Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Can anyone enlighten me as to the differences between the traditional,"red" transponder,and the more recent"yellow" transponder seen at some racer recently?   Are they both usable at the same time??  Thans....John

they've all been available for a while. basically the red ones are for car racing, the yellow ones are for karting and the orange ones are for motorcross. not sure what the actual names for them are now but they used to be transx260(red), transx160(yellow) and transxmx(orange). each one has different rates and strength of signal based on the vehicle they are used on.  the rate is determined by the top speed of the vehicle and the strength based on how far above the buried antenna it can be conveniently mounted.  

 the red ones have a strong signal at a high rate so they can be mounted up to 12"-16" above the track (24" max above the antenna buried in the track) and can handle speeds up to about 160mph.

the yellow ones have a low signal strength since karts would have them mounted within inches of the track and a rate that can handle top speeds in the 90mph range.

the orange ones have a Strong signal since they are most conveniently mounted high up on the bikes forks and about the same rate as the karts for 90mph speeds.

they also sell models for r/c cars, ones embedded in bibs for runners and one for the higher speed racing like nascar and indy car.

i've worked with the system for 9 years at a track in central pa. if you have any other questions email me as i don't get on this forum that often.   [email protected]

Generally for sprint cars there are 2 that i am aware of, the red onces are from AMB (now called may laps: http://www.mylaps.com). The yellow ones are from Westhold (http://www.westhold.com).  The westhold system is becoming more popular becasue of the transponder cost to the drivers is a lot less,  AMB are over $400 ea. the Westhold are around $230.  If the the track has a Decoder box for each system then you can use either one; otherwise you need to use the one that the track specifies.  I score at Fremont and Attica and we use the westhold systm.

hth,

Ross

I purchased a "orange"  Mylaps transponder online a couple years ago, the orange case looks extreemly similar color wise to the "red" cased transponder, after trial and error, the transponder did not function correctly with the tracks loop, pricewise it was about $100-$125 less than the required "red " case transponder, Obviously my intrest in purchase,  trouble was, it didnt work, Mylaps has app your crew can navigate to to find your immediate lap times, kinda intresting for your track tayloring and finding the sweetspot, these things are pricey, I still rent one from the tracks I visit, why? i dont kno.. my luck, ill cough up the dough for it and something else will come along they will switch too..  anyway, I hope the app is something worthy of the $400 kick in the rear.

Reason for the inquiry was this...went to a sprint car "open" show in Western Penna. last sunday,and the track used a "yellow" transponder that they "rented" to the racers,including a pouch.for $40. They said the "red" AMBIT transponder that most western Pa. racers were forced to buy a few years ago was not compatible with their system.Many of the guys expressed displeasure at the situation,and I feel that it's wrong that a racer is,in effect,responsible for his own scoring,and that a track would us the situation as a "profit center"........bad enough that it cost $35 to get in the back gate........J 

$40 is pretty steep.  Here in Ohio its $5~$10 rental.  I know Fremont, Attica, Waynsfield, Limaland, Wayne Co. all use the yellow (westhold) system. Purchase price is about $235

http://www.computermaninc.net/transponder.pdf

selinsgrove rents them for $10 a night. one owner told me that the purchase price (at that time 275, now 490) was worth it if it kept him from getting screwed out of a position.  our hand scorers do an unbelievable job and are very, very rarely off from the computer but there is no one waiting to replace them. i do not know why tracks making new purchases dont go with the mylaps system. it is def the leader in this area. Nascar, indy car, forumula 1, olympics all use mylaps. the westhold system is popular in VA, WV & MD so tracks down there stay with the same system for the drivers that travel around.  btw don't be confused with the yellow mylaps transponders as they are for karting.