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Championship Start System (CHAMP-SSM)

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CHAMP-SSM is the part-number label carried by an earlier, pre-2005 generation of Colorado Time Systems’ deck-wired Championship start system. The unit is badged simply “Championship Start System”, the same as the current-era Championship Start System (part number SS), so the two are distinguished mainly by their part numbers and their era. The earlier generation is documented by the 2004 revision of the CTS instruction guide, F875 Rev. 0604, the same document number whose later revisions cover the current generation.1 This page describes the earlier generation from that period manual and from independent period sources.

This article covers it separately only because it is the earlier hardware generation of the Championship, not a distinct product line; the start-systems overview places it in the full CTS lineup.

Naming and product line

CTS does not use the CHAMP-SSM (or SSM) designation in its own documentation: the 2004 manual is titled simply “Championship Start”, and the current documentation uses SS. What ties the label to this generation:

  • The Championship start system was on the market by 2004: CTS advertised it by name, with a photograph of the white-cased unit, in Swimming Technique magazine that year.2
  • The 2004 revision of the instruction guide (F875 Rev. 0604, ©2004) documents a unit that differs physically from the current SS model (see Compared with the current generation below).1
  • CTS’s current power-supply compatibility list, alongside the SS/SSF/WSS/ WSSF Championship variants, names two legacy start systems, SS-01 and SS-02, which may be this earlier generation; the listed power supply fits start systems that, like this one, run from an external supply. The numbering also matches CTS’s earlier SS-1/SS2 loudspeaker start systems, documented in the SS2 Electronic Start System article, so the identification is uncertain.3
  • CTS’s manual library still includes “Championship Start System Legacy Tripod Mounting Instructions” (document TR-2), separate from the current TR-3 tripod; the 2004 manual specifies the TR-2 as the unit’s optional tripod.41
  • CTS’s legacy Spanish-language site hosts the 2004 manual in its manuals directory under the short name “ChampStart”; the current revision of the instruction guide uses the same name for the unit.15
  • In the current Championship manual (F875 Rev. 202202), the configuration diagrams label the start module CHAMP-SS.5

Because CTS treats these as catalog- and era-specific labels for the Championship start system rather than as separate products, the CHAMP-SSM is best understood as the earlier generation of the Championship Start System, not a different model.

Design and hardware

The 2004-era unit is a rectangular case 13.25 in high, 17 in wide, and 4 in deep, weighing 20 lb, placed on a tabletop or on the optional TR-2 tripod (CTS specifies not to use a standard camera tripod).1 The front panel carries two identical wired-microphone inputs, each with an independent volume control, a green power LED, a red low-battery LED, the on/off switch, and an auxiliary-speaker connector with its own volume control. The rear panel carries the external-power connector for the AC converter, three fuses (one per battery plus one for the AC-converter circuit, all 5 × 20 mm, 5 A slow-blow), a connector for the optional wireless-microphone receiver, and a 10-pin military-style wallplate connector that bundles the timer-start, lane-speaker audio, external-strobe, and speedlight lines for in-deck wiring.1

Like the current generation, the unit contains no built-in speaker: all start and public-address audio sounds through the deck-wired external speakers, on two speaker circuits. The main circuit drives up to twelve 6-watt, 45-ohm moisture-resistant reflex speakers mounted under the starting blocks; its start tone is fixed at full volume. The auxiliary circuit drives up to two 10-watt, 8-ohm compression speakers, for example on a backstroke pole, with an adjustable start-tone volume. The system also supports an optional underwater speaker, for underwater recall and for addressing swimmers in training. The unit also drives the speedlights on CTS relay-judging platforms in up to 12 lanes, and a 360-degree strobe that flashes with the start tone and needs about 30 seconds between flashes to recharge. The manual directs officials, coaches, and spectators to start stopwatches from the strobe or speedlight flash rather than the start tone, because the speed of sound delays the tone for observers at any distance from the speakers.1

Power comes from two internal 12 V rechargeable gel-cell batteries; CTS presents battery operation as a safety feature that keeps AC power away from the pool deck. The external AC converter (110 VAC, 60 Hz) recharges the batteries in 12 to 24 hours, whether the unit is switched on or off, and the unit can operate while charging.1

Operation

The starter’s microphone, wired or wireless, carries a push-to-talk switch and a start button. Holding push-to-talk and pressing the start button fires the start: a 0.25-second dual-tone blast, a simultaneous strobe and speedlight flash, and a start pulse to the timer. Releasing the start button and pressing it again signals a false-start recall, a repeating dual tone from all connected speakers, including any underwater speaker. When multiple microphones are connected, the unit sees all start buttons as a single button, so every button must be released before any is pressed again to recall. CTS also presents the system as a limited public-address system: pressing push-to-talk alone carries the starter’s voice to the speakers without firing a start. The microphone volume controls affect only this public-address audio.1

The optional wireless-microphone kit consists of a belt-clipped transmitter and a receiver that plugs into the rear panel; the receiver’s model designation, RXR, appears on its FCC identification label. The receiver carries squelch and channel-select controls and an indicator LED that lights when it is receiving the transmitter. The link offers eight selectable channels, a second microphone must be set at least two channels away from the first, and CTS states a range of up to 350 ft (107 m). The transmitter runs on a 9 V battery and reports its charge when push-to-talk is released: a blinking low-battery LED means the battery is good, and a steady one means it needs replacement.1

Connections

The timer-start output sends only normally-open (N.O.) start pulses; a timer needing a normally-closed pulse requires factory modification. The manual names CTS’s System 5 and System 6 as the timers the system starts, connected through a start jumper cable, models SJ-50 through SJ-200. The unit connects to the deck wiring at lane 1 or at the last lane (6, 8, 10, or 12), and the manual gives both on-deck and in-deck configurations.1

Compared with the current generation

Comparing the 2004 manual with the current revision (F875 Rev. 202202) shows how the generations differ:15

  • Case: the 2004 unit is 13.25 × 17 × 4 in and 20 lb; the current SS unit is 13.25 × 13 × 5.75 in and 17.4 lb.
  • Connector layout: the 2004 unit puts its connectors on the front and rear panels, with the wireless receiver and wallplate connectors on the rear; the current unit spreads them across the front, left, and right panels.
  • Tripod: the 2004 unit uses the legacy TR-2; the current unit uses the TR-3 (and adds wall and flagpole mounts).
  • Auxiliary circuit: the 2004 manual rates the auxiliary output for up to two speakers; the current manual describes one.

The speaker architecture, start and recall tones, strobe, speedlight drive, and normally-open timer output are otherwise the same across both generations; see the Championship Start System article for the current generation.

Specifications

Dimensions (H × W × D)13.25 × 17 × 4 in (33.7 × 43.2 × 10.2 cm)
Weight20 lb (9.1 kg)
PowerTwo internal 12 V gel-cell batteries; 110 VAC 60 Hz converter
Charging12 to 24 hours; operates while charging
FusesOne per battery plus AC circuit; all 5 × 20 mm, 5 A slow-blow
Built-in speakerNone; audio through the external speakers
Lane speakersUp to 12 × 6 W, 45 Ω under-block reflex speakers
Auxiliary speakersUp to 2 × 10 W, 8 Ω compression speakers (adjustable volume)
SpeedlightsDrives relay-judging-platform speedlights in up to 12 lanes
Microphones2 wired inputs plus optional wireless kit (RXR receiver)
Wireless rangeUp to 350 ft (107 m), 8 channels
Start outputNormally-open pulses; N.C. by factory modification
Start tone0.25 s dual-tone blast with simultaneous strobe/speedlight
Strobe360°, about 30 s recharge between flashes
MountingTabletop or TR-2 tripod

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. Colorado Time Systems, Championship Start Instruction Guide, F875 Rev. 0604 (©2004), hosted as “ChampStart” on the CTS Spanish-language site; the current generation is covered by later revisions of the same document number (see F875 Rev. 202202 below). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12

  2. Colorado Time Systems advertisement, “Tips for Training with the Championship Start System,” Swimming Technique 41(1), April–June 2004, p. 16 (©2004 Colorado Time Systems). Issue PDF. ↩

  3. Colorado Time Systems shop, Start System Power Supply (R-920-059), compatibility list covering SS/SSF/WSS/WSSF, INF-SSM/INF-SSMF, and legacy SS-01/SS-02. ↩

  4. Colorado Time Systems, Manuals library (lists “Championship Start System Legacy Tripod Mounting Instructions,” document TR-2). ↩

  5. Colorado Time Systems, Championship Start Instruction Guide (F875 Rev. 202202). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

Last updated July 27, 2026.