WCroadie

My team has an Elite Womens team who will be racing in the Philadelphia Liberty Classic next month. I have been tasked with getting some race radios. Beings I race in the "ultimate category" I have no experience with race radios. I'm looking for some advice as to what radios to get, where can I get them, is renting/borrowing possible, etc. A real quick google search was unsuccessful, if anyone can help me out that would be great.

Creakyknees

oops - is this a UCI Category 1 race?


https://www.usacycling.org/news/user...d=4653&PRINT=1

In 2010, race radios will only be allowed for use by teams and riders in UCI Category HC or Category 1 races in the U.S. per UCI regulations.

DrWJODonnell

What is your budget? There are options. Nutshell version is any walkie talkie with a headset and a pushbutton on the mic will work. Some radios call this a PTT feature. Get something with a stupid long range (the ranges are basically measured mountaintop to mountaintop across a valley and so with zero interference. Actual range in a city with buildings is much less). Be prepared to not be able to understand anything due to wind noise. But overall, they are tremendously useful.

queerpunk

carpediemracing has posted a long post or two on what to look for in a set of race radios.

pjcampbell

i will ask around.

i am not sure what they do in the pro peloton - does anyone know? Little radios with no antenna just cannot go that far very well.

the bubble pack radios you buy in stores are not really that good. they are first of all, illegal to use unless you use the FRS channels which only go a few hundred feet or
obtain a license for the GMRS channels. It is also UHF which is not very good for achieving distance outside.

MURS is no license required and VHF (better for distance) i would say for something decent you are looking at $100 a radio.

carpediemracing 

My post from before has to do with FRS radios. I've learned this since buying some more radios (I have 8 FRS/GMRS radios, used 3 days).

GMRS is the relay station thing where you have a central base and rebroadcast the message at a higher power. Typically this base resides in a chopper. In Philly it could be a really high building. You need a license for GMRS as pointed out above.

FRS is the standard Motorola walkie talkie thing. It's good for a crit, yes, but debatable for a Philly race. I haven't tried "ultimate" range, but it's fine at 1/5 mile outside, fuzzy if you're in a metal frame building at that distance. Batteries do last all day on one charge (7 or 8 AM until 4 PM).

I don't know what radios would be good for Philly.

If you want to borrow the radios I have PM me. I have 3 x $80/pr, 1 x $70/pr. You'd need to buy the wire mike/earpiece things. I also have a bucket load of lessor radios (12? 14? FRS only). AAA batteries (3 each, rechargeable or not). A few leftover Motorola walkabouts.

Gotta go.

cdr

WCroadie

Yes Philly is a UCI 1 race. All great info guys, thanks. CDR, I will be in touch. Right after I posted I figured you'd respond as I remembered you are familiar with this race.

Trek760

couple of things... The women's race is not UCI, it's part of the USAC Prestige Series and therefore radios will likely not be allowed. Also. Battenkill was a UCI 1 race and no radios were allowed there so I am not holding out hope that we can use them at Philly. Hate this rule.

Tech Director

Battenkill was a 1.2...Liberty is a 1.1. Radios are allowed.

carpediemracing 

I should clarify - the $ I listed are what the radios cost me, not what I get for lending them out

I was asked but probably won't work the race, so I probably won't be there. I haven't given an answer yet.

cdr