We were fortunate to talk to Scott Steinberger on the podcast – Coabounversations with Big Rich – t the history of PCI. Initially started as Phone Consultants International – a communications company catering to the movie industry and mobile communications, by Weatherma
Related: hear Scott Steinberger’s conversation on Conversations with Big Rich.n Bob Steinberger. Bob was looking to upgrade his hunting vehicle and took it to Bill Stroppe Motorsports – that earned him a spot on the crew at the Baja 1000. When they got back, Bob was telling Bill how bored he was and ended with, “you guys need communications.”
Bob found a way to put radios in cars, and that started the growth. In 1974 at the Mint 400, Bob put some weather balloons in the air to put up an antenna; he ran 500 feet of coax and created the first relay. Joe McPherson couldn’t think of Bob’s name, so he called him Weatherman, and the name stuck.
In 2017, Bob passed away, and the torch was handed off to his son, Scott, current President of PCI.
What started as Phone Consulting has become a worldwide business with a focus on communications kits in the off-road motorsports industry. In recent years, UTVs have predominantly fueled the growth. While many companies saw supply issues during the last two years, PCI added inventory to keep up with demand. The mantle of Weatherman may have passed from Bob to Scott; it doesn’t stop there; the company is being groomed to pass to the next generation and many more years to come. Congratulations, PCI Race Radios, on 50 years in the industry!
