On my sister's 09 Odyssey, I can initiate calls on my Blackberry Bold's handset, and the calls get routed through HFL automatically.

But on my 09 MDX, calls initiated on the Bold do NOT get routed through HFL. Instead, I have to wait for the call to be connected, then I have to manually "Activate HandsFreeLink" through the phone's menus. Needless to say, this is very difficult - and unsafe - to do while driving. Incoming calls, however, go through HFL immediately.

Is this standard behavior ? Is there a way to override this ?

 

Can't help you much here but in my TL and I am sure its the same on the MDX, I was able to transfer calls from phone to HFL via voice command given that the phone was already connected to the car.

 

Thanks Henry. Is the voice command "Transfer" ?

 

I believe it is or maybe "call transfer", I forgot. Been a while since I used it

 

The next time you get in the car and start it, check to see if the blackberry is asking for permission to connect. If it does, there should also be a box you can check for "do not ask me again". Click the box and give it permission and you should be set.

The command to switch a call between hands free and the phone is "transfer" and it works both ways car to phone and phone to car.

 

black label - Thanks for the idea, but I don't think that's my problem, as incoming calls always go through my Blackberry without me having to grant permission.

 

I think I may have misunderstood you. I thought you were basically saying the car and phone don't link up with each other automatically. I have witnessed on many blackberrys this happening where the phone is requesting permission to connect with the bluetooth device (the car).

I now realize (at least I think I do) that you were talking about dialing out on the handset and then switching over to the handsfree.

 

The MDX is a bit of an old fashioned system. The linc only works with a phone married to the MDX. You can have two phones set up. Annoyingly if the car is linked and looking for phone 2 and a call comes in on phone 1the MDX ignores the call. Saying transfer says no phones found! As info I make calls with my iPhone and switch rather than the back and forth ritual Acura has set up...

 

^^^
"transfer" is for switching between handset and handsfree. I believe the command you are looking for is "next phone".

 

I was not clear. Push the talk button and say setup. It will tell you what words to say for linking a phone. Say the words. You need to hit oooo as a passcode etc. OK After the Blackberry has been linked. When the car starts it will link with the Berry. But if you hop in with YOUR Phone it will be ignored. If you set up your phone there is a no-fun method to switch back and forth. Next phone might be it. Say setup and the long speach will tell you what you need to know. It is NOT a Lexus system. Manual is a word spoken often in a Acura. But I still love my car anyway...

 

I finally gave up and just copied the phone numbers I'm most likely to need, to HFL. Hitting "Transfer" didn't seem to work for me, until the call is actually connected (not dialing). But, the only way to know the call is connected is to watch the phone itself - which is far from safe. Unfortunately, since HFL seems to have a limit of 50 entries, this is really only a partial solution.

I also found the disconnect between HFL and the car's phonebook to be a little weird.

 

TMark you are right on. If you make a call and say transfer nothing happens until the call has gone thru. Then the person has to know to wait and not hang up as the car decides to switch over. When this happens I always hear Hello! Hello! LOL I just use the phone mostly. Incoming calls are great! So easy I just hit the answer button.