With venues closing and the government advisories directing no public gatherings of more than 10 people, we are suspending MECA events until May. Depending on many variables, we would like to resume our event schedule in May, but that may not be possible.

There may be a small SQL event or 2 during this time, and we are working on that. Events are being removed from the calendar as soon as we have confirmation. Most events will be rescheduled, although we may lose some for 2020, and hope to be back in full force in 2021.

No doubt, this will impact our members’ points accumulation We will work to make sure that all members who want to compete at Finals are able to do so, given that we are able to present the 2020 Finals events. Ironically, we were ready to announce the Finals dates and location this week, but now the venue is having issues that will effect our plans. The united orgs, MECA and IASCA and dB Drag Racing, intend to present a 2020 unified Finals. More info on that as we can confirm it.

The mobile electronics industry and MECA were off to a great start for 2020, with engaged customers and sales that indicated an exciting year. MECA will continue to promote our club and sponsors during this intermission. Knowing the safety concerns, our goal is to have contests as soon as possible. The main thing is that our club is working to provide safe and worthwhile events and will continue when “the coast is clear”.

Several MECA Members have been in touch regarding events continuing despite the coronavirus health issues. MECA will continue to have events as long as there is no mandate from local, state, or national governments to cease and desist. Our events generally involve less than 250 people, so we can continue when restrictions are made that do not apply to our gatherings.
If you are feeling ill, please do not show up to compete or watch the show. Anyone who is recognized as showing symptoms will be asked to leave, and their vehicle will not be judged.
For SPL tests we are not too worried about judging or intereraction, since most is done outside and the time spent is only a few minutes.
For SQL, the fact that judges sit in a closed vehilcle, are touching surfaces that may be tainted, is problematic. It would not be unreasonable for an SQL judge to have disintectant wipes and/or cleaners to wipe down a vehicle’s interior before judging the system.
We want all of our participants to be safe and to feel that their safety is most important to us. Most MECA Members do not fit the “at risk” profile, but we do not want someone carrying the virus home and endangering family and friends, young and old.
Follow the guidelines for health and cleanliness before, during, and after the event. If there is any possibility that you may be carrying the disease, please stay home until you are not a danger to our club and family members.
Thanks for your understanding and cooperation. Take Care!

Our 2020 Sound Pressure League Rule Book is complete and free to view or download at:

http://tinyurl.com/2020MECASPLRulebook

After the initial release, requests were received that prompted R&E to review Modified Street division rules, making them similar to no-wall classes in other orgs. This has been an on-going topic for 3 years, and, seeing the changes as inevitable, R&E responded with edits to the MS rules.

We tried to make the updates as direct and understandable as possible.

Any questions may be directed to spl@mecacaraudio.com

Thanks to our SPL community for being involved and engaged in the Sound Pressure League.

Good luck in the lanes in 2020!

It’s great to report a new Manufacturer Member! They bring the industry support we need to do what we do.

Resilent Sounds is now a promotional partner and we welcome

Team Resilient Sounds, which should be huge in MECA.

Our annual huge Slamology event in Indianapolis is scheduled for June 13-14th. The link: http://slamology.com/register-your-vehicle/

The Sound Quality League contests will be 4X points with 3 Judges. For SQL competitors, please pre-reg with Slamology, and then pay the additional MECA fee for this enhanced event. The MECA SQL pre-reg info and link will be provided soon, and we will post on facebook page when link is ready.

The Dueling Demos contests will have qualifying rounds on Saturday starting at 11 AM. The final rounds for Dueling Demos will be late Saturday afternoon. We are working on a special program for that.

The Sound Pressure League contests will be 3X points and run all day Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM – 1 PM.

More info will follow as plans are solidified.

Our SQL Rule Book is ready for club review.

Changes are “minor” and are as follows:

1. Reformatted to be consistent with SPL Rulebook (table of contents is hyperlinked to specific sections and easier to edit for the future)2. Dueling Demos – Each Competitor has 1.5 minute to play their demo. Demo may be using 1 or 2 songs totaling 1.5 minutes of playtime. At Finals, it will be with 2 songs, 1 minute each, staggered presentation.3. Specified allowance of RTA for 4X events using 100pt. scale via Termlab Magnum with RTA sensor. Intent is to use Termlab through the season with the goal of using it at Finals, however will make a determination to go with Termlab or Audiocontrol by midseason.4. Stock class – Exception that headunit may be replaced for daily use if using approved DSP, but for competition headunit must be turned off/unused and source must be from approved media device as specified in Class Requirements.5. Once judging has started, competitors are not allowed to enter the vehicle, make adjustments, or touch it at all while it’s being judged.6. At larger events (i.e. 4X events, World Finals) competitors must be ready during their assigned time slots. If they are not, the five minute rule as indicated above will be applied. After five minutes the vehicle will be judged as it stands. Extreme cases will be handled on an individual basis by the head judge and will be the exception instead of the rule.

If there are any perceived issues, we will cover them immediately. Otherwise, we are ready to go. Thanks to our R&E Committee members, especially Richard Papasin who handled edits, formating and completion.

The link is: http://tinyurl.com/2020MECASQLRulebook

Thanks to our R&E Committee for working through the SPL rules. This is not set in stone, and is open for review. We have very little changing:

MECA Kids changes:
MKSP – same as previous MK2.  No MK1
MKX – for toys with noise vehicles that do not meet the rules of MKSP, or are not operated by a MECA Kid
MKPP – same as we do now, MKX could compete in this class. (Will be in SQL Rules)

• M4 and M5 can remove sunroof and replace with metal and weld, keeping within skin of vehicle.
• SQL BOBOS competitors will be able to test at the Headrest for their SP score, in Radical X or XC (clamped) which allows builds with sub(s) in front of B-pillars to have a chance in the BOBOS contest. Competitors may choose Headrest location in Radical X or XC.

That’s it. All suggestions were considered. We appreciate the input and feedback! Please review and if you see something you don’t think is right, please let me know at mecacaraudio@comcast.net.

Richard and Linda are our club Good Will Ambassadors for the CES Show, and Judges for our CES Sound-off contests. They will be walking the North Hall floor, based out of our kiosk somewhere deep in the South Hall.

Thanks to everyone who participates and supports our club events!

We are planning the best season in MECA’s history, working to make our Members’ experiences better and more fulfilling.

When you see an opportunity for a MECA event in your area, please let us know and we’ll try to work it out.