Swiss Timing lane speakers

Swiss Timing Ltd, of Corgémont, Switzerland, is the Swatch Group timing company whose equipment appears under the Omega brand at major international meets. It places the lane speaker in the starting block rather than on an under-block horn as the United States manufacturers do: a fixed installation fits an internal loudspeaker inside the block, and a mobile installation uses a set of external loudspeakers positioned near each block.¹² Both are driven by the StartTime V electronic starting device. Swiss Timing does not disclose who makes the loudspeakers. Shared background on lane speakers is in the external-speakers overview.

In-block loudspeakers¶

For fixed wiring, Swiss Timing offers an internal loudspeaker, article 3399.600, as an option fitted inside its OSB11 and OSB14 starting blocks. The speaker connects with two banana plugs, and a door at the back of the block gives access to the interior for the cabling.¹³ The timing system’s other lane devices connect into a lane deck plate installed under the centre of each block, which the datasheets say protects the cables, the connections, and the speaker.¹³

Swiss Timing’s installation manual calls these units lane speakers, and presents the arrangement as the preferred configuration for an in-deck installation: the cabling runs below deck, the start area stays clear of clutter in line with FINA (now World Aquatics) facilities recommendations, and the blocks can be removed between competitions without disturbing the permanent wiring.²

Mobile loudspeakers¶

Where the cabling is mobile rather than in-deck, Swiss Timing supplies external loudspeakers that are positioned near each starting block so that all swimmers hear the start simultaneously. They are sold as sets of three to ten speakers with cable harnesses; the final digit pair of the article number records the cable length between two loudspeakers, 3 m or 6 m.⁴⁵

Article	Set
3399.933.06	3 mobile loudspeakers, 6 m cables
3399.934.03 / .06	4 mobile loudspeakers, 3 m or 6 m cables
3399.935.03 / .06	5 mobile loudspeakers, 3 m or 6 m cables
3399.936.03	6 mobile loudspeakers, 3 m cables
3399.938.03	8 mobile loudspeakers, 3 m cables
3399.940.03	10 mobile loudspeakers, 3 m cables

The installation manual illustrates the external loudspeaker as a unit of about 180 × 215 × 192 mm, and lists a multipurpose tripod (article 9051.6339, rated to 8 kg) among the start-system options.²⁴

Connections¶

The loudspeakers are driven by the StartTime V starting device, which is covered in its own article. The lane wiring is set by the amplifier’s load window: the recommended load is between 3.2 and 16 ohms, and any speaker combination inside that range is acceptable, so an installation combines the per-lane loudspeakers to land within it. Speaker polarity must be kept consistent across the installation or sound quality degrades.⁵

Specifications¶

Swiss Timing publishes article numbers, set sizes, and system-level electrical limits, but no per-speaker wattage, impedance, or frequency figures.

In-block loudspeaker	Article 3399.600; fixed wiring; 2 banana plugs; fits OSB11 and OSB14
Mobile loudspeaker sets	3 to 10 speakers, 3 m or 6 m harness cables (3399.933.06 to 3399.940.03)
Amplifier load	3.2 to 16 Ω recommended; 2 Ω possible with distortion
Speaker cable runs	Up to 30 m at 0.75 mm²; up to 50 m at 1 or 1.5 mm²

See also¶

• External speakers: the shared overview of lane speakers
• StartTime V: the starting device that drives the loudspeakers
• Colorado Time Systems lane speakers and Daktronics lane speakers: the under-block approach the in-block loudspeaker replaces
• Relay take-off platforms: Swiss Timing’s OSB blocks also carry relay break detection, the equivalent lane accessory

References¶

Footnotes¶

1. Swiss Timing, OSB11 Swimming Starting Block datasheet (V3, 03-2019) (internal loudspeaker option 3399.600 for fixed wiring with 2 banana plugs; rear access door; deck plate under each block protects cables, connections, and speaker). ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Swiss Timing, Swimming Concept installation manual (0017.509.02, Version 4.9, January 2017) (in-deck installations permit installing the lane speakers inside the starting blocks, keeping the start area clear per FINA facilities recommendations; internal loudspeaker installed inside OSB11 or OSB14; external loudspeaker for mobile cabling, about 180 x 215 x 192 mm). ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. Swiss Timing, OSB14 Swimming Starting Block datasheet (V2, 03-2019) (same internal loudspeaker option 3399.600 and deck-plate arrangement on the smaller-footprint block). ↩ ↩²

4. Swiss Timing, StartTime V Electronic Starting Device datasheet (10-2015) (mobile loudspeaker sets 3399.933.06 to 3399.940.03, positioned near each starting block; tripod 9051.6339). ↩ ↩²

5. Swiss Timing, StartTime V User’s Manual (3481.560.02, Version 1.2, March 2018) (external loudspeakers connection: recommended load 3.2 to 16 Ω, 2 Ω possible with increased distortion; speaker phase note; cable extension limits). ↩ ↩²