Day 6: About the tracking units
posted Wednesday, August 13, 2008 by adventurelisa @ 11:19 PM -
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By Fred Richardson
The Tracker tracking units have brought the race into the homes and offices of tens of thousands and played a central role in the rescue of Eugene Botha of uge.Cyanosis but they have not been without their problems.
The tracking units are exceptionally lightweight, something that the racers appreciate. But the weight comes with a cost. The units have to be recharged every 8-12 hours. A full charge takes between 2 and 4 hours.
Every transition that has power also has battery recharging facilities. The process is that as a team arrives the marshal will ask for their tracking device and immediately place it on charge. When teams leave on the next leg their units are returned to them with as much charge as they could get. Sometimes that may be as little as 15 minutes, which is really not much battery at all.
The other issue is that the units transmit their information via the mobile phone network and there is no coverage in some of the deeper valleys. In that instance the team seems to stay in one place for a long time and then suddenly re-appear further along the trail.
The units are quite new and this is the first time they have been used in a non-stop expedition race. There have been teething problems but the concensus amongst racers and organisers is that the tracking units are a resounding sucess. The unit manufacturers have taken copious notes and have already begun with design alterations to improve battery life.
The Tracker tracking units have brought the race into the homes and offices of tens of thousands and played a central role in the rescue of Eugene Botha of uge.Cyanosis but they have not been without their problems.
The tracking units are exceptionally lightweight, something that the racers appreciate. But the weight comes with a cost. The units have to be recharged every 8-12 hours. A full charge takes between 2 and 4 hours.
Every transition that has power also has battery recharging facilities. The process is that as a team arrives the marshal will ask for their tracking device and immediately place it on charge. When teams leave on the next leg their units are returned to them with as much charge as they could get. Sometimes that may be as little as 15 minutes, which is really not much battery at all.
The other issue is that the units transmit their information via the mobile phone network and there is no coverage in some of the deeper valleys. In that instance the team seems to stay in one place for a long time and then suddenly re-appear further along the trail.
The units are quite new and this is the first time they have been used in a non-stop expedition race. There have been teething problems but the concensus amongst racers and organisers is that the tracking units are a resounding sucess. The unit manufacturers have taken copious notes and have already begun with design alterations to improve battery life.
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