‰  NOW 30 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM DECEMBER 2008 QST  PAGES 57 AND 73  ‰

TIMING TABLE.  HERE I HAD A CLOSE UP VIEW OF ITS OPERATION.  AS RUNNERS
COMPLETED THEIR ASSIGNED STAGE THEY TRAVELED THROUGH A CHUTE OF SORTS THAT
WOULD GUIDE THEIR PATH DIRECTLY ALONGSIDE AN RF SENSITIVE MAT.  THE RUNNER
WOULD TAP THE BATON CONTAINING AN RFID CHIP ONTO THE RF SENSITIVE MAT TO
SIGNAL THE END OF HER OR HIS LEG FIGURE 3.  HE OR SHE WOULD THEN HAND OFF
THE BATON TO THE NEXT RUNNER.  THESE ACTIONS WERE RECORDED USING BOTH THE
INTERNAL LOGGING CAPABILITIES OF THE EQUIPMENT AS WELL AS MANUAL LOGS KEPT
BY VOLUNTEERS.  MAINTAINING ACCURATE TIMING LOGS ARE CRITICAL AS TIME IS
THE PRIMARY BASIS FOR RACE RESULTS AND PLACEMENT.  AT THIS POSITION WE USED
A LARGE ATOMIC CLOCK THAT ALSO PROUDLY DISPLAYED THE CURRENT TEMPERATURE, A
FREQUENT REMINDER OF WHY WE WERE DRESSED LIKE ESKIMOS.  AS THE NIGHT
PROGRESSED, THE THERMOMETER DROPPED FROM MID 40S TO MID 30S BY EARLY
MORNING.  THE CHIP TIMER AND BATON TRADE OFF AREAS DO NOT REQUIRE THE USE
OF AN AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE BUT HAMS USUALLY STAFF THESE POSITIONS AS WELL.
‰  FROM PAGE 73  ‰
VE3VSW 116 2 7 582 ON JVARC K3DNA 96 2 9 576 WPA Waldo Co. ARA N1TN 169 2 8
538 ME Boyer Valley ARC K0BVC 116 2 9 522 IA Carteret Co. ARS W4YMI 57 2 15
‰  END OF 30 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ