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| There are three major frequencies that have been designated by law for use with radio controlled cars. They are 27 MHz, 49 MHz, and 75 MHz. Each of these three frequncies has a set of sub-frequencies, sometimes referred to as channels (this should not be confused with the number of channels a remote control has, which refers to the number of different motors the remote can operate).
27 MHz has 6 sub-frequencies. There are two standard ways to refer to these sub-frequencies: either by their frequency number or by their channel number. The subfrequencies for 27 MHz are Channel 1 (26.995 MHz), Channel 2 (27.045 MHz), Channel 3 (27.095 MHz), Channel 4 (27.145 MHz), Channel 5 (27.195 MHz), and Channel 6 (27.255 MHz). 49 MHz has 5 sub-frequencies: Channel 1 (49.830), Channel 2 (49.845), Channel 3 (49.860), Channel 4 (49.875), and Channel 5 (49.890) 75 MHz has 30 sub-frequencies: from Channel 61 - Channel 90, with frequencies that start at 75.41 for Channel 61 and rise by .02 MHz until you reach Channel 90, which is 75.99 MHz. Sumo Bots are required to be designed so they can be operated on three different frequencies. This can be three sub-frequencies of one frequency (for example, 27 MHz, channels 1, 3, and 5) or a combination of different major frequencies (example: 49 MHz, Channel 2 and 75 MHz, Channels 63 and 72). As long as you can change the frequency your bot operates under among three different frequencies (or sub-frequencies), you have met the rules. Remote control Transmitter/Receiver pairs that can operate on more than one frequency come with one crystal installed (the crystal is a chip that determines which frequency (or channel) the transmitter is sending out and the receiver is accepting). In the 27 MHz and 49 MHz range, additional crystals are sold in pairs (one for the transmitter and one for the receiver) at $8.00 per pair. In the 75 MHz range, pairs of crytals cost $16.00. Please keep in mind that some of the cheaper r/c models available that operate on more than one frequency utilize a non-standard method of designating their frequencies (ie: 27 MHz, Channel A and Channel B). To insure that there is no interference between robots, the event supervisor MUST know what frequency your robot can operate on, and MUST be able to tell you to switch to a frequency that he/she knows is not being used by anyone else. It is not the Event Supervisor's job to determine what frequencies are represented by non-standard designations - it is the responsibility of the team. If students cannot tell the Event Supervisor what frequencies their robot uses (in standard format), they will not be allowed to compete in the tournament. .
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