Looking for a cheap radio solution for Chump communication

We're doing our first race at Sebring at the end of the month and don't have any radio communication in place. Can anyone suggest something reliable that doesn't break the bank? We can probably get away with just the driver and 1 receiver in the pit. We're not looking for anything fancy! Thanks!

Well we're looking at ordering this one. Hope it works!

http://www.sampsonracing.com/mobile/product.aspx?ProductCode=starter+package&404;http://www.sampsonracing.com:80/Racing_Radios_5watt_Starter_System_2Way_p/starterpackage.htm=

I don't have any specific recommendations, but I'll bet some of the suppliers offer rentals.

What about something that used your phone?

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zello-walkie-talkie/id508231856?mt=8

You did say cheap.....

-Rob

What's your budget?

When I was looking for radios, most of the reviews on those small GRMS radios like you linked were not real good. Common complaint was they worked only when the car was going by the pits and you had a short line of sight. As always YMMV.

There are many threads on the Chump/Lemons forums about home brewed setups with baofeng radios or used Motorolas. Nerdie racing comes up a lot as a cheap source but I dont have any experience with them.

It does add up when you are outfitting everybody with helmet kits. I bought 3 kits. One for me, one for my wife and one for any rental driver to share.

For our first race we used a pit board. I would recommend the same. When we finally did get radios I went all out and got digital. Dont forget Sampson gives a 15% discount. They are also very helpful when you have questions on the different systems.

This is what we have.

http://www.sampsonracing.com/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=Digital-Racer-System

Im really glad we waited and got the digital radios. They are crystal clear and work great.

TLDR-Save your pennies and get the good stuff.

We used two of these.

With helmet headsets installed in each helmet, all we had to do was plug in the headset while changing drivers. The key switch was installed on the shifter.

They worked pretty well for the dollars spent. Probably my only complaint is they aren't quite loud enough.

Edit: The rechargeable battery that come with them don't last very long, but a set of AA would last 8 hours with no problem.

I know you're on a budget, but don't go with the cheapest thing you can find. When you're out there in very heavy traffic, the last thing you want is your team trying to talk to you and all you hear is lots of static and noise...it's distracting. Plus, it's loud in the car anyway, so you need to hear clearly.

I'm the kind that prefers radio silence unless it's important, but I still love having it.

Thanks for the input! We've ordered the system linked in my 2nd post. It was a bit of a stretch on our budget. We'll probably bring a pit board as backup communication. 2 weeks away and none of us have done any wheel-to-wheel before! Eek!!

We have only 2.5 races under our belts but we still use the same motto "Slow laps are better than no laps".

Lof8 wrote: Thanks for the input! We've ordered the system linked in my 2nd post. It was a bit of a stretch on our budget. We'll probably bring a pit board as backup communication. 2 weeks away and none of us have done any wheel-to-wheel before! Eek!!

I haven't done Chump, but I've done over a dozen LeMons races. I'm sure you'll be all hyped up and nervous for your first wheel to wheel racing. Just remember, it's an endurance race, not a sprint. Slow and steady. Get used to racing with other cars and dealing with traffic. Don't worry about lap times or super fast pit stops. Just crank out laps. Best advice I can give a rookie is be predictable and hold your line. Don't wander all over the track. Pick your line and keep it. Faster cars will find their way around you and they'll appreciate your being predictable. Trust me...I drive a slow car.

Whatever radio system you put in a race car, it will be greatly improved if you put an external antenna on the car. GMRS radios have worked fine once I jury-rigged an external antenna on the car. Even high dollar rigs have worked better with an external antenna.

Another thing to keep in mind is that radio performance will very greatly depending on the track. Since all of the radios used in racing are "line of sight", Vegetation and elevation affect the reception. GMRS with no external antenna will work fine at Pocono. High dollar FM radios with an external antenna will have problems in the turn 5-9 area of Summit Main or the Oak Tree section of VIR full course.

Definitely bring a pit board no matter what. You never know when something will fritz out and you have to go old school. Heck, even F1 teams use them.