Desert races can stretch across hundreds of miles of mountains, valleys and isolated terrain where direct radio communication is often impossible. In 2016, Rugged Radios addressed that challenge with a purpose-built mobile communications station designed to reach an elevated location and help connect race teams with their drivers.
The Rugged Radios Relay Vehicle was created to provide communications support during the 2016 Best In The Desert season. Once positioned on a mountaintop overlooking the course, its radios, antennas and supporting equipment could help relay information between racers, chase crews and pit personnel who could not communicate directly.
A Mobile Mountaintop Communications Station
A radio relay works by placing an operator and communications equipment at a location with better line of sight. Instead of trying to transmit through a mountain or across the entire racecourse, a team could contact the Rugged Relay crew, which could then pass the message to the driver or another member of the team.
The service gave participating teams another way to check a vehicle’s location, communicate important race information and maintain contact across terrain that could block ordinary radio-to-radio transmissions.
The vehicle was staffed by a two-person team and equipped with high-powered Vertex VX6000 radios, satellite internet service, a cellular signal amplifier and other communications equipment. Racers and support crews could switch to the designated Rugged Relay channel when they needed assistance reaching someone elsewhere on the course.
Ford F-150 Off-Road Platform
The relay system needed more than powerful radios. It also needed a vehicle capable of carrying personnel and equipment into remote locations high above the racecourse.
Rugged Radios started with an aluminum-body Ford F-150 four-wheel-drive SuperCab supplied by Team Ford in Las Vegas. A custom pop-up camper from Four Wheel Campers created an enclosed operating area while still keeping the truck relatively compact for off-road travel.
Camburg Engineering installed a uniball upper control-arm system to increase front suspension travel and improve durability. FOX bypass shocks helped control the truck in rough terrain, while KMC Machete wheels and General all-terrain tires provided a wider stance and additional off-road traction without making the truck impractical on pavement.
Power, Antennas and Remote-Race Support
NV Fab constructed custom bumpers with dual swing-out carriers for the spare tire and generator. A 2,000-watt Honda generator supplied independent power for the communications equipment when the truck was stationed far from conventional electrical service.
The relay truck also carried telescoping antennas that could extend approximately 20 feet above the vehicle. Combining that antenna height with a carefully selected mountaintop location gave the radio operators a much better chance of reaching teams positioned across the course.
KC HiLiTES equipped the truck with an LED lighting package for early-morning and nighttime operations. LED light bars illuminated the surrounding area, while roof-mounted Cyclone lights made the truck easier to identify after dark.
Supporting Best In The Desert Racing
The project followed a request from Best In The Desert founder Casey Folks, who asked how Rugged Radios could help race teams remain connected during the series. The resulting relay service was announced for the complete 2016 Best In The Desert season.
The truck made an early appearance at the Mint 400 before being used to expand Rugged Radios’ communications support capabilities. Its combination of mobility, independent power, long-range antennas and multiple communications systems allowed the crew to establish a temporary radio station in places that would otherwise be difficult to reach.
Although communications technology has continued to evolve, the Relay Vehicle illustrates a problem that remains central to desert racing: transmitting a radio signal over long distances is as much about terrain, antenna position and line of sight as it is about transmitter power.
Learn more about current race radios, intercom systems and communications equipment at Rugged Radios.
Rugged Radios Relay Vehicle Gallery
