I don't know much about the announcing that goes on at EM -- but I've often helped Ron out at the Salt, sometimes even taking over for him while he visited the facility or whatever he did. There's no question, Tom -- to do as you mention there would have to be two people full-time up there - Ron and someone else. To do it more easily it would take three.
Did you all know that Ron, when he's announcing, has a three-ring binder with copies of all the registration sheets? (By the way, this is a vote for typed or on-line-filled out registrations - so Ron doesn't have to try to decipher sloppy handwriting). Before the event starts he spend the best part of an evening going through the record listings and marks down the record speed in the class for EACH ENTRANT -- so when he hears a vehicle number he can flip to the registration to read the information and also be able to quote the record speed that vehicle's running against. Now it gets busy -- because while he's reading there's another vehicle on the start line on the other course, and he might not be able to grab the binoculars to see what the number is on that one (here's a vote for making your vehicle number very easy to read!). So a second person up there is a big asset to him -- so all he needs to do is talk and someone else can get the upcoming vehicle number - so that Ron just turns to the next correct page to start talking about the next vehicle. Of course - he's also got to keep his finger in the binder so he can refer back to the first one when it's going through the lights and Glen is announcing the speeds. For both courses -- so now he's got four different pages flipping back and forth. Unless we're running three courses, in which case -- since there's no way he can see the start line for all three -- he's got to rely on hearing the line official call the tower with the vehicle number (here's a vote for a separate channel for official talk -- and that's why they use those FM high-band radios for that kind of communications). I don't remember if Ron gets an FM radio to hear those calls. But I know he's got a CB and hears the information that Glen is reporting. If Ron is talking and Glen says something, Ron will shut up and put his hand-held mike next to the speaker of the CB so we can all hear Glen's reports (here's a vote for having racer-to-racer chatter on the radio on a different frequency from what Glen is using -- 'cause otherwise it gets jammed too often). And that breakaway from what Ron was saying means that you, the listener, might end up missing the speed of the vehicle that you really wanted to hear -- because one of the other things I've listed was just then being announced. Last year there were MANY, MANY instances where he never did report a speed because of all the traffic on the radio system.
So it'd be best to have three people up in the tower: One of them talking -- that's Ron Christensen; one writing down upcoming vehicle numbers so Ron can be ready to flip to the correct page to talk about that next one; and one to do the stuff like the updates to whatever website and all of the other ancillary chores.
Oh, yeah: It's pretty common for a racer or crew member to clamber up to the tower to ask for parts or something, or maybe it's someone worth interviewing that goes up there -- and that makes Ron break off the regular reporting for a couple of minutes. Sure, he tries to do that kind of stuff during lulls in the action -- but sometimes there isn't a lull for quite a while.
So - what I envision for the live streaming audio on the internet would be to have all of the audio streams mixed and put on landracing.com. We'd hear Ron's Radio 1610 and Glen's CB reports. Those listening at home (so to speak) would hear what everyone who's out at the Salt can hear on their own CB and AM radio. I think that the folks at home would be satisfied with that - and there'd be less stress for the guy running the input for streaming -- to keep things going. We are amateurs, remember -- the pay for doing all of this ain't too great (I think Ron gets a daily sandwich delivered from the Red Flame, and some drinks, too -- but that's all. It's a labor of love for him (and for me, when I get to help). I'll quit here and think about it for a while -- and maybe will pick up and write some more about the prospect of audio from the Salt -- after the pie that's now baking comes out of the oven. Later - - -
