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Tracking Baja 2000 racers via satellite

The Globalstar antenna (white cone in bed) played a key role in tracking the position of (and delivering photos from) this Pro Series off-road truck during the Baja 2000 race last November.

A rugged PC-compatible processor board from Arcom Control Systems, Inc. played a key role in tracking the position of (and delivering photos from) a Pro Series off-road truck in the Baja 2000 race last November 2000 via the Globalstar Communication Systems satellite network. Howard Rittberg, Regional Support Representative for Qualcomm, which manufactures phones for the Globalstar system, integrated the SBC-Geode-GXM board with a Qualcomm Globalstar GSP-1600 portable tri-mode satellite phone, a GPS positioning system, and a standard digital camera.

"The SBC-Geode board was ideal for this application because the COM and USB ports made the integration with the satellite phone, GPS, and video-input device simple and straightforward," Rittberg said. "The unit was programmed to periodically upload the position of the car and transmit Web cam photos through the satellite phone to a preconfigured website. The website could be viewed by anyone who wanted to track the truck's progress on the race course and also view images of the course from the camera mounted by the driver's head."

The Baja 2000 was the longest nonstop point-to-point desert race ever held, a grueling 80-h, 2700-km (1679-mi) race along the Baja California peninsula that started in Ensenada and ended in Cabo San Lucas. On a remote and dangerous course like that of the Baja 2000, dependable communications were a must. The only dependable communications devices were satellite phones because cellular coverage was not always available and VHF radio communication was limited by range. With previous Baja races, chase crews required race drivers to check in with them periodically so they could be prepared to respond to any emergency, but this was distracting and time consuming for the drivers.

This housing mounted in the Baja 2000 off-road race truck contained the Arcom motherboard.

For the Baja 2000 race, Rittberg, along with RallyTrack.com, helped develop a method that would provide updates of the car's position automatically while allowing the drivers to devote 100% of their attention to the road. For the benefit of the race support crew, sponsors, and general public, Rittberg also wanted to upload the position information and photos from a driver's-eye-view digital camera to a website so that anyone could follow the car's progress on a Web map. He needed a processor board that was compact and rugged enough to survive the challenging race conditions and provide sufficient interfaces to connect the satellite phone, digital camera, and GPS unit.

"The SBC Geode board provided the perfect solution," Rittberg said. "The board supported Windows 98, which made it easy for us to run third-party software to support the equipment used. With four serial ports and two USB ports, I had more than enough ports to connect all the equipment needed." Rallytrack.com custom built the rugged case used to house the SBC Geode board and other equipment.

The SBC-Geode-GXM is an EBX-compliant board based on the MMX-enhanced 233-MHz Geode processor. It is loaded with all standard PC interfaces as well as a range of multimedia features, including Chips & Technologies' 69000 HiQVideo graphics accelerator with support for STN, TFT, and EL flat-panel displays; Ethernet (PCI 2.1 compatible); touchscreen support; dual-USB ports; Soundblaster-compatible audio; and expansion using an onboard PC/104 interface.

The inside of the housing shows the Arcom motherboard, hard drive, and power supply.

Globalstar extends coverage beyond existing phone networks, carrying calls over a clear and secure Code Divisional Multiple Access (CDMA) satellite signal. Like "bent-pipes" or mirrors in the sky, the Globalstar constellation of 48 low-earth orbiting (LEO) satellites picks up signals from over 80% of the Earth's surface. Several satellites pick up a call, the "path diversity" reducing the possibility of blocked or dropped calls. The satellites continue transmission of the original signal to one of several terrestrial "gateways." Gateways process calls, then distribute them to existing fixed and cellular local networks. This design makes the Globalstar system and its services simple to manage, expand, and improve.

- Kevin Jost

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