NFL radio scanning?

[mrsweeney]

Do you know what frequencies pro football uses to radio plays between the coaches and from the coaches to the QB helmet?

 

[scanfan03]

Do you know what frequencies pro football uses to radio plays between the coaches and from the coaches to the QB helmet?

Can't monitor it. They use Digital Spread Spectrum or Encryption.

 

[csvff78]

The stuff between the coaches is digital (I believe) and is not in a format that is decodeable by any scanner. It may very well be encrypted as well, I'm not sure. Looking at the antennas behind the bench I would guess its in the 700-800 range. Its a proprietery system made by Telex for the NFL. They do what they can to make sure communications are secure and not heard.

The QB headsets however use standard UHF freqs that are licensed to the NFL. The NFL has several freqs licensed to it. Each team is assigned a pair of those freqs (input and output on UHF). The NFL runs this as a repeater. My guess would be this gives them the ability to regulate when the coach talks to the QB. They can kill the repeater and the QB will not hear the coach as he is transmitting on the input freq. The good news is even though this repeater is low power, it can be heard for 2-3 miles away fron the stadium. The bad news is that they use voice inversion scrambling. Not just regular voice inversion, but Its been reported as rolling code voice inversion. So this can not be monitored either.

Search 461.000 - 471.000 during a game and you will find at least a couple of freqs being used. The FCC website will list all of the NFL freqs if you do a search for them. There are just too many to list and some of those are used for game day coordination and other NFL business.

Frank K3FSS

 

[K9GTJ]

Also maybe of interest - http://www.sbe.org/nfl/GamedayHandbook3.pdf

 

[whooey]

NFL shuts off the communications between the coach and QB when there is 10 seconds left on the play clock. (The clock that prevents delay of game.)

 

[n4voxgill]

communications are provided by Motorola under a contract between the NFL and motorola. The teams have no say so. The contract requires coach and assistants to wear the modified headset that has motorola in big letters for the camera to pick up. The bookies would actually kill to be able to listen on on these communications. Notice how often the coach covers his face with his play sheet. Other teams and the bookies have hired lipreaders to try and read the lips. This is no mickey mouse operations, millions of dollars are at steak.

 

[bassmkenk2508]

i heard somewhere on the net that there is a kind of 'headset' sports organizations use that utilize a switchable encryption card, so a the users can switch out cards during halftime.
if not true, then it is an interesting concept.

 

[csvff78]

communications are provided by Motorola under a contract between the NFL and motorola. The teams have no say so. The contract requires coach and assistants to wear the modified headset that has motorola in big letters for the camera to pick up. The bookies would actually kill to be able to listen on on these communications. Notice how often the coach covers his face with his play sheet. Other teams and the bookies have hired lipreaders to try and read the lips. This is no mickey mouse operations, millions of dollars are at steak.

Actually the system for the coaches is made by Telex. I'm not sure why the big M's on the headsets (Some type of contract is probably the right guess). If you look behind the benches you will see a pole with an array of two dishes pointed to the side boxes. They clearly have Telex on them. Telex is also on the cart with the equipment behind the benches and on the equipment on the belts. This is a special system made only for the NFL.

The QB radios may very well be Motorola though. I have noticed backup QB's on the sideline with a portable radio listening in. This system is controlled by the NFL. They do turn it off when rules state and turn it back on at the end of the play. Thats why a repeater type system is used. They can disable the repeater and stop comms. If it was simplex they couldn't do this.

Comms have to be secure to keep the other team from listening in. I've heard, and believe it to be true, that if one team has trouble with comms and it can't be corrected, the other team will not be permitted to use their radios until the other system is up. There is plenty to search for at a game. Close call will find some, but some of it is very low power.

Merry Christmas, and happy searching,
Frank K3FSS

 

[n4voxgill]

reread my comment and you will see that I never said the headsets were made by motorola. The contract between Motorola and the NFL gives Motorola the advertising rights for the headset. Motorola pays big money and supplies equipment as part of the contract.

 

[ecps92]

Analog

Its analog using Transcrpyts Voice Inversion of Rolling Codes.
Also DCS tones.

Altho it's nice to know what channels are being used due to interference reports to local Repeaters or rumors of Team Radios being interfered with.

Can't monitor it. They use Digital Spread Spectrum or Encryption.

 

[ecps92]

Search times..

Search while a Team is huddling, before the snap. Bet that team you will find.

Yes, they are 460-465 Mhz. inputs 465-470 Mhz. DCS would be a key as well.

The stuff between the coaches is digital (I believe) and is not in a format that is decodeable by any scanner. It may very well be encrypted as well, I'm not sure. Looking at the antennas behind the bench I would guess its in the 700-800 range. Its a proprietery system made by Telex for the NFL. They do what they can to make sure communications are secure and not heard.

The QB headsets however use standard UHF freqs that are licensed to the NFL. The NFL has several freqs licensed to it. Each team is assigned a pair of those freqs (input and output on UHF). The NFL runs this as a repeater. My guess would be this gives them the ability to regulate when the coach talks to the QB. They can kill the repeater and the QB will not hear the coach as he is transmitting on the input freq. The good news is even though this repeater is low power, it can be heard for 2-3 miles away fron the stadium. The bad news is that they use voice inversion scrambling. Not just regular voice inversion, but Its been reported as rolling code voice inversion. So this can not be monitored either.

Search 461.000 - 471.000 during a game and you will find at least a couple of freqs being used. The FCC website will list all of the NFL freqs if you do a search for them. There are just too many to list and some of those are used for game day coordination and other NFL business.

Frank K3FSS

 

[SAR923]

Search while a Team is huddling, before the snap. Bet that team you will find.

Yes, they are 460-465 Mhz. inputs 465-470 Mhz. DCS would be a key as well.

Not in the NFL unless you like listening to the odd noises of digital encryption. I thought this was made clear in the numerous other posts here. You may be able to hear some college and many high school football teams in this range but not the NFL.

 

[ecps92]

???

Yes, I know it's Encrypted. So. !

I end up tracking interference, and knowing what Team or Frequency or DCS tone are in-use assists in the tracking of the Source.

Is it only a Game Day event, or maybe the Stadium has added F/T equipment for day-to-day security. PS...it's Analog Encryption not Digital. why so negative on folks asking questions.?

Not in the NFL unless you like listening to the odd noises of digital encryption. I thought this was made clear in the numerous other posts here. You may be able to hear some college and many high school football teams in this range but not the NFL.

 

[tvtv]

If they can spend millions and millions on players, they can have a totally secure radio system don't you think?