I hope someone can help you with a contact. That company was run by a fellow named Carlos. I can only suggest that you try contacting Mammoth Mt. California. They used to have a great deal of this kind of equipment. Perhaps they know something.
Precision Timing in Montreal is your best bet for upgrading your system.
Ted Savage and Mike Mullins know what they are talking about. It is really a matter of how much time you or your staff want to mess around with older gear. I have clients down here that do the same thing. I have been in this business since the late 70s and I know that at some point they are going to have to replace it all. At some
point it does come to a complete investment. Track record wise the ALGE gear has proven to be the best from that standpoint. ALGE is the only brand sold in North America that has had timers dating from 1980 homologated by the FIS. A 1981 S3 timer hooked to software can become a potent package even today.
The major thing you have to get across to your management is that the timing gear is only one part of the equation. I tell my customers to spend money in the following order:
1) Hill wiring- decent cabling that is terminated in soldered banana plug sockets in weather resistant boxes mounted on steel posts or buildings. Modern timing sensors all work with banana plug modes.
2) Timing building itself - power, lights, heat, windows that won't fog up, decent countertop.
3) Sensors on the hill - start gates, photocells, (the only part of your system that most racers see is your start gate, get a good one and the overall perception is better)
4) Timing equipment- buy a really good all weather timer like a TDC 8000 if your timing building is substandard, buy a simple time base like an S4 to use with a notebook PC if the building is decent. Software will always be more powerful for the money but it requires more infrastructure.
5) Display boards and sound systems - make sure you have all of the above taken care of first. Broadcasting bad information is worse than none. The minute you start making the times public is the minute you are instantly judged on your competence.
One final note. It is my opinion that all races need to be scored properly. Any entrant that signs up regardless of their status deserves a professionally timed run. The sanctioned organizations like the FIS have established standards. At their races you have no choice, at your races please consider adopting a good percentage of their standards.
You will find a great deal of topics on this forum relating to getting your system upgraded. Thanks for joining in.
Originally posted 30 Mar 2002 by Fred Patton
