Audio From The Great White Dyno

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Without thinking I sent the landracing.com streaming equipment home with Milwaukee Midget.  It was his hardware and since we didn't use it at SW and he might at Ohio -- it's in his rig.  So I doubt that we'll have the audio for World of Speed.  SCTA will, I hope, have their rig going again at World Finals, and the Shootout just wouldn't work very well for streaming.  There are so many long periods without anything - sometimes hours - that anyone listening would have a difficult time enjoying much of anything.  When I cover the Shootout with text I try to give enough "warning" with a post or two when a run is likely to be imminent - that you folks get enough warning that you should get near your computer screens.  Yes, it'd be cool to hear the times as the Rice brothers announce the speeds - but there isn'tmuch other chatter that is worth the effort to keep the stream up and running.

And that's today's report on what event will be streamed next.  Sorry it won't be WoS - that's my mistake.

[hotrod]

The other thing I would like to see changed in next years FM broadcast is a slight modification to the sequence of the announcements.

Instead of bla bla bla bla bla bla bla car has a nice blue paint job and passing right in front of us at the 3 mile on course #1 is car xyz

It should be :
On course one.
car xyz
leaving the line now (staging) one car back etc., bla bla bla bla bla  bla bla with all the color commentary.

I missed several cars I really wanted to get a shot of because I did not even know they were on the course until they were going by or past me.
One of them being the one and only run of the city of Burbank streamliner.

If the announcements always follow the same pattern, course #, car number -- then color commentary, folks can tune out the courses they are not interested in but instantly listen for details when they hear the course # they are able to see from their vantage point or that they know their car is running on.

If you know a certain car is running on course #2 you can tune out the other course announcements if you are busy.
Especially for the faster cars like blowfish, speed demon 715 and others of that class, if you don't know that they are pushing off, you will never get turned around and pick them up visually and turn on the camera etc in time to see them go by.

I caught at least 20 times where the new announcer was saying "now staging on course #1" and I could already see the salt plume from the car entering the 2.
Staging means the guy is checking his belts and warming the engine and his crew is getting into the push truck, not that he is accelerating hard 2 miles down the course and will be screaming by the announcer stand before he finishes his sentence.


One other minor note, the temperature data they were giving out was about 15-20 degrees too hot in mid morning and mid afternoon. It matched my thermometer most of the day but when they were saying "the temperature is 97 does not feel that hot but ---- " The reason for that is it was not that hot. The weather station they are using was designed to be installed over a grassy surface not a white reflective surface. In mid morning and mid afternoon they were getting infrared heating from reflected sunlight hitting the bottom of the sensor enclosure. If they want to give accurate temperature data to the racers, put a bit of astro turf under the sensor and something  below the sensor to kill the reflection of sun light on the sensor can about 10:00 in the morning and 2:00 in the afternoon and an hour or so on each side.

Other than those issues they mostly did ok, but I really wish we could get the old pattern where Ron could tell us that car xyz was second in line and just firing the engine.

How we get that info to the announcer crew is debatable. One option they might consider would be to put a simple web cam at each starting line that they could monitor the feeds from. They would have the advantage of being able to see the cars without the disadvantage Ron used to have of having to shout over a really loud car as it warmed the engine. The web cams could also be part of the streaming feed so the folks at home could see what is going on. They don't have to be continuous video an every 15 - 30 second update cycle would be sufficient to see who is on the line and who is about to push off.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Without thinking I sent the landracing.com streaming equipment home with Milwaukee Midget. 

Don't let him fool ya - he was tired of tripping over that 19" rack, and he saw an opportunity to pawn it off onto somebody who was preoccupied with getting a car through tech . . .

BUT -

If anybody is going to be in town for the Harley 110 and is heading to WOS, and if Jon is interested in covering it, I'll meet up with you and we'll get the gear back.

And yes, if Joe Timney and the ECTA guys are cool with it, I'm thinking I might try to do a webcast next April from Wilmington.

But let's see how the post mortem on the salinated Midget goes before I commit that far ahead.   

[gkabbt]

.....and is heading to WOS, and if Jon is interested in covering it, I'll meet up with you and we'll get the gear back.

And yes, if Joe Timney and the ECTA guys are cool with it, I'm thinking I might try to do a webcast next April from Wilmington.
  

Chris and Jon,
RACERS NEED THE WEBCAST so I'm ready for a slight detour!    

My wife and I will be leaving for WoS this coming Saturday, the 24th, taking 2 weeks to get to the salt. Our main objective is to go through St. Louis and drop some stuff off for SteveM. Then the plan is to head on to the Badlands in SD, Yellowstone N.P., SLC and finally Wendover. I have reservations at Montego Bay starting on Friday 09/06 so that is when we will get to Wendover.

Looking at Google Maps, I see that Beerhaven is about 5 3/4 hrs from St. Louis. Also, Maps shows that our destinations in SD and WY are really a direct shot from Milwaukee.
Since we have never been in your part of the country, and as I said, I'm ready for a slight detour!  

I'll be driving my Scion xB so I need to know how big the equipment is.....I "think" it will fit with no problem.

After WoS and the Shootout, I can get the equipment back to you so you will have it for next April in Wilmington.
Also, I don't think Joe will have any problem with the webcast.

PM me your phone number and we'll talk.

Gregg

 

[Tman]

.....and is heading to WOS, and if Jon is interested in covering it, I'll meet up with you and we'll get the gear back.

And yes, if Joe Timney and the ECTA guys are cool with it, I'm thinking I might try to do a webcast next April from Wilmington.
  

Chris and Jon,
RACERS NEED THE WEBCAST so I'm ready for a slight detour!    

My wife and I will be leaving for WoS this coming Saturday, the 24th, taking 2 weeks to get to the salt. Our main objective is to go through St. Louis and drop some stuff off for SteveM. Then the plan is to head on to the Badlands in SD, Yellowstone N.P., SLC and finally Wendover. I have reservations at Montego Bay starting on Friday 09/06 so that is when we will get to Wendover.

Looking at Google Maps, I see that Beerhaven is about 5 3/4 hrs from St. Louis. Also, Maps shows that our destinations in SD and WY are really a direct shot from Milwaukee.
Since we have never been in your part of the country, and as I said, I'm ready for a slight detour!  

I'll be driving my Scion xB so I need to know how big the equipment is.....I "think" it will fit with no problem.

After WoS and the Shootout, I can get the equipment back to you so you will have it for next April in Wilmington.
Also, I don't think Joe will have any problem with the webcast.

PM me your phone number and we'll talk.

Gregg

 

We welcome visitors and you can see the Badlands and Mt Rushmore from my place!

[Peter Jack]

Gregg, take Trent up on his offer. There is a lot to see just off I-90 through South Dakota. It's a great area to play tourist.  

Pete

[gkabbt]

 
We welcome visitors and you can see the Badlands and Mt Rushmore from my place!

Trent, I was going to let you know later this week that we were coming through. We should be getting to the Rapid City area on Friday 08/30. I got your cell number off your website so I'll give you a ring when we get there.

Gregg

[gkabbt]

Gregg, take Trent up on his offer. There is a lot to see just off I-90 through South Dakota. It's a great area to play tourist.  

Pete

Pete, Looking forward to the sights as my wife and I have never been in this part of the country.

Gregg