I qualified for the 2010 KOH race and am trying to figure out communications and navigation. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

What radios are people running? UHF, VHF CB.... What do you do for licensing?

Lowrance seems to be the gps. I see that the lowrance 540-c has been superseded by the HDS-5 baja. Is this compatible with the older gps map?

Thanks,

-Lucas

Your on the right track. Get some good 'desert racing' radios and program several channels into them including popular ones other teams might use. The 'Weatherman' and 'BFG Pits' frequencies are used a ton. A company like PCI Radios would be your best bet, plus they will probably be at KOH 2010 to show you how to work everything.

Lawrence GPS Units are the best and most durable in my opinion. PCI even taught me how to utilize all the functions.:D

You'll need a VHF (ham) radio setup and the license is pretty easy to get. I'm about to get mine for V2R. Our Jeepspeed team uses the Kenwood TM271A primarily and it's a good unit.

I'm not too sure about the GPS stuff. Our race car has a Lowrance unit but I don't know which one.

Give Scott a call at Rock Buggy Supply (951-926-1142) and he'll take care of you. He does the radio and GPS stuff for our race team.

PCI Race Radios is a name that you will see more often than not.
We got all of our stuff from them for KOH 09 and didn't have a problem with any of it at all. They were running a KOH package special this last year and then had their crews and trailer at the race for race support.

I recommend some good time on the phone with PCI.

You should be fine with some motorola talkabouts, and a Tom-Tom :laughing:

You should be fine with some motorola talkabouts, and a Tom-Tom :laughing:

I was thinking smoke signals and a sextant would work pretty good. :)

The Yaesu FT-2800 is a good radio for your pits/crew. You can find them online for ~$140 + $30 for a magnetic antenna. Use an SWR meter like you would to tune your CB radio.

Recommended frequencies:
BFG Main (pits)
BFG Relay
SCORE Ops/Weatherman
Best in the Desert

The Vertex 3200/2200 is, IMO, the best race radio out there for under $1000, they run somewhere around $350 with an antenna, cable and programing. Modified ham radios are nice because you can switch to channels with a dial rather than having to use a lap-top to load them up, but they're not as reliable in my experience and it can be a pain having to look up a radio channel, with my Vertexs, if I want BFG pits, I just toggle through until the screen says "BFG pits", simple.

Intercoms are sweet, not really required, but sweet. Get a good one, both Rugged and PCI sell great ones, don't cheap out, either do it rite, or forget it. Nothing worse than having no communication between driver ad co-driver because you relied on a shitty intercom. Get the iPod connection too, makes pre-running more fun, and death metal makes racing faster.

One thing most people don't have in their race car, that I think is stupid to leave out, is a hand-held race radio. With an intercom system you need to have your helmet on and plugged in or you lose communication, and if both driver and co-driver get out to work on the truck, your chase crew may have an interesting mission ahead of them trying to find you. Even if you use a normal hand-held mic. and a load-speaker on your big radio you still have to be right there to talk. If the 2010 KOH course is anything like the last 2 years, a handheld will pick up signals anywhere on course from main, and should be able to transmit over the entire course.

GPS is nice, but that's one of the items where you can save some cash and it won't hurt you. Big color HD screens are nice, but you will be just fine with a smaller black and white hand-held unit. KOH runs a short course, and you won't be moving very fast by desert racing standards, so having every rock, hole and jump marked isn't going to help as much as in a 1 car or TT. The new Lowrance units are not worth the money over the old ones IMO, but the guys who have to have the latest and greatest will still be selling off their current ones in order to buy the new ones, so scheme on a deal for yourself. Global map 3200s and Eagle Intellimaps are older units, but the Eagle in my chase truck has been swapped into a couple different race trucks and pre-runners, plus thousands of miles in my Rover and never had a hiccup, not bad for a $300 color GPS with a 5" screen, and all the buttons and menus are the same as on the Lowrance units. Most importantly, get to know your GPS and how it functions, I have helped way to many drivers learn how to use theirs at the last minute, they aren't hard to understand, so take an hour to sort it out.

Then buy light helmets, head-and-neck restraints are very much worth the investment and LED amber lights suck balls!

The Vertex 3200/2200 is, IMO, the best race radio out there for under $1000, they run somewhere around $350 with an antenna, cable and programing. Modified ham radios are nice because you can switch to channels with a dial rather than having to use a lap-top to load them up, but they're not as reliable in my experience and it can be a pain having to look up a radio channel, with my Vertexs, if I want BFG pits, I just toggle through until the screen says "BFG pits", simple.

Intercoms are sweet, not really required, but sweet. Get a good one, both Rugged and PCI sell great ones, don't cheap out, either do it rite, or forget it. Nothing worse than having no communication between driver ad co-driver because you relied on a shitty intercom. Get the iPod connection too, makes pre-running more fun, and death metal makes racing faster.

One thing most people don't have in their race car, that I think is stupid to leave out, is a hand-held race radio. With an intercom system you need to have your helmet on and plugged in or you lose communication, and if both driver and co-driver get out to work on the truck, your chase crew may have an interesting mission ahead of them trying to find you. Even if you use a normal hand-held mic. and a load-speaker on your big radio you still have to be right there to talk. If the 2010 KOH course is anything like the last 2 years, a handheld will pick up signals anywhere on course from main, and should be able to transmit over the entire course.

GPS is nice, but that's one of the items where you can save some cash and it won't hurt you. Big color HD screens are nice, but you will be just fine with a smaller black and white hand-held unit. KOH runs a short course, and you won't be moving very fast by desert racing standards, so having every rock, hole and jump marked isn't going to help as much as in a 1 car or TT. The new Lowrance units are not worth the money over the old ones IMO, but the guys who have to have the latest and greatest will still be selling off their current ones in order to buy the new ones, so scheme on a deal for yourself. Global map 3200s and Eagle Intellimaps are older units, but the Eagle in my chase truck has been swapped into a couple different race trucks and pre-runners, plus thousands of miles in my Rover and never had a hiccup, not bad for a $300 color GPS with a 5" screen, and all the buttons and menus are the same as on the Lowrance units. Most importantly, get to know your GPS and how it functions, I have helped way to many drivers learn how to use theirs at the last minute, they aren't hard to understand, so take an hour to sort it out.

Then buy light helmets, head-and-neck restraints are very much worth the investment and LED amber lights suck balls!

Thanks for your input. I was an EMT back in school, and we used vertex radios as well. A good friend of mine has a marine electronics company and can get me a gps for cost.

I am running a motocross style helmet for now, it is pretty light. What do you recomend for an amber light if LED's are no good?

Thanks,

-Lucas

get the biggest GPS they make....a 10" i think.....and mount it temporarily in you regular truck and use it daily.....that is the best way to get familiar with all the functions.....then make your co-dog do the same..........

and mount it temporarily in you regular truck and use it daily.....that is the best way to get familiar with all the functions.....then make your co-dog do the same..........


werd, exactly what I did/do. My 540C is mounted in my daily driver. I used a ram mount, google them.

My question, is there a roads/highways download you can get for the Lowrances? I think on my KOH download I got all the streets west of Phoenix, but I dont live that way.......

Blah blah blah...Call PCI race radios.

I had no idea what I was doing communication wise (well...anything really:flipoff2:) before KOH '09. I shopped around and ended up buying from a different company. PCI saved my ass on the lake bed before the race and has helped me out along the way with racing communications. Just from their simple tutorials (ask them to send it to you on the gps) I have a much more comfortable grasp on how it all works.


and mount it temporarily in you regular truck and use it daily
For sure.

I am running a motocross style helmet for now, it is pretty light. What do you recomend for an amber light if LED's are no good?

Thanks,

-Lucas

Prepare to eat a lot of dust in an MX helmet:laughing:

Hella 550s are great if you want a square, Hella 500 if you like round, the difference is that they project a beam better than the LED ambers and are much easier to see in thick silt.

Prepare to eat a lot of dust in an MX helmet:laughing:

Hella 550s are great if you want a square, Hella 500 if you like round, the difference is that they project a beam better than the LED ambers and are much easier to see in thick silt.

Thank you all for the input. I am going to try to get the GPS asap and I like the idea of throwing it in my DD.

The fancy Pumper helmets are on the wish list, right now I am trying to prioritize my spending. It is 2900 miles one way to Johnson Valley and I am going to get there one way or another.

-Lucas

Hella 550s are great if you want a square, Hella 500 if you like round...I like the brighter amber lights but the Hellas have glass lenses. Be sure you put it someplace that rocks thrown off the rear tires would never hit.

Blah blah blah...Call PCI race radios.

I had no idea what I was doing communication wise (well...anything really:flipoff2:) before KOH '09. I shopped around and ended up buying from a different company. PCI saved my ass on the lake bed before the race and has helped me out along the way with racing communications. Just from their simple tutorials (ask them to send it to you on the gps) I have a much more comfortable grasp on how it all works.



For sure.


Sorry you werent satisfied Will... your case was a bit different.





Weve got Vertex VX2200 chase packages for $349, and also can get you set up with a intercom package as well.
Let me know if you have any questions.

Modified ham radios are nice because you can switch to channels with a dial rather than having to use a lap-top to load them up, but they're not as reliable in my experience and it can be a pain having to look up a radio channel, with my Vertexs, if I want BFG pits, I just toggle through until the screen says "BFG pits", simple.


You can program modified ham radios, too--mine says 'BFG MAIN' and 'BFG RELA', etc. You can toggle to the other mode to see just the frequency. I only get out of "channel name" mode to dial in a frequency I don't have programmed in.

What brand/model have you found to be unreliable?

I absolutely like not having to use a laptop to reprogram them. I photocopied the manual for mine, and keep one in the back of our pit books.

If you are using a VHF/Ham radio, you need to tune your antenna to typical "race" frequency range (155-160Mhz) rather than the normal ~144Mhz Ham frequency range. You can use a SWR meter just like tuning a CB.

You'll need a VHF (ham) radio setup and the license is pretty easy to get. I'm about to get mine for V2R. Our Jeepspeed team uses the Kenwood TM271A primarily and it's a good unit.


I take it you (nineinchyj) are operating as a Ham?

For the rest of you going through PCI n' such, what's the going rate for a race-radio license? Is VHF or UHF more popular?

I was on a volunteer fire department back in the day. I talked to the chief and he gave me Kenwood VHF radios and portables. Does anyone have a list of Frequencies that people use?

Thanks,

-Lucas

157.970 Pirate4x4
154.980 baja pits
151.395 BFG Pits
151.715 BFG Relay
151.490 BITD
151.925 Checkers
153.380 Mag 7 primary
150.830 Mag 7 secondary
154.545 PCI
151.625 Weatherman (score)

There is a popular desert site the has links to just about every race teams channel

No license, ham or race needed