TdF - Question: What kind of Radios . . .

Greetings newsgroupers,

I keep hearing that Lance, and others, have radios in their helmets.

Does anyone know anything about them? Can they talk on them?

What kind of radios are they? How much do they weigh, cost, etc?

Can the signals be monitored with a scanner receiver?

Do all riders hear the same thing? Or what?

Thanks all,

- Stan Shankman

From Popular Science
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science...462473,00.html

To keep tabs on Tour rivals and plan tactics, Armstrong and his U.S.
Postal Service team will use credit- card-size Alinco DJ-C5T dual-band
two-way radios. This year the radios were specially configured (the
team isn't saying how) to avoid eavesdropping.

Search for Alinco DJ-C5T. They run about $160 @
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/ht/0058.html

Stan Shankman wrote:
Greetings newsgroupers,

I keep hearing that Lance, and others, have radios in their helmets.

The USPS time trial helmets are apparently an integrated system, but
most of the time the radio is carried in a jersey pocket with a wired
mic and earphone. You can see the earphones on many riders, attached
with a strip of tape on the ear.

Does anyone know anything about them? Can they talk on them?

Certainly. 2001's Alpe d'Huez stage coverage showed LANCE playing with
his radio and Rubiera was heard telling LANCE to "ride with it broken."
Probably part of LANCE's infamous act that day. And Jakob Piil spoke
briefly to his coach before winning his stage early this week(?). He
bent his head down to his chest with his hand apparently triggering his
mic button.

There are DVD's available of the last several Tours. Great watching.
Try worldcyclingproductions.

What kind of radios are they? How much do they weigh, cost, etc?

Can the signals be monitored with a scanner receiver?

Yes. I saw a snippet in a report yesterday (USPS team site IIRC) that
says Bruyneel has a scanner in his car.

Do all riders hear the same thing? Or what?

No. USPS seeks the best stuff including scramblers.

Thanks all,

- Stan Shankman




--
--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
"I'm not proud. We really haven't done everything we could to protect
our customers. Our products just aren't engineered for security."
--Microsoft VP in charge of Windows OS Development, Brian Valentine.

Dan wrote:

From Popular Science
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science...462473,00.html

To keep tabs on Tour rivals and plan tactics, Armstrong and his U.S.
Postal Service team will use credit- card-size Alinco DJ-C5T dual-band
two-way radios. This year the radios were specially configured (the
team isn't saying how) to avoid eavesdropping.

Search for Alinco DJ-C5T. They run about $160 @
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/ht/0058.html

Features Mosquito repeller??!! LOL. I bet that's useful. Not.

No, when he faked being "in difficulty" on one of the earlier climbs, Col du
Madeleine or something like that.


"F1" wrote in message
k.net...
What "infamous act" are you talking about? Are you referring to when
Lance
looked back at Jan Ullrich as he attacked?

"Raptor" wrote in message ...
Stan Shankman wrote:

Certainly. 2001's Alpe d'Huez stage coverage showed LANCE playing with
his radio and Rubiera was heard telling LANCE to "ride with it broken."
Probably part of LANCE's infamous act that day.