Some of the groups I teach for require a helmet communicator, my crappy old Nady system died during the last school in the fall so I bought a new Chatterbox. How many of you guys are using one of these? How many of you guys don't get to use a communicator in a school environment?

I have to tell ya, this thing is downright great. If you are an instructor get one, if you are a student and your instructor never shows up with one get one, if you are a student and your instructor shows up with one but wants you to stick the well used by other people communicator into your helmet, get one!!!

This is the basic unit that mounts right to my helmet


Then I got this for my helmet


And this for the students helmet


And finally this to give me plenty of extra wire like when I have a student in my car and the cord has to go all the way from my left side over to the studen't left side.


I got the whole thing for $130, and it was amazing to be able to just calmly talk to my student with no problem, plus, I really like as I wired everything into my helmet, now when I put my own helmet on I don't have to screw around with cramming a headset up into my ear pocket. I like the fact that it is rechargable as every track I go to has electricity.

 

I have two but they are the GMRS X1 units which are usually used for motorcycle to motorcylce communication. One of them isn't very clear even thought it's capable of plugging in two headsets in to one unit. I'm going to try my other one at Beaver Run this weekend and see if it works any better.

 

Thanks for the headsup. I've been looking mildly at something like this.

 

Does it get interfearence from high spinning motor/tranny? What can I do to eliminate the interfearance?

 

Yes, the Chatterbox is basically the standard for all the groups I drive with and/or instruct with.

ps. I got a better price, directly through one of the schools I instruct for.

Also, there are different "instructor" headsets depending on whether you have full-face or open face. (I actually have one in each of my helmets.)

You don't have to use the "student" headset if both people have an "instructor" headset. You can plug two of those in to the box same as you do an instructor and a student.

No, I have never picked up any EMI.

 

Drive slower

 

I experienced no interference at all. It's not like a radio, the communication is going from one helmet to another via a wire.

 

The only "issue" I had with it was realizing I no longer had to yell, I could sit back, talk at a nice normal level and turn up the volume knob if needed.

I was very impressed with the lack of wind noise, which was always a problem with the Nady unit. Plus, if the student has the sterio speakers and microphone wired into their helmet the speakers and microphone are much more protected than the boom style helmet insert so there would be even less windflow.

If there is one drawback I can think of now, it's the stupid red light on the unit. It only lights up to warn you the battery needs charging, so when you are charging the unit it looks to be dead, and you have no way of knowing if it is indeed charging.

 

You still use an open face helmet?

 

If your "instructor" shows up without a communicator, he probably really is not an instructor (probabably just an experienced driver or a racer standing in as an instructor). No point in trying to instruct when you can't hear each other.


My old NADY lasted several years and I still keep it as a backup. The chatterbox system is better (just superglue the connections and glue or tape down the student mic cover).

The only student's car I can recall having interference issues with the Chatterbox was a V10 BMW M5.