Communications

[James]

I think we can look at ways to improve communication for the next run - between entrants and controls etc

[GreenV8Machine]

I use 2 way radios between me and the old man. When out of range, we're out of range, but if someone within 2 miles is at a slightly difficult to find stop (eg sugar loaf or pimperne and is stumped at the last second) they can be helped to it, or if some one heading a bunch-up isnt confident on their location and wants a different leader they can call back to a follower, or if someones broken down at the back of a convoy thats disappeared on the horizon (like my pop) they can call for a part, or if theres a problem with a car in front (like my flat) it can be called up, somone wanting a confirm of cars ahead location after being chopped off a convoy at traffic lights, or a drop out message relayed.
I know its sort of cheating, but when youre well out th way on youre own youre on your own, but when on target and within 2 miles wanting a few pointers before a control stop closes, youre pretty much on target anyway!

[thescrapman]

coventry_kid wrote:

Obviously, it is not fair to burden Tim with the task of keeping track on who is late or out, as he is trying to complete his own RBRR, but is there a way for marshalls to communicate with each other, or could the drivers have marshalls' mobile numbers to let them know of any delays? Ideally, all crews should be within the hour slot, or adapt their route to keep on time, but sometimes, it just cant happen.

I was thinking on this.

A smaller subset of the broadcast mobile phone database could be created, that broadcasts just to the marshalls.

That way all will know specific cars having timing (or retirement) issues.

Perhaps each stop lists the cars that have not clocked in 30 mins after control has closed.

Known retirements could be broadcast out from mission control etc.

Cheers

Colin

[Deleted User]

Ah, but what if a crew cuts and runs to save time, missing out an intermediate control?

The onus should always be on the crew to contact the marshals at the next control if they are running really late.

A list of the head marshal's phone numbers for each control would be more helpful.

Anything else is an organisational nightmare.

Jim.

[Keith]

thescrapman wrote:

I was thinking on this.

A smaller subset of the broadcast mobile phone database could be created, that broadcasts just to the marshalls.

That way all will know specific cars having timing (or retirement) issues.

Perhaps each stop lists the cars that have not clocked in 30 mins after control has closed.

Known retirements could be broadcast out from mission control etc.

Cheers

Colin

Colin, you're not the first one to think of this, it was available but rejected by the committee on cost grounds, along with crew to crew messaging for technical help.

Perhaps we can get a deal with a mobile phone company to reduce costs or increase the entry fees next time if it is considered a good idea.

Keith

[Deleted User]

Quote:

it was available but rejected by the committee on cost grounds, along with crew to crew messaging for technical help.

Just what you need in the middle of the night when you're trying to get some kip, your mobile going off every five minutes with random crews looking for random spares.

Loads of fun if you're someone like Tim, who is running the event while he is also taking part and can't switch his phone off.  I'd be switching my phone off for the duration of the event.

Just a small point but are we getting too tied up in technical electronic wizardry when we're supposed to be concentrating on driving round Britain proving how reliable our cars are and how resilient we are?

To illustrate the point, just look at how many crews didn't even use the message board.

Jim.

[Keith]

That's a fair point Jim, I would have included filtering so help request messages only went to crews with the same engine or running gear to reduce spam, but there is a danger of technology taking over or being self defeating!
Anyway this is thread drift and we shouldn't be discussing it here.

Keith

[James]

Assuming the costs can be kept under control I think this should be used next time.

Do you mind paying an extra £5-10 to be able to use such a service? The cost is tiny compared to the total cost of the whole weekend - and it could mean the difference between a few crews finishing the event. Think of it a little bit like insurance - chances are you might not need it, but if you do it pays for itself to allow you to finish the event.

It should be per car rather than per crew to make sense.

As for having your phone beep every five minutes - stick it on silent. And it wouldn't be that often... besides if you need to use it I think you'd rather put up a few messages during the event asking for spares...

[Tim Bancroft]

All crews were asked to contact Nigel about any problems that they were encountering.

I must have received 50-60 texts during the event, what was I supposed to do, stop and answer them.

We will sort this out next time, however as usual not may crews took the time to read the Finals and other instructions.

For me, the only negative about the event.

I loved the RBRR this time, I am relieved about this as my enthusiasm was dropping.

[thescrapman]

timbancroft61 wrote:

I must have received 50-60 texts during the event, what was I supposed to do, stop and answer them.

Tim

Get 2 cheap pay as you go Sim cards. 1 for Nigel and make that the only number you publish, and one for you to use just for the weekend.

Put in big letters "MY PHONE IS SWITCHED OFF AS I AM DRIVING" across the roadbook.

Anyway, I like all the stops. Stopping is nice.

Skiatch was a good move, now need to find one between Blythe and Edinburgh.

The extra cakes at Oswestry were great. Whoever was responsible needs a medal.

Bude was great, we need more Budes!

Cheers

Colin

[jonnyk5614]

On the subject of the broadcast service, in two years, lets be honest, how many people won't have some sort of interweb enabled device.
Be it a simple web site, an email or even an app, it'll be free to anyone on unlimited data and for those who arn't, I'm yet to see a data addon for more than a fiver.
The only problem was, in our car, my phone was running the satnav and Darren's the speed camera detector! Next time, I won't have a bust computer and will therefore be able to load the speed cameras into my phone in advance.

[Tim Bancroft]

Exactly.

[Keith]

1045 wrote:

On the subject of the broadcast service, in two years, lets be honest, how many people won't have some sort of interweb enabled device.
Be it a simple web site, an email or even an app, it'll be free to anyone on unlimited data and for those who arn't, I'm yet to see a data addon for more than a fiver.
The only problem was, in our car, my phone was running the satnav and Darren's the speed camera detector! Next time, I won't have a bust computer and will therefore be able to load the speed cameras into my phone in advance.

To be of any use broadcast messaging needs to be 'push' rather than 'pull'. No-one will be pulling down web pages all the time on their device during the RBRR just to see if there's a message for them.
That means SMS or e-mail, so I don't think the need for SMS will go away. E-mail broadcasting was available this time but disabled at the request of the organisers.

Keith

[SteveJP]

I agree with Keith, the SMS service is fine, I have a simple mobile phone, don't want one with lots of apps, good as they are I don't need one despite what the mobile phone salesman tries to tell me.

I want to concentrate on driving, not the electronic wizardry we carry on us in this day and age, anyway, what happens when your co-driver is asleep and your phone goes? Wake him/her up to read it or pull over on a dark road?

I think common sense needs to prevail as to whats needed and what people with the new gizmo's would like. :)

I'm not a luddite, appreciate the worth of new technologies  and use those I can see value with, but not at the expense of simplicity ( I use a simple standalone Sat Nav - Garmin Nuvi )

Oh, and my favourite Control Stop? - Sugar Loaf - surreal experience ;D

Steve

[James]

The main use should be for spares and emergency messages. I think in this respect it can be improved by entrants being able to do spares or help requests.

[shedmonkey]

modern shite the lot of it - what do you need for the RBR?- some spares, tools and a never say die attitude ,if you breakdown or cant continue phone ahead or to someone you know is still running to inform the next control
The SMS service should only be used for taking the piss out of Ellis

[Alex]

ajp wrote:

modern shite the lot of it - what do you need for the RBR?- some spares, tools and a never say die attitude ,if you breakdown or cant continue phone ahead or to someone you know is still running to inform the next control
The SMS service should only be used for taking the piss out of Ellis

;D

[Russell]

jcarruthers wrote:

The main use should be for spares and emergency messages. I think in this respect it can be improved by entrants being able to do spares or help requests.

A spares request service would be good, but then again we have the paper list of who's got what, and a number per car, so it's down to individual teams to contact each other.

I used the SMS service a bit. I imagine anything over and above that would add extra load on the central control, who already have a fair job keeping track of everyone.

But then, what do I know. We did the whole thing without a SatNav, as usual. I borrowed one in case either of us were too tired to navigate, but it stayed in my bag the whole trip!

Keep it simple, mobile phone, list of numbers and spares. Seems to work.

Russell.

[willcolumbine]

My Spitfire is too loud to hear my phone so it doesn't matter how sophisticated the message system it, I won't hear it!  :)

[Keith]

Split this thread off as it seems to having drifted somewhat!

Keith

[Roger Keys]

RussellBanyard wrote:

A spares request service would be good, but then again we have the paper list of who's got what, and a number per car, so it's down to individual teams to contact each other.

I used the SMS service a bit. I imagine anything over and above that would add extra load on the central control, who already have a fair job keeping track of everyone.

But then, what do I know. We did the whole thing without a SatNav, as usual. I borrowed one in case either of us were too tired to navigate, but it stayed in my bag the whole trip!

Keep it simple, mobile phone, list of numbers and spares. Seems to work.

Russell.

Well put. We dont need more electronic nonsense.

Just imagine, we used to do it with no phones and no sat navs. Radical

[Deleted User]

You mean no sat nav?

No mobile phones?

No MMS, SMS?

No satellite tracking?

No Blackberrys, PDA's or fancy electronis gizmos?

Now you're just being ridiculous!

Suddenly I'd feel very alone.

I'll go hide under the stairs till I can get a satellite fix.

Jim.

[GT6 John]

It intrigues me that an event designed to show the reliability of our classics, that was started back in the days when mobile phones didn't exist, the interweb didn't exist and if you broke down you had to walk to the nearest public phone box or flag down a passing car for help, that our reliance on technology is slowly but surely making us frightened to do anything or go anywhere without this new technology as back up.

Many will claim this as hog wash and it's just if the technology is there why not use it? But in which case where do we stop? Why not do the event in your modern car if you wish to use modern technology since it's so much better and useful?

I use sat nav and mobile phones etc. the same as the rest of us in my day to day life, I have no problem as such with new technologies and their usefulness to us, BUT the RBRR is about a previous era when cars were driven and not simply plugged in. It has a rawness and a reality to it that draws us in precisely because we're bored with the sanitised lives we lead day to day that don't require any real thought or skill on our part as it's all done for us through technology. It's why we drive the heaps of 60s tat that we do! ;D

I think if you go down the road of introducing technology after technology to a classic car event simply because you can, that the RBRR will lose that bite, that rawness, that je ne sais quoi that makes it so wonderfully satisfying to complete - knowing you've done it in spite of modern technology, not because of it is a feeling few know these days.

But then again, perhaps I'm just an old fart! :P

[Slimboyfat]

So we are all in agreement then ditch the Sat Nav's, and go back to the roots of the event.

Our eldest is one of the first generation Sat Nav dependant motorists who has never looked at a road map. I have lost count of the number of times she has rung us totally lost because for one reason or another she's fell out with the box of tricks on the dash.  

[James]

John - you forget that spares are rather useful when the only source are the ones we are carrying with us or a stockist.

Back then there was a network of Triumph garages full of parts all over the country?