2 Way Radios

There is a lot of info in this thread.

https://forums.24hoursoflemons.com/view … p?id=36642

Lemons only concern about radios is that you stay off the racetrack and public safety frequencies.

That said, radios suck.  A flag is better.

Last race we finally tried radios...It didn’t work out too well. It seemed like everybody was on the same channel. (Especially the little kids who were playing hide and seek - and then switched to  planning some kind of Police / military commando raid)

Anyhow.... we decided that the driver should just put on a turn signal two laps before coming in. Worked pretty well for us.

Been doing this since 2010, have NEVER found a channel without someone else talking on it. You’re lucky!

As for clocks, we’re lucky to have the following setup: Factory digital clock in the tach… hit the kill switch and it makes like a VCR- 12:00!  Makes it real easy… How long have I been driving? 1:46! I like this setup, since it doesn’t require remembering a given time To pit, just a planned stint length…

We use CB radios. They are very inexpensive, reliable, easy to use, and no programming required. Uncrowded frequencies if you avoid channels 9, 14, and 19. We avoid having to plug in/unplug driver headsets by using an external speaker mounted to the rollbar and a trucker-rigged microphone (not blocking view, but easy to grab). We used headsets for our first race, and ruined several as drivers got in & out of the car; went to the backup plan (external speaker and hand mike) and liked it better so never went back. Occasionally may have to wait  for the driver to answer if  he/she is in traffic or mid-corner, but if we don't hear back in a minute or so we just call back.

Backup comms to driver is dry erase board with our mascot (green turtle) and "X" number of laps to pit. Backup from car to crew is driver holding hand up out the window as he passes the pits with "X" fingers up to say he's coming in in "X" laps.

We normally have a planned time to pit for refuel/driver swap, too, just in case of lost comms.  It works well almost every time.  Once, we forgot to turn the car radio on one Sunday morning at a race and the first driver was having a ball and not keeping an eye on the cloc. We finally had to go ask Eric to have us black flagged to get her to come in. That works in a pinch, but we vastly prefer the radio, clock, or pit board.

This underlined part is not true in the way a lot of people think it's true. Privacy codes on FRS and GMRS don't give you a dedicated channel, they simply filter transmissions that don't use the same privacy code.

Basically, if three teams are using channel 1, Team 1 has privacy code 10 on, Team 2 has privacy code 20 on, and Team 3 has no privacy code on. Team 1 will only hear transmission from radios using code 10, Team 2 will only hear transmission with code 20 on, and Team 3 will hear transmission from all 3 teams. The codes don't stop anyone else from being able to hear you, they just filter what transmissions get sent to the speaker.

The issue this causes is that when you can't hear the other people on that channel, every time two radios try to transmit at the same time they step on each other and someone gets cut out. This is where the channel crowding issue comes in, inevitably some team sets up a privacy code and then spends the whole race with a spotter constantly keyed on stepping on everyone else trying to use that channel. They can't hear the other teams who don't use a privacy code screaming at them to shut up and share the channel, and other teams with a different code are wondering why half their transmissions don't go through thinking their radios just suck.