[Assman]

Hi,
My Elise just got a Katana supercharger and exhaust work which is wonderful on the track, but now it is loud! Having trouble hearing my instructor at HPDE's. Does anyone know where I can get a good helmet to helmet communicator that I can give to my instructors and actually hear them. Right now they are basically an extra 200 lbs of weight. Ideally I would like a very high quality one with noise cancellation. Please help.

 

[JungleJim]

Here is what many of our instuctors have found to be the best and clearest sounding solution for our chapter driver schools:

ChatterBox CB-50 Face Headset (I use this in my cosed face helmet)
Student Racing Headset
Standard Tandem Pro Kit

Purchased from Chatter Box - Buy Communicators & Accessories from Jafrumfor about $116.

This attaches to your helmet and has a long cord for the student.

Frankly IMHO and as the past Chief Driving Instructor for our BMW Chapter for 10 years, if your instructor gets in your car without a communicator he is not taking his job seriously and you should ask for someone else. Our chapter demands our instructors to use one for safety and maximum communication and learning for the student.

 

[Assman]

I agree about the communicators. The communicator broke at my last event and the one before that he didn't have one so there you go. Thanks for the advice.

 

[shovel383]

+1 for the CB50 (HJC50.... same same). It is true 2 way communication, not the annoying Push to Talk.

 

['Nova]

2nd on the chatterbox. Pretty standard unit. Just be sure to buy the kit to install it in your helmet (closed or open face) plus a student headset. If they don't have one, you can give them the student unit. There's an extension cord you can plug into their unit as well so you don't have to remove the headset from your helmet or anything.

 

[davecarama]

I have found that having it connected to my hemlet interferes with the wires and causing the sound to come in and out.

MY 2 cents is to get 2 extension cables and put one on yours and one on the other guy's and have the passanger hold the unit while the driver drives.

To be honest, I have used the chatterbox and another. NONE of them are any good, but the chatterbox is the best of them.

Randy Chase, Mr. Inventor with $, you should make a radio that transmits into the car's radio, then we can turn it as loud as we need to. Make it have an RF frequency, or plug into the iPod or Aux adapter. Or make a wireless headset.

I can't afford to keep replacing Chatterboxes!

And JungleJim,
I agree with making the instructors buy the unit, but I say each student should be required to buy their own attachment. I have replaced more than I care to talk about because the jackass grabs the wire or mic and yanks it right out of the ear piece. I tell my students how to pull the piece out, and if they break it, they buy it!

D

 

[Mr. Know]

And JungleJim,
I agree with making the instructors buy the unit, but I say each student should be required to buy their own attachment. I have replaced more than I care to talk about because the jackass grabs the wire or mic and yanks it right out of the ear piece. I tell my students how to pull the piece out, and if they break it, they buy it!

D

But...shouldn't Chatterbox make the unit so it doesn't break if pulled out of the helmet improperly? Seems like a design flaw at the very least. The ear piece should have a UL knot inside the plastic casing (which should have a metal grommet) to prevent that.

 

[AZReason]

I have the $85 one:

Racing Communications, Inc. [ INTERCOM SYSTEMS ]

When I received it I was unhappy since it was a Nady PMC-2X. I read many awful reviews of it. However, I tried it and it works perfect. I used it in cars that were very loud and it worked great. I am not sure if Racing Communications modifies it or not but it worked better than a chatterbox I tried.