SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/590058
THIS RUGGED RADIO 110 WATT SYSTEM IS AN EXAMPLE OF A HIGH- POWERED UNIT THAT FEATURES IMPROVED PROTECTION FROM MOISTURE AND DIRT. SCORE 101 may already know, water and electronics do not mix. Most of the preparations are to keep water out. Most commercial mobile radios meet MIL STD-810 (testing against moisture, dust, impact, etc.). After talking with our customers, we will open up the radios and seal them better depending on what they need," says Racer X's Lundien. "The manufacturers have made vast improvements in sealing radios and usually all that is necessary is a mic-jack plug to seal the front of the radio," Gerardo added. "Installing the radio and intercom in a location where they will remain relatively dry is key. Most of the time when water damage occurs is after the race when the race car is being cleaned. The vehicle gets pressure washed and so does the radio and intercom. The force of the water finds its way into the sealed equipment." There are different perspectives on whether race, chase, and base/pit radios are all prepped the same and interchangeable. "We use both Icom and Kenwood for chase radios as the chase vehicles do not have the same water resistant rating," Steinberger said. "We do recommend that if you are running the 110 watt radio in race vehicle that you choose the same 110 watt version for your chase radio or your communications can get a little one sided to how a 110 will overlap a 50 on transmit range." It all comes down to what the racer and team have the need and budget for, in deciding to use different grades of radios. "That works as long as the same make and model radio is used in each application, yes they are (interchangeable). If different models and or make are used, different cable adapters may need to be used and things can get complicated," Lundien said. Amplifying The Signal Not too long ago, some teams bought into a trend of using amplifiers to boost their signal strength. This led to SCORE Rule-CR52 that disallows the use of outboard amplifiers for radios. Hopefully, teams realize this practice does more harm than good. "The reason this rule was implemented was because of interference that these devices created in main pit areas. For example, a 300-watt linear amplifier would knock out every radio within a half- mile," Steinberger said. "We are having a similar problem with 072 SCORE JOURNAL