How to Install a Push-to-Talk (PTT) on Your Steering Wheel: Car or Boat

Your push-to-talk button is the only part of the radio system the driver touches during a race. If it's hard to reach, moves around, or loses its connection halfway through a stint, it doesn't matter how good the radio is. Here's how to pick the right PTT for your car or boat, mount it cleanly and safely, and set it up so it keeps working race after race.

What a PTT does

The push-to-talk (PTT) is the button that keys your radio so you can talk to your crew. Mounted on the steering wheel, it lets the driver talk without taking a hand off the wheel. Press and hold to talk, then let go to listen. It plugs into your in-car harness, and its coil cord runs from the wheel to the dash.

Three ways to mount a PTT

There are a few different ways to mount a PTT in a car or boat. Here they are, from easiest to most professional.

1. Velcro mount PTT: the easiest install

The Velcro Mount Push to Talk straps around the wheel rim or a spoke, with no drilling. It's on and off in seconds, so it's a great choice for a rental or arrive-and-drive car, a shared car, or anyone trying a radio for the first time. The rubber cap gives a positive click, even with gloves on.

2. Hole mount PTT: solid and clean

The Hole Mount PTT mounts through a 5/8" hole, so the button is locked in place and can't slide around the wheel. It's a step up from Velcro for anyone who races the same car every weekend.

3. Pro 90° hole mount PTT: the pro install

The Pro 90 Degree Hole Mount PTT is a professional-grade switch. Its coil cord leaves the button at a 90° angle, so it tucks tight against the wheel for a clean, low-profile install. The high-flex cable is built to take thousands of steering-wheel turns.

Mount it on a flat surface or a bracket

Any through-hole PTT, whether the hole mount or the Pro 90°, should be mounted on a flat surface or on a steering wheel bracket. A button forced onto a curved or uneven spot can work loose, sit at an awkward angle, or get hit by the driver's hand. A bracket gives you a clean, safe install and saves you from drilling into your wheel.

• Hole Mount Bracket for Push to Talk: a heavy-duty bracket that bolts to a steering wheel spoke on either side. It won't flex and needs no drilling.
• Single Push To Talk Mounting Bracket: for quick-release wheels. It mounts between the steering wheel and the quick-release hub (fits 5- and 6-bolt aftermarket wheels).

Steering wheels with built-in PTT and paddle shifters

Many modern race cars use a steering wheel with integrated controls. The PTT button is built into the wheel along with the paddle shifters and other switches, and everything is wired through the wheel's own connector. You don't need a separate button, just a clean way to connect that built-in PTT to your radio harness. We offer two:

• PTT to DTP Deutsch jumper: connects the standard 3-pin racing PTT plug on your car harness to a DTP Deutsch connector. It's the plug-and-play choice for wheels and custom race car wiring that use Deutsch connectors.
• Unterminated PTT connection: a PTT lead with open wire ends, so you or your wiring builder can wire it straight into the wheel's PTT circuit or whatever connector your car uses. Call us at 805 650 7223 to set one up for your wheel.

Let the coil cord do the stretching

This is the most common reason a PTT fails, and it's easy to avoid. Every time the wheel turns, something has to stretch. Make sure it's the coil cord, not the connections. If the pull lands on the plug or on the point where the cord enters the button, those joints wear out over time and become your failure point, usually in the middle of a race.

Here's how we route it:

1. Anchor the cord at the wheel. Secure it to the bottom of the spoke, near the center of the wheel, so turning the wheel doesn't pull on the button.
2. Anchor it again under the dash. Secure the cord before it reaches the harness plug, so the connection stays still.
3. Leave only the coil free. Between those two anchor points, only the coiled section moves. Turn the wheel lock to lock and check that nothing pulls tight and nothing snags.

Running a removable wheel? The PTT Quick Mount Release gives your PTT a hard-mounted plug-in point on the dash, so you can pull the wheel without fighting a loose cable. Need more reach? Add a 3 ft PTT extension.

Our endurance racing setup

For endurance racing we recommend the Pro 90° hole mount PTT on a steering wheel bracket. The bracket mounts to the left-hand spoke, so the PTT sits right under the driver's left thumb.

The big win is consistency. The button is always in the same spot for every driver, and it never moves. At a driver change, the new driver doesn't have to hunt for the button or re-strap anything. They buckle in, and their thumb is already on it. We run this exact system in all of our own endurance cars, and it's one of our most popular setups.

Add a backup PTT

In a long race, a single button is a single point of failure. The Push to Talk Splitter gives you two PTT connection points from one harness plug, so you can run a primary and a backup button. If one gets damaged, the driver can still talk to the crew. It also lets you add a second button in another spot that some drivers prefer.

In a boat

The same rules apply at the helm. Pick a mount you can reach without letting go of the wheel, use a flat surface or a bracket for a through-hole button, and anchor the cord so only the coil stretches. On a boat, constant spray and pounding make strain relief even more important, so keep the plugs secured and out of the way.

Using the PTT on the radio

• Press, pause, talk. Hold the button for a half-second before you speak so your first word isn't cut off.
• Keep it short. While you're holding the button, you can't hear your crew. Say it, then let go.
• Don't ride the button. A stuck or held PTT blocks the channel for everyone on your team.
• Test it before every session. Do a quick radio check on the grid, with the wheel turned both ways.

Quick checklist

• Pick your mount: Velcro (easiest), hole mount, or Pro 90° (pro install).
• Mount any through-hole PTT on a flat surface or a steering wheel bracket.
• Steering wheel with a built-in PTT? Connect it with a PTT to Deutsch jumper or an unterminated PTT lead.
• Anchor the cord at the bottom of the spoke near the center, and again under the dash.
• Only the coil cord should stretch, never the connections.
• For endurance racing, use a Pro 90° PTT on a left-hand spoke bracket so it's in the same spot for every driver.
• Add a PTT splitter and a backup button for long races.

Not sure which PTT fits your wheel or harness? Call us at 805 650 7223 for free help and advice. We'll get you set up right the first time. For the rest of your install, read our guide to choosing and mounting the right antenna.