Pioneer AVH 2700BT

[Petra]

We've just taken delivery of our new Pilote which has a Pioneer AVH 2700BT radio in it. There does not seem to be anyway to switch off the radio. Our dealer says that if we switch off the AUX it turns it off but this then means that various things such as sockets and ignition for cooker etc don't work! The manual doesn't help either. Has anyone come across this before and if so how did you solve it.

[Robinhood]

...I think you may be misunderstanding the dealer.

 

From perusing the manual, it appears that the lower left button is the Source/Off button.

 

Pushing briefly will either switch on, or, if already on, change the input source.

 

To turn the unit off, you need to hold that button down until it turns off.

 

At least, that's what the manual appears to say.

 

(I think there may have been some confusion, as one of the source settings on this radio button is "AUX")

[Derek Uzzell]

Petra - 2016-04-08 6:52 PM

 

We've just taken delivery of our new Pilote which has a Pioneer AVH 2700BT radio in it. There does not seem to be anyway to switch off the radio. Our dealer says that if we switch off the AUX it turns it off but this then means that various things such as sockets and ignition for cooker etc don't work! The manual doesn't help either. Has anyone come across this before and if so how did you solve it.

 

My 2015 Rapido 640 has one of these ******* Pioneer AVH 2700BT units.

 

The unit does indeed have no integrated On/Off switch (see 1st Customer Question/Answer comment here)

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pioneer-AVH-X2700BT-Touchscreen-Multimedia-Connectivity/dp/B00PAQGYKO#Ask

 

The lack of a built-in On/Off switch means that installation of the Pioneer unit will be complicated in a vehicle (eg. X250/X290 Ducatos) that has no ‘auxiliary’ position on its ignition switch.

 

To sidestep this Rapido fits a dinky little separate On/Off switch (see attached photo) in the dashboard adjacent to the Pioneer unit (and - I’m pretty sure! - also powers the unit from the leisure-battery).

 

Another little gem is when the unit has a reversing camera linked to it (as is the case with my Rapido). The unit includes a feature to automatically display the image from the camera when the vehicle's reverse-gear is selected. When this happens a warning message "Caution: Screen image may appear reversed” appears overlaying the topmost section of the camera image.

 

The Pioneer unit also offers the capability for the camera image to be displayed continuously (ie. to act as a rear-view mirror) but the intrusive warning message is always there and cannot be deselected or disabled. The reverse-gear automatic function interferes with continuous camera operation, and manoeuvres involving repeated forwards & backwards movements will cause the unit to alternate between ‘continuous’ and ‘automatic’ operation with the switching process taking several seconds to complete. I stopped this happening by removing the Pioneer unit from the dashboard (a much harder task than I had anticipated) and severing the wire that provides the ‘automatic’ signal.

 

The Pioneer AVH 2700BT has a lot of features but I have no interest in most of them. The unit’s operation is not intuitive and the ‘logic’ (and the manual) is not user-friendly. I’ve come to terms with my AVH 2700BT and I can get it to do what I want but - where the camera is concerned - not as well as I would like. Inevitably, if a single unit is to provide multiple features there will be complexity, but Pioneer’s approach is just plain nasty.

[Robinhood]

Derek,

 

your reply is relevant for the AVH-X2700BT, which (though it may indeed be what the OP actually has) is not what the OP posted. As you say, this unit does not appear to have any "off" capability, other than the screen.

 

There is also an AVH-2700BT, a different model, which (implicitly) switches off as my post above. It may be that the OP has posted the model number correctly, and the (manual-implied) method of switching off by holding down the "SRC" button is available on that one. (it would certainly account for Pilote not fitting an additional rocker-switch, as have Rapido).

 

It's worth the OP checking the model number.

 

The repeated switching of the camera when manoeuvring, accompanied by the delay, is the reason why I've chosen to manually wire my reversing camera to a dashboard switch, rather than to the reversing light circuit!

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

My fault - my Rapido’s Pioneer unit is indeed an AVH-X2700BT model and I assumed that was what Petra’s Pilote had.

 

I agree that it would be very odd for Pilote to fit a radio with no dedicated means to turn the thing on and off!

 

(Is there a Pioneer AVH-2700BT model? There’s an AVH-270BT unit, but all the 2700s seem to have an “X” prefix.)

[Robinhood]

Manual at:

 

http://catalogs.pioneer-car.eu/Manuals/AVH_2400BT_CRB3715_manual/

 

There is a different manual for the AVH-X2400BT (which is more than cosmetically different).

[Derek Uzzell]

Yes, but that’s the 2400BT which is a relatively old model, whereas Petra referred to a 2700BT unit that is still in the current Pioneer range. I would have thought it more likely that a brand-new Pilote would have a 2700BT unit not a 2400BT, but who knows? Petra has a manual for the radio, so there should be no difficulty identifying which Pioneer unit the Pilote has.

 

The X2700BT unit also has an AUX source setting, but playing about with this would have no effect on sockets or the cooker ignition, and that should be no different for a 2400BT unit.

 

Dunno - back to Petra to say exactly which Pioneer model the Pilote has.

[Robinhood]

...indeed, it looks like my bad Derek, though I could swear I carefully checked the model number when I did my first post.

[Petra]

Thanks for the replies. I do have a AVH X2700BT and the dealer did refer to the Aux button on the motorhome control panel not the radio. This does turn it off but also turns off lots of other things as well. So far the only way I have managed to turn the unit off is putting a CD in, ejecting it which then shows the CD as off and then turning off the display. We are just not sure that this turns the power off! Why do these boffins make everything so complicated.

[StuartO]

It's quite common for car radios to be designed to operate from an ignition-switch-controlled power supply and therefore without their own power-off switch.  If they are to be installed in motorhomes they will require an additional switch to be built into their power circuit, which will usually come from the mototorhome's leisure battery.

 

There are however exceptions, so shop around and you will find a radio which has a power switch.  I found a Sony model which has one - a DAB radio which was priced under £100.  You have to hold down the power switch to get it to go off completely (otherwise it keeps its light display on) but apart from that it does the job very well.

 

[Derek Uzzell]

Petra

 

At the very beginning of Pioneer’s installation instructions for the AVH-X2700BT unit is the following warning “This product cannot be installed in a vehicle without an ACC (accessory) position on the ignition switch.” This caveat is followed by drawings of two ignition switches - one with an ACC position and one without – presumably just in case the installer is semi-literate!

 

Ducato X250 and X290 models have an ignition switch with no ACC position, so choosing to fit an AVH-X2700BT means that a ‘work-around’ must be used to obtain 12V power to run the unit and maintain its memory. With a motorhome there’s also the obvious requirement to be able to use the radio-unit at all times irrespective of the vehicle’s ignition-key being in the ignition switch.

 

With my 2015 Rapido 640 motorhome 12V power is provided to the Pioneer unit by the motorhome’s leisure-battery, while a separate dashboard-mounted switch would appear to simulate having an ignition switch with an ACC-position.

 

The dashboard-mounted switch allows the AVH-X2700BT to be switched on and off, but even when that switch is in its Off position, the leisure-battery continues to provide 12V power to the unit to maintain its memory. Consequently, if the leisure-battery is disconnected, the Pioneer unit will lose all its user-chosen settings and will need ‘reprogramming’.

 

Rapido’s User Manual has a “Miscellaneous and accessories” chapter (right at the back) that includes a short “Car radio, audio pack” section. Although the same Pioneer units are factory-fitted throughout the Rapido ranges, it’s worth highlighting that the manner in which the radio-unit is ‘commissioned’ depends on the particular Rapido model-range involved and the type of control-panel.

 

The method used for the S6 range (ie. for 640 models like mine) and the S8 range evidently differs from that of other Rapido ranges even when the latter have the same Pioneer units factory-fitted. It’s worth highlighting that for Rapido’s 7, 9, 10 and Distinction ranges the User Manual (apparently!!) advises that – for the radio to become operative - the motorhome’s control-panel needs to be switched on or the vehicle’s ignition needs to be switched on.

 

While it seems reasonable enough to me that your Pilote’s Pioneer AVH-X2700BT unit should only operate when an AUX button on the motorhome’s control-panel is pressed to its On position, it verges on the daft if pressing the AUX button again to turn the Pioneer unit Off also disables 12V sockets and the cooker’s spark-ignition. Are you absolutely certain there is nothing in Pilote’s manual about operating the radio-unit?

 

(The Pioneer’s display can be turned off via the buttons on the unit’s left edge, but that’s not the same as turning off the unit completely.)

 

Rapido motorhomes either have a Pioneer radio-unit as standard or (on the cheaper models) included within an optional ‘equipment-pack’. The basic pack has a single-DIN unit; next up is a double-DIN unit linked to a reversing-camera; a GPS navigation option is also available. The Fiat range of radio units is not used. (I think Pilote takes a similar approach.)

 

I suspect few Rapido buyers (quite likely none) will deliberately choose not to have a factory-fitted Pioneer unit as it usually makes financial sense to opt for the pack.

 

http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Rear-view-cameras/38234/

 

And, of course, if one wants a reversing camera system and does not opt for a double-DIN unit with a suitable display capability, it will be necessary to install a dedicated monitor for that system somewhere.

 

[Petra]

Thanks Derek for the comprehensive reply. I will have to have a look in the Pilote Manual which I don't remember seeing, everything else was there so I may just have missed it. The radio was fitted by Pilote and came with a CD manual but there was certainly nothing in there about switching it off. Pilote also fitted a separate Reversing camera/ rear view camera which we have been told does not have a manual!

[Derek Uzzell]

Pilote’s Pioneer AVH-X2700BT radio-unit and reversing camera combination was mentioned here about a year ago.

 

http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Rear-view-cameras/38234/

 

It might have been useful to ask ‘Absolutebeginner’ to comment on switching the radio on and off, but the user’s last logon was in May 2015 so I doubt he/she is still an active forum participant.

 

As the Pioneer unit seems to be a standard Pilote fit, you might try asking the Pilote Owners Association for advice.

 

http://www.piloteowners.co.uk/

 

 

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

Petra

 

While I was in France recently I popped into a Pilote dealership and asked how a Pioneer AVH X2700BT unit was switched On and Off in a Pilote motorhome.

 

As I understand it the unit becomes ‘live’ when the vehicle’s ignition is switched On. When the vehicle’s ignition is not switched On, the Pioneer unit is turned On and Off by pressing the “AUX” button on the motorhome’s habitation control-panel - which is what your UK dealer told you.

 

I pointed out that my Rapido had a separate dedicated On//Off switch for this Pioneer unit, but apparently Pilote just relies on using the control-panel’s AUX button.

 

I asked “But doesn’t pressing the control-panel’s AUX button to turn the radio Off also disable other 12V facilities?” and was told that this was indeed the case and that - with the AUX button switched to Off - the hob ignition and 12V sockets would not function. I observed that this seemed a perverse way to operate a dashboard radio, but was assured that where Pilote was concerned this was “normale”.

 

So there you go - unless your Pioneer radio unit’s wiring is modified so that it can be turned On and Off without using the control-panel’s AUX button, you will just have to accept the limitations of Pilote’s peculiar logic.

[Absolutebeginner]

Hi,

 

I admit that I don't log on every time I look at the forum! I still really dislike my AVH-2700BT combination with the camera fitted by Pilotte tto my G600L!

 

On the question of how you are meant to switch it off, I'm afraid that the only way is via the aux switch on the main panel above the habitation door. You can mute it, but if you want a nights sleep without the illumination from the screen, then its the aux switch.

 

Back to the camera. Having looked at the Waeco cameras, none of them look like mine. I had to reverse onto my pitch in darkness recently and could see nothing of use on the screen. It is bearable in daylight but useless at night.

 

I suppose I am loathe to shell out on a new completely separate system when the factory installed one should work properly.

 

Petra has not mentioned how good the rear view is on their Pilote. Is it OK? Have you got a Waeco camera?

[Derek Uzzell]

My Rapido has a Waeco CAM50 reversing camera

 

http://www.conrad-anderson.co.uk/products/view/reversing/cameras/domcam50main

 

I don’t know what camera Pilote fits as original equipment - I’ve seen examples on Pilotes and (as has been said before) there’s nothing visually obvious to indicate the make/model. Waeco cameras usually carry the Waeco name, so it’s reasonable to assume the Pilote-fitted camera is not a Waeco product particularly as there’s nothing matching in the Waeco catalogue.

 

I have the rear-view camera system operating continuously while my motorhome is being driven, except at night when glare from the headlights of cars behind is irritating. The ‘daytime’ camera view produced by my Pioneer AVH-X2700BT head-unit is pretty good, though optimising it was fiddly. I just want a good camera image, long-wave radio reception and nothing else, so the Pioneer unit is massive over-kill in my case.

 

A Pilote dealership could be expected to know who makes the camera fitted to Pilote motorhomes or, if not, could find out from Pilote themselves. As the Pioneer head-unit ain’t cheap, one might think Pilote would not marry this to a crappy €10 camera. ;-)