Helmet question.

REDHORSE556CES

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I doubt that anyone can come up with the answer but...here goes. During the last NASCAR race I noticed the Pit Official was wearing a helmet with earphones. (Yep! High noise environment.)

Goggles or snap on a visor and it looks as if it would make an ideal gyro helmet.

Now, the question: Does anyone out there know who makes that helmet? Or is it exclusive to the lug-nut counters in the pits?
 
Many of those mic and headphone systems are not compatable with aircraft radios. I have modified a number of helmets that people have bought an then found the radio part didn't work.
 
How can you tell?

How can you tell?

Apart from the different plugs between fixed wing and helicopter units, is there any other difference which you can use to determine if a helmet unit is suitable?

Ted
 
The impedance of the electronics used in the different types is sometimes different also. One set of ear pieces will have a different impedance than the other.
 
I get my helmets from phil correll He has full face motorcyle helmets with either general avaition with 2 plugs or the comtronics style. Good noise reduction around $200 apiece
Brent
 
Brent, can you give the people here some contact info for Phil Correll?
 
If you look at one of the ear pieces (inside the side of the helmet) and it is rated 8 ohms, it will not work. You need 600 ohm earpieces. The microphone is harder to tell, but, it the ear pieces are 8 ohm, you can figure the mic is very low impeadance and will not work. Some of the systems have a transformer in the helmet. If you change to the 600 ohm ear pieces, you will need to remove the transformer.
 
If you can take the mic muff off and read what's on the mic and it says "dynamic" it isn't suitable. I believe the only kind we can use without modification or an auxiliary box or amplifier are Electret types.
 
Robert G. Stark said:
If you look at one of the ear pieces (inside the side of the helmet) and it is rated 8 ohms, it will not work. You need 600 ohm earpieces. The microphone is harder to tell, but, it the ear pieces are 8 ohm, you can figure the mic is very low impeadance and will not work. Some of the systems have a transformer in the helmet. If you change to the 600 ohm ear pieces, you will need to remove the transformer.

A caveat here: If you plug 8 ohm earpieces into a set designed for 600 ohms there is a possibility you could fry the audio circuit (or at least the final driver) in your radio as the 8 ohm devices would draw too much current.
 
fixed that full face motorcycle helmet that had NO noise attenuation. I took a box cutter and shelled out enough styrofoam on the sides to put in shooters ear cups. A 1/8 bolt through the side holds the ear cups in place and the noise level is GREATLY REDUCED.
 
audio added to full face motorcycle helmet

audio added to full face motorcycle helmet

took some ear speakers from an old helmet and moved them into the shooters ear cups in the full face helmet.
I added the baffle that "just plain Bob" recommended to the bottom of the helmet -- it is much quieter and much warmer.

Plugged it into the radio and it sounds like a Bose radio.
Will add the mike INSIDE the helmet.

Those little wires to the ear speakers sure are fragile. A pain in the kass to solder.
 
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