SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
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here have improved with ways to turn off feedback so the driver can't hear himself through is helmet speakers while he's talking to the co-driver. Satcom Or VHF? While in-vehicle communication has become the norm and very important during a race, communications between teams and SCORE operations personnel still take place over specific radio frequencies set by SCORE. While this type of system hasn't changed, the introduction of Satcom two-way radio communications has added another type of link over standard VHF which has terrestrial antenna range issues. "With Satellite two-way radios you can have 100 percent coverage as long as your vehicle has a Southeastern view of the sky," says Steinberger. While satellite communication can provide a signal from anywhere in the world, it is still very expensive and is one of the reasons why VHF is still the preferred method to communicate in this arena. Nevertheless, while VHF is still popular, there have been some improvements made to these systems as well. Rugged Radio technical expert, Gerardo Garcia also points out the details of how VHF radios have improved. "For the most part we are still THIS DIAGRAM SHOWS HOW A MOTORCYCLE RACER WOULD ROUTE A TYPICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FROM HIS HELMET TO A TRANSMITTER/RECEIVER UNIT LOCATED IN HIS BACKPACK. using analog two-way radios to communicate between race cars and pits. The quality of the equipment is what has evolved or improved. The radio manufacturers are producing are far more compact units that are built usually with only one circuit board. Intercoms have also improved by using better quality audio amplifiers that can endure the operation demands of say a Baja 1000 without heating up and failing. The equipment is sealed better than it has been before, helping keep water and sand out and away from circuit boards." Although current VHF radios are more rugged than previous generations of gear available, there are the general processes specialty race radio companies use to prepare a stock two- way radio to endure the harsh environment (and potential for surviving a crash) of long- distance off-road racing. "We prep the race radios to stand up to abuse, but more importantly is the brand we choose for race vehicles," Steinberger said. "The Kenwood radios, for example, are both water resistant and hold up to the abuse of off- road racing better than any other radios we have tried to implement. They have squelch controls to adjust sensitivity and plenty of output power. The TK790H 110 watt model works great for teams who have the proper charging system, large capacity batteries, and want the most range possible in a VHF. Units like the Kenwood TK-7360 radio offer 50 watts of power and runs on an 11.5- volt buss, meaning that even in a UTV that stator charging power is stretched on at night. This means the Kenwood radio can still put out full power while most other brands need 13.8 volts for full output power." More moisture and dust resistance in modern radio equipment is the biggest improvement from past generations of hardware, providing more reliable systems for off-road racing. "As you 071 SCORE JOURNAL