Transponder rip off!
Discussion
I have just sold a transponder that I am sure only cost me £120 for over £340. What a rip off, how can this be happening. Timing tech should be as cheap as chips now. Does the manufacture have some sort of hold over the circuits. It appears to sink of the usual excuse 'If you can afford a race car you can afford xyz! Well I for one gave up with this attitude after the MSA just kept on changing the regs, making new costs for the poor club man year on year. Its people like the MSA who should have used their power to limit cost like the ones for a transponder. I cannot see how a transponder costs over £600 new when all it has to do is send a signal - after all look at all the 'chips/tags' used in over sports for timing - granted usually to time objects/people at a lot lower speed but that why the car ones have a power supply.
Sorry but I do blame the MSA they should have the power to use what ever timing gear they want any track they want - after all they are the ones bringing in the business. I used to race 50cc bikes many years ago using the same make of transponder and you only need to pay a few quid deposit for the loan of the transponder during the meeting. If the transponder was worth 100s of pounds then the deposit would have been of a size to match said value. I do not do any MSA events now due to the fact they represent the top end of the sport i.e. cheque book racing and not the skit clubman.
Lets not make life complicated!
When I purchased said transponder for 120 quid company selling them/running timing at the track was making a living. So how come they are not now! Too many sold/no new sales? I guess not. Technology has moved on so they should be cheap as chips and that includes the software. Take a typical weekend race meeting 15 races over the two days each with a grid of 25 cars(conservative entry) 375 entrants so lets charge them £5 each for transducer hire makes 1875 quid for the weekend. - very nice thank you! That would cost each entrant 50 quid for their 10 race championship. Now lets half that, timing guy gets over 900 quid for the weekend - do you know someone who would work for 450 a day? Of course you do and we pay £25 for the year, all happy - except the MSA cos we have not added their cut!
When I purchased said transponder for 120 quid company selling them/running timing at the track was making a living. So how come they are not now! Too many sold/no new sales? I guess not. Technology has moved on so they should be cheap as chips and that includes the software. Take a typical weekend race meeting 15 races over the two days each with a grid of 25 cars(conservative entry) 375 entrants so lets charge them £5 each for transducer hire makes 1875 quid for the weekend. - very nice thank you! That would cost each entrant 50 quid for their 10 race championship. Now lets half that, timing guy gets over 900 quid for the weekend - do you know someone who would work for 450 a day? Of course you do and we pay £25 for the year, all happy - except the MSA cos we have not added their cut!
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