$125 including shipping from yours truly

Sometimes even cheaper if I'm going a group buy for the various clubs I instruct with.

Chatterbox is great, much better and more importantly much more durable than the Nady units that people used to use before Chatterbox came on the scene.

edit: only time it's not been enough is when I had a student in a 911 Cup car with an open exhaust

 

I run this and its fantastic! Especially when you're assigned a student running an open header 2nd gen RX7, FFR Cobra or Viper. Actually now that I think about it, I probably had to raise my voice quite a bit in the RX7 even with the communicator. That thing is just LOUD. Cars like that, even the Chatterbox wouldn't help But for most cars, its the best tool for an instructor. I never did lose my voice again after a track weekend. Love mine and highly recommend it!

 

Yeah. Actually, I prefer it for instructing. I think it helps communication between the student and the instructor when it's not some faceless helmet talking to them.

 

[QUOTE=jlucas,May 16 2007, 08:42 PM] $125 including shipping from yours truly

 

I hope this is true!

I would have liked the unit to look a tad higher in quality, some of the mold features show the original die was not created by a craftsman, but it does seem to work well. For me the thing I really like is what seems to be durable wires and connections, I love the plug design, it just looks strong. And the fact that I can now just pull my helmet on without screwing around is fantastic.

My only beef is the silly red light, I just wished the unit gave me some idea it was really charging because the light only comes on as a low battery warning.

Any comments/insights on charging the unit or keeping it charged?

 

No way in hell, my safety comes first and foremost. Period, no exception. You are fooling yourself Mike if you think your rationale is valid. In fact what kind of message are you sending the student showing that you yourself do not even put safety first and foremost?

One of my students this past weekend was sent home with a refund, and I never even stepped inside the car. I walked up to the car in the morning to introduce myself, find out a bit about the student's experience and look over the car. I could not find the student but in 5 seconds of looking I went to the chief instructor and told them the car should not have passed tech, there is no way in hell I'm riding in it, send the student home. The driver's committee reviewed the car and said it was my call, if I wanted to say no they would stand behind me, and they did. "Equal seating and restraints for both student and instructor." I don't know- that sentence seems very simple to grasp, however that student felt like the only one who needed to be restrained was himself. Dumbass.

 

These are the units I have, they seem to be very well made except the battery in one units dies faster than the other.

http://www.chatterboxusa.com/x1.html

 

Here come the Saftey Nazis

 

You are making an assumption that I do not share. I do not think that (in many/most cases) an open face helmet is less safe than a closed face helmet. They both pass the same design standards.

I am actually quite picky about safety standards. Apparently, though, I disagree with you about what is safe.

Do you wear a full Nomex firesuit every time you instruct? Do you refuse to ride in cars which are not set up for your HANS? Do you use a HANS yourself in your own car?

My answers to those questions are no, no, and yes. The helmet I have the HANS installed on is full face.

 

Just plug it in the night before any 2 day HPDE. It will last the whole weekend (turn it off between runs).


Add spec Miatas (with spec exhausts) to the list of cars where volume becomes an issue.