Lowes Motor Speedway Scanning

[k4gps]

My wife just purchased tickets to the Coke 600 next weekend. I live over the state line in York county and have the Char/Meck system loaded up in my Pro-106 but that's about it. Is there a racing scanner forum somewhere ? I was surprised to find a railroad sub-forum and several other things here but nothing for racing which has a heavy scanner user population.

I am going to drive by the track on Tuseday to pick up our tickets and hopefully one of the scanner venors will be there. I will probably have them load up the RS scanner for me during a weekday so I am sure I have everything that is current for the race drivers for a small fee. It's not worth having to mess with the scanner during the race for the cost, I want to be able to enjoy watching and listening to the race instead of screwing with the scanner while sitting in a $115 seat.

I have PSREdit 500 so I'll come home and just save the file for safe keeping but I would also like to blank out the entire scanner and start from scratch for next weekend to include not only the race team frequencies but also LMS Support staff but also the local LEO stuff. Anyone have suggestions. That is cabarrius county but the traffic extends out into Meck county. What should I load up ? I don't see any frequencies for LMS here on the datbase which is very odd. I looked at Cabarrius but I see no event TG's, nothing for Concord either. Should I concern myself with VIPER ? What else ? I'd like to load up everything in it's own scan list so I can pick and chose what I need to listen to at the time. I know Meck county has at least a dozen Special Event TG's but I don't know if those would be used at all since it's a different county.

I don't do very well operating the scanner by hand let alone programming it. Most of what I do is by PC and I will not be taking it with me so I want to load it all up during this week and just have to worry what scan list I turn on and off.

Thanks,
Rich K4GPS

 

[nitroboie]

http://www.radioreference.com/forum...ussion-forum/106267-lowes-motor-speedway.html

I managed to get the CTCSS/DCS codes during last nights races from my living room. The problem with the Nascar Frequency lists on the internet is they all list the freqs, but not the tones. You said you were going to a scanner trailer anyway, so they'll set you up.

For Cabarrus County events:
Scanner Frequencies: Cabarrus County Trunking System, Concord, North Carolina

Viper is active, I forgot what all channels they use (there's more than one)... I'd just load all of the SHP ones. Lowband is also very active, you shouldn't have a problem hearing it, so plug that in as well.

PS. The Lowes Frequencies are in the wiki as well:
North Carolina Sports - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[yardbird]

Here it is!

On the Cabarrus Events Channels. There are six of them.

Events 1 Police Operations

Events 2 Fire Operations

Events 3 Ems/Rescue Operations

Events 4-6 Speedway Operations

Shp uses both Viper and High Band

The last I heard they were operating on Viper Troop E District 1 Talkgroups

They have been know to use 154.680 Mhz and 42.220 Mhz as well.

Also here are some other talkgroups that may used during large events at the speedway:

2160 Cabarrus Ems/Rescue Main Dispatch

2672 Concord Fire Main Dispatch

16 Concord Police Main Dispatch

2544 Shp Main Dispatched which is crossed to 42.940 Mhz.

Hope this helps

David

 

[k4gps]

Thanks guys everything helps!

Yes a scanner trailer should help, I would doubt they could stay in business for very long doing uploads and selling frequency lists if they did not provide the correct information. Others have told me that the frequencies change rarely so once you got the bulk of it you may only need to update every year or two.

I am going to load up everything that I have confirmed into individual scan lists like Racers, LMS, County, VIPER, City and that should be good enough. I may make another scan list for "Favorite Race Teams" so during the peak of the race we don't need to listen to everyone just maybe 2-3 teams. I know how to use the lockout button and that is good enough, turn off the scanner turn it back on and L/O goes away globally or I do it manually.

Also I am not radio illeterate but I have chosen to do so after 30+ years of hamming and scanning. I found myself often playing radio more than enjoying the air show or whatever else may have been going on. This is our first big race and I want to make sure I get to see as much as possible, it's not cheap you know! So when I purchased this new scanner to hear the York County digital system last Christmas I made a really odd effort NOT to learn the radio functions except for a select few. It's really wierd but once in awhile it's best to know less than more. So I purchased software for it and I do 90% of my operations that way. Even in my work truck when I take it with me I have a latop on a Jotto Desk. I plug the scanner in and use the software as a scanner display and control and it works great. No more squinting while driving to see what is going on.

Keep any other information coming if you have anything new. I'll load LMS up tonight and check it out when I go by there Tuesday or so, I am sure there will be some action midweek. Hopefully traffic will not be too bad, heck I don't even know where I'll park mid week to get to the ticket pick up window and walk over to the Racing Electronics trailer that is usually at Speedway and 29. Hope I don't have to pay just for a few minutes out of the truck.

 

[kendrik578]

NASCAR - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[k4gps]

Oh one more thing...I posed it on the LMS thread but it's over a year old don't know if anyone is paying attention.

I have been told that either Racing Electronics or Diversified Electronics, I think its one and the same maintain a traveling 800 MHz trunking system for NASCAR that some of the teams also use for some communications. Does anyone know if this is true and what frequencies they use ? I picture something like a cell company COW (which I happen to also maintain with Motorla equipment) and a tech working for RE that just follows NASCAR all over the country driving the truck. Don't know how that would work FCC frequency wise but it made sense when someone mentioned it.

 

[k4gps]

I had seen a couple of wiki's but I came over here looking for some locals and others that may have been at the track this weekend or even still at the track for the 2 week stint. It's only a few hour affair and I'll only be there for the day so I don't want to come and find out that the stuff I have is 80% outdated from some web page. I'll also check out the yahoo fourm for race frequency fans, I may be able to catch someone who did last weeks race since they don't normally change that often. This is a fan sponsored sport bigger than most other sports and scanning has been made as much part of the sport as tailgating has been to football, if they started playing musical frequencies people would get upset.

 

[nitroboie]

You should have no problem driving up to the ticket office on Tuesday, anytime after Thursday, you can probably forget it.

The frequencies I linked you to are accurate (as of last night)... I would know as I live within 5 miles of the track. The driver frequencies really don't change once the season starts. If they're having radio trouble during the race, they'll switch to the secondary channel.

I've never heard of the traveling trunking setup RE uses. I do know that the teams have their own common frequencies they use to discuss setups and the like etc.

 

[k4gps]

Yes you would...I have an office on WT Harris and 77 with a tower out back. I was thinking of going there last night and maybe hanging something 30ft up and doing scanning from there but decided against it, bit much of a drive. If I climbed to the top I can probably see INSIDE of the track if I had bionic vision :lol:

I'll try Tuesday, the wife suggested today since the race is over and it looks like rain but I still think on a Sunday it will be packed, one of the reasons I am not even going Monday. Only place I can think of to park would be to the front left of the main entrance, every other spot will probably be filled with campers, vendors but the only parking that I know will probably be filled with contractors doing work...I think. I have been there during the races but with an all access pass for me and the truck in the infield, I have never got near the general public area on 29 and BS Blvd.. it's appropriate. (Sorry I just have a hard time spelling the street out, still think it should have stayed Speedway Blvd)

I have done more searching and last year there was a bit of a fight on the forum about the trunked system, the thread is closed now but quite comical. Someone came in and seemed that he did not want to say exactly who he was but flat out told them about the new system. No one read the message correctly and had a fight about teams going digital TDMA where no one can listen in. He still said NASCAR NOT TEAMS and they still were fighting, apparently a bunch of people who do not know the difference (nor probably have even seen a race) but still wanted to fight about how they were going to boycott them. Finally 5 pages later someone who works in the industry, or says he does said whatever the other member said and everyone believed him. Funny someone just says he is in the industry and they believe him, someone says he knows and this is what is going to happen and they all bash him! OMG...

 

[k4gps]

Well I got the tickets today. Racing Electronics was packed up, seems like they are for several days so I guess I'll be loading them up by hand tonight and then maybe buy one of the schedules on-site in case I have to do some modifications. Guess I'll be learning the radio a bit more for manual use, I use PSREdit500 otherwise.

 

[KE4ZNR]

Well I got the tickets today. Racing Electronics was packed up, seems like they are for several days so I guess I'll be loading them up by hand tonight and then maybe buy one of the schedules on-site in case I have to do some modifications. Guess I'll be learning the radio a bit more for manual use, I use PSREdit500 otherwise.

Good luck and I hope you have a great time!
Please report back with what ya find out if possible.
And SC residents are always welcome here in the NC
forum as parts of my family have a long history in the
upstate SC area!
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[reconrider8]

couldnt you use close call if you have it?

 

[blinddog50]

K4GPS,
RE has a shop on Odell School Rd.
Take I-85N to Poplar Tent Rd.
Take a left at the end of the ramp, go to the 2nd light and turn left.
It's about a mile down the road, on the right.
Avoid the crowd at the track.

 

[k4gps]

couldnt you use close call if you have it?

That is ideal but not good if you have ever tried it whatever the various companies call it for venues like this. OptoElectronics first came out with it back in the days of the OptoScan board. They built a near field receiver which was nice then they built it into a frequency counter, more like a preamp on the counter. REALLY wide band and receives everything quite well.

That is the problem, EVERYTHING! When you are locked into a stadium with tens of thousands of RF producing devices at various high power (yes even 600mw is high) you are going to get everything like it or not. If you are looking to track the imput frequency of the local shopping center's security repeater that is GREAT, along with similar things like that. They even placed a vibrator in one of their small frequency counters and memory so you could just collect data covertly and then read it later on or download it.

I just bought another scanner a PRO-137 for the wife, not sure if I am going to like it or not but I will try it. If the scanner is not worthwhile I'll return it since I have a Pro-106 Digital Trunker as my main one. Both of our scanners have signal stalker (Radio Shack marketing) but it would not be of much help with so many people so close by talking all day long.

Yep know were RE is, just forgot about it but I did call them and they only program the Pro-86 in addition to uniden, must be a Uniden model for RS. I got a list, hopefully they don't change much while at LMS but I am slowly entering everything to the scanners now using ARC software and PSREdit500. As long as we have all the frequencies they use we will be fine and I doubt that during a race week they will reload all of their radios, better to have everything than not the right one. At the very worse it would be using the alternate frequency than the primary one I think but I'll still buy a list that morning from a trailer, it will be worth the $10. I think that the frequency coordinators make decisions the Thursday before the race and the lists are updated as to which of the 4 or so frequencies each driver has that they will use.

 

[blinddog50]

Think you'll be safe just by using the rr wiki.
Very rarely do teams change freqs after the start of the season.
A few seasons ago, I think it was Hendrick, tried 800 mhz.
Didn't last long, their fans raised hell.
Save your $10 for a Bruton burger. use the wiki.

 

[nitroboie]

k4gps, here's my list from the All-Star Race. Tones listed as search weren't active (since it wasn't a full field).
Some of them are the same, some are different... I just skimmed through the wiki and in fact there are some differences. For example, Stewart was on his backup freq last week.And #28 was using the same freq, different tone.... I should be able to fill in more during today since there are three practices + qualifying.

Display  Frequency  Tone	
00  457.53750     DCS532
02  461.12500  SEARCH
07  469.23750  DCS631
08  462.25000  SEARCH
09  469.31250  SEARCH
1  466.68750  DCS226
2  451.82500  DCS306
5  468.21250  241.8Hz
6  460.95000  SEARCH
7  469.45000  69.3Hz
8  456.65000  SEARCH
9  451.85000  DCS754
10  462.76250  DCS465
11  467.47500  DCS632
12  457.78750  SEARCH
14  469.73750  DCS074
15  452.05000  100.0Hz
16  468.45000  SEARCH
17  458.47500  DCS712
18  467.45000  DCS734
19  456.85000  DCS411
20  462.52500  DCS265
21  452.20000  SEARCH
23  463.72500  SEARCH
24  467.06250  225.7Hz
26  465.97500  233.6Hz
27  459.36250  DCS155
28  463.95000  DCS411
29  469.01250  DCS131
31  468.57500  DCS311
33  469.63750  DCS116
34  466.15000  SEARCH
36  461.66250  DCS365
37  461.83750  SEARCH
38  468.52500  DCS606
39  469.13750  DCS074
40  461.37500  SEARCH
41  468.93750  SEARCH
42  452.70000  DCS261
43  462.76250  DCS465
44  461.62500  DCS311
46  458.53750  SEARCH
47  457.53750  DCS532
48  452.23750  127.3Hz
49  461.41250  SEARCH
51  456.38750  DCS371
55  452.81250  SEARCH
57  453.23750  SEARCH
60  464.11250  SEARCH
64  460.92500  SEARCH
66  461.76250  151.4Hz
71  453.66250  233.6Hz
73  463.81250  SEARCH
75  462.57500  SEARCH
77  452.67500  SEARCH
78  452.26250  SEARCH
82  452.08750  DCS455
83  451.61250  SEARCH
87  464.28750  DCS431
88  462.06250  74.4Hz
89  467.13750  SEARCH
92  463.81250  SEARCH
95  451.71250  SEARCH
96  466.95000  DCS351
99  466.27500  DCS043

Sorry for the jumbled mess, RR doesn't like tabs. #15 is not the correct tone, that's the tone I ended up locking out. It was a local frequency, but once you lockout a tone.. you can't search for another, so I just ended up locking that channel out altogether.

 

[KE4ZNR]

Nitrobie-
Good list. I took the liberty of helping you out a little with the formatting.
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[ka3jjz]

Be sure to go in and fix the wiki for whatever needs fixing. It's the members that make it, not just me!

73 Mike

 

[k4gps]

I am on WTHarris right now leaving the office. I loaded up the scanner last night and it appears that Jimmy Johnson's 451.9875 is also LMS security. I can hear them clear as day over here with a stubby rubber duck, also Kevin's frequency is 462.025 and appears to be a very strong local repeater output. We know that Jimmy will not use .9875 and I really doubt that Kevin will use .025 so that is process of elimination.

I'll keep an eye posted for the next few days and see if any other changes come up.

 

[Bill28227]

I have been scanning for many years and have taken my scanners to Lowes many times. Also to Concord Motor Sports Park. My question is why are we concerned about the tones? If we know a team is on 451.825 (Car #2) why don't we just enter that and not worry about the DCS306 tone? Atleast that is what I do and it seems to work just fine.