# Noise cancellation on Bluetooth



## Alex Ethridge (Apr 10, 2000)

I'm using the Palm Treo 680 and the Plantronics Voyager 520 Bluetooth.

The problem:
When driving at higher speeds (60+) and using the phone, my friends say that when they are talking everything is fine; but, when they stop talking, they hear my freight train (road noise).

This is a problem that did not exist with analog devices; but, we live now in the digital age. So, is there anything that can be done to mitigate this problem?


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## AtlasG (Oct 13, 2012)

Analog? I'd love to know how you got a Bluetooth headset to pair with a rotary phone! 

That's an ancient phone. Without digging up the old specs, I'd bet it doesn't have Bluetooth 2.0 support. I'm surprised it works at all.


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## Alex Ethridge (Apr 10, 2000)

Re-read the initial post with more attention to detail. Your reply is amiss.


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## AtlasG (Oct 13, 2012)

Huh? I was just taking a guess about what you meant by "analog". Maybe you don't realize that Bluetooth is and always has been digital technology. You can't use a Bluetooth headset with any kind of analog device. 

The rest of my post stands. I doubt your really old Treo supports Bluetooth 2.0, so it makes sense that the noise cancelling feature of the headset doesn't work. If you buy a modern phone, it should be fine.


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## Alex Ethridge (Apr 10, 2000)

You are confusing yourself over the meaning of the first sentence of the last paragraph. Re-read the post sans that sentence and maybe you will better understand.

The Treo 680 supports bluetooth and works with all GSM carriers. It also supports one feature that no currently-manufactured, digital smartphone today does not, the ability to record two-way conversations _within the phone_.

The Treo 680 can still be bought new, imported from China, and works with all GSM carriers.

The problem I'm trying to overcome is the road noise coming through so loudly. The statement about analog mics is just a tertiary comment about how much better a job analog mics can do with background noise.

There is one possibility I can see that might alleviate the roar in the background when the caller stops talking: some kind of adjustable cut-off. In radio signal reception, we call that "squelch"; but, I haven't seen any such adjustment in digital phones or bluetooth devices. The road noise problem is the same whether using bluetooth or the phone's mic. The problem is that digital mics are not discretionary; the sound is either in at 100% or off completely. Thus the road noise and my voice come through with equal strength.


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