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Help from above Satellites help
racers navigate
and communicate
Lowrance
GlobalMap 1600 alongside a VHF FM radio in a cool carbon Fiber dash
By now nearly
every serious race team uses GPS to find their way before and during desert
races. GPS is used when pre-running for programming the course. Areas
of interest like hazard areas and checkpoints, are saved as waypoints.
An electronic bread-crumb trial is saved in the GPSs memory known as
a track log. During the race, the track log is followed to help
ensure race cars are on track.
Staying on
the right dirt road can be trickier than you might think. Driving in
daylight on a well-marked course is one thing. The problem is its not
always that simple. The night before the Vegas to Reno race, vandals
moved the course markers sending the leaders off-course. Before racers
realized they were going the wrong direction, valuable time was lost that
can easily make the difference between winning and losing. Course markers
routinely get stolen or ran over which can provide an element of doubt
to drivers who want to be sure they are speeding in the right direction.
There are also the issues of blinding dust and driving at night. Racing
in the dark is always challenging due to the limited visibility of what
can be seen in the light beams. With the rest of the desert landscape
blacked out, it can be easy for blurry-eyed drivers to miss a turn.
David
Churchill of Race Management, the grandfather of GPSs use in desert racing.
Any team
with the time needed to pre-run the course and a GPS receiver, can get
this information for themselves. Others are lucky enough to have it done
for them. Organizations such as Ford and BF Goodrich Tires make the track
logs available to racers using their products.
Dave Churchill
is a pioneer at programming GPS for racing. Hes been at it since the
beginning of recreational GPS use, and now works as a consultant for Ford
Motorsports. Participants racing Ford trucks have the benefit of his
service. Dave has the race course in great detail programmed into his
laptop. With the use of Lowrance GPS and Ozi Explorer software, the course
is saved to the tenth of a mile consisting of two track logs with a total
of 5400 points. Qualified racers turn over their GPS receivers for an
upload of the courses track log via Daves laptop computer.
Dave
Churchills map showing start to finish with a aid of Ozi Explorer software.
Calling all cars
More of these
strange looking phones are seen that have a large protruding antenna.
Unlike cellular phones that are limited to a series of land based cell
towers, Satellite phones work virtually anywhere in the world. Now its
possible to communicate from the middle of nowhere, which just happens
to be where most adventures out racing or traveling tend to be. Like
cellular phones, customers are charged by the month and by usage. For
those of us traveling outside of cellular range, this form of communication
can be invaluable.
Gary
Arnold calls in race results at the finish line of Vegas to Reno
Gary Arnold
of McMillin Racing says its definitely worth carrying a satellite phone
for security of always being able to communicate with your team. We have
been able to call our mechanic to make repairs in areas where our radios
were out of range. Without the satellite phone, the communication would
simply not be possible.
Satellite
phones work similar to GPS where all that is needed is a clear view of
the sky, allowing to phones antenna to be exposed to the satellite signals
above. These phones, like cell phones, are becoming more affordable and
accessible as their popularity increases.
Satellite tracking
McMillian
Racing Tech, Bob Currie, is the teams navigation and communication expert.
He was been working on a satellite tracking system that allows the race
car to be monitored by computer from their office. An antenna in the
rear of their car sends bursts of coordinate information every ten minutes
for real-time tracking. Vehicle functions can also be monitored that
might include if the ignition or lights are on. A vehicle icon appears
moving across a map on a computer screen. Despite looking like a video
game, this technology provides serious information, especially when trying
to locate a broken down car in miles of desert.
планшетный компьютер . очистка сточных вод Satellite
tracking is at last moving out of the experimental prototype stage, into
more reliable and affordable commercial products. Tracking is done through
the use of on-board GPS in conjunction with a satellite transceiver.
The transceiver sends and receives signals from satellites designated
for vehicle tracking. The transceiver in the vehicle being tracked sends
a burst of information every ten minutes. These signals are received
by satellites that rebroadcast them back down to earth. One or more transceivers
can receive these signals by satellite or cellular phone. The vehicle
information is displayed on computer through the use of mapping software.
Tracking information can be received by multiple transceivers, allowing
it to be monitored by field and office stations. The information can
also be uploaded to the Internet, allowing spectators to monitor the vehicles
progress in real time.
Look
for our article on Satellite tracking at the
Baja 1000
For more
information on Satellite phones, check out our sponsor Advanced Wireless,
Inc. at: http://www.awionline.net
For
more information on vehicle tracking, check out Rally Track at: http://www.RallyTrack.com
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