TRANSPONDER Wars - VERY Important

[Dick Roberts (Web admin)]

Posted by Martin Harrold on May 07, 2003 at 21:43:44:

Dear all,
Some may know that most timing transponders used in UK are made in Holland by either Chron-It or AMB. Chron-It are brought in and sold in UK by the shy and retiring Motor Sports Timing (MST). AMB are brought in and sold by various firms, including our very good friends at Sports Timing Services.
Commercial war has broken out between these two companies, with legal cases flying in all directions.
The two manufacturers are being particularly childish in many of their actions, not the least of which is that a situation now exists where new Chron-It units won't work with AMB decoders (that is the bit at the end of the aerial wire across the track which turns your signal into a print out).
I don't understand the full implications, but my un-informed guess is that where a meeting is timed by MST, Chron-It and AMB units will probably work. If it is timed by one of the brave independent (and less costly) companies (as Snetterton will be), then possibly only AMB will work. For your info, we've run the AMB unit at two meetings timed by MST this season and it appears to have triggered the system OK.
Quite how this appalling situation has arisen and why BARC and the other race organising clubs have allowed it to arise and have failed to keep their members informed of the situation is something about which you might like to speculate. You might even like to ask Dennis Carter for a statement on the matter.
However, for Snetterton, there will be ABSOLUTEY NO PROBLEM. If you have an AMB unit, and my team is one of the few that stood against the pressure from BARC / MST last season and bought AMB, then it will work OK. If you have a Chron-It, then it will have a well earned rest for the w/e. David Jones of STS has 70 AMB units which he will be happy to hire to anyone who wants one. I'm not sure of the cost, but I guess it will be around £10, plus around £2 for the window mounting bracket.
Please check your unit now and let me know if you have Chron-It. Not too big a deal as we only need 46 max and David Jones has 70 AMB.
Best wishes, Martin Harrold