Racetrack Scanning Tips & Hints
Race Scanning Tips & Hints
By Scott W. Lowry
Editor, Midwest Speedway Scanning Digest
I've been scanning at the race tracks for almost 25 years. Long
before programmable, hand-held scanners, my first scanning set
up consisted of a big old Bearcat 250 mobile scanner duct-taped
to a huge 12 volt lantern battery. The whole setup must have
weighed 10 pounds and I had to lug it around in a big camera
bag! I guarantee I was the only guy in the stands at The
Milwaukee Mile listening to those USAC stock cars go round and
round in 1980! Things have changed a bit since then.
Estimates are that there may be more than 10% of fans at a
typical NASCAR event are "scanner equipped". Race track scanning
has become so popular, it's expanded well beyond the NASCAR
super speedways to the dirt tracks, drag strips, and even
Saturday night at the local short tracks. I've compiled a
collection of tips and hints to help you gain the maximum
enjoyment from you race scanning experience. If you have any
others to add, please send them along to me so we can share them
with others. Enjoy!
Why bring a scanner to the races? What can I hear?
Once you've experienced a race with a scanner, you'll be hooked
forever. Scanning at the races adds that extra "dimension" or
layer to the experience. You'll be able to listen to
conversations between the driver, his crew, and the spotters.
You'll hear the race officials and safety crews. You'll even be
able to monitor the "behind-the-scenes" action of the TV and
radio broadcast crews. IMPORTANT! One thing you may want to be
aware of regarding listening in to race communications, it's not
necessarily for children! Emotions can run high during racing
action and quite frequently, the language can get a bit
"colorful" to put it mildly. You may wish to consider this if
you are easily offended by harsh language. What kind of
equipment do I need at the races? The two major elements of a
race scanning setup are the scanner itself as well as a noise-
reducing headset.
First- The scanner. What kind of scanner will you need? It really
depends on your needs or your budget. Almost any hand-held
scanner made will work at the races. They are available with as
few as 10 or as many as 5000 channels! Price wise, expect to
spend anywhere from as little as $75 to over $400. The most
popular frequency ranges are 150 - 174 Megahertz and 450 - 470
Megahertz. There is some, but not much racing activity in the
800 Megahertz band. Popular "racing" scanners are the Uniden
Sportcat 200 and 230, Racing Electronics RE-2000, and the Radio
Shack Pro 99. A couple of features that are really nice to have
are alpha-displays, which allow you to program the driver name
instead of just the frequency, and CTCSS or tone function, which
allows you to program a certain tone code on a channel to help
cut down on interference.
The second thing you'll need is a good quality, noise reducing
headset. Racing is LOUD! Not only will a headset help protect
your hearing, but it will help you be able to hear your scanner
more clearly. They are available in several styles to suit your
personal preference. You can also get the small, foam, in-ear
type devices similar to what the drivers wear. Some other
accessories you might consider are a "racing" or stub antenna,
which will help reduce local interference, a leg strap to help
keep your scanner secure while watching the race, and a headset
splitter or a "Boostaroo" unit so you can bring a second headset
for your friend to listen in too. Don't forget extra batteries!
Nothing worse than running out of "juice" halfway through the
race. Where can I buy a race scanning setup? You can buy a
complete setup as close as your local Radio Shack store. Some
specialized vendors who sell race scanning equipment are;
Racing Electronics http://www.racingelectronics.com
Racing Radios http://www.racingradios.com
Race Scan http://www.racescan.com
Frequency Fan Club http://www.racescanners.com
If you're not sure if you're ready to buy a setup yet, most of
these vendors offer rentals too. These vendors have trailers
offering equipment at most of the larger races.
OK, I've got my scanner and headset, now where do I find the
frequencies?
While you can find some information for free on the Internet,
most of it is outdated, incomplete, or just plain wrong. I
highly recommend purchasing up to date information from one of
the above vendors. It is well worth the few dollars it costs.
They have information on the national series such as NASCAR,
IRL, and Champ Car. Most of the newer scanners are computer
programmable. You can even bring those to the vendor trailer at
the track and get the latest frequencies loaded right into your
radio while you wait.
The new Uniden SC230 scanner comes with the frequencies for
Nextel Cup, Busch Grand National, Craftsman Trucks, Champ Car,
and IRL already programmed into it! For regional series, your
options are more limited. For Midwest fans, we have put together
the Midwest Speedway Scanning Digest. It contains information
for local tracks as well as regional touring series such as
USAR- Hooters Pro Cup, CRA Super Series, and NASCAR Elite -
Midwest. Information on the Midwest Speedway Scanning Digest can
be found at; http://www.racescanning.info
At The Track Tips
1 - Do as much as you can before you leave the house. If you can
get a hold of frequency information before the race, you'll save
a ton of time by pre-programming your scanner before you get to
the track. Don't forget extra batteries, paper and pencil to
take notes, and sunscreen. Packing a plastic bag to put your
scanner into in case of a sudden rain shower is a good addition,
too.
2 - Programming tip. One popular trick is to program the
frequencies so the channel number is the same as the car number.
Today's Popular Articles
For example, you would program Mark Martin, Car #6 into channel
6 on your scanner. That way during the race, if you want to
quickly switch to a particular car, you can just manually switch
to that channel. With the newer scanners with alpha displays,
it's much easier to keep track of who's who.
3 - Don't try to listen to everything! At a big race, there's
just way too much stuff going on. Pick the leaders or your
favorites and lock everything else out. It helps to have race
control in your scan list too. At the big races, you can also
listen to the TV and radio broadcast feed (MRN broadcasts on
454.000 Mhz). Some tracks will rebroadcast the track PA on
either a scanner frequency or a low power FM radio station.
These broadcasts will "lock up" your scanner though, since they
broadcast continuously. You will have to lock them out and
switch to them manually if you want to listen in.
4 - Get to the track early. If there is a vendor selling race
frequencies there, this will give you a good chance to check it
out or get your scanner programmed for you. Buy a souvenir
program. They will have the line ups so you'll know who to
listen for.
5 - Practice and qualifying are a great time to verify
frequencies. Taking notes now will help you during the race.
Listen for the spotters and crew chiefs talking to the drivers.
You may be able to tell "who's who" when passing or coming in to
the pits.
6 - When the drivers are getting into their cars before the race
is a good time to listen in for radio checks. Pace laps and
caution periods are also the time when radio traffic increases.
7 - If you're using the search mode on your scanner to try and
find new frequencies, narrow your search to smaller ranges at a
time. The range of 450 to 470 Mhz will cover just about all race
communications. Some racing officials will use frequencies in
the 150 - 174 Mhz range. Even if you have an accurate list
already, you can usually find some new stuff by using the search
feature.
8 - Take good notes!
Using your scanner really adds a new dimension to the 'racing
experience" and besides that, it's just plain FUN! As you can
tell, race scanning might seem like a bit of a challenge at
first. The more you do it, the better you'll get at it. I have
gone to a race with almost no information and, by using these
techniques, have found more than 90% of the field by the time
the race was over.
Happy scanning and see you at the races!
****************************************************************
Scott Lowry is editor of the Midwest Speedway Scanning Digest.
He can be reached at scott@racescanning.info or his website at
http://www.racescanning.info
****************************************************************
About the Author
None
- The most important tool for racing RC Cars
Believe it or not, the most important tool for tuning and... - Greyhound racing basics
In Egypt the greyhounds were mummified and buried with their masters. The Egyptians viewed them as supreme among all animals. The greyhounds also find place in the literary works of Shakespeare, Chaucer and Homer.... - Embracing Your Wildness
As small children, we were all wild. Not unlike the wolf pup in the den, we ran when we felt like it, sniffed or tasted things to see what they were, yelled when the mood struck us and danced at the drop of a hat. We loved to dig in the earth, heave...
25 Users Online