Atlanta Public Service Announcement

[Purple Frog]

With only a little over a week to go before load-in, and considering many workers and crew in the paddock are of more advanced age, having witnessed the changes that have occurred over 4 or 5 decades of racing, I feel it is very important to put some word out early so as to prevent possible shock, stroke, or heart attacks on pit lane.

Team Weitzenhof, (known as DaveW to Apexspeeders) has purchased and installed the newest digital radios into their operation.

Much like third world nations that have leap-froged from no telephone service straight into cell phones, Dave (engineer that he is) never thought radio technology over the past 40 years had technically developed enough to fit the high standards of Weitzenhof Racing. Now with the newest digital technology in place, he has stepped forward, thus skipping wasting money on all the previous iterations.

I have personally seen the car and helmet installation. So, this story is real. (notice it is March 31, not April 1) The installation is very professionally done. Obviously folks in Bath Ohio do not face the distractions of having to go fishing/boating a lot during the last few months as those of us in Florida, so time to do a professional install is readily available between running the snow blower.

To further heighten the impact of this change, Weitzenhof racing has developed a race channel monitor that will broadcast the control channel over speakers withinin their compound.

To pile on the weight of this shocking development, Dave has retired the worlds loudest portable generator, and purchased a new quiet unit. Another sure sign of the rapidly approaching apocalypse.

It has been reported the team's head statistician and timer, Sherrie, is taking a course on radio transmission technique.

When Dave was worrying about the exact position for the push-to-talk button his spotter remarked, "Dave, it's not a big deal, I expect you won't be using it much."
Immediately Dave replied, "We'll see about that!"

[Beartrax]

I think that there were times that cars on track were 'd by sound control when Dave fired up the generator!

[DaveW]

IMO, radio setup = more stuff to keep working...

[R. Pare]

With Dave being the all-time King O' Cheap, Sherri had to fork over the $$ herself for the optional "mute" button.

[marshall9]

Interesting...why Dave?

I have thought of radios as well.

Will radios make me faster, or just take away my solitude the only few times a year that I can control my auditory environment in regards to my wife's input? I can think of few things other than a crash or dnf for other reasons that would dampen a weekend than my wife talking to me while I am driving a racecar. I love her dearly and she supports my racing, but I can only imagine what she might want to discuss while I am on track, and uber captive to her conversation......

"Baby?"
"Yes dear?"
"About that new furniture we have talked about..."
"Not now, my love, I am about to enter turn one flat..."
"I was thinking beige, it's on sale for 10,000.00"
Radio silence after the crash.....


just saying

[DaveW]

Interesting...why Dave?

I have thought of radios as well...

just saying

One reason: the F2KCS requires them this year to receive series advisories while on track. Otherwise I would still be radio-less.

Now, I am not saying that radios are a bad thing - I would have avoided trouble better with them a few times - but I am a minimalist when it comes to putting more stuff I have to maintain/repair on the car.

[DaveW]

...
Team Weitzenhof, (known as DaveW to Apexspeeders) has purchased and installed the newest digital radios into their operation....

Actually, unless I missed something, they are not digital, just pretty good analog units.

http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/show...9&postcount=33

[formulasuper]

One reason: the F2KCS requires them this year to receive series advisories while on track. Otherwise I would still be radio-less.

Now, I am not saying that radios are a bad thing - I would have avoided trouble better with them a few times - but I am a minimalist when it comes to putting more stuff I have to maintain/repair on the car.

Dave, it sounds like all you need is one radio for the car, no need for a second radio since race control has their own.

[DaveW]

Dave, it sounds like all you need is one radio for the car, no need for a second radio since race control has their own.

I actually considered something like that - just a "Raceiver" monitor hooked up to "earbud" speakers in my ears. The radios do obviously have more benefits, and won't transmit EVERYTHING on the series communication channel (reduced to the necessities by the crew), so I went that way.