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From: smith@sndpit.enet.dec.com (Willie Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.robotics,sci.space
Subject: Re: Request for Feedback on Proposed Lunar Analog Robotics Contest
Message-ID: <778@sousa.enet.dec.com>
Date: 6 Feb 91 00:15:47 GMT
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Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 33


In article <1991Feb5.202021.2886@mcs.anl.gov>, 
  winans@sirius.mcs.anl.gov (John Winans) writes...
> 
>I have been reading this thread with some interest.  And have wondered about
>the remote-controlled "categories".  The origional note mentioned the use
>of cellular phones and ham radio to communicate with the robots.  Since we
>all know that radio works and we COULD use it if we wanted to pay for it,
>why not allow (or create a category) that would allow a looooooooonnggg wire
>to be used instead?

Not a bad idea!  I figure that by the end of this year, my costs for radio 
gear ought to be about half of the total vehicle costs.  I personally don't 
want to deal with tethers, but to each his own.

>Hmmm  If there was SOME standardization in the format used, the sponsor of
>the event could also provide an error generator that could inject errors into
>the communication system (like interrupt video signals, pop bit errors into
>the standard serial communications formats etc...).
> 
>This might even up the competition a little bit as well.

Not really, as the AX.25 data that runs over ham radio packet links is 
error corrected - either you get all the data error-free or the link goes 
down and you get nothing.  I suppose you could mess up the video, but 
that's going to be about the same effect, either it's usable and the Waldo 
team wipes the floor with you all :+) or it's not and no-one gets any work 
done....

Willie Smith
smith@sndpit.enet.dec.com
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