GPS Driven Rally Equipment

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Steve Douglas
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GPS Driven Rally Equipment

#1 Post by Steve Douglas »

Hi, I have seen several Rally being done with GPS/Computer driven systems. Most are real expensive and take a lot of computer geeks to set up. I have seen a few Rally being run where the participants only need a simple APP and smart Cell Phone. Anyone out there have experience on doing Rallys with this kind of setup. Cost is important, as is the ease of use for non-geeks.
Roadbook and Rally Check are a couple, not simple.

Dave Erickson
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Re: GPS Driven Rally Equipment

#2 Post by Dave Erickson »

Steve. I'm interested too. This app looks interesting if you have an iphone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rally-tri ... 1063654075

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Jim Goodlett
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Re: GPS Driven Rally Equipment

#3 Post by Jim Goodlett »

Steve Douglas wrote: Sun May 22, 2022 12:31 pm Hi, I have seen several Rally being done with GPS/Computer driven systems.
If you are talking of the in car GPS rally computers, THE best on the market and the one most utilized for TSD rallies, is the TerraTrip 303 GPS...mountain of accouterments that you can get for it including extra GPS antenna as well as Remote display for GeoTrip Rally Computer...Murray Motorsport sells them and always seem to have them in stock (I have one for the 1978 Porsche 911SC Safari Rally car, and another for my 1980 Porsche Type 930 tarmac Rally car)...you can also get extra mount brackets for another car so you just swap the head unit), which is what I will be doing for the 1962 T6 356 I have recently acquired and making into a rallye car as well...more here on the 303 GP main unit
https://www.murraymotorsport.com/terrat ... tEALw_wcB
Steve Douglas wrote: Sun May 22, 2022 12:31 pm Most are real expensive and take a lot of computer geeks to set up. I have seen a few Rally being run where the participants only need a simple APP and smart Cell Phone. Anyone out there have experience on doing Rallys with this kind of setup. Cost is important, as is the ease of use for non-geeks.
Roadbook and Rally Check are a couple, not simple.
Reading this bit and pondering Steve if you are looking to put on a rally and thus need timing equippe for the start and finish points, or you are just looking for a phone app to utilize for rallye events with you and a sheet tosser?
1974 RSR
1978 911SC Safari Rally
1984 Type 930 Rally
2015 Turbo Diesel Cayenne Rally Raid

and in the making:
1962 T6 Rallye 356B

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Jeffrey Vogel
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Re: GPS Driven Rally Equipment

#4 Post by Jeffrey Vogel »

i just ran the Great American Mountain Rally in my 356 with a Terra Trip 303 GPS unit and it was very accurate, easy to set up and install . For an odometer it's perfect for a speedometer less so as GPS has a lag in recording momentum and for the speed I would use a timewise unit
jeffrey vogel
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Dave Erickson
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Re: GPS Driven Rally Equipment

#5 Post by Dave Erickson »

Steve, what would be the difference between the two types of rallies? I would think that in any rally, having the most accurate equipment would enable the best score.

Steve Douglas
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Re: GPS Driven Rally Equipment

#6 Post by Steve Douglas »

Dave, there are several different types of rallies. For the use of a GPS in a rally it would be a Time and Distance rally, where you need to calculate the speed needed to cover a distance between check points arriving at a prescribed time. Several variations to that have been created over the years. In the "day" we would use a wrist watch or a stop watch and Curta Calculator, or for us on a budget a Stevens rally calculator. Now there are Richta, Roadblock, and some more GPS driven systems, even smart phones can do many of the calculation, can map routes, and log in to events using rally apps. Some are completely virtual, without leaving home, no fun in that.
Others may not use time or distance as a factor, purely navigational. Some might give you a route to follow and you keep track of the mileage, using check points or landmarks, mixed in with gimmicks to alter the true course.
There have been multitudes of types: many were doable back in the 50-60s, but no longer ethical/legal such as the Hare and Hound. A hare would start off, using small bags of flour to mark the course, depending upon the interpretation of the splatter pattern, the "hounds" would follow, a mess that would not be cleaned up. Or the old paper plates with codes written on them nailed to telephone poles, directing participants to follow the sometimes bogus clues, lots would be left hanging for years. Local police do not look favorable on a bunch of cars wandering thru neighborhoods in the dark, so back roads are preferred.
Nowadays there aren't the number of rallies that there were 40 years ago. In the SF bay are there were weekly rallies, starting from the Rally Club in Sunnyvale, East Bay Rallymasters from Concord, and others, plus SCCA, Bay Area Sports cars, local chapters of car clubs, and NSCC (Northern California Sports Car Club). Also PCA did some great rallies for their members, a memorable one was a Halloween rally ending up in the cemetery in Los Gatos. Back then many of us we ran 2 or 3 a month, great cheap entertainment, driving the 356s mixed in with other "sports cars".
Now the biggest factor is to find people to help, man check points, and clean up any signage. With a total GPS driven rally, there are virtual check points, all electronic route instructions and with the latest rally inspired equipment it can be done by one person, electronic scoring, and even real time monitoring or the participants. However it isn't cheap, nor quick to put on. Although there are some Apps that use cellular networks, if available, coverage is not always good in remote areas.
I prefer an old school rally, but intrigued by the new era of digital and virtual rallies.
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