Afar delivers wireless telemetry system for the NASCAR Nextel Cup

NASCAR uses Afar radios for wireless telemetry Santa Barbara, California, January 4, 2008  –  Afar Communications Inc. announced today the delivery of a wireless telemetry system to Sportvision, for deployment in all the NASCAR Nextel Cup race cars.  The system includes 8 fixed base radios that will be installed around the track, and 55 radios to be deployed in every race car. These radios collect and transmit GPS and other telemetry data which is then used in a TV production truck to generate various enhancements during  the live broadcasts.

This is the third such system delivered to Sportvision, which previously had purchased separate systems to cover the Indy Racing League and the NASCAR Busch series .  Those systems have been in operation since 2006.

There is a new twist with this system: during a NASCAR racing event there are times when race cars for the two series are on the track at the same time. Sportvision needed to operate both systems simultaneously with the 8 base radios for each system co-located on the same poles.  Afar upgraded the firmware in all radios to use a synchronization technique developed for our standard PulsAR Wireless Ethernet Bridge .  With this technique all co-located radios synchronize their transmissions and completely avoid self-generated interference .  For the 2008 season viewers will be able to enjoy uninterrupted enhanced TV coverage for both the NASCAR Nextel Cup and the Busch series.

  Wireless telemetry allows addition of pointers during TV live broadcasts