Race Radio Etiquette

Experienced Off Road Race tams have learned that reliable 2 way radio communications provide an edge in finishing a race. The ability to instantly transmit a trouble call to a chase vehicle or the pit crew saves valuable time. In many cases it may make the difference between a DNF and success at the finish line.

The increased popularity of VHF 2 way radio support on the race circuit creates its own set of problems. This article is intended to deal with the subject of radio ABUSE. Let’s face it, with FCC regulations and a limited number of frequencies, there is no choice left, airtime must be shared.

COMMON ABUSES
“Motor mouth” … they’re not popular at a party, let alone on a radio. This is the guy that likes to hear himself talk and talk and talk. It could be idle chit-chat that               makes a person a motor mouth. The business of conducting a race is far too important to support a casual conversation on the airwaves… IMPORTANT RULE K.I.S.S. (Keep it short, stupid.)

“Channel Grabber” When your team or car is out of the race and there’s no chance to finish, the value of your radio use needs to take a second seat. The emergency has ended. Let the people that need air time have it. Wait for lulls or breaks to coordinate your “haul ‘em home” activities. I can’t count the number of times I have heard emergency radio transmissions of contenders being walked over by non-contenders. Most of the time, it is a request for information that could wait for a break in the race. Pleas put yourself in the other guy’s shoes.

“Hey good buddy… you out there?” There are a lot of good buddies using a radio in a race. The team that comes on the air and says “Mobil 1 to Mobil 2” is asking for trouble. Proper I.D. of your team and crew members is vital. “Race 7 to Pit 7” is clear and concise. It leaves no doubt in others in others minds as to who is calling who. A name and your car number is an excellent identifier. The bottom-line… it eliminates confusion and having to talk to people you didn’t call in the first place.

“Answer the phone @*%&#*$!” How many times do you let a phone ring if there is no answer? The guy who lets it ring 50 times is an idiot. The ding dong that gets on the radio and keeps yelling a unit number when its obvious that they can’t get back to him is a hazard to everyone’s mental health including his own team. Consider the poor driver whose frustration builds as he tries to answer a call but is over rough ground, behind a hill, or out of transmission range, but still able to hear. Call you unit and state your message and assume you are heard, or try again at a later time.

“Radio Check… Radio Check… can anyone give me a radio check?” “Read you 5 x 5 loud and clear,” says the guy in the car right next to him. Big Deal, that’s not a valid test of your radio and it wastes valuable airtime. Be a good listener… it will benefit you as well. If you hear a vehicle that you know is several miles ahead of or behind you, and you answer his radio check, you have both verified that your transmitter, receiver and antenna are in proper working shape. If you need a preliminary check, do it before the race by sending a chase vehicle up the course a few miles so that you get valid results. The best way to ask for a radio check is “Radio check from Ensenada.” A helpful response would be “Copy radio check from Horsepower.”

Be Professional… try to have your best people using the radio; try to use the same person on each set in the early stages of the race for the sake of consistency.

Refuse to communicate with anyone not using a positive I.D. that ties them to the race. While broadcasting misleading or erroneous messages is a violation of the FCC rules, subterfuge goes on. Know who you are listening to… that information could be vital and useful, anything else could be detrimental to your racing effort.

Two Can’t Tango on a 2 way radio. If you want to talk, but someone s “motor mouthing” it serves no useful purpose to grab the mic and yell at him. While he’s               talking he can’t hear you. On top of that, two transmitters going at the same time just creates even more noise for everyone else. If there is a stuck mic, it does absolutely NO good for you to get on the radio and tell someone or make comments about it.

Conserving and managing airtime is what it’s all about. Please read the “Weatherman Speaks, Baja 1000 Communications” or read the long version for more details on this, but remember every extra radio out there transmitting cuts down someone else’s range, including the Weatherman. If you don’t need to be on the radio, don’t be.

A properly tuned and adjusted radio is like a well-oiled engine. It will get the job done and help get you out of a crisis and over the finish line. Have your local dealer check your equipment.