World Finals 2012 Racing

[fredvance]

Congratulations to Pork Pie, I am so happy for you. Also to Bob for making the dream come true.

[Freud]

Eric, Don would have said, "what took you so long?"

CONGRATULATIONS

FREUD

[RayTheRat]

PP got his new hat.  I think I'll burn his old one while he isn't looking.   

[Seldom Seen Slim]

We just had a visitor here in the SSS pit:

[Moxnix]

Nope, not me.  Howard is working with Ron C.
Sound was clean this morning, getting scratchy, could be interference from so many radios around or driving by.

Ron/SaberTooth, hey.  I've made the mistake in believing laptops would haul the freight for this out here.  From netbooks to 4G Toshibas, all would work, in theory.  In practice, we've come up against a surprising lack of reliability for a 12 hour webcast. Even with chill pads, the computers have stopped erratically from heat. 
This time I brought a refurbed office computer, Windows 7 Pro, 4G, using the 4G hotspot today, opening just the Meridix producing program with no other activity, no reading the forum, no shopping on eBay, no email, etc.  I'm real happy with the way it works all day long without a glitch.
We used the 1k watt Honda gen set outside to power it, but the little guy just didn't want to run all day every day.  Upgrade required.

Right now, we have a collection of bits, a Shure mixer and a DJ mixer in line to blend in the omni mic on top of the trailer pointing toward the course, omni mic inside for live talk if we do that (which we are not doing this time) and an A/V interface along with a MicroPort Pro feeding into a USB port.

But, when Chris was here this week, he tweaked a few things and we plan to get together in Milwaukee this winter to re-do the kit into a rack mounted portable unit for plug and play.  The computer will fit in a rack space, we'll put a tuner in, and use a Mackie XFPro 8 channel also in the rack.  And, an inverter generator that will run 12-14 hours a day on one tank of fuel is in the cards. 

You can hang out at one of the races and be the audio guy, start it, go online, do a sound check and go enjoy the day or sit here in the safety and comfort of Slim and Nancy's pit and enjoy the sounds, smell, and view of the vehicles through the lights.  I will for sure be at BUB, for sure at The Shootout (maybe with a low power FM set for fans and for safety).  Since I cannot guarantee I'll be at Speedweek, WoS or WF, though do want to be, Slim could use a part time person to monitor the equipment while he is racing or down at the starting line posting on here.  If the system is as good as it's been these past few days, it shouldn't need constant minding.

[salt]

Add me to the list of folks who don't care for the radio banter. Thanks for making it available to us here on landracing.com, Moxnix & Jon, but I'll do fine without . . . miss Glen . . .

 


Willi

[Ole Don]

I used to joke about bottling that sound and selling it to Geezers as vitamins. Now you guys have gone and done it. To sit in southern Illinois on a cold rainy day and hear a car running a gazillion RPMs past the trailer and shifting to a higher gear is indeed vitamins for a Geezer. I feel better already. Check to follow Slim.

[55chevr]

I Listening to the webcast from WF and the mindless banter of the announcers is terrible.  It would help if they knew what they were talking about.  Latest is "vintage motorcycle goes back to 1954,I believe".  Could they at least read the rule book?

[Schruiber]

Pork  Pie - Congrulations to "ze red hat"!

Michael

[SabreTooth]

Ron/SaberTooth, hey.  I've made the mistake in believing laptops would haul the freight for this out here.  From netbooks to 4G Toshibas, all would work, in theory.  In practice, we've come up against a surprising lack of reliability for a 12 hour webcast. Even with chill pads, the computers have stopped erratically from heat. 

No such thing as a "mistake," that's just a learning experience and most people start of prototyping with what they have available and at hand. I'd have done the same. I've been doing a little reading up on industrial type mini-computers for other reasons and noted yesterday that use of a solid state disk drive might allow a mini industrial fanless computer to be happy at 70oC plus. The same computer with a regular HDD would be rated to plus 45oC.

We used the 1k watt Honda gen set outside to power it, but the little guy just didn't want to run all day every day.  Upgrade required.
...And, an inverter generator that will run 12-14 hours a day on one tank of fuel is in the cards. 

I wonder if a low power audio set-up (i.e. equipment that is USB powered or runs off wall warts or is designed for 12V) solar panel solution and decent lead acid battery would be a cheaper alternative / back-up to a generator.

Right now, we have a collection of bits, a Shure mixer and a DJ mixer in line to blend in the omni mic on top of the trailer pointing toward the course, omni mic inside for live talk if we do that (which we are not doing this time) and an A/V interface along with a MicroPort Pro feeding into a USB port.

So, for inputs you have:
1 x Omni mic for the course(s)
1 x Mic for live chat (presently unused)
1 x Input for the FM broadcast (line in at some point)
1 x Input for the CB?

I'd like to thank all the folks reporting on the goings-on with pics, word and sound on the Salt this week. I had hoped to be there but it was alas not to be.

Jim

[RayTheRat]

The number 2711 Opel GT "mini-Corvette" just spun, rolled and caught fire.  The EVs were on the scene in well under a minute.  They had the fire out in seconds, the driver got out (or maybe was already out), walked to the ambulance.  According to the course radio, there were no obvious injuries and was being examined.  Additional info:  According to an SCTA official, the driver extracted himself from the car before the EVs arrived.  Another high mark for the emergency exit requirements and checking during tech inspection.

This is a case where SCTA's safety procedures worked perfectly and just as they were designed to do.  Same goes for the safety rules in the rule book.  What could have been real bad appears to have resulted in a wrecked car, but no serious driver injury.  

My hat's off to the course workers and EV crews.

[jl222]

Chris is tweeking the audio kit, announcer is Harold, forgot his last name.

 Is Harold the new BNI anouncer that replaced Glen?

 Are you sending this audio from up in the timing trailer?

     JL222

   Bit confused, listening to FM broadcast, I here another, is that other the BNI  broadcast that talks to the racers?

  And tells them to take it to inpound? And who [is the person] that tells them to ''take it to inpound''?

              JL222

[RayTheRat]

This is NOT the way you want to see your push truck!  Bob Drury looped his Stude and got a lot closer than I'd want to be to his push truck while still spinning.  Fortunately, the two objects didn't try to occupy the same space.

Note the flying course marker on the far left.

I got 43 shots of the launch and spin in 28 seconds.  I'll post more in a bit.

[Queeziryder]

Any news on "One Run" Bob ?

[Moxnix]

Jim, yes, AM/FM tuner, FM for BNI events, AM for World of Speed.  We've done CB in the past, but BNI events will not be giving times on on it any longer.  So, just what comes over the tuner is what we are uploading from now on.  Conversation mic may be used during long shut downs or we'll just keep their broadcast radio feed active.  

I jumped in the back seat of the Landracing truck and rode to the starting line, Slim did his run, we picked him up and drove the great circle route back to timing slip stand and the pits.  The unattended new kit was still functioning.  Now one "watching the kit" is not on a short leash.  Plug, play, walk away, I'm pretty happy.