Radio signals

[RaceTime]

Probably a question more for timekeepers than anyone else.

Has anyone played with or used a light beam system connected back to a central point by radio waves rather than cable?

For example - to run light beams to say one end of a hillclimb can require plenty of cable - hundred of metres/yards. Sometimes this isn't even possible because of the track layout.

However, it could be possible if radio communication were used between the light beams acting as a transmitter and a receiver back in the timing room....so....

Anyone know of anyone that has done it or played around with wuch an idea?

(I'm in the process at present of building new light beams built to my specs and this is one of the requirements I want them to have).

[Crash Test]

Now you've got me wondering.... at Mt Cotton it wouldn't be a drama because there is only a couple hundred metres between the start and finish line, but at a place like Noosa, there would be over a kilmitre between the start and finish, through dense scrub. I know from experience with the PA up there, it is a frightful mess when a possum chews on a wire 500m from nowhere, and I don't recall another wires running from top to bottom... Did they radio the times through from top to bottom, because there was booster-antenna thingy up near the top of the ridge where we were.

[RaceTime]

At some places like this - perm tracks - they tend to use in ground cabling - even phone lines. This is usually good enough, but for temporary events - events such as the Grand Prix Rally in Melbourne spring to mind - perm cabling is not an option.

Then there are car club sprint like those at Oran Park and Wakefield where the manual timing point is placed on the far side of the circuit where there is no power nor computers etc - so longgggggg runs of cable are needed and a way has to be found to get it over the race track.

Thus the question about radio transmission.

[boyracer]

Not sure if this help you much.
All Fours and Rotaries Car Club in Western Australia, use timing system with radio control.
Light Beam placed in two witches hats (one either side of car at start), with aerial sticking out of one.
Radio reciever on timing desk reads the light beams. Not sure what sort of range can be achieved, in current form laptop only 20metres away. Good system though as no messy cables to run over.

[RaceTime]

Any idea of a contact for them please? It's WA that is primarily interested in this type of system!

[StuiE]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/afarcc/

thats the AFARCC egroup, i dont know if they have a proper site

whats it for RT?

[RaceTime]

We are redesigning our light beams which currently have a cable feed to and from them. We want something we can set up without cabling if possible - for events such as rallies, motorkhanas, drags and hillclimbs. 20 metres isn't much of a range, but as we don't expect to have the new versions ready until 2003 for the Grand Prix Rally, we have plenty of time to look, investigate and research...