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Radio Fine Print again at the 24hr

Started by Martin Harrold, March 22, 2009, 19:55:30

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Dean Watson

big thanks from the marshals for the excelent Radio Fine Print coverage over the 24hrs including the "fog break".

During the fog it was good to know others were out there and it did help to keep our spirits up during the lack of visability.

Please make this a regular thing as during the night on marshals posts it is realy good to have the information that you guys have, also through the day when the PA system is on, at riches and sear marshals posts there is no commentary at all so your radio service is even more appreciated.

The team of commentators were a great bunch who seam to gell together very well and there was a very natural feel to the banter all through the race.

Great work guys, allready looking forward to next year.

Derek Coghill

Radio during the fog break...a bit like Test Match Special when it's raining but with fewer buses and pigeons.

helen deeley

but playing bob the builder at 5am? Ive been singing it ever since....  ::) :-X
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JonWaldock

#33
Quote from: helen deeley on August 11, 2009, 13:38:27
but playing bob the builder at 5am? Ive been singing it ever since....  ::) :-X

yeah i do appologise for playing that, lack of sleep does that.... ::)
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Chris Yates

I must say on this subject, from all the things I've been hearing and reading, that the radio coverage is now essential to the 24hr - and I use that word to its fullest meaning.

How else would the marshals on far-flung posts find out what was happening in the race? And keep up their spirits in the dark hours? How else would anyone know what on Earth had been happening overnight when the PA at the circuit goes down?

So it's my belief that Radio Fine Print MUST continue. This man has made it all possible, so let's give him as much support as we can, and perhaps next year we'll be seeing scenes like this again! :)


Paul Robertson

He's probably too polite chris ,so on martin's behalf:You barsteward

Mary Lindsay

It was really great having the on line coverage of the race commentary and results and the web cam was a brilliant idea. One of our team who was unable to get to Snetterton because of an injury to his foot remained at home and when we got back he knew more about what had happened than we did.

Many congratulations to Martin and Chris and everyone else involved in it.

We emailed all of our friends and told them they could follow the race and I know that a lot of them kept in touch with the event all over the UK and further afield.

Martin, were you selling your little radios this year? If so that needs publicising a bit more as several of us would have bought one to use.

Finally, many congratulations Martin on a great result for Team Fine Print. We look forward to seeing you next year.

Derek Harnett

Excellent coverage, well done to all involved.

The in-car camera was brilliant and being able to listen to commentary at the same time as watch the timimg screens was pretty cool.

Two small, small suggestions for even better coverage next year (and I appreciate a huge amount was done in a very short space of time this year):

- more web cams please, and perhaps the choice for the visitor to pick which camera they watch

- coming in some way through the race it was hard to know what had happened to that point.  A couple of times the commentators looked back over their notes as they were discussing a team or incident and told us what had happened earlier.  If those notes could be made on a PC and available via the web (perhaps the twitter feed) that would be a big help, not only to occasional visitors over the weekend but also those looking to do a race report afterwards.


Thanks for letting those of us far away be able to check in in real time, it was a 1st class service.

Martin Harrold

All:

Thanks for all the nice comments. The delightful Maria poked her lens in just everywhere! And if we don't get a bit emotional now and then, why bother with life? Actually, it may just have been relief that I wouldn't have to be arguing with the scrutineer for another year. He never did explain why he thought our comedy diffuser was illegal.

One of the spin-offs of the webcast was that one Paul Leason (newbies - he's something of a club legend) was listening in the USofA. And he's already working out how to wangle a trip over here next year to take his seat again in our car. We enjoy working with all our drivers, but Paul is the only one who's ever won in our car (at Anglesey in August 2003) and he holds a special place in the affections of the team. If he comes over, expect us to be raring to go.

As for Radio Fine Print, we'll make it happen again in '10. Problem now is that with the videocast the bar has been raised substantially. Yes, Derek (fancy a drive next year?), we plan to arrange many more cameras, workign with DriveData, but whereas we scrounged a lot of stuff and facilities this year, more money will be needed. Indeed, quite a lot more. An obvious possible source for some of that is Citroen Ltd, which is why I'm delighted to see their activity on the retro scene and to have gained a couple of names to contact. If anyone else has business connections that might see some benefit in being associated with the world-wide Radio Fine Print, then please get in touch.

We'll also need to recruit some extra techie volunteers to train to help with the video operation, including being a sort of 'Programme Director'. If anyone reading this knows about that kind of thing or is interested in helping / learning about that, let me know. Now I watch the touring cars and F1 coverage and think - just how much does that all cost?

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Martin Harrold

Oh - and reply to Mary:

I had 87 ear radios left from the original stock and I think 83 of them got taken up as freebies by the marshals, as happens most years. I can get some more for next year.

Woud you believe that we forgot to bring a 'proper' radio into our own garage?

With the web video coverage, I guess I'll have to ask Chris Y whther we can set up some kind of local wireless network so we can all connect our laptops to the web while in the garages.

Incidentally, Chris did absolutely amazing work on the audio and video cast - I may be someone who has ideas and pushes them along, but he just grabbed the webcast idea and built it up and made it all work. Thanks, Chris, for all that great work. He had great support from Mike Rump the audio guy and John Chambers of DriveData, so thanks to both of them as well.
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Derek Coghill

Martin, Norry Taylor thought the internet stuff was really good (he phoned me a couple of times to tell me, then again to ask why we were back in the teens somewhere...).

As for the comedy diffuser, I had a thought about this at the time (but after we spoke about it); it alters the silhouette of the car.

Derek Harnett

Martin,

I came very close to putting a bid in for the badgeroo seat that came up at short notice this year, but in the end it was too short notice for me to get organised.  But it certainly got me thining and I'm very interested in discussing a seat next year.  I'll be thinking about options (of which bringing a car over unfortunately is not one, so I am definitely looking for a seat) and watching out for driver wanted notices next season.

In terms of the services and programming and technical support, I wonder if some of the digital media colleges and their students might not be interested in such a project? A very nice technical challenge to let them loose on, and perhaps a cost effective way to get the job done?

Andrew Bull

Derek,

Correct me if i'm wrong but acc. to Blue book The silhouette rule only applies above the center-line of the wheels so i doubt that that would have been the issue??? could it have been ride height? or the catch all '...if it doesn't say you can, you must assume you cannot do it...''

As for the laptops in the garage, to view the webcast stuff, that would contravene the PIT -Car / Car -pit communication rules, as the driver would be able to inform the team back at the garage what the problem was and also shout out fuel gauge readings etc.  Tete rouge racing had the opportunity this year to have the video feed in the garage (as it was our car carrying the camera's) however we realized that this could be a contravention of said rules and quickly did a u-turn on this facility. 

How this is policed if someone in the campsite feeding it back to the team..........food for thought.

However I did hear that there was over 150 users logged in watching the feeds. 
Andrew Bull
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Derek Coghill

I haven't looked at the blue book yet, just the club's regs. However, there's also..."It shall be the intention, at all times, to preserve a standard external appearance to the cars".

I see the problem with the webcast film; however, communication (if possible) would only be one-way, and would be visible to all watching. I've got some in-car film from some time ago, and you can more-or-less make out the swearing but that's about it due to other noise going on.

Simon Crook

Andrew I was one of the 150 users logged in, sitting in the motorhome in the paddock ;D
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