Step-by-Step Racing Radio Installation, as Featured in NASA Speed News

NASA Speed News, the magazine of the National Auto Sport Association, walked through a full racing radio installation step by step using an SRC system. SRC's team helped with the antenna and helmet work at the SRC shop, and the result is still one of the best real-world install guides out there. Here are the key steps and the lessons we teach every customer, with the SRC parts that do each job today.

Read the original article: "Communication Breakdown: A Step-by-Step Installation of a Racing Radio System" by Brett Becker, NASA Speed News.

The system they installed

The team chose SRC's Racer Package, a 5-watt driver-to-crew system that works for both sprint and endurance racing, with three upgrades: a better push-to-talk button, an upgraded helmet cord and a Phantom antenna. Every SRC kit is cut and built for the car it is going into, which is why we always ask what you drive before we ship.

Step 1: Mount the push-to-talk on the steering wheel

The PTT was mounted to the wheel with a bracket, and the coil cord was zip-tied to the bottom spoke and wrapped once so it stays off the driver's left knee. Anchor the cord so only the coil stretches when the wheel turns, never the plugs.

• Hole Mount PTT or the Pro 90° Hole Mount PTT
• Steering wheel PTT bracket (no drilling into the wheel)
• Full walkthrough: How to install a PTT on your steering wheel

Step 2: Run the PTT wiring through the dash

A clean trick from the article: pull the blanking plate from an unused factory switch position, drill it just big enough for the connector, run the PTT wire behind the dash to the radio, and tape the connector so it can't pull back through. No new holes in the dash, and it looks factory.

Step 3: Mount the radio where the driver can reach it

The SRC radio box comes with roll-cage clamps, but in this car it was through-bolted to the transmission tunnel. That keeps the radio in reach of the driver and protected in a crash. Either way, bolt it down solid.

Step 4: Mount the antenna to bare metal

The remote antenna was mounted on the quarter panel after SRC's Morgan Jerbiss sanded the paint off the inside so the mount sat on bare metal. A good ground is what makes an antenna work. The team upgraded to a Phantom Elite antenna, which is tough and low drag.

Step 5: Route the coax the right way

This is where most installs go wrong, and it is where most "my radio cuts out" calls come from:

• Keep the coax away from power wiring. As Shawn Sampson put it in the article, "Don't run the loom with power sources." Don't tie radio cables into the car's existing harness.
• No coiled loops. Cut the coax to length instead of bundling extra cable. Loops hurt both transmit and receive.
• Use proper connectors. RG58 coax needs special strip and crimp tools. SRC can cut and terminate your coax to length so you don't have to buy the tools.

Shop racing antennas, coax and mounts, or read UHF vs VHF: choosing and mounting the right antenna and coax.

Step 6: Secure the cables to the radio box

The antenna cable runs to the radio box, the helmet jack routes under the package tray, and everything is held with nylon stick-on clamps so nothing rattles loose or snags during a driver change.

Step 7: Install the helmet kit

The microphone and ear bud jack were installed in the helmet and the padding was glued back in place. The flexible boom lets the driver set the mic right at the lips, which is the single biggest factor in clear audio.

• IMSA S9 helmet kits with the noise-canceling S9 digital mic
• Racing ear buds and helmet speakers
• Video: How to install a racing helmet mic and speakers

Step 8: Put the helmet jack where every driver can reach it

The helmet cord was clamped and riveted in place, and the helmet jack was mounted to the aluminum seat at helmet height. A driver can plug in alone, or a crew member can do it fast at a driver change.

Install checklist

• PTT on a bracket, cord anchored so only the coil stretches
• PTT wire run cleanly behind the dash
• Radio box bolted solid and within the driver's reach
• Antenna mounted to bare metal
• Coax cut to length, no loops, kept away from power wiring
• Mic right at the lips
• Helmet jack at helmet height for fast driver changes

Want SRC to build a system cut to fit your car? Call (805) 650-7223 or shop complete racing radio systems. Today most road racing and NASA teams run digital racing radio systems, and the same install steps apply.

The install described here was originally published by NASA Speed News.