I had an extension cord on my old Chatterbox and would think they are available for the new ones as well.
Like Dave, I hold the box in my hand while instructing. Sometimes a little awkward when taking notes but it needs to corralled somehow.

 

go all Stilo and be done with it.

 

I bought mine from an aviation company in the bay area. they have since stopped making them. I do have an extra that is available. it uses the IMSA comm cables and has driver and co driver. this will plug into a Stilo or can use earbuds. a in helmet mic is required but does not have to be installed. just fits in snug against face to cushion and keeps it place. open exhaust no issue to hear clearly and with screaming. easy conversation can make a big difference in communication. I spent $700. about 6 years ago, but when you sit right seat its life or not.

 

And I have that one too! I bought it from Scott. He used it with me when he first got it and I was amazed. Really fantastic device. Shame they stopped making it.
If you have two drivers with IMSA headsets this is the way to go.. That or a Peltor.

 

After a limited amount of research I found there are some high quality options available for comm systems. But they are all either a lot of money, or a little inconvenient to use, or both.

There are plenty of options for the amplifier. Some have dual volume controls. Some have noise-canceling features. Most can be used either with batteries or hard-wired. The amplifiers aren't huge. Most are small bricks you can hold in your hand if you're sitting in the right seat. Some have the batteries inside the unit and others require a separate battery pack.

The earpieces and microphones are where things get a little more complicated. All of the companies I reached require you to buy these separately from the amps. Ear buds are probably the most popular. But then you run into the hygiene issues when you're using them with different students/clients. Most use microphones that are on a small boom, or "stick", that needs to be pushed up inside the helmet. Some companies are making combined microphone and earpiece sets.

All of the comm products I found are "pro" level. The systems, with an amplifier and microphones and headsets for two people, run from roughly $500 - $900. RaceComm is a huge supplier and they made it very clear to me that they are not in the least bit interested in the consumer market. There is too little money in it and too much risk of cheap knock-offs from China.

In the end I broke down and bought the dorky Stilo open face helmet with built-in comm, an IMSA plug, and a Chatterbox wiring adapter cable. I bought the open faced helmet because it's comfortable to wear, it's easier to get on and off and it's not quite as hot as the closed faced model, and I won't be too upset if it gets beat up a little. It's a pleasure to use while instructing. I used it last week to instruct with my Chatterbox (new style). My students used the Chatterbox earpiece/mic combo that shoves up inside the helmet. It worked fantastically well for me and pretty well for them. I no longer have any problem hearing my students and vice versa. The volume balance generally seemed fine.

When Stilo releases their new model with the new Snell rating at the end of this year I plan to buy one of those, too, with the comm system built-in.

 

Glad you found a solution, KMan.