer for their DEH-8300SD, which as the suffix suggest can read from Secure Digital cards It would have been £500 five years ago. Hi volt preouts, digital crossovers, EQ, OEL display…madness!

Sony’s CDXGT540UI won Silver for its high and low pass filters and the cleverness of being able to intro-sample, even from the front USB, while Alpine’s CDE-120R won Gold for its high end aspirations yet modest price.

Best Bluetooth Solution Bury Music dash top Bluetooth system

Parrot Asteroid

Alpine’s KCE400BT

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A lovely wide-ranging category, the Bluetooth concept has become a necessity, rather than a luxury. Just how it is applied to your car varies from a discreet dash-top stand alone control system, a whole actual headunit with the equipment on board, or else a piggy-back for another unit. Our awards reflected them all The Bronze goes to Alpine’s KCE400BT add-on hide away box for their compatible headunits. . The fabulous and new Parrot Asteroid won Silver for their Android app-using single-DIN headunit. The daddies’ of Bluetooth’s first headunit has been joyously received. And in Gold the excellent Bury Music dash top Bluetooth system that is also properly designed for the real music fan as an alternative way to manage tunes from an iPhone.

JVC KD-R921

Rather than going all out for the mad end and terribly costly machines that still exist, the voters were still from the real world so our £150 price point has concentrated things a bit. The Clarion CZ501E won Bronze for including the highest level 4 Volt RCA outputs to back up the on board Bluetooth and built in microphone, adding safe telephony to the mix of other high quality features. The JVC KD-R921 was awarded Silver and has 5V preouts, a Texas Instruments 24 BIT DAC and other goodies while in Gold, we find the Alpine CDE 117Ri, which was awarded the top spot for its tremendous sound quality, much loved by brand-ophiles. It’ll work on the Imprint system (See Editor’s Choice) which is a killer feature.

Clarion CZ501E

Best iPod / iPhone Solution

Connects2 iConnect-FM

Kenwood’s BT61U

Dension iceLink Lite

So much equipment is made to be enslaved to the iPod and this matters as millions have been sold. I once saw someone use a $300 vending machine to buy one at Las Vegas airport! In Bronze we find the neat and tidy Dension iceLink Lite which powers and cradles your precious ‘Pod. In Silver position, it’s Kenwood’s BT61U single-DIN headunit for doing the job at a keen price and well.

The fascia of the unit is minimalist and cool looking, which must help sell it and won it votes. The issue of whether a unit could do it at full speed, is of course a moot point nowadays. In Gold, we find the Connects2 iConnect-FM, a device that will work in any car with a radio. You put power in and aerial in and out en route the radio and get your iPod as a new radio station. Not posh but a mega-solution for everyone. A winner.

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"Introducing the entry-level CDX-GT250MP and CDX-GT252MP, the CDX-GT450U & the bluetooth MEX-BT2900 to the range is a fantastic addition to the Armour portfolio and will further enhance our reputation for fulfilling our dealers needs"

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AUTOMOTIVE www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu

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Best Amp (under £150)

Kicker EX 450.4

FLI Fli Loaded 900s

Amplification has been getting better and better priced as time has gone on and a new class of crazily high quality Class D amps is changing the world. Even in more normal class AB amps like these, the changes have meant more and more watts for the entry level amplifier purchaser. These are crucial first forays into power for an enthusiast. If that first spend on proper amplification doesn’t satisfy, we’ll lose them to surfing, or DJ-ing or something. In Bronze we have the worthy Fusion CA-AM 20350, a 2x55w RMS slab that scored well with our voters. The FLI Fli Loaded 900s won Silver due to the 4x100 watt generosity of wellie for the money and the Kicker EX 450.4 won Gold for doing even more of the same with four channels of some 400 watts each. All certified in each box and all above the specification they are claimed for.

Fusion CA-AM 20350

Best Amp (over £150)

VIBE Black Death Reaper

JL Audio XD200/2

Clarion APA4360

Best Cabling/Wiring Solution No serious car audio system, be it for loudness or beauty can be fashioned without the use of power and signal connection cables and accessories.

These can either be commodity style as cheap as possible (although do be warned, some cheaper cables are not worth the tuppence you’ll pay, just ask Autoleads…) or else form part of the bling and fun and appeal of a top end install and add real value. In Bronze we have the Stinger cables brand that Celsus import and distribute. Sold in useful accessory packages as well as being sold off the roll, they do go up to two over gauge in power hawsers if you want to order a reel! Connects2 of course are the home of Tsunami in Silver, who despite having a name that isn’t cool when it actually happens, still have some really excellent products.

Especially their big capacitor banks.

Pure bling with massive muscle. But in Gold, the unassailable Autoleads selection of cabling products from review-winning packages to fitting bay consumables at best price, the outfit has still got sway.

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Although they don’t make many models, the simple reason is that they don’t need to as the Clarion APA4360 in Bronze is a superb piece of engineering with real power and improbably high fidelity specs that you can hear. I have reviewed this one myself and am delighted to see it win in these MEN awards. Clean and potent, too. The JL Audio XD200/2 in Silver position is another I have reviewed and I can attest that the XD amps are part of this new Class D revolution referred to above.

Lots of power and superbly clear. A well deserved award for a company even the Japanese watch closely. And in Gold, the VIBE Black Death Reaper amplifier, more properly called the Bass 2. It has 18V, 14.5Kw @1 Ohm madness abilities and is a metre long. And you can strap two for 29Kw if you have the batteries!

Best Hands-Free Kit

Parrot MKi9200

Bury CC9060

Parrot’s CK3100 LCD

Lots and lots of us need to go hands free, yet we are not all going to want to have a full AV add-on to our cars like a sexy Dension set and some of us simply won’t have the technology to piggy back, anyway. So it’s crucial that systems are available to be used as small dashboard add-ons for telephony. In Bronze, we have Parrot’s CK3100 LCD dash top set, one up from the 3000 that has no display, it is simple to use and works brilliantly. In Silver the Bury CC9060 won points for its bigger 2.8in screen and its no-training-needed voice command control. But the tour de force that is the Parrot MKi9200 won Gold, for its full offering to take you from a 2.4in screen into an entire entertainment system with as much connectivity (iPhone, USB, SD, line in) as most double-DIN headunits.

P R O D U C T AWA R D S

Best Parking Sensors

Steelmate PTSD4

Park Master 0356/358/359

Modern cars are like driving a fish tank, such is the sight-line from the windows and parking sensor installation is increasingly a profit centre for fitting bays.

Do you recall the big Mercedes that had steel penises that rose up out of the rear extremities when you put the car into reverse, so you see where its butt actually was? In Bronze we have the ParkSafe PS540 system, which can be supplied with four or two sensors and features paintable sensors with anti-hook and spare wheel functions. The Park Master 0356/358/359 sensors from Cobra won Silver for offering a clever totally flush and thus manufacturer-quality finish to the job. The Steelmate PTSD4 reverse-only set won Gold for being high VFM and for its traffic-light dashboard display, making it more straightforward to use versus analysing bleeper tones.

Best Speed Camera Detection System

Pogo Alert Plus

Stinger DSi

A subject dear to my recidivist heart, these are of course safety devices and should not be used as a license to speed. Ever. We had but a Silver and a Gold in this year’s line up when all the dust settled and they were the Stinger DSi system in Silver for its literally awesome comprehensive ability and fabulous technology, with the easy to use and install Pogo Alert Plus taking Gold. With its clear OLED Screen, eight and a half hour battery life and the Origin 360 database for all Europe behind it, plus a laser detector you can unplug if the law changes, it slaps most other offerings quite firmly into a spot behind them.

Origin Technologies are ones to watch.

ParkSafe PS540

Best Bass Solution (over £150)

FLI Trap 12 Twin Active

11PHD12 Dual Active

JL Audio JL CP212-W0v2

Our youth has become used to instant gratification, so the ‘I want it all right now’ subwoofer bass solution has become another surprise growth zone in market share. And it has to be said that by no means are all the offerings compromises, with the ‘right now’ still adding up to a decent sale. The Bronze in this category goes to the JL Audio JL CP212-W0v2 BassWedge enclosure which has two twelves, a slot-port and is built with edge flanges so you can even boundary-load it, down firing against your boot floor. The Kicker 11PHD12 Dual Active powered enclosure has won Silver with two twelves on 200 watts and a remote bass gain knob-in-a-box to clinch the deal for the money. But the FLI Trap 12 Twin Active took Gold for despite the brand starting life as entrylevel it has evolved and the smooth and curvy enclosure has an eight hundred watt amplifier whose heatsinks follow the lines of the enclosure. Beautiful!

Best Bass Solution (under £150)

Alpine’s SBG-1244BP

Fli FL1200 Amplifier

When it comes to immediate gratification the winner of our Bronze award, the Fusion CS AT1100 is a killer. It has a classically tubular enclosure, yet a flat base so it won’t roll as easily, arrives with a remote control for its potent little amp and most of all, for the money it rocks and I know, ‘cos I’ve tried one!

The Fli FL1200 Amplifier wins silver just for being a serious 300 watt monoblock bass amplifier with some cutie bling for very little money indeed.

That’s over a quarter-kilowatt to put it in perspective! And in Gold we have Alpine’s SBG-1244BP twelve inch bandpass enclosure. This simply sounds fucking awesome and I know, as again, yes, you get the picture. But fat, rippling, monocoque-shaking lows on not too much power, as it is awesomely efficient.

Alpine bass award-winningly affordable?

Shocking!

Fusion CS AT1100

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Best Alarm

Clifford AvantGuard 5.5

Scorpion SIGMA S35

In a world where our clever technology has resulted in the poor bloody owner or even their house becoming the weakest spot to attack to steal a car, it’s good to know that a car alarm that screams is still a crucial helper in keeping what’s yours, your own.

There’s savage competition in the market and our dealers voted the Cobra 4405 into Bronze place, with its own back up battery and the CANBUS use of the car’s own remote to arm, it has smarts as well as category 2-1 Thatcham approval. The Scorpion SIGMA S35 took Silver with its vehicle-specific software database, always adding more cars to the CANBUS capability of the set, while the legendary Clifford AvantGuard 5.5 took Gold, again as it has so much packed on board. Arguably the finest and most sophisticated piece of car alarm kit ever made, it has remote starting and anti-hijack tech too.

Best Hands-Free Distributor Hands free is increasingly important as the forces of Law & Order are striving to make using a phone held to your head as socially unacceptable as drink driving.

And by the way, do remind your business customers that getting caught handholding a phone in a work vehicle means six points, not three and a double (£120) fine. The Bronze Hands Free Distributor award went to Nemesis Technology for their capable Brodit product and their wide selection of stuff like J-Link leads, (used to plug iPods’ AV inputs into head units) while CEL Trade took Silver proving a wide expertise across many fields of mobile electronics and in Gold position we have Chameleon who are deep specialists in their field and offer a top service as well to their happy dealer base who voted them into the top spot in this category.

Cobra 4405 i

Best Tracking - Fleet So long gone are the days when you left the office and left direct control behind. No more swift nipping over to the girlfriend’s for a quickie in the middle of the afternoon or POETS, (Piss Off Early Tomorrow’s Saturday) as the boss can see where you are at. This is crucial to cost effective fleet management, especially in the face of stupefying fuel costs. And our dealers are impressed by TrackItNow’s ERA Software in Bronze position that can be used to manage one vehicle or a national-grade fleet, under the ‘motion’ or ‘advance’ products, while CobraTrak Plus took Silver due to its clever Tow-way, tamper and even GSM jamming alert technology. The SmarTrack Fleet Assist took Gold as it really is like having Big Brother watching you and can e-mail your boss if you go over speed. It uses the SIRF III top end GPS chip - better than most PND’s and even some DIN navs!

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Best Tracking Consumer A slightly more personal and emotive sale, in personally-purchased individual vehicle tracking for consumers, the Trackitnow ERA system again took Bronze as their system is designed to start with one car – and kept up with a Ferrari on the Nurburgring at 160mph. SmarTrack Protector Pro took Silver with such smarts as battery disconnect alert and the dealer-friendly feature that the system is transferable when you sell the car if you want, which is a keen closer-of-sales feature.

CobraTrak Plus took Gold in this personal category, just raising up to pole position in the votes on its features and benefits.

P R O D U C T AWA R D S

Best Digital Radio Product

Kenwood KDC-DAB4551U

Caliber RCD277DBT

PURE Highway

Best DAB Innovation

JVC KD-DB52

A category which has come to the forefront his year, with the BBC and government both engaging properly with the digital future of radio in a big conference at the heart of the BBC, scant days after our awards. So this one really matters. In Bronze we had the PURE Highway, a simple, clean cigar-lighter-add-on unit that is about to be replaced, but scored a good ‘un for many dealers in 2011. Next, in Silver place is the Caliber RCD277DBT a simple, elegant single-DIN solution that includes a lot of hardware, like a mag-mount aerial. Finally, unique to this award alone, we had TWO GOLDS! The Kenwood KDC-DAB4551U and the JVC KD-DB52 units. Both crackers of their type and well deserved equal pegging in a new era.

Best British Product

An emotive issue with stuff being made all over the world and yet designed in the land it is sold and claimed as ‘British’. The issue is the engineering and the quality control and not all outfits send QC staff off to their foreign factories as you really need to. The Scorpion Track tracking system has taken honours with the Gold award. Proud to be designed and manufactured in the UK so there’s NO foreign QC issue, this top end GPS vehicle tracking and recovery system is insurance approved yet charges its users the lowest subscriptions in the UK industry. Five year warranty and free inclusion of European coverage made this product an easy winner. Established since 1973, Scorpion have had respected auto security products to offer throughout the years. This is their coolest product right now.

This category has but one Gold winner which is Connects2’s AutoDAB unit. As clever as Jock Weasel McSlipperyFish, it tucks away behind the dash of the car that the owner thought was stuffed with an unassailable OEM system and it feeds the display of that OEM controls with AutoDAB’s displays. The car will have to have an antenna fitted discreetly but the looks and controls for the car owner are just as before the fitment but simply seeming to deliver DAB radio and the DAB radio station idents instead of the FM stuff. Very clever. They had pride of place at the Drive To Digital Conference held at BBC Broadcasting House a few days after the MEN awards night. You could tell that the assembled great and good were impressed.

Best Cellular Accessories Another category with a sole winner, the Gold Award goes to Nemesis’ Brodit Apple iPhone 4 Active Holder. It is of course of the Made For iPhone tribe and cunning with it, with the battery charging of course, but the real plot is the effective tilt and swivel function of the mount that just makes it a delight to use and has resulted in happy user reviews all over the places they sell these on the ‘net. Part of a well respected line of cellular accessories and an easy winner in this category.

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Best Component Speakers (over £150)

Vibe Space 6 3D

JL Audio Evolution C3-650

Focal K2 Power 165 KRX2

The pinnacle of our audio awards, these speakers are the ones the true enthusiast will buy. The best efforts from the top companies made in the best configuration you can get - component.

There are so many brands and so much competition and every good maker claims theirs are the finest.

According to how the voting came in, we had the Focal K2 Power 165 KRX2 in Bronze position, with their lovely phase plugs, adjustable midband and fabulous engineering.

JL Audio Evolution C3-650 took Silver for their clever convertible nature and true edge-driven domes, reaching way into bat frequencies. But in Gold position we find the Vibe Space 6 3D system. It has an utterly unique look to it, rich in engineering ‘flex’ that says ‘we made this’ and unashamedly designed for love of the Audi R8’s interior design feel and look. So, if you have an R8, then truly you are a fool and a damn fool, if you don’t upgrade.

These are crisp and clean and well loved enough to take the top accolade.

Best Full Range (over £150)

Best Component Speakers (under £150) Another vital category as these are a gateway drug! Like one chocolate leading to scoffing the whole box.

That you can get credible performance from a set of components costing under £150 can be revelatory to your customer and can delight to the point where they become true car audio addicts. So, well done to Pioneer’s TS-E170Ci set as they have taken Bronze for a smooth sound and remarkable result overall for the price and of course, that slick Japanese presentation. JBL’s GT6-5c have won Silver, due to the characteristically potent signature JBL sound that all their stuff has always had, while Focal’s PS130 has won Gold for their clean output – which incidentally in the bigger size won EISA Gold, so all Europe’s mags agree they are wicked.

Focal’s PS130

JBL’s GT6-5c

Pioneer’s TS-E170C

Best Full Range (under £150) JL Audio’s Evolution TR600-Cxi

Focal PS165

This class went bloody insane this year! It was all about COAXES, guys!

In Bronze, we have the VIBE Black Death 12, which is a linen-edge MIBAND TWELVE INCH with a real pro compression driver in it! Bonkers in a gorgeously daft way. Far more sane was the Silver award for Vibe’s Slick 6 proving to be a safe bet, Known Good sale, with the EISA awardwinning Focal PS165 in Gold. Which erm, is a component speaker, so our voting went a bit ‘murrrr’. Like Wagner on the X Factor but in reverse.

Vibe’s Slick 6

VIBE Black Death 12

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Focal’s 165CVX

Alpine SPR-17C

Another horribly important gateway product, as the mere replacement of your front speakers with better quality coaxes is often the necessity-sale due to death of OEM stuff and yet can ignite a surprised happy enthusiasm in the punter. So it’s lovely to see the Alpine SPR-17C take the Bronze award as I loved them when I reviewed them myself. Focal’s 165CVX take the Silver award with their high quality rotating-tobetter-angle tweeter assembly and JL Audio’s Evolution TR600Cxi take the Gold based upon their woven textile domes and long travel midband cones. Another well deserved win for a brand with a fervent following in the UK.

P R O D U C T & I N D U S T R Y AWA R D S

Product Innovation Exeros Sleep Watcher-XR A very important product in this increasingly pressured world, however scary it

Editor’s Choice Alpine’s PXA-H800 and RUX-C800 combination A lovely shiny new category

sounds, was the Exeros Sleep

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grade purity and beauty sound systems you can conceive. With a simply brilliant

my wife!) I use a CPAP

second-generation auto-equaliser, this system is like having a consultant with golden

machine at night. It’s a constant-pressure air mask and I sleep like a baby with it

ears, an Audio Control SA3055 Real Time Analyser and four hours to carefully tune

on. While I was not using the machine I filled out a form about how likely I was

the car with twin 31 band equalisers to create perfection.

to nod off, say on a warm Sunday afternoon after lunch, or when stopping at

In a few seconds. And with something like 500 bands!

the traffic lights.

To explain the total tech including the time alignment would take a page or two

And so help me, I did, once. I scored so badly they should have taken my

but the point is, it can now be adjusted for taste once set ‘correctly’. So you get all

licence away. It even got me off Jury duty as I would have fallen asleep in

bases covered. It’s brilliant!

contempt of court. So a product that can monitor alertness or rather the lack of it and alarm the driver back into wakefulness to stop and get a coffee, is a bloody hugely important thing that’s been tried before, unsuccessfully. This however, is bloody clever and uses a camera with facial recognition technology. Genius.

Sales Representative of the Year

Best Distributor

Tim Kay One of the Industry’s most coveted awards, this has gone to a bloke that is universally liked by his customers and works like a true Japanese Company Warrior for his brand.

Second-time winner Tim Kay of Alpine Electronics is unique in getting a second of these and is in very good company (as well as being in a good company) since Atsuhiro Takeda, who

There’s a big difference between wholesaling and distribution and it is a very few companies in the UK who can get away with doing both, let alone doing both well. The technical difference is that a distribution deal means you are one of a very few – or sole – suppliers of that line into your market, importing the products yourself. As against buying in bulk from the main supplier and selling to the trade in smaller amounts - wholesaling. This year, the Gold winner is CEL Trade for their key work with Sony and Fusion, with which they are making a major league brand-comeback. Keen and proactive, they have clear brand awareness and aim and take the wide view needed rather than simply flinging it out on price. Armour Automotive take Silver with a truly one-stop offering from commodity to entry to high end to esoteric, they have it all and Celsus take Bronze for their attentive service and brand passion.

also works for Alpine, received this last year and both Graham Johnson (Lifetime Achievement award) and Keith Holness (Services to the Industry award) who have been/are his top non-Japanese colleagues are richly thus honoured.

My own experience is that be it at Car Audio & Security, Trax, Huets open day, BCSS open day, event after event, Tim and I have been meeting all season over the bonnet of the Passat demo car and making jokes about ‘meeting this way’. I called Huets and BCSS for comments and they were glowing but it was colleague Joanna Butler’s inside track about his youthful love of music and how he loves to dance, that I loved. He is dedicated, knowledgeable and a damn fine salesman as well as being what girls call “A Total Sweetie!”. Well done Tim, richly deserved, Sir!

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T H E I N - CA R E N T E R T A I N M E N T AWA R D S 2 0 1 1 Installer of the Year PAUL ELLIS

Mobile Installer of theYear Voted for by the users of Ifitstuff.com

DANNY BARKER

It’s so lovely to see a fellow

A new award for this year, the

Man Of Girth bestriding the

previously unsung mobile fitter.

industry like a colossus of cool,

They have to be ‘corporate’ for their

winning a repeat Gold Installer

corporate customers, they have to

of the Year, Paul Ellis of Source

be neatly turned out enough not to

Sounds in Sheffield, is a Demi-

look like a tramp for calling at the

God of Ice.

owner’s place of work or home on

His team of sound off cars

private jobs and they have to be

was legendary, one Renault

all departments all at once for all

had its whole wheelbase

of them and present themselves as

lengthened to look like the

someone fit to get at the customer’s

audio-version replica homage

car. It’s a wide technical skill set as well as being a personable soul with people

install they were building, before

skills, they don’t have anyone across the fitting bay to shout at and ask stuff, of, they

demolishing a brick wall to get it into the show room for a season of show car

must know themselves or have top backup. Voted for by users of the professional

duties! The skills are as legendary. This last bout of insanity, Paul had an industrial

website www.ifitstuff.com (“Knowledge is Power”) the Gold for Mobile Installer

process line-engineer supply him with conveyor motors for factory use (shades of

of the Year goes to Danny Barker. Well done Sir, glory is thine and you were the

How It’s Made, anyone?) and created super-strong door open-and-scissor action

worthy first recipient of what is going to be a hot category in future as the DAB

motorisations, for heavyweight doors laden with a rash of coax and component

revolution gathers pace.

speakers like a disease, that weighed 60kg each! The quality of the fit and finish is unassailable and a good slew of his customers appreciated his efforts enough to vote him into pole for 2011.

Well done, Paul, your inspiring leadership is what makes the install bay at your place so damn hot for cool stuff!

Car Electronics Retailer of the Year

Best Advertising Campaign

CAR AUDIO & SECURITY A real sexy award this, given to the outfit that the manufacturers and distributors seem to love the most. A bunch of mad keen Tottenham Court Road traders, (which is a London street that was the closest the UK had to Tokyo’s Akihabara district for electronics specialists’ shops) Gold Award Winners Car Audio & Security set up in deepest Hayes, Middlesex, close to Heathrow airport in 2006, next to the bypass. Idiot-proof easy to find, they have lots of space and a lovely showroom, with more headunits hooked up, live and shiny like in Japan in glass cabinets than anyone, anywhere in the UK. They have regular open days and as they sell so much of so many makers’ products, every single demo car in existence can be found at their shows – usually far more than even the biggest car shows can get to come! It’s down to the Churchillian leadership of Mr. Raj Sangha, a deeply astute man, who knows the trade inside out and clearly loves it. I have seen his boyish grin of delight at a kicking new CAS system. Their install bay lads are top end.

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An award close the hearts of a company that is about publishing. Our parent company is called Creative Media, after all and we know about communication and images. There can be brilliant advertising and there can be clever advertising and there can be simple slap-it-on-a-barrow style. What we looked for was of course a lovely healthy presence as well as some quality in design and layout, together with a clear message and some corporate identity showing through. This year’s campaign from Armour Automotive took Gold with their neat weaving-in of their acquisition of the Dension brand and clever use of MEN awards branding in their ads too. Scorpion collected the Silver as they reinvented the brand in Spring and ramped-up their campaign under the “Little Product With The Big Sting” by-line. Subsequent ads changed with the current trends. CELTrade accrued the Bronze with their clear approach and real effort to incentivise their customers.

P R O D U C T / I N D U S T R Y AWA R D S

Best Manufacturer

Best Wholesaler CEL TRADE If you are an Ice dealer, you may have some lines you major in, companies that you have accounts with directly. And there will be those that you don’t but dearly need to stock in your shop. This has always been thus and CELTrade take Gold for having become the pre-eminent wholesaler of our industry. A major sub distributor as well of some serious nav lines from Garmin and TomTom, they are also a large part of Sony’s UK car audio distribution and are de facto distributors for Fusion in the UK. The simple truth is that the team were all hired by the same bloke and you can tell. They are all cool dudes. Acumen, a wry grin and a terrifying grip of the UK industry’s trends and politics, this has a team’s name on it and the captain?

That’d be Tony Green.

Well done to the whole lot of you, you should carry him shoulder high around the showroom crying “Captain, My Captain!”

ALPINE The Best Manufacturer award has to be decided (I’d imagine from a dealers’ point of view) from a couple of angles at least, maybe more. You guys need products that are innovative, cool, fun, sexy looking and actually affordable. You want branding and real fat-bottomed marketing behind the stuff you sell. You want cinema goers to be actively pursued and see Hollywood involved in those brands. You want good service, technical excellence and lovely people to deal with, all proud to be doing what they are doing. Well, if all that sounds soppy and absolutely fantastical, then so be it, for Alpine Electronics, our worthy 2011 winners are ‘All That’ as Will Smith would say. Holders of TWO Rep Of The Year awards, multiple product gongs as seen above and while Graham Johnson of Alpine was awarded one of our highest awards in recent years (just before ‘retirement’) his partner in crime Keith Holness received another for Alpine this year for Services To The Industry.

That and the fabulous equipment honoured with the inaugural Editor’s Choice, utterly clinches it. Well done and domo arigato gozaimas, oishi des’. (“Thanks ever so much, tasty!” In what limited Japanese I have….)

Best Technical Support Staff MIKE EDWARDS, KENWOOD I’ll admit deadly sin and say I am proud to have instigated this award for technical assistance. When you don’t know what the bloody pink wire does and the manual’s an inch thick and you just don’t have time, you need to be able to ring someone and Just Get An Answer. You don’t want to find you are connected to a call centre where no matter how willing, they are just RTFM-ing, themselves. You need expertise. Said expertise is thinner on the ground than is generally accepted and the stars of the trade who rescue all of our butts from time to time (me definitely included) had gone unrecognised. So it was with particular delight that I was able to announce Mr. Mike Edwards of Kenwood as the first ever recipient of this prestigious award. Try him, call him up and the first thing he always says, is to ask if he can help you.

He generally can, right off the top of his noggin and incidentally is one of the funniest and most sweet natured blokes I know. A deeply well-deserved award to a highly capable and long serving product manager I’m honoured to call my mate! “Well done, Ginger Ninja!” (That last bit from his colleagues.)

Lifetime Achievement Award ADAM RAYNER Now on MY copy of everything up to this point, It said my long serving editor, Mr. Martyn Williams was down to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, as he was my first ever editor on Car HiFi some fifteen years ago and has been around ever since. It made perfect sense to me. What didn’t was that as I launched into announcing Marty’s award, my radio microphone went dead and I heard Williams-San pretending to be a Bond Villain in the PA saying, “BWA ha-ha…you think you have control? I have the microphone now...” and going on to inform me that I was in fact the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement and I found myself emotional in front of a crowd who were standing up, applauding. It was laughter, tears and snot all at once after a truly rare moment. Wherein the most voluble fat bastard you ever met was actually, momentarily, totally lost for words. Thank you so very much, I have had dozens of lovely messages from Facebook and Talk Audio and my family are very proud. I know my mum would have been, too.

Night.

So there you have it, The Best, The Only, The Original, Ice Awards Make sure you are part of it next year!

Thank you again to all our sponsors.

SILVER SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSOR

SUPPLIERS OF

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37

FOCUS ON PHONES

PHONE FREEDOM With or without charging, the march towards greater technical sophistication of hands-free phone systems is relentless and is one of the best reasons why customers are likely to come back for more. Martyn Williams looks at the trends in using phones without hands

T

here’s a certain childish satisfaction bordering on the adventures of ‘The Hoff’ and Kitt when I get in behind the wheel and the phone in my pocket ‘bonds’ with the car. Despite the millions of people who are familiar with this simple Bluetooth trick, there must be thousands of potential customers who are blissfully unaware of such labour-saving safety devices.

It would be easy to think that the answer to this unawareness was ‘very few’ but I was recently told by a large reseller that their sub-distributors had far less understanding of its technical products than they thought. One-on-one consultation revealed extensive knowledge gaps. If that happens in the industry, you can bet that a lot of potentially non-technical punters will be even less informed. On this basis, it may be worth asking customers about how they use their phone in the car?

A phone in the pocket working hands-free is no good if you have a sat-nav application – hence the popularity of cradles ranging from a bare item to a fully-wired interface with charging. At either end of the cradle scale, it’s a cheap and popular answer to getting navigation into a car and is having a noticeable effect on the discrete portable sat nav market. The smart phone market is still undergoing massive expansion and they achieved a new statistical success last year by outselling personal computers.

Other factoids about smart phones includes research by Google/Ipsos OTX stating that 79% of smart phone consumers use them to assist with buying decisions and apparently world wide mobile phone payment transactions totalled £160 billion last year, and is expected to reach over three times greater in the next five years.

It’s also expected that by 2013, world usage of NFC - Near Field communication payment technology will reach 20% of phone owners. What about the hands-free market? Here, GfK Retail and Technology UK (www.gfkrt.com/uk) have some answers with year-to-date information on the UK car hands-free market sales of 49,000 units with a sales value of £5.3m showing a year-on-year growth rate volume of 3.9% with a value increase of 4.5%. Year-to-date stats on mobile headsets with Bluetooth stands at 372,000 units with a sales value of £8m.

Speakerphone (discrete self-powered speaker units) sales on the other hand were only 115,000 units valued at £3.5m.

To save you having to add up the total value of this 869,000 unit hands-free market,

Autoleads To fully support the hands-free and music streaming markets Autoleads has created a full range of installation solutions and fitting accessories to complete installations with the minimum of fuss.

This includes the Autoleads SOT lead range is the original and one of the most comprehensive T-harness ranges available in the UK providing speaker integration and power connection for the vast majority of hard-wired handsfree kits on the market, a SOT lead will drastically cut down install time without the need for bare wire fitting. Autoleads SOT leads are also suitable for music streaming use as they fully utilise all speakers within the vehicle.

The Autoleads Telemute lead provides the quick and easy connection for hands-free kits but has the added feature of incorporating an audio mute function. The telemute lead was the first T-harness solution to hit the UK market and caters for all types of hands-free devices with, or without built-in mute. Autoleads has introduced a full range of vehicle-specific, drill-free dash brackets to support the hands-free market and hold the device in a convenient location around the driver. Made from metal, the brackets are fully protective coated to avoid any dash or trim damage.

Autoleads has also created a range of device mounting solutions ideal for the user with apps, mail, sat nav etcetera. It consists of two parts a device-dedicated cradle plus the mounting with a choice of dash location from conventional windscreen, vent or dash-top mount. There are also antivibration types available and windscreen mount versions made from clear material for a less obtrusive appearance.

Armour Auto 01420 487110 www.armourauto.com

the whole lot is valued from January to about mid October, at £30.9m.

BRODIT

KRAM

Brodit Pro-clips are a non-damage solution to mounting a variety of devices into

Chameleon’s range of KRAM Telecom

a vehicle plus a massive range of device holders. All clips are machined using

Fix2Car charging cradles is an ever-

Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) milling machines for extra accuracy of fit

expanding selection of advanced

and for the company to be able supply for new vehicles at short notice. Nemesis

cradles which includes a pass-thru

are also the manufacturers of the Elan range of interfaces which includes SOT,

iPhone 4 cradle for maximum

EIK, Music Mute and custom cabling ranges, which can be designed and

installation flexibility.

made for specific applications as well as a massive range of products covering

Chameleon 01206 500848

hands-free devices. With the Elan range the cable length is longer than the typical

www.chameleondirect.co.uk

ISO to vehicle products providing (250mm) from the ISO connectors to the vehicle radio connector, enabling easier cable routing, more location flexibility and faster installation. Its other brand Ace, provides solutions through a complete product range of metal design and fabrication, products include top quality in-car mounting brackets which can be used to secure a hands-free mobile phone kit or indeed any hand held mobile device and also a quick and easy budget-level solution for mounting Nokia, Bury or Parrot screens.

Nemesis Technology 0870 777 5530 www.nemesistechnology.com

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|2011 BURY Technologies

COBRA NSV BT3

The vast Bury range includes the AD-9060

Cobra is a leading OE supplier

with its patented snap-in mounting. Its oozing

of Bluetooth technology with all

with features which include ‘DialogPlus’ voice

systems designed to integrate

control, an extremely accurate, rapid reaction

perfectly into the vehicle

word recognition that needs no voice training

and achieve a factory-fitted

plus visual and acoustic user support. Activation of

appearance. It offers factory-

the voice control is made easy using ‘Magic word’, a

installed sound quality and a

single voice command function. Associated with this software is text-to-speech

directional microphone with single

enabling the unit to read out text messages and phone book entries.

switch control. Seamless integration for over

Other clever audio features include a voice memo system to record telephone

150 vehicle applications is assured with plug ‘n’

calls and even includes the function of being able to leave behind instructions

play vehicle-specific harnesses and switch designs.

for other drivers. The 9060 also has Multipoint simultaneous

It’s compatible with A2DP audio streaming and supports voice dialling, auto

connection of two mobile phones to the system which includes an

system mute and automatic ignition-on phone link up. It will also work with

easy-to-use 2.8 inch QVGA TFT touch screen and the display

up to five Bluetooth devices. There’s also three button functionality with A2DP

shows contacts, call log, reception quality, handset model and

next and previous track selection volume up/down, call rejection, private call

the name of network provider. It also has a light sensor which

transfer to handset and a host of other features including disable Bluetooth

automatically switches between day and night mode. Its

connection pairing and memory erase. The system conforms to headset profile

cleverness goes on with multiple call handling enabling

v1.1/2.0 and has a three year parts and labour warranty.

the user to swap and hold calls with conferencing of

Cobra UK 01932 772400 www.cobravehiclesecurity.co.uk

up to seven participants. It can store multiple numbers for one contact entry with a maximum capacity of 10 handsets, 1000 text messages, 150 voice tags and

iO

15,000 contacts (up to 1,500 contacts per phone).

iO products offer innovative,

Contact: BURY Technologies

in-car music and audio

01489 881118 or www.bury.uk.com

Bluetooth streaming, connecting and seamlessly

In Car Tec

integrating to mobile phones, iPod, iPhone, iPhone

In Car Tec distribute Scosche products in the UK including

3G , iPhone 3G S, MP3

the innovative American company’s award-winning

player and sat nav into your

products, particularly the CES iLounge-winning product

vehicle and its automotive

MOTORMOUTH. It’s a Bluetooth hands-free system that

sound system – OEM or aftermarket.

works through the cars or car radio’s MP3 or AUX input and

The new generation of iO products, Play2 and Talk2, brings with it giant

comes in hands-free and hands-free plus music streaming

leaps in technical advancements including Multipoint Pro which connects two

models. It has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery which provides up to six hours of talk

devices at any one time with full functionality, text to speech, phone book

time and 120 hours on standby. Despite its diminutive size, it has DSP echo cancellation

synchronisation and a removable high contrast Oled Display plus a high

and one-touch voice dialling for most mobile phones with Bluetooth technology. It also

performance amplifier.

includes a USB charging cable and car charger plus a switching audio splitter for direct

Armour Auto 01420 487110 www.armourauto.com

connection to a portable player and includes AUX relocation cable if required. In Car Tec also sell CAN-Bus ignition SOT leads allowing engineers to install Bluetooth kits without having to look for separate ignition feeds, as well as solutions for integrating Parrot MKI kits to cars with fibre optic audio signals. Steering wheel controls are available for all

RAM MOUNT

Parrot car kits. In Car Tec 01392 829435 www.incartec.co.uk

RAM UK already supplies an extensive range of patented industrial-strength mounts to a wide variety of industries throughout the UK and Europe. They

CONVERSO

feature an anti-slip design that provides a simple solution to mounting and adjusting any mobile device anywhere within the customer’s vehicle - the

Converso from Celsus is a universal interface able to connect OEM car

precision engineering of each individual RAM component ensures a perfect

steering wheel commands to any Parrot hands-free kit to bring Parrot system

fit and continued service.

functions to the driver’s fingertips and also be displayed on the vehicle’s

RAM offers 2000 interchangeable component parts to choose from supplying

management computer display. This allows the user to manage their music

dedicated, universal and power-fitted dock mounts for a variety of devices

and phone calls. The display and steering wheel control functions covers the

including mobile phones, tablet computers, GPS devices and more.

telephone menu, caller name and number, phone book, iPod, USB and line-in

RAM Mount www.ram-mount.co.uk

sources and a settings menu. The interface covers some BMW models and a useful cross-section of SEAT, Skoda and Audi models plus a very wide range of VW vehicles - compatibility can be checked on the Celsus website.

Another useful Converso product is a universal Mute interface able to connect OEM car steering wheel commands to any Parrot hands-free kit of MKi series. The mute has expressly been created for those cars having a radio without muting input.

Celsus 01202 664 390 www.celsusice.co.uk

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39

FOCUS ON PHONES

|2011 Parrot The latest addition to the Parrot range is the MINIKIT+, a portable Bluetooth hands-free kit which can be connected with two phones simultaneously (multipoint) and will manage all incoming calls via voice

Connects2

control. Users can listen to their smartphone’s satnav instructions

Connects2 have a range of phone interfaces which allow integration of

from its high quality sound

Parrot or THB Bury Bluetooth kits with OEM steering wheel controls.

source. Automatic phonebook

The interfaces all have a range of accessory harnesses which can be

synchronisation vocalises

purchased separately, allowing Plug & Play fitting, saving on install time.

phonebook contacts. The MINIKIT+ provides over 12 hours talk time and

The kits are compatible with a wide range of European & Japanese and

15 day standby time and is compatible with all brands of Bluetooth mobile

American vehicles including Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Citroen,

phones. It has upgradeable software to aid compatibility with future phones

Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover,

More integrated solutions from Parrot include the entry-level CK3000 Evolution

Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Mini, Nissan, Peugeot, Porsche,

Bluetooth hands-free system. It can be paired with up to three phones and fits

Renault, Seat, Skoda, Ssang Yong, Suzuki, Toyota, Vauxhall, Volkswagen

discreetly on the dashboard. It has built-in voice recognition, storing up to

The following features are available from the steering wheel controls,

150 voice tags.

dependant on the Bluetooth kit being used:

Parrot’s most popular kit is the CK3100 Bluetooth hands-free system and it can

Volume up; Volume down; Answer; End; Reject; Voice dial; Phone book;

be paired with up to five phones and its LCD screen displays menus, contacts,

iPod/USB /Aux in; Track up; Track down.

user settings and more. Automatic phonebook synchronisation stores up to

Contact Connects2 sales for more information: 0845 257 5588 www.connects2.com

1000 contacts per paired phone. It too has built-in voice recognition.

The MKi9000 Bluetooth hands-free system is also a digital music player which is either using a hard-wired connection, USB memory stick compatible or can be hooked up using A2DP wireless.

Xcarlink

Further up the range is the MKi9100 which has a removable high-resolution OLED screen. This displays phonebook, caller ID, track details and playlist.

Xcarlink’s interface products are suitable

Users requiring a colour screen can go for the next model up, the MKi9200.

for a vast range of car makes and

The ultimate convergence of hands-free phone use and a dedicated head unit

models. It allows the user to connect

is the Parrot ASTEROID which has web service apps including geolocation,

an iPod or iPhone directly to the CD

driving assistance and web radio with more applications on the way.

changer port of an original car stereo

Parrot 0844 472 2360 www.parrot.com

unit without the loss of quality associated with an FM modulator. It also allows you to control the ipod/iphone via the head unit , steering wheel or ipod/ remain operational on most systems, as the Xcarlink has a loop-through input which

Pama VoiceWorks

allows this to function as normal while the iPod/iPhone is connected. The interface

Pama states that its new

can be linked with Xcarlink’s Bluetooth hands-free module which can be added to

VoiceWorks V1 is going to

any Xcarlink interface with a Bluetooth micro USB connection. It features a separate

revolutionise the Bluetooth

microphone for added convenience and optimum sound quality and music will

speakerphone market. The V1

automatically pause when a call is made or received then resume when ended. It also

is a voice-controlled hands-free

has the ability to wirelessly-stream music from any Bluetooth-enabled device to the

solution allowing the user to communicate safely while driving. Where the

car’s sound system. The advantage of the Xcarlink bluetooth system is that once the

V1 differs to other Bluetooth speakerphones on the market, is that it combines

interface is connected to the CD changer port the bluetooth module does not require

voice recognition technology with text and email functions with a hands-free

any additional installation, and it can be added as an option at any time if required.

car kit. Ideally suited for business people on the move, a Pama spokesperson

Xcarlink also supply the latest version of ViseeO’s Bluetooth echo-free adaptor kits

said: “You no longer need to worry about

namely MBU-2 designed for Mercedes models manufactured from 2005 to 2011

emails piling up in your inbox when you

with the UHI (Universal Handy Interface), and the MBU-1000 for Mercedes Benz

are out on the road or in meetings. The

models earlier than 2005 with a Nokia mobile phone cradle. The MB-2 or MBU-

V1 enables you to listen and reply to those

1000 is inserted into the existing UHI connection or cradle and paired with the user’s

emails and text messages so time on the

mobile phone via Bluetooth. It is compatible with the latest

road can be used effectively.” The V1 comes

phones including the iPhone 4, HTC and Blackberry

with 12 months VoiceWorks subscription

etcetera. Also available is a fully integrated OEM

and after the first year the subscriber either

style bluetooth kit for Audi A4/A5 2008> (B8)

pays £2.99 per month or makes a single

Non MMI, with an AMI option for iPod/iPhone

payment of £29.99 for the year.

integration.

Pama Group 0161 494 4210

Xcarlink 020 3393 4308 or

www.pama.com

iphone controls. The CD changer (if fitted) will

www.xcarlink.co.uk

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now you don’t just have to take our word for it...

A W A R D S 2 0 1 1

THE BEST VEHICLE INTERFACE For more information about the Gateway 500 the No 1 Vehicle Interface in the Industry or any other Dension Products please call sales on +44(0)1420 487110 or email sales@armourauto.com

www.dension.com AUTOMOTIVE www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu

41

DiGITAL RADIO NEWS

|2011

Celsus’ Mark and Paul Baker answering questions

Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries gave an encouraging keynote speech

Parrot’s Sales Director Asif Gillani (right) talking to a delegate

DIGITAL EVENT GETS BIG SUPPORT There was an impressive attendance of over 200 delegates at the ‘digital radio in-vehicle conference’ - the first public event to be held on October 18 at the new BBC news and entertainment complex within the iconic BBC building at Portland Place

W

Connects2 MD Dave Fereday on duty on the stand

Kenwood at the Beeb with James Howe and MEN Award winner Mike Edwards (left)

hen will the digital radio switch

was a further statement of intent from the

asked about TA, is answer was “I don’t know.

happen? Will we ever get traffic info

Minister who said: “I can see a time when people

He went on to emphasise that this doesn’t

on DAB? These were just a couple of

will not buy a car in the future if it doesn’t have

mean the BBC are complacent about it.”

burning questions posed to Ed Vaizey, Minister

a digital radio, and it is now a case of not ‘will it

for Culture, Communications and Creative

happen?’ but ‘when it happens!’”

Industries after his keynote speech.

It was announced that DAB will definitely

Later, with a question session facing a panel of luminaries including a very pragmatic Stuart Harris, Head of Product Marketing, Vauxhall

Vaizey was in a relaxed mood willing to

have an approved installer digital radio ‘tick’

Motors commented: “Traffic is one of the most

be sarcastic about ‘Whitehall speak’ telling

mark similar to the digital television campaign

important subjects and needs to be nailed

us that if something was happening in ‘the

and it’s hoped that this will be in full swing

down soon, particularly as Vauxhall will be

spring,’ it could mean anything from February

by the end of 2012. Vaizey added that the

equipping 40% of its range with digital next

to November!

broadcasting of the Olympics on a dedicated

year and we expect to have the whole model

digital radio station will be a major publicity

range covered by the end of 2013.

He also demonstrated his knowledge of the market stating, “integrated digital tuners are

boost next year also. The mark will also apply to

a major breakthrough” and mentioned Celsus

digital tuner performance conformity and from

FM band TA and the worry that there will

and Connects2.

the audience, DRUK’s Laurence Harrison stated

be nothing to replace it, Harris said: “Our

that testing would be done.

customers will start contacting us thinking that

Music to the ears of the attentive audience

These additional comments about testing were prompted by our man Adam Rayner

Talking about the eventual demise of

we have turned off their traffic info!”

One of the most interesting comments made

being first to ask a question about “toe rags

from the panel was a statistic stated by Donnoch

selling terrible bits of cack!” This amused

O’Driscoll, CEO of Absolute Radio. He said: “We

the Minister greatly and several references

conducted a survey of our listeners in London this

were made to it in subsequent banter, plus

year that revealed a figure of 69% were interested

an invitation to Adam to come along for a

in the idea of digital radio in the car. This is an

meeting on the subject..

increase of 42% compared with last year.”

The rather large elephant in the room for Our man Rayner asks the Minister about the policing of “toe rags selling terrible bits of cack!”

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digital radio is the current absence of FM-style

Sponsors of the event organised by DRUK

TA – Traffic Announcements. When Tim Davie,

– Digital Radio UK were openAuto, Celsus,

the BBC’s Director of Audio and Music was

Parrot, Connects2, Kenwood and PURE.

Global Telemetrics Category 5 Platform Become Thatcham TRI CAT5 registered with Global Telemetrics today call 0845 833 6971. We care about Ultimate Vehicle Tracking, so why not let us help you get your CAT 5 approval.

The all new 2011 McLaren MP4-12C, our CAT5 fully installed training fit with Martin from Global Telemetrics

We advise OEM Tesa Tape

Help on connections, this is the +15 ignition 12 volts while cranking wire showing our soldered connection

McLaren starter motor crank wire in the rear of the fuse box, saving you time when installing

The new McLaren has a special aluminum earth strap, we can show you where and how

Martin Wardenier one of our training/audit engineers after a successful training installation

Thank you dealers for voting, 18 Mobile Electronics awards in 5 years

CAT5

TRACK & TRACE

CAT5

www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu

43

COMPANY REVIEW

|2011

connects2 LAUNCH

A t M E N A wards D ay

A full-on publicity campaign from Connects2 to inform dealers of the delights (and the profit) of an integrated digital radio tuner created high levels of interest – Martyn Williams reports

C

onnects2 launched its ground-

Dave Fereday, Managing Director

breaking digital radio product,

of Connects2 was happy with the

AutoDAB at the MEN Awards event

event and the dealer turnout. He

at Sopwell House St Albans in Hertfordshire

said: “It really was an inspiring

on Thursday October 13.

attendance and we even had a

Graham Johnson chats with Adam Sharp of Norfolk-based company AutoInstallations

few of our business rivals turning up Dealers were invited to see the product

to see what we are doing. Everybody

in detail in the afternoon before the main

is welcome though, because we all

Awards event and dinner. There was a strong

have to get the digital story out there.

attendance of 22 dealers who were treated to

Laurence Harrison from Digital Radio

a full explanation of how AutoDAB works and

UK has been talking to us about not

how easy it is to install. It was also a chance for

if it happens, but when it happens. I

dealers to discuss the DAB market and benefits

am looking forward to hearing what

of DAB to boost profits in their business.

Minister Ed Vaizey has to say at the BBC conference coming up soon

As well as expert advice from Connects2 being

(conference report is in this issue)

available, Laurence Harrison of Digital Radio UK

because we think there will be massive

was there to provide a complete picture about

extra commitment from the Government

the marketing and development of DAB.

to further support DAB.” I asked Dave about some negativity the magazine has heard from dealers about digital radio, what do you think about this?

Dave commented: “I think it’s a leftover from the 90s where some dealers saw it come and go. I think days like today with

Josh Beddow (facing), UK Sales Manager for Connects2 discusses AutoDAB with Southern Sales Rep Graham Bosanquet (left) and two dealers – from CBS and Tim White of Uplands Mobiles (right)

the Digital Radio UK involvement says that it is Laurence Harrison and Graham Johnson were presenting to dealers at the Connects2 Sopwell House sales conference

Greg Wong and Hamid Ataei of Surbiton-based company Satnav Systems were just two of the many dealers who attended Connects2’s sales conference

44

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going to happen. There are about 25 million

“There are loads of cars out there that are

vehicles that will need changing so it will pay

not DAB-ready so if the Government cut-off

dealer’s bills for years to come and will bring

becomes a reality there is certainly a big

about a change in attitude.”

market.

Greg Wong of Surbiton-based company

“I think to make people aware of digital

Satnav Systems is enthusiastic about the

radio we are going to need a Government-

Connects2 tuner, he said:

led national campaign in a similar way that

“I think a lot of people are very interested

the tv digital switchover was led. Being a

in DAB and having an integrated system is

small company, we certainly don’t have the

definitely the way to go so there isn’t another

budget to publicise it ourselves. So far, I feel

box sitting on the dash which is unsightly with

that very little effort generally has been put

trailing wires and the car could get broken into

in to make people realise that they can have

as someone steals it.

DAB in their car.”

www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu

45

PRODUCT FOCUS

ACCESSORY TO INSTALLATION The vast world of custom audio installation accessories is something that our readers use and sell with, or without, labour – our man Millsy takes a look at this important market

S

lim sub woofers, powerful and diminutive digital amps, double DIN head units that could send a spaceship to the moon, these are the sexy bits of car audio. But behind all of those are the essentials, the cables that keep them connected, the sound deadening that helps them to sound good. Without the right installation accessories all the other bits of car audio would be redundant…or at least they wouldn’t sound as good as they could do.

One of the great things about audio installation accessories is that they don’t suffer the ebbs and flows of sales in the same way as subs, amps, speakers and head units can do. If any one of those products is selling, the likelihood is that additional accessories will be needed. That makes them a stable product offering on a number of levels. Additionally they clearly offer dealers crucial up-sell opportunities, not only as the essentials to make audio products work but also as the relatively inexpensive finishing touches to make an install sound great. What audio enthusiast browsing your shop couldn’t resist some sound deadening with the right pitch?

There are more options than ever for dealers when it comes to their audio installation accessories they can choose and the supplier they can choose them from. With that in mind, MEN has looked at key offerings from the main players in the sector, helping dealers to find the right parts to get their customers’ installs pumping.

CALIBER One of the significant areas that Caliber can help installers in is with the install materials. The company can offer both acoustic cloth and stretch vinyl in a range of colours, which is a useful product to offer when building custom installs. Caliber also offers a whole range of other accessories like cabling, power caps and wiring kits, which are ideal compliments to their quality but affordable audio equipment.

Contact: Celsus, 01202 664390 or celsusice.co.uk

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AUTOLEADS Naturally Autoleads, one of the first names in this sector, is a massive supplier of installation accessories to dealers and their customers…as anyone who has seen the size of their catalogue will testify. They can offer amplifier wiring kits that cover ten different variants including 14, 12, 10, 8, 4 and 0 gauge power cable. This Power range of kits use 100% copper cable for increased efficiency and flexible Proflex technology to aid installation. Proflex power cable is also avail able on its own, in a range of colours including orange, silver, blue, black and red, either off-theroll or in an innovative spindle case design.

Autoleads’ phono leads meanwhile are graded high-end to entry-level under the Reference, Performance, Power or Essentials ranges. All of them use 100% copper oxygenfree cable with gold-plated connectors, but as you work up the range offering you find higher specification and aesthetic design being added to the mix right through to the forthcoming Reference range which will set a benchmark in looks and ease of installation.

Autoleads also has a range of 27 different variants of speaker cable, available off-the-roll or in consumer packs in blue or clear.

Sizes are 0.5, 0.75, 1.5, 2.5 and 4.0mm to cater for any job. The Autoleads range of amplifier install accessories come in both traditional gold and new satin nickel to satisfy the aesthetics of any install. Forks, rings, spades and earthing and battery terminals are all covered and complimented by PVC boots matching the range of Proflex cabling. The range includes AGU and ANL fuse holders/ fuses and both fused distribution block and non-fused are both available in a choice of finishes.

On top of all of this, Autoleads also offers sound deadening, carpet, acoustic material, glue, cooling fans, cut-able LED strips in a range of colours, cable ties, grommets, terminals, crimps, fuses, shrink wrap and a range of additional accessories to cover signal control, noise filtering and split charging. For serious installers, Autoleads have put together a collection of key essentials for their installers tool box under the Autoleads brand as well as the renowned Draper brand. Their key range is also the largest on the market and trim removal is well taken care of by the Bojo tool range. Essentially, if Autoleads don’t have want the installer is after…then the installer probably doesn’t need it!

Contact: Armour Auto, 01420 487110 or armourauto.com

|Installation accessories

CAR SOUNDS SUPPLIES CSS Aftermarket’s range of Ivanhoe Textiles Trunkliner is made of 100% recycled fibres and polymers, giving the product improved noise, vibration and harshness performance. Trunkliner and acoustic cloth is available in a variety of colours, and they can also supply black, white or carbon vinyl. CSS also supplies dealers with Rhinomat through their Elite Consumables and Accessories. CSS Rhinomat has been developed to give less road noise, sweeter mid bass and above all earth-pounding bass response from audio systems. Self-adhesive and easy to work with, this can transform audio systems in minutes. It comes supplied in bulk rolls of 10m or as a kit for one or two doors.

Contact: CSS Aftermarket, 01773 746591 or cssaftermarket.co.uk

CONNECTS2

CELSUS Celsus not only supplies dealers with quality audio products but they also have their own range of installation accessories to help get that audio pumping. The range includes cable kits, cabling, power management, RCA cables, sub boxes, installation hardware (relays, cable ties, glue etc), terminals and speaker replacement commodity fitting solutions. An example of these is the Celsus 0awg CCA amp wiring kit. This includes 5m of 0 gauge CCA power cable, 1m of 0 gauge CCA ground cable, 6m of CCA speaker cable, a 5m RCA cable, a 5m remote cable as well as an ANL fuse holder with 250A fuse plus the necessary installation accessories. A comprehensive pack and an example of Celsus knowing just what the installer needs.

Contact: Celsus, 01202 664390 or celsusice.co.uk

Connects2 are huge suppliers to the industry of audio installation accessories and a leader in the field. Just on the cabling side they offer a massive selection, their Gold Series including amplifier wiring kits, speaker cable in various sizes and lengths, ground cable, power cable, RCA cable, RCA Y-leads, line output converters, ground loop isolators and RCA connectors.

They also specialise in making sure installers can get just about anything fitted into anything with their own brand accessories.

For example they offer all of the latest applications for fascia plates, which is crucial for many installers. They also offer extensive double DIN fitting kits, T-harnesses, harnesses, aerial adaptors, speaker adaptors and a whole lot more. In truth, there’s probably too much to go into here, but most dealers should already be working with Connects2 due to the scope of their offerings. For more information, their website gives a full listing of all of their audio installation accessories and solutions.

Contact: Connects2, 0845 2575588 or connects2.com

DYNAMAT The original sound deadening and still the best according to many, often being the only brand retailers will be asked for by name. It’s not difficult to see why as they have built up a great reputation and continue to innovate with new products. Their speaker kits come as either the Original Speaker Kit that offers the best value for money, or Xtreme Speaker kit that controls vibration four times better than Dynamat Original and requires no heat for installation, which makes them a great choice for do-it-yourselfers.

Dynamat also offers Dynaxorb and Dynaliner. Dynaxorb absorbs, diffuses and attenuates the sonic energy directed towards it by using Sonic Stealth Technology. It removes back-wave interference from the speaker to allow every speaker to produce the full quality potential it was designed for. Packs are available for both speakers and for subwoofers. Dynaliner meanwhile is the perfect ultra lightweight insulator to use on top of Dynamat. This durable crush and tear resistant material has the highest heat blocking properties available in a single layer synthetic foam-type material. Dynaliner isn’t affected by oil and does not absorb water. It provides acoustic isolation and excellent thermal insulation for roof, firewall, floor, quarter panels, doors and even as a hoodliner. Dynaliner is available in 1/8in, 1/4in and 1/2in thicknesses.

Contact: Celsus, 01202 664390 or celsusice.co.uk

www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu

47

PRODUCT FOCUS

|Installation accessories

FOCAL

FLI Midbass has a range of FLI accessories including wiring kits, power capacitors and interconnects that are ideal for those looking for affordable install accessories but don’t want to compromise product quality when doing so. One of Midbass’ best-selling FLI accessories is the FLI Line Level Convertor. Designed for OEM head unit installs with no amplifier pre outputs, the FLI Line Level Convertor connects directly to a car’s rear speaker wire to provide a stereo set of RCA outputs for connection to an amplifier; a remarkably useful accessory for customers on a budget.

Contact: Midbass, 0121 3119090 or midbass.co.uk

With the aim of helping installers make their Focal equipment sound even better, the company is complimenting their market-leading speaker range with a high quality sound deadening material. The sound deadening is made from a combination of three materials to maximise performance: honeycombed damping material, aluminium sheeting and viscoelastic complex.

Just like the acoustic foam inside a loudspeaker, the honeycombed damping material attenuates the speaker back wave and then increases the speaker performance. Meanwhile the aluminium sheeting is the essential component to the sandwich effect realization. This process permits to increase the performance of the viscoelastic complex, which is a self-adhesive, butyl complex that absorbs the vibrations of the surface with which it’s in contact. It highly attenuates the outside noise that gets inside the car, and less noise means more music from the quality Focal speakers.

Contact: Armour Auto, 01420 487110 or armourauto.com

HUSHMAT Hushmat is a well-known brand of sound deadening material across the pond and it’s beginning to make waves in the UK. They have a whole range of options to help audio installers create the perfect environment for equipment with Hushmat Ultra, Quiet Tape, Paste and Megafoam. In fact, Hushmat believes their range gives installers no excuses for having excess noise coming from their installs.

Contact: Armour Auto, 01420 487110 or armourauto.com

KICKER The American audio maestros are probably best known for their ranges of award-winning subwoofers, amplifiers and speakers. However, to compliment these products Kicker also offers an impressive range of amplifier wiring kits, distribution and fusing accessories, all of which can help installers to get their Kicker equipment sounding its optimum.

Contact: Armour Auto, 01420 487110 or armourauto.com

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JENHERT Jehnert offers a unique solution for installers in the form of custom build vehicle-specific door builds. These can be supplied either with or without Jehnert speakers. Manufacturers covered include; Audi, BMW, Lancia, Mazda, Mercedes, MINI, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Smart and VW. These are designed to give an OEM look and feel but give a greatly improved audio experience over factory set-ups. As Jehnert themselves say; “With their minimal footprint and low profile they realise an optically smooth integration of a powerful speaker system and use the acoustically best location in the vehicle.” Sounds good in more ways than one!

Contact: Celsus, 01202 664390 or celsusice.co.uk

It’s a funny thing

Clarion NX501E touch-screen multimedia innovation, with built-in navigation, Bluetooth... and fun

:-)

There are leaders, and there are followers. And its not unit in the industry and the first active matrix display. Most recently, surprising those with imagination and drive are usually Clarion was the first to develop a nav system dedicated to electric vehicles. the ones who come up with the bright ideas.

If you’re still wondering why you should be talking with Clarion, isn’t The funny thing is that having done it once, they keep on doing it again, and again, and again. Like Clarion, originators it time you didn’t just follow the leader, but joined us too? Talk to Clarion, of Japan’s first ever line-fit car radio in 1951, ditto the first car cassette and be a part of a team of 9,000 employees worldwide, developing, player, the first voice guidance navigation, the first double DIN head manufacturing and selling the best. It’s good to share.

www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu

Clarion (GB) Ltd, Unit 5C, Interface Business Park, Bincknoll Lane, Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Wilts SN4 8QQ Tel: 01793 859560 E: amsales@clarion.co.uk www.clarion.co.uk49

PRODUCT FOCUS

KINETIK Kinetik Power Cells are the ideal solution for those installers looking for maximum power for their builds. The range consists of 10 different size and power variants, meaning there’s something to suit any install. Kinetik also claim their Power Cells give a higher reserve capacity than any of their competitors of the same physical size, which is a big advantage when installing.

Contact: Armour Auto, 01420 487110 or armourauto.com

SKINZ Following a comprehensive review of its highly successful Skinz Sound deadening system, FOUR has introduced a new damping layer. The new Skinz Expert Damping membrane has been completely reformulated and now consists of a 3-layer solution with a thickness of just 3mm. Skinz Expert Damping can now be applied without the use of a heat gun and its triple layer sandwich of two differing density rubber layers covered by an aluminium layer offers even more effective damping. A pressure sensitive adhesive compound ensures optimum adhesion to sheet metal, plastic and other reasonably level and grease-free surfaces.

As with the previous version, the Skinz system includes a wave diffuser to prevent back reflections and a moisture guard to protect speakers and their terminals from corrosion. FOUR offers an extended warranty on its speakers when used in conjunction with the complete Skinz system and can provide installers with a panel preparation spray to maximise contact with the surface to be protected.

Contact: FOUR, 0845 4501594 or fourcars.co.uk

VIBE Midbass’ best-selling install accessory is the VIBE Fast Plug, a quick release cable that allows fast, safe removal of any active bass enclosure. The Fast Plug is a heavy-duty connector made up of two parts; one that attaches to the power source and another to the equipment. Remove a bass enclosure for security or to free up boot space for the weekly shopping, whatever the reason the Fast Plug makes it easy and safe. The VIBE Fast Plug is also available as part of the great value VIBE Active Bass System kit. A popular up-sell product for retailers, the Active System Kit is a single blister pack containing all the wiring components needed to install one of VIBE Audio’s award-winning active bass enclosures, such as the BlackAir Vented 12 or the Slick 12 Active.

Contact: Midbass, 0121 3119090 or midbass.co.uk

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|Installation accessories

ROCKFORD FOSGATE Rockford Fosgate is another company with some allimportant sound deadening to offer customers in the form of their Dead Skin. The premium sound deadening material offers foil backing and features their antivibration technology. In an SAE J1637 test Dead Skin was shown to provide 40% more damping than standard non-embossed aluminium mat. In fact, according to Rockford, Dead Skin silences panel vibration and reduces road and wind noise by up to 10dB over the competition.

Rockford also offers their Balanced Line Driver (BLD) to help those with source units giving low output voltage or with amplifiers located far back in the vehicle. Featuring ‘Balanced Differential’ or ‘Single Ended’ mode, its high voltage output combined with a low output impedance will drive large arrays of amplifiers without breaking into a sweat. In ‘Balanced Differential’ mode, its twisted pair design also helps eliminate radiated noise through electrical cancellation.

Contact: Vestatec Distribution 01844 219000 www.vestatec.co.uk

STINGER Stinger offers installers cable and wiring, power management, power capacitors, batteries and wiring kits to installers keen to get a top quality build. Some of the highlighted products include the SPI2317 2-channel RCA interconnect in 17ft length. Coming from the PRO3 series, it provides perfect signal delivery, stylish design and a strong connection for easy installation. Key features are; the directional twisted-pair conductors to shed unwanted interference, the directional high-twist construction to retain signal integrity, ultra-compact design for easy installation and a ShocKrome end with split tip to deliver high performance and prevent corrosion. Meanwhile, a key battery offering is the Power Series 725A. This impressive battery utilizes many of the same technologies as the remarkable Power2 batteries and provides them at an outstanding value. The valve regulated, sealed lead acid battery utilizes dry cell technology with an absorbed glass mat similar to the Power2 series of batteries. This makes it an excellent deep cycle battery in a compact size, which is ideal for car audio applications.

Contact: Celsus, 01202 664390 or celsusice.co.uk

CAN Bus specialists Covering 250+ vehicles

CB-6

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The original and still the best!

Other CAN products available, please contact us for details.

TEL 01386 554210 l FAX 01386 552461 l sales@sailesmarketing.com www.sailesmarketing.com

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Tel : 01446 781199

Product review

|2011

AND THE WINNER IS… NEMESIS! Nemesis Technology picked up the Gold Award for ‘Best Cellular Accessory’ for the Brodit Apple iPhone 4 Active Holder plus a ‘Best Hands-Free Distributor’ Award too. Martyn Williams puts Nemesis products under the spotlight

The Award-winning active holder for Apple iPhone 4 and 4S is equipped with an Apple-approved charging cable

F

resh from the MEN Awards night, Chris Chance, Managing Director of Nemesis Technology was pleased

with the result. He said: “We are overjoyed to have been announced a winner in the ‘Best Handsfree Distributor’ category,

The Brodit iPad and iPad 2 table stand is convenient to use anywhere at home, car or office

especially since the competition was so tough, the Nemesis team as a collective can take credit for this recognition. As the exclusive UK Brodit distributor, we are

be handy for delivery drivers and other users

proud to represent their innovative iPhone 4

who are regularly hopping in and out of the

products - a well deserved winner of Gold in

vehicle. The locking holder is also useful if the

the ‘Best Cellular Accessory’ category - this

unit is displayed in a public place. The holder

accolade is resounded by our customers

includes the lock mechanism with two keys.

and installers on a daily basis.”

The Brodit tablet holder range is another important and fairly recent addition to the

Broad Brodit range

to avoid light reflection. The holder is attached

range from Nemesis with a rapidly-developing

You name it, and there’s usually a Brodit device

to a ProClip mounting platform for a secure

line available as dashboard, headrest and

holder for it, available as fixed hard-wired

and convenient installation in the car.

wall mount, plus a range of desk stands for all

installation, cig-plug types and passive units.

Customers with an active holder for their

popular units including Apple iPad and iPad 2,

Popular devices covered include Apple, HTC,

iPhone will appreciate the convenience of

Blackberry Playbook, Samsung Galaxy Tab and

Blackberry and Nokia smartphones and tablets.

battery charging and having the phone within

HTC Flyer - available in black or white.

The iPad and iPad 2 table stand is

The Award-winning active holder for Apple iPhone 4 and 4S is equipped with an Apple approved Griffin charging cable and has a tilt swivel base with a movement of 22 deg. in each direction which allows the angle of the device to be adjusted for easier viewing and

The Award-winning active holder for Apple iPhone 4 has an Apple-approved charging cable

convenient to use anywhere at home, in the car or in the office. It can be mounted at a variety of angles adjusted depending on the area of use. The stand can also conveniently fit in the user’s lap. The holder can be attached to a wall or ProClip in the car or any other place, by using the enclosed mounting

easy sight and reach. Hard-wired installation

adapter. The same Pad can be attached

without any cables hanging over the interior

in several different areas as the user moves

is also a major selling feature.

around by using several mounting adapters.

The holder is machined from ABS plastic

The holder allows the user to easily attach the

for a perfect fit allowing it to be easily slotted

charging cable and still allows all buttons and

in and out. The holder is designed for iPhone

connectors to remain accessible. It will also easily

with the popular skin-type cover only, it’s

swing between landscape and portrait mode.

not compatible with either an unprotected Brodit iPad holder shown with ProClip fixing

iPhone or with the original Bumper casing.

There is also a special Brodit iPhone holder with a locking mechanism which could

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www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu

For more information contact Nemesis Technology on 0870 777 5530 or visit www. nemesistechnology.com

A W A R D S 2 0 1 1

T H E

I N - C A R

E N T E R T A I N M E N T

AWARDS 2011

A W A R D S 2 0 1 1

T H E

I N - C A R

E N T E R T A I N M E N T

AWARDS 2011

www.mobileelectronicsnews.eu

53

MAKE A NOISE

|2011

MAKE A NOISE

Thirty-five years later, MRS is still on an earner even though times have changed. Richard Beavan talks about the changes he has seen

Name: Richard Beavan job title: Owner, Mobile Radio Services Exeter

R

ichard started in the industry in 1964 and founded Mobile Radio Services back in 1976. To say that he’s seen a lot of changes is an understatement and to be established for around 35 years in our industry is quite an achievement. Richard said: “When I left school in 1964 there were car radios but there weren’t any stereo players of any kind and standard-fit radios were mainly confined to Rolls-Royce and Bentleys.

“I worked for Radiomobile when it was an English company, part of Smiths Industries, and it was by Royal Appointment to the Queen. I was trained at the company’s premises in London servicing and repairing radios. I’ve forgotten the names of most of the people involved at Radiomobile but I expect quite a few people remember the late Bill Laurie who was there when the company was taken over. He went from there to Clarion.

“Those were the days where if you met your targets you’d get taken on a five star holiday – I did a couple with Radiomobile and also with Clarion – nowadays you don’t even get a diary from manufacturers. When Tim Mabley used to be with Kenwood, he used to send us bottles of Port and Stilton at Christmas. There was a time when we used to get bottles from lots of our suppliers. It’s all changed now, but in the days when radios were not normally a standard fitment we used to get a rush fitting them before what used to be the annual August registrations of new cars. By the time the bi-annual registrations came in, as we know, it was already normal to have a standard-fit sound system in cars anyway.

“Although the market for aftermarket systems is much reduced, at least with the newer cars there is less room for the diy-er. Today’s cars are much more complex and the average amateur doesn’t realise the problems of cutting a CAN-Bus wire or even just unplugging the original head unit can mess things up – particularly with Peugeot’s interrupting the power to an aftermarket head unit which required the car to be hooked up to diagnostics to program-out the original head unit. Other things that can go wrong for the unwary, as professionals will know, is failure of unrelated systems like the reversing sensors. It’s good that the industry is well supplied with CAN-Bus adaptors and other things that help us to get round these problems.”

Lately Richard has been downsizing from the two large industrial units which he had back to back to just the front unit which can be seen as customers enter the Exeter City Industrial estate. Being an industrial estate venue slightly away from the city centre, it has the advantage of nohassle parking which makes such a difference to attracting clients to the premises. His front unit is large enough to easily accommodate vehicles including large camper vans such as the one he was working on during our visit, being fitted with an AV system amongst other items. There is a partitioned area within the unit which forms a small shop display area and counter with an attractive display of popular head units, amplifiers, speakers and accessories.

“We don’t need all the space of two units nowadays,” said Richard, “We’ve been moving stuff around and altering the place for a couple of month’s now and it’s more or less completed.

“Along with the downsizing though, we have been quite busy with retail and trade business. One of our trade customers does camper conversions on vans which usually involves quite a lot of work for us but

54

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we can get a situation where we expect a job to come in but if their latest build doesn’t sell straight away then we have to wait.

“The other part of the business which has become part of life, as many in the industry will know, is fitting equipment which has been bought cheaply on the internet. The answer here is that we charge the full labour rate for stuff that hasn’t been supplied by us. The up-side of this arrangement is that we don’t have to honour guarantees on faulty equipment. If something goes wrong, they have to pay to have it removed and they have to send it back at their expense and then have it refitted. If we supply a system and a component goes wrong, it gets taken out and refitted for free. Customers need to read between the lines and think about the backup they are getting – a lot of them just see the initial pound signs and don’t think about the value of the service the specialist provides.

“Luckily we benefit from being well-established and get most of our custom from personal recommendation. It’s good when customer’s friends and work colleagues see an install and come along wanting something similar for their car. We’re not into the boy-racer market though, most of our installs - if they do have extra bass, will have a selfpowered sub under the seat just to get that depth that you don’t get from ordinary speakers. We get a lot of customers with work vans who often come to us with dreadful-sounding diy installs where they have fitted speakers in to the wooden liner they have fitted in the back. With decent speakers and a self-powered sub in the cab, it makes a world of difference. One of our most regular types of van jobs we’ve been getting lately are VW T5s which are very popular at the moment. A recent job on an air-suspended T5 was a £5,000 install.”

When I left school in 1964 there were car radios but there weren’t any stereo players

CONTACT SCOrpiON: 01257 249 928 Or emAil iNfO@SCOrpiONAuTO.COm ViSiT Our NeW WeBSiTe WWW.SCOrpiONTrACk.COm

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BEST ALARM SIGMA S35

BEST A DV E R T I S I N G C A M PA I G N

BEST SECURITY PRODUCT SCORPION TRACK

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55

Employment issues

|2011

Company Policy

Ian Murdoch of ISR Consulting raises important questions on policies and procedures, such as: Do you know your constitutional rights? Do you know what your constitutional rights cover? Any idea how to find out?

Do you even know where to find the constitution of the United Kingdom?

Y

ou might think you do, but in fact the answer to all of the

it is estimated that over 50%

above is ‘no’, because the UK is one of the few countries

were settled before the case

in the world not to have a formal written constitution.

Now you could be forgiven for thinking that this could make the country a tad difficult to run, however we have managed to muddle through for 300 years or so based on two all encompassing precepts; Parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law. So there it is, proof if proof were needed, that you don’t need a written constitution to run a large organisation, just 650 MPs, 1,000 Lords and half a million civil servants.

Your organisation probably doesn’t have the capacity to

was opened l The average compensation for unfair dismissal is around £8,600, but the maximum is £56,000 l The average compensation for discrimination is around £10,000.

There’s no upper limit here. l You can be guilty of discriminating against someone at interview, so they can take you to an employment tribunal, even if they don’t work for you

convene its own legislative body, and given that your company is probably a little less complex to run than managing the country,

You can buy a standard set of policies and procedures from a

do you really need a written constitution. Possibly not, but there

number of places, but be aware, standard is exactly what they are.

are significant advantages to having a consistent and current

After all, you wouldn’t buy and follow a standardised marketing

set of policies and procedures in place. Somewhere in the

policy. If they are not relevant to your business, this in itself may

back office, there’s a dusty red binder you dig out every time

weaken your position at tribunal. A lip service policy is almost as

someone new starts. That’s the company handbook and it should

bad as no policy at all. At the other end of the spectrum, a fully

cover off the key health and safety aspects of the workplace,

comprehensive policy with lots of proactive action points and

holiday entitlement, what to do if you’re sick and so on. But

spade loads of social welfare considerations is only any good if you

does it also cover your company’s stance on sexual harassment,

actually follow it.

discrimination, adoption leave, promoting ethnic and gender

Your policies and procedures must be legally compliant, but there

diversity in the workplace or whistle blowing? These are just a few

may be legitimate business reasons why you can’t go as far as DWP

of the things that the Department of Work and Pensions think you

recommendations. If you have laid all this out in your policies and

ought to have a policy on.

procedures, it will carry much more weight than if offered as an

Of course all these issues are covered by legislation, so you could just rely on that, but there are two very good reasons why it is a

excuse at a tribunal.

Many companies involve their employees in fashioning

good idea to have a comprehensive set of policies and procedures

guidelines, which adds consensus and buy in, and don’t forget that

in place, such as..

employment law changes, so it is an ongoing process. In truth, it’s a

l Giving your workforce clear guidelines on your company’s

time consuming process and frankly, it’s not the most exciting thing

stance on certain issues, and what is expected of both them

you’ll do in the course of running your business. It can however,

and you, creates a much more harmonious and positive working

make your company a better place to work, and it could save you

environment. How would you feel if you were booked for

a lot of money.

speeding in a town which didn’t display speed limits?

If you don’t have the time or capacity to do it yourself, talk to

l If one of your employees feels they would like to question

someone who will take the time to understand your business, and

something with an employment tribunal rather than your

can put together something that your employees, and anyone else

management, having a structured and consistent set of policies,

who cares to look, can recognise as fair and relevant to them. Once

which you have followed (more of that in a moment), is going to

it’s done, you have a consistent framework that you can refer back

put you in a much stronger position at tribunal. Whatever the issue

to and will save you a lot of time and effort, which could be far

is, the tribunal will recognise and take account of the fact that you

better utilised driving your business forward.

had given forethought and due consideration to it before it arose.

ISR is an independent consultancy which specialises in HR

56

Here are some things it might be useful to know when thinking about

issues for small and medium sized businesses. If you would like

whether you need to have a look at your policies and procedures

help on setting up legally compliant policies and procedures

l Approx 100,000 cases are accepted at tribunal per year

which fit with your business, you can contact them on 01494

l In the last few years, roughly 18% of cases were upheld, however

445084, or email: imurdoch@isrconsulting.co.uk.

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57

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

|2011

This month, Arthur has been researching where the profit lies in our industry. He was thrilled to discover some specialists who actually know where their profit comes from...

The future looks good with audio continuing to produce good margins for the specialist, providing we all avoid cut-my-own-throat tactics!”

Stuart Crombie at Attutek gave us three answers to our questions regarding most profitable areas now and in the future and they were; labour, labour and labour! Fitting for

This sounds such a basic thing but when small specialist companies get busy, it is quite easy to leave margin analysis to the accountant to sort out and report on once a year or even more risky, take the word of suppliers sales representatives. I spoke to some that have taken the time to look in-depth and the findings should give encouragement to the entire industry.

received to undermine market value of those

free is an anathema to Stuart who has built his

products for short-term gain.

business and reputation on his specialist fitting skills. He explains; ”Whatever we install to a car,

Source Sounds is very positive about the future

we charge the customer on the actual time it

– Having come through what we hope was the

takes. This takes the lottery out of the expected

worst of the recession we are now well placed

profit from a job and ensures we do everything

to control our future and by installing a Customer

correctly. Our customers all understand that if

Relationship Management (CRM) system we can

they squeeze us on install time, we are forced to

look forward to a healthy and profitable future

cut corners to make any money and therefore

doing what we have always done, but better!”

they are happy to agree to our terms.

Mike Winstanley at

From a product perspective, we install a lot of

Paul Ellis at Source Sounds

K and M Acoustics is

parking sensors and car kits as well as custom

says; “I would previously have

similarly optimistic that

audio builds and increasing amounts of sound

had trouble answering such

having survived the worst,

treatment. In all cases, it is the labour that makes

questions. In fact it is only

K and M can now focus

each job worthwhile.”

when things got tough for the

its business on its most

industry over the last three

profitable areas. Mike told

So, having managed to find three businesses who

years that we put systems

me; “Having traditionally

are enjoying profitable times despite the financial

in place which allow us to analyse where we

done very well with alarms, most of this business

climate, I hope you will all be encouraged to look

made money. I was thrilled to discover that it is

has disappeared and what remains is the Scooby

carefully at your profit rather than turnover so you

my passion, audio products and installation that

or Evo owner looking for an insurance premium

can all look forward to a stable and financially

produce the most profit for my business.

discount. This business is highly margin pressured

rewarding future.

and not what it once was. Phone kits make

58

Having installed a transaction management

more but with the proliferation of plug and play

If you have anything you would like to say

system that links our till with our accounts software,

Bluetooth solutions, even this is hitting critical profit

regarding this or any other aspects of the

we can now see exactly what works for us and

margins. Audio, however, is still highly lucrative and

industry, you can get to me by email:

focus on demonstrating audio to everyone

the future looks good with more customers coming

Arthur.deebie@gmail.com

entering the store. We also focus our purchasing

through the door wanting better performance

on product that allows us to retain margin in the

than their factory fitted system provides. Most

Many thanks to:

short to medium term. By careful supplier selection

of these consumers do not know the market

Paul Ellis – Source Sounds, 0114 257 1550,

we are able to forward order (bulk purchase)

necessarily and come our way because of our

Mike Winstanley – K and M Acoustics, 01942 820174,

and resist the temptation to use any discounts

local reputation as a specialist

Stuart Crombie – Accutek, 01962 886 900

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59

VCE GUIDE

|INSTANT EXPERT

Mercedes Vito

PARKING SENSOR INSTALLATION The Mercedes Benz Vito panel van is available in three base lengths and two heights. The Vito boasts the highest residual value in its class according to Merc-friendly sources. It carries the aura of German reliability but a visit to some forums would seem to suggest the complete opposite combined with some of the worst treatment from franchised dealers on the planet This month’s install of parking sensors into a new Mercedes Vito starts with removing the bumper. This approach is used for the Vito as it is only a 10 minute job to and makes for a much neater install.

To start locate the pins in the rear wheel arch, there is another one lower down just behind the wheel and two more either side of the centre of the bumper, they all need removing. (1&2)

01

04

02

Once all pins are removed you then need to remove the six Torx screws that run along the lip of the bumper. (3)

04

Once all screws are removed you need to give a sharp – short tug on the corner of the bumper that meets the wheel arch, there is a small clip that is helped to release by slightly tilting the bumper inwards as you release it. (4)

03

05

With the bumper removed you will see 4 circles pressed into the bumper that mark where the factory fit sensors would be installed. (5&6) Once the sensors have been installed there are clips along the inside of the bumper where you can secure the cables with zip ties. (7)

07

I took my cable entry into the vehicle on the off side, just below where the bumper sits, you need to go this high due to the lower part of the bodywork being double skinned. You can then collect the cables just behind the false panel. (8)

06

Reverse power pick up can be sourced from the White/Blue cable loomed leading up to the rear light cluster. (9)

07

10

The negative feed can either be earthed on the chassis or connected to the negative feed going to the lower cigar power point. You can locate the reverse buzzer behind the panelling next to the rear speaker.

08 13

09

PRODUCT & INSTALLER DETAILS System used: Steelmate PTS400X Installation time: 60 minutes.

Installed & compiled by: Vernon Craig. www.FreedomInstallations.co.uk Tel: 07813303398 Covering Bristol and surrounding areas.

Night Vision Camera

CCD Night Vision Camera (black)

Monitor 7” 7” Monitor

Side View Night Vision Camera

Monitor 7”7” Monitor Touch Screen Touch Screen

PS0610

PS010W

PS016

PS02

PS010B

See our great range of monitors and cameras...

PS006

PS7006

PS024

PARKSAFE

PS2473

Welcome to the world of

CCD Night Vision Camera (white)

6” Camera Kit Night Vision

Monitor 3.5”3..5” Monitor

Wireless Interface that can connect to any camera system (used for easy install, gaining maximum profit )

CONTACTS FOR YOUR AREA: Nothern Sales: Dave Thornber 07710 092871 Southern Sales: Rob Walker 07826 653689 East West & Midlands: Hayley 01773 746591 OE Sales: Robin Holman 07894 123118 Mick Barber 07500 110460

Call: 01773 746 591 Email: sales@park-safe.co.uk Web: www.park-safe.co.uk 60

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W: www.cobravehiclesecurity.co.uk Brands: Cobra offers a complete range of vehicle security, safety and electronic systems: CobraTrak stolen vehicle tracking systems, Cobra alarms and immobilisers, Cobra ParkMaster parking sensors, Rosen retro fit in-car DVD systems, NSV Bluetooth handsfree systems, E-Cruise aftermarket cruise control and speed limiters, and Coyote live speed camera alert systems.

Aftermarket Vehicle Solutions Ltd Contact: Peter Hughes T: +44 (0)1255 434353 E: sales@avs-ltd.co.uk W: www.avs-ltd.co.uk Brands: Distributor of Speed Limiters, Cruise Control, Parking Sensors, Security Products, CAN interfaces and Carbon Fibre Heated Seat Kits to the Aftermarket and the OEM Industries.

Alpine Electronics of UK Ltd Contact: Keith Holness T: +44 (0) 2476 719623 E: keith.holness@alpine-electronics.co.uk W: www.alpine-electronics.co.uk Brands: Alpine

Connects2 Contact: Andrew Simner T: 0845 257 5588 F: 0121 522 5589 E: sales@connects2.com W: www.connects2.com Brands: Connects2 – Interface solutions for O.E.M and aftermarket systems, Including interfaces for iPod, USB, MP3, Aux, Steering wheel controls inc CAN-Bus, Stalk & Display, Telemute, Parrot, and MOST fibre optic iPod & Bluetooth hands free interfaces.

BEAT, Ground Zero, Tsunami, Shuriken, Balistic, Raptor, Zenec, Metra, LG, MAC Audio

Armour Automotive Limited Contact: Sales T: 01420 487110 E: sales@armourauto.com W: www.armourauto.com Brands: Autoleads, CTi, iO, Mutant, Radiomobile, Veba, VI, Avital, Clifford, Focal, Hornet, Kicker, Orion, Viper, Oxygen, Dension, Kinetik, Hushmat

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Audiovox Incaar Systems GmbH Contact: Damian Trybuszewski T: 01483 722 531 E: info@audiovoxincaarsystems.com W: www.audiovoxincaarsystems.com Brands: Audiovox, Audiovox Incaar Systems, AIS Automonitor Mobile Multimedia Ltd Contact: Hugh J McTernan T: +44 (0) 116 275 2020 E: hugh@automonitor.co.uk W: www.automonitor.co.uk Brands: Automonitor, SAVV, Necvox, Baton, Rosen, Visteon, Britax and Westfalia

D

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Celsus UK Limited Contact: Sales T: +44 (0)1202 664 390 E: sales@celsusice.co.uk W: www.celsusice.co.uk Brands: Celsus Accessories, Calearo, CANBus, Dynamat Europe, iPod Integration, Jehnert, JL Audio, MTX Audio, Stinger Electronics, PAC Audio, Stinger DSI Chameleon Codewing Ltd Contact: Kent Stabler T: 01206 500 848 M: 07702 565100 E: sales@thechameleongroup.co.uk W: www.chameleondirect.com Brands: Authorised Distributor for THB Bury, Parrot, Motorola, Kram Radio Mutes, Scorpion, Dashmount, Brodit, Steelmate, Alpine, Kenwood, Snooper & Nokia.

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Kenwood Electronics UK Limited T: +44 (0) 1923 816444 E: enquiries@kenwood-electronics.co.uk W: www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk Brands: Kenwood

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P

Dashmount Contact: Steve Taylor T: 01883741460 E: sales@dashmount.co.uk W: www.dashmount Brands: Dashmount, Bury, Nokia, Parrot, Adapt, Brodit, Autoleads, Elan, Kram, Park Control, Steelmate.

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Canm8 Ltd Contact: Colin Palmer T: 08452266283 E: SALES@CANM8.COM Brands: Canm8 range of can bus interfaces can bus custom design

K

Drivesync - Tracking Contact: Andrew Marsden T: 01162 449846 E: sales@celtrade.com W: www.celtrade.com Brands: Drivesync - Tracking.

E

EDGE Audio T: 0121 311 9090 E: info@edgecaraudio.com W: www.edgecaraudio.com Brands: Edge

F

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iGRIP® / Herbert Richter GmbH Contact: Scott Bouquet Email: s.b@igrip.eu T: +44 (0) 2081447413 E: www.igrip.eu Brands: iGRIP, Herbet Richter. Exclusively Available at Strax (UK) LTD In Car Technologies Contact: Steve Patient T: 01392 829435 E: sales@incartec.co.uk W: www.incartec.co.uk

Panorama Antennas Ltd Contact: John Thomson T: +44 (0) 20 8877 4444 E: sales@panorama-antennas.com W: www.panorama-antennas.com Brands: Manufacturer of antennas for DAB, Mobile Radio, Tetra, 3G Broadband and other wireless technologies.

Parksafe UK Contact: Mick Barber T: 01773 746 591 F: 01773 743 251 E: Sales@Park-safe.co.uk w: www.Park-safe.co.uk Brands: Parking and Rear View camera systems Parrot UK Limited T: 0844 472 2360 E: sales.uk@parrot.com W: www.parrot.com Brands: Parrot

R

Radio World Contact: Mark Johnson T: 01924 401756 E: sales@radioworld-online.co.uk W: www.rw-online.co.uk Brands: Accessories importers

S

Sailes Marketing Ltd Contact: Matthew Sailes T: +44 (0) 1386 554210 E: info@sailesmarketing.com W: www.sailesmarketing.com Brands: Manufacturer and Distributor of CAN Bus interfaces, Electronic Interfaces, Parking Sensors, Speed Pulse Generators & Installation tools.

Scorpion Automotive Ltd Contact: Dianne or Philly T: 01257 249928 E: info@scorpionauto.com W: www.scorpionauto.com Brands: Scorpion Security, Toad Security, Sigma Security, Stirling Security, Scorpion Parking sensors, Scorpion Track Stolen vehicle and fleet management tracking Select Products Contact: Matt Hurst T: 01233 62 32 36 E: matt@selectproducts.co.uk W: www.selectproducts.co.uk Brands: Select Products, Inigma Steelmate Automotive (UK) Ltd Contact: Kevin Kay T: 01582 475677 E: sales@steel-mate.co.uk W: www.steel-mate.co.uk Brands: Steelmate Parking sensors, TPMS, HID

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Bringing home Cobra UK CobraTrak the golds orders new trophy now available with web cabinet after location on demand MEN Awards and geofence

CobraTrak offers Stolen Vehicle Tracking with Pan European coverage as standard and a new Web Upgrade Package featuring: Pinpoint vehicle location on demand Self-set geofencing with immediate breach alerts via SMS or email

Six award winning products Particularly suitable for commercial vehicle and fleet operators, the web from Cobra. upgrade option is available on both CobraTrak Plus and CobraTrak 5 for a small additional fixedto annual fee our dealers.

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