As part of our club's HPDE and licensing schools I often need to talk with race control on the radio while I'm driving on track. In the past I've borrowed one of my fellow racer's car which has a pretty quiet interior and used a secret agent style over the ear earbud inside my helmet and a mic clipped to the collar of my fire suit. This season that car isn't available at every event so I'll be using my Miata which is very loud in the cockpit. I'm thinking that I need to move to a real in helmet mic and ear bud/headphone solution.
I found this article from our hosts that's very helpful but if the hive as any insights into specific hardware that they have experience with that either worked well or didn't work I'd love to hear about it.
Because I do Endurance racing and rent I bought the kit here http://nerdieracing.com/main.sc with the Nascar and IMSA adapter, because I change cars. I am not sure if the cars I run have the loud whine of a Miata though.
trigun7469 said:
Because I do Endurance racing and rent I bought the kit here http://nerdieracing.com/main.sc with the Nascar and IMSA adapter, because I change cars. I am not sure if the cars I run have the loud whine of a Miata though.
Thanks. So, you're just using the standard ear buds that came with the kit?
In reply to APEowner :
Yes, but you could easily be upgraded.
In reply to APEowner :
The earbuds with most systems actually work pretty okay-ish. I installed a digital system from Race Radios Direct last year in my buddy's "Miata", and the ear bugs work fine for the driver. And this Miata is most likely MUCH louder in the cockpit than yours. Full tube-frame, open top, rotary engine and dog-box. The problem we have, and may be an issue for you, is the helmet mic. While my driver can hear me fine through the cheap-ass earbuds, I cannot understand a WORD from him due to the noise. Still looking for a solution on that end.
In reply to grafmiata :
I'm quite confident that my Miata is quieter than your buddy's. Rotories are obscenely loud. My car is a Spec Miata so it makes the annoying blat that's typical of the breed.
As you pointed out the mic is a concern as well.
If they can make a mic that can easily be heard over the noise of a single engine aircraft or open door helicopter, surely they have one that will work in a race car?
Update! I bought a kit from nerdie racing and used it for the first time this weekend. It worked great! I may upgrade to earbuds with better isolation at some point just so I don't have to have the volume up so I but I didn't have any trouble communicating even with the Miata at full song. Thanks for all the help.
Let me know what you update the earbuds with.
My whole champ team ended up just ponying up for the hearing-aid transducer ear plugs. They're crystal clear, regardless of how many poorly running, no-mufflers-anymore fox bodies are going around the turn with you.
https://www.ruggedradios.com/collections/circle-track-road-racing-ear-molds/products/challenger-ii-racing-foam-ear-bud-speakers-with-mono-plug
WonkoTheSane said:
My whole champ team ended up just ponying up for the hearing-aid transducer ear plugs. They're crystal clear, regardless of how many poorly running, no-mufflers-anymore fox bodies are going around the turn with you.
https://www.ruggedradios.com/collections/circle-track-road-racing-ear-molds/products/challenger-ii-racing-foam-ear-bud-speakers-with-mono-plug
Those are what I'm looking at. I don't think I need to go with the custom molded ones.
