Hi Folks,

I have a '05 RL and have been struggling to enter names and phone numbers in the Hands Free Dialing Address book. It gets the names quite easily put completely messes up the numbers...specially 2. It always captures 2 as a 0.

Now, I do have a slight foreign accent, but mistaking 2 for a 0 ???

Help !!!

 

The biggest problem I had when entering phone numbers was that I was pausing in between groups of digits.

For example, if I wanted to enter the number (111)-222-3333, I would say, "one one one (pause) two two two (pause) three three three three." It invariably got something wrong. I found that eliminating the pauses between the way we normally say phone numbers helped a lot. Give that a try. It might not be the number two it is having the problem with but a pause after a two, if you were in area code 402 for example.

 

are you saying 'oh' or 'ze - ro'? I find I have much better luck with the later.

 

Sorry for the confusion. I am actually trying to say 2 but the system is picking it up as a 0. I am trying to store my wife's cell number which is in area code 202. Interestingly it picks up the first 2, but not the second one. So it thinks I am saying 200.

 

Have you tried programming with the engine off, in a quiet area, speaking toward the microphone? I have had some problems when telling it to dial a number when driving, have to close the sunroof and turn down the AC

 

Unfortunately, if you have any type of accent at all, whether it be foreign, southern or whatever the system will struggle to pick up exactly what you are saying. Someone mentioned trying to store the numbers with the engine off in a quiet area. I would try this first if I were you. Eliminate as much ambient noise as possible.

If this doesn't work you could try having someone help you store the numbers. For instance, have a friend or co-worker say the numbers and you speak the names. Once the numbers are in there you shouldn't have much trouble speaking "Call Home" or "Call Work" and having it recognize them. Good luck and be patient with it!!!

 

IME it has issues even without having an accent. I have excellent diction but a rather deep voice and it gets confused with the "HOME" - as in Dial Home, Phone Home, Call Home, etc. "Did you want to call . . . 08?" No, you stupid machine I want to call home. You know, like back when I programmed this in over 2 years ago? "Sorry?" That's right, you're gonna be sorry if you don't get it together and Dial Home right now!!! "Sorry?" Listen you 2-bit POS straighten up and fly right or I'm gonna let you have it! Phone Home!!!! "Sorry?"

Right around this point is when the people walking by in the parking lot are giving the man screaming at his car and pounding on the dash a really wide berth.

 

 

Perhaps Couples Counselling should be part of Acura's premium ownership experience???

 

I swear when it pulls this crap on me I am thisclose to being Basil Fawlty on Gourmet Night giving his car a damn good thrashing! (note - this only makes sense to fans of the Brit-com "Fawlty Towers", but they know what I mean).

 

Brilliant!

 

Yes, it does not like pauses.


I am very impressed with the voice nav. I rarely get an error and when I do it's usually because I'm lazy and mumbling or something. Indeed, it works so well I've taken it for granted. I find myself now instinctively "XM channel up" or "call John Jones Office"

A friend of mine has a MDX with the same gadgetry as my RDX, and he was somewhat unhappy with his voice controls especially with his phone book related commands ( he doesn't really use the other features). Upon looking at how he set up his phone book, I noticed he sort of used a random naming convention which tended to confuse him and the computer.

I recommend these steps.

1. STANDARDIZE your phone book voice "fields" so that you can remember what you named a person-phone. For instance. I have three numbers for my wife. Hence, I used
   "Jane Doe Mobile"
   "Jane Doe Home"
   "Jane Doe Office"
   Again, no pauses. Pauses are your enemy. If you organize all your phone book entries in this way you should get great results. Seriously, my experience in this regard is outstanding and my only gripe is that I can't "synch" my Outlook phonbook automatically with the RDX address book.
2. "THINK like a computer, TALK like a robot. Imagine an existence without conciousness where all you know (you don't even know you know it) is of a binomial form and you lack any notion of self-awareness. This is your computer's life. It is stupid. In fact it is more stupid than an insect. It doesn't care if you're annoyed with it, and in fact it is unaware you're even annoyed... so save your heart and your dashboard and speak with computer like perfect diction. I'm from Texas, so, for instance, I don't say "yawl" to the computer.
3. Regarding ACCENTS, my wife is from Indonesia and she has some cute ways of saying some things. At first my RDX viewed her as an alien from outer space as it would not accept her "rolling R" on the number three for instance She did struggle a bit more to get her numbers entered but she did eventually do so. A couple times she made the voice entry and I called out the numbers.
   Lastly, I've noticed it is less a function of accents and much more a function of proper pronunciation that causes errors. You need to speak numbers pretty much like you were taught in early kindergarden when you were learning how to talk and read.
4. Keep your address book SPARTAN. I've limited mine to my most commonly called numbers. If you put too many in, you increase the probability of a false-positive or a failed detection within the voice library.
5. ROAD NOISE. I input most of my numbers on a highway road trip and as I have stated, I'm getting great results. My hypothesis is that you ought to enter your voice tags in about the same ambience that you will be recalling them in. ?? THis has worked for me.

I've found the voice features of the TechPackage to be simply wonderful and a real differentiator of Acura. I hardly ever need to take my eyes off the road anymore and way beyond hand free phone usage, I have found it easier to use voice to change the scale on my NAV, change the CD, scan tracks, show information, etc.

 

Econman, I tried to lay mine out like you did (John Doe Home, John Doe Work, John Doe Cell) and it was problematic to enter and worse to use. It constantly retrieves incorrect entries that are not even close. I will try your other two suggestions: paring down the list and entering them under way to introduce some road noise. Any easy way to reset the system to start from scratch?

 

I have tried everything suggested by folks in this thread with no success

When I say 202 it reads it as either 200 or 2020

 

Go to the dealer. Demonstrate the flaw. There was something about maybe needing a new microphone in another thread somewhere, either here or on Temple of VTEC

 

If you have tried everything and the other numbers work change her number so no 2's are in it

 

After having tried everything suggested till now with no success I decided to try something strange just for a whim.

Uptill now I have been trying with my cell phone paired and on in the car. I decided to leave my phone home and try on more time. Don't know whether it was the frustration in my voice or what but I got the phone number in the first try.

Strange