DIY Racing Radio Setup
After several races of trial and error, we now operate a reliable radio setup that provides adequate coverage and clarity. Our finding is that although radios themselves can be purchased economically, reliable radios are just expensive due to the number of specialized components required.
Battery Eliminator
BL-5 Battery Eliminator – $15.89
The battery eliminator allows the radio to be hardwired, or connected to an AUX(Cig) socket. Mostly hallow, we drilled and riveted into the center of the battery eliminator for mounting of the radio, just stay away from the terminals.
Antenna
SharkFin Antenna – $74.00
After a great deal of initial issues with BaoFeng radios and low cost antennas we discovered we were using the VHF bands(136-174MHz) vs. the UHF bands (400-520MHz). Once on the UHF bands, which match the antennas, we’ve had great success. Although we are using a higher end antenna, this is an area where a team could save some money with a lower cost antenna.
Helmet Kit
IMSA Style Helmet Kit – $42.99
Clear communication requires an aviation grade microphone line the M101. This kit includes that microphone and the U174(IMSA) style plug.
Ear Buds
Racing Radios AlphaBuds – $75.00
Using the IMSA style helmet kit requires a mono earbud which are in short supply. The solution is this good, but expensive set of foam earbuds.
Budget Helmet Headset
BaoFeng Motorcycle Kit – $29.99
Installed in a crew helmet we use this headset to maintain communications during the pit window when crew has their helmets on, however this kit would work as a low cost helmet headset for in-car use.
Push-to-Talk(PTT) Switch
Push-to-Talk Switch – $16.79
This small and tactile PTT switch is velcro’ed to our shifter making it easy to access by the driver, however we had to cut up the harness and build our own to integrate this switch. The wires are poly coated and require you to hold the solder bead on the end of the cable long enough to melt the coating and tin the wire prior to soldering it to the harness.
DIY Harness
Kenwood 2-Plug Extension – $11.99
Amphenol TJ-101 – $14.71
Creating the BaoFeng-to-IMSA style harness was the most time consuming part of our radio setup. We used this extension cable along with a IMSA style jack (TJ-101 from Amphenol Nexus) AKA U174 Helicopter Headset Jack. Harnesses are available off-the-shelf from most major racing radio suppliers.