Hi all,
As you might be aware NT and WA are now using or very shortly using Mylaps Transponders as their primary source for lap scoring at their meetings.
It is now SA’s time to decide whether to implement Mylaps Transponders as well, this also includes Weipa as they are the only other club not using them at present.
Mylaps have been very generous with their offers and for holding costs at same price for several months already. It must be taken into serious consideration as this offer won’t last for very long.
The offer from Mylaps is as follows
- 30 x TR2 transponders (2 year subscription) @ $199.00 total $5970.00
- With these clubs will receive FREE of charge
- X2 server and decoder with cabling
- Orbit 5 ‘standard’ software
- Detector loop (20 metres)
- Total saving of $9181.70
- There will be an additional freight charge of approx $35.00 per unit.
So if we sell 30 transponders to drivers @ $199.00 we will receive the operating system at NO charge.
Additional Costs for Clubs
-Only other expense would be that of replacing the loop to new Mylaps Loop
-Clubs may need to upgrade their Laptop, the minimum requirements are
-1GHz 32-bit(x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
-1024 MB memory
-Approx 200 MB of hard disk space
-Network Adapter
-Operating System: Windows Vista (all versions), Windows 7 or 8 as a minimum.
-Clubs may elect to purchase Speedhive live timing but this is not essential and costs $1099 a year on subscription.
-We don’t expect clubs need to hold additional transponders for hire as it would be hard to get a return on your expense. Drivers can borrow others if a fault occurs at the track.
Costs For Drivers
- TR2 transponder with 2 year subscription $199.00 (includes Transponder, TR2 charge cradle, TR2 Holder and micro USB cable)
- Additional TR2 holders for additional karts are available @ $12.50 each
- Speedhive App for smartphones etc is for Drivers at NO COST and data available once uploaded by the club throughout the event.
- Ongoing costs for transponder subscription (initial price of $199.00 includes transponder, accessories and 2 years subscription) can be purchased via Speedhive App and at different rates.
- 1 year $84.99
- 2 Year $139.00
- 5 Year $289.00
- NOTE if a transponder stays in subscription it remains in Warranty, if subscription expires it loses warranty.
Operating the System
From all reports from clubs already using Mylaps and from the testing done in WA, the system is a lot easier to understand and operate that the previous Bechronised System. Importing Data is easy and once the basics are setup it can be used at most of your events with only minor changes (most people using Quickgrid will be able to operate Mylaps). There is an operating Manual available and in addition to this a Mylaps representative is willing to hold a training day as well in SA. Mylaps have also provided some Webinar sessions for clubs to use for Guidance. (see attached Email from Mylaps)
In additional to the support from Mylaps, the WA clubs are working on an operating handbook suited to our needs and will be available for all clubs.
Rules
The Transponder Committee with the help of a few others has presented a Rule Change to the RCP which has updated location of Transponder, rule etc for use with the Mylaps System (See attached Rule Change proposal).
Transponders v GPS
The question has been asked are we rushing into transponders with GPS technology advancing and possible way for the future. The Transponder Committee explored this and also spoke with Mylaps at length. The TR2 transponder has some GPS technology built in but Mylaps have no near future to use GPS for finishing or timing, It will be used for location on course only at this stage. All other research indicates the same scenario and transponders are more accurate and the preferred option for event organizers. Attached is an article explaining the differences and accuracy.
Hopefully this has answered most of the questions already asked by clubs.
Some points to consider in your decision making around transponders
- To be a viable proposition all clubs in SA need to involved as all drivers from Juniors and Seniors (Midget and Rookies Exempt) would require a Transponder.
- There is an option in the rules to allow exemptions for clubs who are unable to run transponders at certain times.
- The offer from Mylaps won’t last forever and if we don’t do it now it will cost clubs themselves $9181.70 in the future. This doesn’t include transponders this is just for the operating system.
- The clubs are getting a FREE operating system if we sell 30 transponders per unit.
- Clubs may elect to share operating systems but would still need the new loop and possible some cabling to upgrade existing loops.
- It would be a bulk buy and as long as we sell at the 30:1 ratio of transponders to Operating systems as a whole state the deal will apply. (example 10 units = 300 transponders) We would expect some clubs sell well in excess of 30 and some clubs may sell a lot less than 30 but as long as final figure equates the deal can be done.
- For it to work it must be implemented as a whole state and at the same time to get drivers to commit to purchasing a Transponder.
- Clubs would need to set a date for implementation but keep in mind the time factor of this deal.
- Clubs could set up member time payments for Transponders but full payment would be required prior to purchase.
Please consult your drivers as well, they are the ones paying for it. We will send a notification to drivers on the AIDKA App shortly as well, they will need to make comment through their club.
Regards
Transponder Committee
