+1 Sounds like a good idea

 

I was thinking about the 4 radio thing too..but then I thought, how can the lead and the sweeper manage 2 radios while driving? not safe...unless they have co-pilots.

 

I was thinking more of 2 MINIs go out and test the radios themselves, not on a run.

 

Who said anything about MINIs? I was talking about walking... just keep walking away from each other and testing both channels to see if there's a distinct difference!

I never meant that the lead and sweeper would actually use two radios on the run!

 

That is a long walk!

 

NOT IT!

 

if you want, they can be tested near me on the bike path. It's relatively straight being that it's an old railroad track bed..good line-of-sight. No cars on it, so it's safe.
just a thought

 

Ok, did some testing today and I could not see any difference using 7/21 or 22/22. I tried using both the higher power and lower power buttons and both channels lost range in the same spot using both power levels. This was not a line of sight test, but a "real world" run test. So, IMO, it doesn't matter what channel we use, but I think that if we had more wattage, than that would be better.

 

Just out of curiosity, how did the radios do on the Cooper run? We didn't have our with us, but the one that was lent to us (thank you btw ) seemed to work just fine as long as the cd wasn't on full blast mode.

 

Let's switch to CB so I can mount this in my MINI

 

GPRS is packet data for GSM cell phones, like TMobile. I think you all mean GMRS... which is the extended range radio system.

I have no trouble with the change, because, I have a Garmin Rino that supports both the GMRS and FRS frequency ranges. However, some folks may not have a radio that supports GMRS. And, more importantly, to use GMRS in the US, you need an FCC license. I am not saying that people actually get one, but you still need it. At the very least, the radios used by the club in an official run would need to be licensed.

Something to think about... use Garmin Rinos front and rear! They can have City Select maps loaded that are very detailed, and in addition to being radios, the GPS portion "beams" your position to the other Rino! You could see where the folks were on the route, it's very cool!
Mike
ps. My Rino 530 has a five watt mode! So maybe Rinos are the way to go for the club...

 

and how much are these Rino's?

 

z3bum - that sounds cool, I'll look those up!
Edit - I just looked over the Rino 530 at Garmin's site. That's a very cool device. Costs about the same as my Nuvi 360. The feature set is awesome. It would definitely be cool if all had one.

 

An outsiders opinion anyone? Speaking from my past 4 years experience here's what I've observed. Radio usage in the hills is at most, minimal, no matter what frequency you're on. Group organization at the beginning solves the problem better than any radio can.
Break a large group down into sections, with no more than 10 cars to a section (personally, the best drives I've been on have had no more than 5 or 6 cars on them). This is really important if your run goes through areas with traffic control (ie. stoplights, signs, etc.). For example, if you start with 20 cars, car 1 would lead, car 10 would be a sweeper. Car 11 would be the leader of the 2nd section with car 20 sweeping. Make sure those 4 cars have radios and every car has mapped directions (technically, every car should have both, but those 4 are a must as far as the radios go). Radios in cars 5 and 15 would be a nice touch, especially if your doing mountain roads. Lead and sweeping cars should have co-pilots to operate the radios. This makes for better communication and less driver distraction. Setting it up like this you can start the run as a single group, but if something happens you've got a built in break point.
A few other things...
First, the leaders in both groups need to be aware of who's in their section and what's going on behind them. They shouldn't drive the run with a "catch me if you can" attitude. If you look in the rearview and only see a few cars behind you, slow it down a notch or two. A section shouldn't travel faster than it's slowest driver.
Next, try to divide down into sections of those who like to drive and those who like to cruise. Very little upsets a run more than forcing people to drive out of their element. While some of you are happy pulling 5g's around a hairpin turn, others like a more sedated pace.
Last, would be to have rally points planned in the drive, especially after congested areas, where any separated parties have a chance to catch up to the group. You can also juggle the sections at these points if someone finds they're not happy with the way the section they're in is driving. If you can, plan in the times of arrival and departure from these points and note them on the directions.
Hope an idea or two here helps.

 

Yes, very nice it is................. a bit expensive though. Somebody interested in an OEM Navi

 

The Rino sounds nice. Looks like Ocius and Bellissima might have to get some new gadgets!

 

I'm sure I've missed this, and yes I did look...

But to get a radio that will allow us to tune to 7/21...what is the feature called? What exactly do we need to look for in getting a radio? For example, would these work?

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?Inv...cm_cat=1635414

 

Yes. You just need FRS/GMRS radios.

 

Cool, thanks!

Anyone have any suggestions or warnings?

 

Quick question--is radio required to take part in runs?

Thanks.

 

No, it's not required. But to have one and be able to listen and talk to others, during runs, is so much fun.

 

Good to hear that, as I wouldn't be able to use one....

Now if only the good Professor didn't assign so much work.....

 

Why wouldn't you?

While yes, they are not required, they are strongly recommended, because asides from "chit-chat" and making jokes, they serve an important purpose - communicating what's going on. As in...

"We're turning right at the next right" OR
"Slow down, there's a tractor up ahead" OR
"Oncoming car - pickup truck"

...etc.

Having a 2-way radio makes a huge difference.

 

One day, the leader asked through his radio, seconds after he made a turn and slow down,
"Have we got everyone?".

Then he heard a reply on the radio from one of the MINIs behind him, loud and clear,
"Yep, go ahead."

5 minutes later, the leader noticed that 19 MINIs was missing from the caravan.

 

Then that was the leader's fault for not communicating specifically with the sweeper.