Best radios

[Blair Robertshaw]

hello all, we are about to put radios into our 2 f1000's. we have tried in the past Motorola CP200's with some but limited success. out of sight no radio comm. we have a few CP 200 radio's on the shelf. We also have tried the Motorola digital 6300 series radios and they worked pretty good, we have one of these radios on the shelf. We also have 2 Kenwood radios, model TK 3140, we got these radios when we bought the last car but have never used them and it seems we have most of the bits to put at least one complete system in one car.

here is the question:

what radios have any of you used with great performance? Has anyone out there tried the Kenwood line?

we dont know if we want to try and cobble together the Motorola's or add another Kenwood system or sell the bits we have and buy 2 new systems for the cars.

And we are not sold solidly on the Motorola's either. Cost is not really a factor here versus making a good radio system choice / buy. we sure would like to comm in the absence or presence of line of sight.

Thanks all.

[gcoffin]

Hmmm looks like the usual suspects are at work so I will fill in.

Try these

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7HwA3Wwg6p8

[Blair Robertshaw]

thanks Greg.... but those will cause us grief at the Border!

[mousecatcher]

we sure would like to comm in the absence or presence of line of sight.

Can't do that without a repeater.

[Steve Demeter]

Lots of people put an antenna up on a portable pole in the pits to improve radio reception around the track, particularly if the pits are not the highest point on the track. Radios work almost entirely on line of sight, unless you have a repeater.

That is why radio and broadcast TV stations have such high towers.

[Blair Robertshaw]

Thanks guys. I am aware of the repeater, should have stated that but even sometimes with it we had dead zones so I guess its pretty much is what it is.

Has anyone tried the Kenwoods mentioned above? without or without repeater...

So far the best comm we have had has been the Motorola 6300's digitals but as I stated we have a complete set of the Kenwoods for one car. Saving a bit of cost is not the goal but if it happens conveniently we'll take it.

And we are going to wire whatever system we decide on into an Aim Formula wheel PTT button so is there a certain type of radio that works better with an Aim wheel? I wouldnt think it makes any difference but you never know...

Thanks again for all the input guys.

[rickb99]

You are talking about the 2 BEST BRANDS in the portable radio business Motorola and Kenwood.

The thing you didn't mention was, are the Motorola radios you talked about VHF or UHF? The Kenwood is UHF because of it's model number which will give poorer reception in non-line-of-sight situations then VHF. On the other hand, the Motorola 6300 being digital will have less basic interference (static, cross talk, etc.) then the analog radios. You might want to talk with a Motorola dealer before using the digital radios. The FCC may have restrictions on the industry's where they can be used.

Good question to raise here but in the end the answer is going to be which one works best once you've tested installations at your most difficult communications tracks.

P.S.
Pacific Raceway has a repeater for their worker radios but I don't know if they are VHF or UHF nor whether it's broadband enough to cover the full spectrum or very narrow band for worker radios only.

P.P.S.S.
A repeater requires another FCC license and you would probably have to set up your own at every track (an additional cost/time)/

[dsmithwc04]

In my FE I use an older Kenwood set. It's the TK3160 and I use a sharkfin antenna mounted just in front of the steering wheel. I use a pretty thick square sheet of copper (10" diameter approx) and we get great reception at the tracks we've used it on so far this year (black hawk and Gingerman)

I believe the most overlooked part of making a system work well is using a thick (.083) sheet of copper for the ground plane and keeping the antenna wire as short as possible. Plus the sharkfin antenna better spreads it's signal to its sides rather than straight up in the air which is useless area.

[sracing]

P.P.S.S.
A repeater requires another FCC license and you would probably have to set up your own at every track (an additional cost/time)/

Pretty much every radio system mentioned here requires an FCC license. However, few even bother to do the paperwork.

[BeerBudgetRacing]

Pretty much every radio system mentioned here requires an FCC license. However, few even bother to do the paperwork.

To put it in a politically correct way:

The "demographic" of the ham radio guys is much different than racers....

[rickb99]

To put it in a politically correct way:

The "demographic" of the ham radio guys is much different than racers....

NO self respecting HAM would ever operate without a license. I used to work for RCA on the east coast and I think over half the employees were licensed HAMS. They had 2 meter repeaters all up and down the east coast.

Pretty much every radio system mentioned here requires an FCC license. However, few even bother to do the paperwork.

Yes I was just pointing out that a repeater requires another license.

[crypt0zink]

what radios have any of you used with great performance? Has anyone out there tried the Kenwood line?

I'd suggest focusing on getting better antennas, commercial handheld radios (Kenwood, Motoral, ect) will have similar max power output of 5watts and have fairly similar range.

Take a look at setting up a base station 2M/440 antenna on a pole, connected to a handheld. That should help with transmission and reception.

The whole racing radio subject is complex and most information isn't in compliance with FCC rules.

BTW - I know a few licensed amateur radio operators/racers (including myself KD9DLM), so the demographic might be closer related than you think

[BeerBudgetRacing]

BTW - I know a few licensed amateur radio operators/racers (including myself KD9DLM), so the demographic might be closer related than you think

There are exceptions for sure, but the local ham club members appear to be saving money at age 40 by living with their mother....

[mousecatcher]

Pretty much every radio system mentioned here requires an FCC license.

Yes, but a private carrier may allow his customers to use his licensed frequencies. The guy you bought the radio from or take your radio to for programming should only program in frequencies that either you own or he owns.

[mousecatcher]

Mind posting a pic of your setup?

In my FE I use an older Kenwood set. It's the TK3160 and I use a sharkfin antenna mounted just in front of the steering wheel. I use a pretty thick square sheet of copper (10" diameter approx) and we get great reception at the tracks we've used it on so far this year (black hawk and Gingerman)

I believe the most overlooked part of making a system work well is using a thick (.083) sheet of copper for the ground plane and keeping the antenna wire as short as possible. Plus the sharkfin antenna better spreads it's signal to its sides rather than straight up in the air which is useless area.

[DB2Crossle]

Hey Guys,

I'm the new guy around here so just throwing out an idea.... with all the cell phone technology available has anyone tried that route or is anyone using it??

Would certainly help with the line of site issue (as long as there is cell reception) and you wouldn't have to worry about FCC requirements.

Just a thought.

~Dino

[BeerBudgetRacing]

Dino,

See this discussion:
http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/show...ight=cell+data

[dsmithwc04]

Mind posting a pic of your setup?

Certainly, any questions just ask.

The on pic shows the route of the antenna wire. I traced it in paint with a red line. It is loose in the picture but when the car is buttoned up and on track I run the antenna cable parallel to itself and make near 90 degree corners when making a change in direction. Try not to overlap the cable and definitely do not coil the antenna wire up. Also try to keep it away from ignition wires, high power wires, etc and a shorter antenna wire is ALWAYS better.

The yellow dotted line is the route the antenna cable takes when the car is on track and is attached with zip ties. Notice it is routed with 90 degree bends (don't make too tight of a radius as to keep from damaging the cable) and in straight lines.

The red square is where the radio sits and is fastened against the chassis. It is marked with the letter "R".

Also, the ground plane is very important. You can make it circular or square but it has to be big enough proportional to the wave size of your radio. Be safe and make it minimum 8" diameter and out of thick (.083") copper sheet.

My radio system is the Kenwood TK3160 5 watt system. This is an olders system but works fantastic for my needs.

[DB2Crossle]

Dino,

See this discussion:
http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/show...ight=cell+data

Note to self... use search function prior to inserting foot in mouth!!

Thanks for the thread link!

[BeerBudgetRacing]

Note to self... use search function prior to inserting foot in mouth!!

Thanks for the thread link!

No foot...

I remembered the thread - had trouble finding it but got lucky.

Search only works if you know what to search for..

[Pop Chevy]

Funny you should mention the cell phone. I started to carry mine in case I break or crash on the back side of the track and can contact my crew that way.