Troubleshooting

  • Touchscreen buttons don’t work/not calibrated – If the touchscreen buttons are not lining up properly or are completely unusable, most likely the screen needs calibration. PRESS & HOLD the “NAVI” hard button on the bottom left of the radio face for 5 seconds to bring up the calibration screen, then proceed with the calibration and make sure to touch the screen at the end to save the setting.
  • Microphone doesn’t work – make sure it’s SECURELY plugged into the purple port on the rear of the radio and that the “Rosen BT” is enabled in the installer menu
  • iPod or USB sources don’t work – make sure the factory USB cable is plugged all the way in, or if you added your own cabling, insure the cable(s) are plugged in securely
  • XM is not available as a source – make sure that you have enabled “FACTORY SAT” in the installer menu
  • Blinkers/chimes are way too loud – relocate the data box to divert the speaker sound away from dash opening and/or cover the speaker with foam, tape or other sound dampening material
  • iPod video doesn’t play – an optional cable is required to pass iPod video – please call for details
  • Rear camera doesn’t work – if you wired the factory camera into the GM-1210, check to see if it still displays in the rear view mirror – if so, check the RCA connections where you tapped into the factory wires. Check the RCA cable is still plugged into the back of the radio and that the camera cabling is plugged in at the camera. Check power to the camera.
The thing to remember is a good Bluetooth connection depends on the device as much as the head unit, and because the device is created to do a lot of things at once, there are many variables that can affect signal quality.Here are some basic troubleshooting steps:

  • For intermittent connectivity issues,  clear or “kill” all open apps on their phone. You may not realize that apps you opened a week ago can still be open and taking up memory and processing power. Get in the habit of doing this at least once per day.
  • Clear the phone’s cache, then soft-reset the phone by powering it off for 2-3 minutes and turning it back on. (If applicable, remove the battery.) This allows the memory to clear and any stubborn processes to stop.
  • Be sure your unit and the phone is utilizing the latest software version.
  • Verify that the phone is capable of performing the requested features. Some phone models may not include the proper protocols to perform certain functions, such as audio control or phonebook upload.
  • If all else fails, delete the pairing relationship on both devices, then re-pair. With the radio off, remove the radio’s profile from the phone by selecting “Unpair,” then do a soft-reset. Do the same on the radio; however, make sure the radio is on for 10-15 minutes before beginning the deletion process.

Sometimes when upgrading phones, what seems like a simple process of deleting the old phone and adding the new one can present some pretty stubborn issues.

“Marcus S.” wrote us with the following information that may be of help to others:

Here is what happened: I had a Galaxy S7 Edge (Model:: SAMSUNG-SM-G935U)  When I paired that phone to the unit, it was fine, no problems.

Recently, I was just upgraded to the Galaxy S8 Plus, (Model: SAMSUNG-SM-G955U).  The problem was for some reason the radio kept the G935U in the Bluetooth list.  When playing Pandora, or using Bluetooth for phone calls, it would cancel the audio after 5 seconds but, maintain the connection over Bluetooth.

Issues:

  1. When I tried to disconnect the phone and delete the entry, the radio would not remove it from the list.
  2. I tried turning off the radio and re-starting it to see if that worked.  I still did not remove to old entry.
  3. When I tried to pair the new phone, it indicated the phone was paired but it showed the older phone in the list.  (G935U)
  4. I tried to select another open entry in the list for the new phone, but know success.
  5. I shut down the phone and started from fresh boot and un-paired the radio from the phone.  The phone would see the radio with scanning but would not connect for first 4 tries.  When It did connect, the same problem.  Lost audio after 5 seconds and it still showed the old model in the list.   (G935U)

Resolution:

Phone:

  1. Removed all paired devices from the phone:  Radio, headset, and watch
  2. Check for updates for the new phone and made sure all firmware was up to date
  3. In the phone setting, I reset the Network settings

Radio:

  1. In the Bluetooth list, i was able to remove the old phone  (G935U) from the entry list
  2. Paired the new phone to the radio, now the new phone appeared in the entry list.  (G955U)
  3. Tested phone calls and Pandora.  All is stable now

I believe the phone locked the hand shake between it and the radio.  It could of been because I didn’t delete the old phone before paring up the new one.  But once I did the updates to the phone, I was allowed to make the adjustments and all works well.

Thanks, Marcus

The sound quality of the GM1210 should be MUCH better than the factory radio you removed due to a few factors:

  • The factory radio has a circuit that REDUCES bass output the higher the volume is turned up – the GM1210 does not have this limitation
  • The GM1210 has individual pre-amp adjustments for every source, meaning you can turn the relative ouptut of each source up or down to match the other sources, so one isn’t too soft while others are loud enough to blow you out of the vehicle!
  • The GM1210 has a three band EQ with three crossover points in each band, making it essentially a nine band EQ

During the installation, it is imperative that you use the correct plugs and harnesses when hooking up the radio. There are a couple relatively common mistakes that we know about:

  • Cannot turn the volume past “10” – You probably have a factory Bose system and did not use the “GM-1210-8” harness. If you did not use this harness, you are running 50+ watts of power to the INPUTS of your factory Bose amp, and are wildy overdriving it. If you do not change harnesses, damage to both the radio and the factory amplifier may result!
  • No volume even when I turn it up to “40” – You used the GM-1210-8 harness on a NON-Bose system. In this case, you are running low level, pre-amp output directly to your speakers. This is not enough output to drive speakers. You need to plug the main speaker harness (black plug with Gray/White/Purple & Green wires) back into the pink-labeled black plug in the main harness

Bluetooth sound quality complaints usually fall into one category, with one solution:

  • Everyone says hands-free calling sounds terrible – The radio comes with a built-in microphone and will operate without using the external mic that’s provided with the unit. HOWEVER, the internal mic is pretty terrible and is only useful when the vehicle is stopped. Once moving, there is too much vibration to conduct a quality call. The only way to get GREAT Bluetooth hands-free quality is by installing the outboard microphone. It only takes a few minutes, so there really is a great incentive to do it.