4 replies to this topic

[Pingu]

Hello all. My first post here.
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Anyone notice that this year the TV coverage of the Monaco race included CONTINOUS in-car real-time coverage through the tunnel? I think this is the first year that I've seen this.
How exactly is it done? I think they have the Goodyear blimp hovering above the track to pick up each car's signals, but they need line-of-sight contact to be able to do that, yet this year they are picking up the signals through 10 feet of concrete......

First, I supposed they must have a set of receivers lined up along the tunnel with fast switching between them. But no. The signal and picture quality appears completely seamless. Anyone know what carrier frequency/waveband is used?

Also (related), what frequency and wavebands do they use for team-car telemetry & team-driver radio?

Thanks

P

[Matt Davis]

Just a Guess but either:
-Lower frequency radiowaves that can go arround corners (like your mobile phone)
-Arials on the celing of the tunnel to receive the pictures for the time when it is out of line of sight of the blimp (But I think that a helecopter is used not a blimp, espicialy Goodyear because they no longer take part in F1)
Matt

[Kapu7]

Another guess: could the stream be just buffered for few seconds? It would take some digital fizzling but it is a possibility.

[Christiaan]

if you install two continuos paralell cables on the ceiling of the tunnel, or a steel tube, bam, you have a reciever. If you install boosters say 100m apart then you will ensure that the signal is strong enough to be transported as an analog signal along wires through the tunnel, and rebroadcasted as a radio signal y a transmitter at the end of the tunnel. I could never figure out why they didn't have coverage in the tunnel. Its not even a technical challenge.

[F1flagger]

I don't know if the cars tranmit using microwaves, but I think that's what's used to pass the signals around the track as the antennas are everywhere. We haven't tried heating our lunch on them...