Checking out radio during competition

[Gary Dillard]

OK you Motorolla types - I'm looking for input to help my propose a rules change that I think is necessary (especially after our competition experience yesterday). Here's the problem - there is no way to tell if your telemetry system is working until you are on the field, since you have to be on tether.

During our next to last qualifying match our robot went dead. The word I got from our field team was that the pressure switch PWM pulled loose and shorted something out. Didn't sound likely, but could be. So we get to the pits, hook everything up (tethered) and it runs OK. We go out for the last qualifying match and have no radio signal, so we sit immobile for the match.

Post match, Tytus notices that the radio modem box cover is loose; apparently the student who put it together after the firmware change didn't get the screws in well. So, it appears that something inside the modem must have broken. Before alliance selection I verify that we can get a replacement modem and we accept the selection.

First quarterfinal match we get on the field, power up, no radio. we beat on every connection, then notice that the modem to RC cable is frayed. We change this out (as fast as possible), still no radio. IFI says we may haved fried something in the RC due to the frayed wire. By this time, it is well past 2 minutes after field reset so we can't call a timeout and can't call in a replacement team. Our alliance plays 2 on 3 while we change out the RC, losing the match.

As it turns out, there were other radio problems with the field that match, so a decision is made to replay the match. We now go out 3 on 3 and win. We won the second match as well, so I guess theoretically we would have won 2 out of 3, but who knows. Our opposing alliance was (I'm sure) disappointed but very gracious about it.

So.... can someone recommend a reasonable way to test the radio coms at the competition? Can we put the 2 modems in a tempest enclosure? Have people wearing aluminum foil suits stand around the robot? Dedicate one of the channels to non-field use and let teams test them in one area so only one at a time is running? What's a good answer?