SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/590058
A 50-WATT RADIO LIKE THIS RUGGED RADIO VERTEX VX2200 PROVIDES PLENTY OF POWER FOR ANY RACE TEAM. people going between bands on frequencies looking for clean air. So the rule also states that illegal frequencies are not allowed. " Another problem with outboard amplifiers is this that when one was added to generate more range, issues arose with matching or tuning the antenna to the radio. "Most of the time, an amplifier was added with the thought that more power would give you better range," Lundien said. "This is true only if the antenna is tuned properly. We have had better range out of 50- watt radios that had properly tuned antennas, than 110-watt radios that had antennas that were not properly tuned." According to the manufacturers, it's a double- edge sword, as outboard radio amplifiers may help you transmit with more power, but they will hurt your receiver by requiring more connections between your radio and your antenna. In addition, radio traffic and interference will always be a challenge, especially on race day. This is why radio discipline and pit locations go a long way towards alleviating clutter on the airwaves. "I would personally try to pick the pit spot with the highest elevations and try to stay away from the teams with large antennas, "Steinberger said. "If you do have to park right next to another base radio make sure your antenna is six feet taller or shorter than your neighbors so they do not overpower each other. If you think back to a very successful team PPI, their chase vehicles would always be parked up on mountains and then swoop down and help the pit out when the vehicle was coming in," said Steinberger. " It's a good idea because altitude will always net you better range." With most of the experienced race teams and crews, radio discipline is a smooth operation. For newcomers to desert racing, radio discipline is just part of the learning curve. "Most of the time the interference is what we call getting 'stepped on' from another team," Lundien added. "We have a frequency database that is kept for customers frequencies. We will not load a frequency for a team unless we check that database first." Another challenge of the sheer numbers of race teams and chase crews on race day that can cloud up clear communications. "Unfortunately there are more racers than frequencies available," Gerardo said. "With the new narrow band mandate there are more frequencies available. What that means is that there is now a valid split between two wideband frequencies. That is why radios have to be programmed in narrow mode; to decrease the chances of walking on (interfering) with the valid frequency above and below the one being used." "Another way to eliminate interference is to add privacy tone codes on frequencies," says Gerardo. "Tone codes 073 SCORE JOURNAL