Remote pits and racing logistics

[Arickvan]

I mainly have questions for Koh but some of this may cross over to other racing

My questions are specifically for the emc race

Where can I find a list of radio channels used?

Is there a race ops channel?

How big of a radio is needed out at the remote pit?

What time should pit crews be heading out to the remote pit and what time should we expect to get back to camp?

Or is it more of just hanging out until your buddy rolls in

 

[the_ham_sami]

I'm still relatively new to racing so I don't know all the answers

PCI has a list of their pre-programmed race radio channels, outside of that I don't know of a list that contains channels of specific racers/teams.

Yes there is a race ops channel at KOH; 151.700 comes to mind but i could be wrong. It's programmed already on my PCI radio.

Every radio that my team/crew has is a 50W. One of my guys drives up to a hill and is our repeater for all pit locations. Without him doing that none of the pits can get info to eachother. Maybe somebody with a basecamp 100W and huge tower can chime in on a better way to handle comms?

My pit 1 guys are usually there and set up by the time first cars take the green flag, I leave it up to them just as long as they're there and ready when I get there. The rest of the crew will usually be with us at start watch us takeoff and then make their way to each pit. My brother and I both race our own 4600 cars so how long each crew is at each pit varies quite a bit.
This year both cars broke before reaching pit 2 so my guys there packed it in once both cars had called the race. My car broke at RM 50 and had to be towed out so my crew had to wait until last car on course made its way passed us before they were allowed to head towards us. it was after 8pm when we arrived back at camp with my crew and my broke car.

 

[Weasel]

yeah most of above. Race ops has changed freq before and I wonder if it's due to cross traffic that like to interfere (could be some other reason).

wattage isn't as important as having an antenna up high, that's what gets you to relay information. Most people think you can just throw watts at it, which doesn't work. 10 watts with a good high antenna for a repeat point will do better.

Not a bad idea to camp at the pits, then you have plenty of time to screw around with the little stuff in the am rather then trying to race across the desert in the am. Also means you don't have to worry about getting back to camps late. And I'd plan on being there late.

 

[Arickvan]

Does Koh have 1 or 2 remote pits?

 

[bdkw1]

Weather man/PCI relay is 151.625, race ops will vary.

Power isn't an issue in barstow race. Saturation is. There are so many radios in the same airspace that it fucks with everyone regardless of frequency. This is why some teams went UHF. Sat radios are the shit!

So to summarize, the tallest antenna you can get with a 110W Kenwood with the squelch turned up. Fuck everybody else

 

[vetteboy79]

Does Koh have 1 or 2 remote pits?

3ish actually. Usual layout means Remote Pit 1 only gets used on the first desert loop. Pits 2 and 2a are located central to the rock trails and you can run between them as needed, but they're not exactly next door to each other.

Logistically, you'll need to send people to Pit 1 ahead of time. If you leave Hammertown when the race starts you likely won't beat the car to 1 if it's running well...you gotta go all the way out to 247, down the highway a few miles, then a bunch more miles on dirt to get there. If you've got someone at main to handle pit duties when the car comes in from Lap 1, you should have time for the guys at Remote 1 to pack up and make the drive back to Hammertown, restock, and beat the race car to 2 if they know where they're going (they likely won't be able to pack up from 1 and get back to main before the car does). What you do between 2 and 2a is going to depend on how many pit vehicles and resources you have.

Although...a friend of mine had a race effort go south one year because the guys headed from Remote 1 to Remote 2 in the support truck got a little feisty, buried the truck somewhere in the dunes, and never made it to 2 in time to get fuel and parts to the car when it needed it. So highly suggest 'prerunning' the route to pit 2 and making sure your guys know that the actual race is happening on the course, not the pit route.

Edit: in terms of radio, from main you might be able to reach 1, can usually get 2, likely not 2a. 2 and 2a can get each other easily so as mentioned organizing a relay system is good if you have the resources to do so.

 

[Arickvan]

3ish actually. Usual layout means Remote Pit 1 only gets used on the first desert loop. Pits 2 and 2a are located central to the rock trails and you can run between them as needed, but they're not exactly next door to each other.

Logistically, you'll need to send people to Pit 1 ahead of time. If you leave Hammertown when the race starts you likely won't beat the car to 1 if it's running well...you gotta go all the way out to 247, down the highway a few miles, then a bunch more miles on dirt to get there. If you've got someone at main to handle pit duties when the car comes in from Lap 1, you should have time for the guys at Remote 1 to pack up and make the drive back to Hammertown, restock, and beat the race car to 2 if they know where they're going (they likely won't be able to pack up from 1 and get back to main before the car does). What you do between 2 and 2a is going to depend on how many pit vehicles and resources you have.

Although...a friend of mine had a race effort go south one year because the guys headed from Remote 1 to Remote 2 in the support truck got a little feisty, buried the truck somewhere in the dunes, and never made it to 2 in time to get fuel and parts to the car when it needed it. So highly suggest 'prerunning' the route to pit 2 and making sure your guys know that the actual race is happening on the course, not the pit route.

Edit: in terms of radio, from main you might be able to reach 1, can usually get 2, likely not 2a. 2 and 2a can get each other easily so as mentioned organizing a relay system is good if you have the resources to do so.

Thanks for the info everyone

I'm thinking more about you said vetteboy and it's got me thinking that the remote pit guys have to be fairly mobile (setting up the pit/breaking it down)

What are the larger items that they bring? I was initially thinking of a generator, welder, easy up, would be a snazzy setup but I would most likely be in my 86 4runner so just hand tools and cordless tools

 

[FC4X4]

If you get radios from PCI (great to work with and present on the lakebed), your radio will be pre-programmed with these channels. You can have them add event-specific channels and a channel for your team as well.

 

[Arickvan]

If you get radios from PCI (great to work with and present on the lakebed), your radio will be pre-programmed with these channels. You can have them add event-specific channels and a channel for your team as well.

I've got a couple older rugged radios, a 60watt and a 35watt I believe and then a rugged 5r handheld and a boafeng 5r

 

[JohnnyJ]

Years ago I spoke with my brother-in-law's Dad over Thanksgiving. He's a big time HAM nerd, the kind that would try and talk with people on Mars. I was asking him what he thought we should do he. His low buck solution was PVC antenna masts and copper plumbing j-poles tuned to our target frequency.

So I found this guy: Home - KB9VBR Antennas who builds them and had him make 2. I sent him some info and he had them to me in a few weeks. I think I had < $100 into antennas and masts. They looked janky as hell, but we had no issue talking between remote 2 and main.

 

[FC4X4]

I've got a couple older rugged radios, a 60watt and a 35watt I believe and then a rugged 5r handheld and a boafeng 5r

Rugged should be on the lakebed as well to help with programming, etc...

 

[Arickvan]

I'm still relatively new to racing so I don't know all the answers

PCI has a list of their pre-programmed race radio channels, outside of that I don't know of a list that contains channels of specific racers/teams.

Yes there is a race ops channel at KOH; 151.700 comes to mind but i could be wrong. It's programmed already on my PCI radio.

Every radio that my team/crew has is a 50W. One of my guys drives up to a hill and is our repeater for all pit locations. Without him doing that none of the pits can get info to eachother. Maybe somebody with a basecamp 100W and huge tower can chime in on a better way to handle comms?

My pit 1 guys are usually there and set up by the time first cars take the green flag, I leave it up to them just as long as they're there and ready when I get there. The rest of the crew will usually be with us at start watch us takeoff and then make their way to each pit. My brother and I both race our own 4600 cars so how long each crew is at each pit varies quite a bit.
This year both cars broke before reaching pit 2 so my guys there packed it in once both cars had called the race. My car broke at RM 50 and had to be towed out so my crew had to wait until last car on course made its way passed us before they were allowed to head towards us. it was after 8pm when we arrived back at camp with my crew and my broke car.

yeah most of above. Race ops has changed freq before and I wonder if it's due to cross traffic that like to interfere (could be some other reason).

wattage isn't as important as having an antenna up high, that's what gets you to relay information. Most people think you can just throw watts at it, which doesn't work. 10 watts with a good high antenna for a repeat point will do better.

Not a bad idea to camp at the pits, then you have plenty of time to screw around with the little stuff in the am rather then trying to race across the desert in the am. Also means you don't have to worry about getting back to camps late. And I'd plan on being there late.

What do you guys use for a repeater? Just a guy that relays messages/info? or do you have an actual repeater?

 

[Arickvan]

Oh I'm seeing now that might rugged radios might have built in repeater channels, I'll have to look into that, judging by what I'm seeing I might end up being the radio guy

 

[the_ham_sami]

What do you guys use for a repeater? Just a guy that relays messages/info? or do you have an actual repeater?

Just a guy with a race radio, repeating stuff after he hears it.

I talked to the McNamara's (4696 2-door cherokee) they built their own J-Pole and said it worked great at the PCI 300.

I haven't looked into it too much yet but its something I'm considering building for KOH23 to help my team out.

 

[Arickvan]

Also I'm an idiot, some of the newer radios have preset repeater channels, which is not the same as a repeater function, which certain radios do come with

 

[Arickvan]

Also is anyone tracking the car from the pits via gps?

Back when I dirtbiked we used Garmin rhinos gps/radio and could ping our locations to each other, does lowrance, onx, gaia or something have something similar?

 

[Weasel]

I have some aluminum poles that interlock, surplus mil antenna extension. PVC would work as well.

Radioddity has a radio with a repeater function in it that can be setup for a channel.

What ever tracking deal is live online is usually what's used. Again signal dependent as well as refresh rate of the trackers.