Bill Lehman

I've read the threads here and they're getting near a year old. I'm done with Chatterbox and have a new wired Stilo helmet. The players now seem to be Rosso, Trac-com, and Speedcom. Trac-Com seems to have volume issues which leaves choosing between Speedcom and Rosso. The Rosso IC-200 costs more, is it worth it? Any other options?

93 FireHawk 968

I've had great success with Speedcom's system with my Stilo helmet. I've used with 2 students and the clarity/quality of sound is excellent. I do wish it had a chargeable battery function in lieu of actual batteries but the auto charger/plug-in is fine for those students in a street car.
My system cost $200 and the build quality is great, especially quality of cables.

SWK6Cup

I have used the Rosso system for the past two years. It is a huge improvement over the chatterbox. I carry extra 9 volt batteries and am I very pleased with the way it works. The separate volume controls make a tremendous difference.

steved0x

I've got the Speedcom too and I use it with my Roux helmet (both wired for IMSA wiring), but I also got the wire that lets it connect to Stilo helmets, and so far I've had students with 1 Roux helmet, 2 Stilo helmets, and the rest of my students used the Speedcom student boom mic headset, which is very good. Since you have a Stilo I would get 2 of the Stilo wires in case your student has a Stilo too. I also got the Nascar wire, but so far none of my students have had that wiring scheme. Every student I've had since I got the Speedcom (maybe 6-8 students, I get a lot of 1 day students with Chi?) has said it is the best intercom they have experienced as a student. It has dual volumes as well.

I have it mounted in a little camera bag by running zipties through the back of the camera bag and around the roll bar mount on the intercom, and feed the two wires through a hole into each zipper side pocket. It makes it handy and when I am done everything goes back in the camera bag to be zipped up and used for next time. I get 4+ days out of one set of AA batteries, I am actually only on my second set of batteries and have done more than 8 days with it and it was getting time to change by the end of my last event. It does have a 12 volt cigarette lighter plug but I've never tried that so can't comment.

Gofishracing

The only on helmet communicator is still Chatterbox. The OLD ones are still better- lol. I just keep extras and fabricated a metal chip to replace crappy inside plastic fastener

Der ABT

If you can find a Peltor, i have been VERY happy with mine

zoiks

I've also been trying to pull the trigger on a new system. Definitely tired of chatterbox. I'm ok with paying more if it's reliable and durable. I've been looking at the items below which is the intercom and a students headset. What are instructors using for a full faced helmet headset? I want to have it wired into my helmet but I'm not sure which helmet system to buy that would work with the Rosso IC-200. I really don't want to use a student headset for me. Thanks for the help.

Trac-Com Student Headset-Boom-IMSA
Item Number: RC-TC-HS-BOOM-IMSA

Rosso Racing IC-200 Intercom - Duplex - IMSA Wired
Item Number: ROS-IC200N-IMSA-DC

boxer-11

I have an IC-200 wired for Stilo plugs so I just jack the lead from the box right into the helmet port. For the student side I got hold of one of the heavier duty headsets from HMS Motorsports (https://www.hmsmotorsport.com/produc...-intercom#3678) wired for Stilo socket as well -- so no adapters required. I think this works so much better than chatterbox it's not even funny.

The only niggle I have with the IC-200 is that on battery operation it will pick up electrical whine from the car in some vehicles. This is addressable with the power filter you can get for the IC-200 -- I wired that into the power tail that comes out of the IC-200 box and added a cigarette lighter plug and when that is connected instead of battery the whine is more or less fixed. It's relatively quick and easy to plug into power in the car with most student vehicles I have jumped into.

gman3280

I just bought a speed com unit. Seems to be very high quality but the box is not large overall but significantly bigger than a chatterbox. The student headset is thick as well. Hopefully I don't get too many complaints.

zoiks

Where did you buy the power filter from? I've not found a US source. I'm a bit surprised that when running on a battery that you get noise on the system. I just need to find a the best system for wiring into my full face helmet.

boxer-11

I got the filter from an outlet in Europe -- a family member acquired it for me and hand delivered it. I was surprised that it picked up noise with no connection to the car as well but I guess there's not enough shielding(?) to really tamp that down. I clipped off the super long power tail wires to leave a short tail with a Deutsch connector so that I can get rid of the power lead and filter when I don't want to or can't use those parts.

matttheboatman

Along the path of out of the box thinking ....
The new bluetooth cordless cell phone transceivers are nearly flawless and stay charged all weekend. These devices start around $30 and are referred to as trucker headsets. I use a "Yamay" brand as hands free cell communication daily. And, they do not use batteries, which would solve the problem of a wanting a rechargeable device.

On the negative side, both instructor and student would need to carry a smart phone in their pocket. And, if poor cell service there would be potential for a dropped call.

On the positive side, since it is not wired there is no distance limitation. So could work great in a lead / follow scenario or coaching from pit-to-the-car as a super cheap alternative to proper 2 way communication devices.

The yamay headset is about 1 inch thick over ear single earpiece. But their are some lower profile units with boom mics for about $100 ea at best buy. And, they have great noise cancelling as they are designed to use either outside or by truckers.

DER951

zoiks

Thanks for some of the leads. After tracking some of this down along with a few emails to various suppliers this is what I've tracked down. I don't understand why the full face helmet kit is so expensive. This is the only website I've seen in the US that carriers a complete IMSA connector system. I'm waiting to here back on why the full face helmet kit is so expensive before I decide on which systems to buy.


$249.95 IC200N
$249.95 full face helmet kit
$79.99 for student kit
$579.89 grand total

https://www.stableenergies.com/Rosso...C200N-IMSA-DC/

https://www.stableenergies.com/IMSA-...T615CSPK-EBUD/

https://www.stableenergies.com/Trac-...-HS-BOOM-IMSA/


Looks like a cheaper "non-compact microphone:

https://www.stableenergies.com/IMSA-...15CSPK%2DEBUD/

matttheboatman

Yeah, I can make it work with the thicker Yamay unit by removing my ear piece padding - But ideally you would use a slimmer designed unit - such as this Plantronics:
I have not actually tried it on the track with the helmet - kinda of a crazy idea i know. I have used it on a boat and it is remarkably clear cell phone communication.