NASCAR requires drivers, pits to use analog radios

[w2xq]

Watching the rain-delayed Daytona 500, I just heard the announcers say drivers, spotters and pits are *required* to use analog radios so that fsns can enjoy the race. I hadn't heard that explicitly stated before. Interesting.

 

[tiggen]

IMSA also requires analog radio, yet I heard teams (factory Porsche team) that seemed to be re-broadcasting digital traffic over analog freqs at the Rolex 24 a few weeks ago.

 

[AK9R]

Tom, my hazy memory says this came up back when the top NASCAR series was sponsored by Sprint. Some of the teams were moving to digital voice and/or 800 MHz frequencies. NASCAR stepped in and mandated analog voice on 450-470 MHz.

 

[KevinC]

Tom, my hazy memory says this came up back when the top NASCAR series was sponsored by Sprint. Some of the teams were moving to digital voice and/or 800 MHz frequencies. NASCAR stepped in and mandated analog voice on 450-470 MHz.

The Nextel "NASCoWs" actually had a separate 900 MHz site in them just for NASCAR officials (I don't think that was public knowledge until just now ).

 

[W8RMH]

That's so NASCAR can charge the fans to listen on their website.

 

[evilbrad]

There is a few other threads open and or closed about this. Not many of the Sunday teams are using analog radios. I used to see a few analog non dmr radios on some of the crew with say a crew chief or someone important with both dmr and a analog radio on there belt. 2 of the teams have a "radio guy" but both of those teams get the radio from Re but program there own. When you look it says teamxpprivatewhen it stops on thedmr channel

Or I think" 2-1" digital or something similar .The two race day channels are still analog for spotter and crew chief. I do like that potus had a radio

Im going to take some photos and make some more updated team notes this season

The only nascar channels you will hear are both the main race control repeater and back up repeater in analog. Which sounds like a rebroadcast or simul of thedmr. Scoring. Pit official to official medical etc are all dmr enc.

You can also listen to the production company teams that setup stage for driver intro.prerace hoopla. And the trucks that drive the drivers along the track when they wave to crowd. They are using a uhf simplex rental radios to talk to officials and track workers

I had always thought nascar did all the national anthem and pre race things apparently some outside company worries about it.

 

[racingfan360]

Ref the IMSA observation....

Article 14.2 of the IMSA Sporting Regs:
Only the UHF (450-470 MHz) frequency band is permitted for pit to Car radio communication. Competitor radio traffic is limited to a maximum of four (4) watts on handheld radios and a maximum of ten (10) watts ERP on mobile units (base stations) and/or repeaters and must not transmit to Car on one frequency and receive on another at greater than 5Mhz spacing. All Car communication must operate in analog mode on 12.5Khz channel spacing. On the transmit and receive of a radio broadcast, the DPL or TPL codes must be the same. Mixing of codes between TX and RX is prohibited. Digital and/or encrypted, or any radio transmission scheme between Team and Driver not understandable using a standard scanner at any time during any qualifying Session or Race is prohibited.

It's pretty clear that the Mazda Team Joest use MRTC Kenwood NX200 radios, VHF and operating in NXDN9600 digital mode. Many of the frequencies (and I'm sure the radio equipment) is still the same as when Joest raced in WEC. They seem to get round this by rebroadcasting the car channels in analogue on UHF. In fact all MRTC customers for IMSA races seem to do this. So I wonder if NASCAR do similar - 'real' comms in DMR, and a rebroadcast in analogue? It would be a better way of preventing race 'fans' taking along their cheapo chinese handheld to have a chat with their favorite driver.

 

[evilbrad]

As of last season officials carried moto turbo radios and only race control and rc backup is rebroadcast. Arca s repeater antenna\s stick out of the semi 's tall mast

One of these days I want to look at a officials xpr. Radio

 

[jeepsandradios]

There is a few other threads open and or closed about this. Not many of the Sunday teams are using analog radios. I used to see a few analog non dmr radios on some of the crew with say a crew chief or someone important with both dmr and a analog radio on there belt. 2 of the teams have a "radio guy" but both of those teams get the radio from Re but program there own. When you look it says teamxpprivatewhen it stops on thedmr channel

Or I think" 2-1" digital or something similar .The two race day channels are still analog for spotter and crew chief. I do like that potus had a radio

Im going to take some photos and make some more updated team notes this season

The only nascar channels you will hear are both the main race control repeater and back up repeater in analog. Which sounds like a rebroadcast or simul of thedmr. Scoring. Pit official to official medical etc are all dmr enc.

You can also listen to the production company teams that setup stage for driver intro.prerace hoopla. And the trucks that drive the drivers along the track when they wave to crowd. They are using a uhf simplex rental radios to talk to officials and track workers

I had always thought nascar did all the national anthem and pre race things apparently some outside company worries about it.

Im not really sure what you mean by most Sunday teams don't use analog as that is incorrect. All driver to race communications are analog. Pit crews monitor the analog channels. Most teams have switched to TRBO for inter team communications but that is not to be used while a car is on track. The only time they use that is crew chief to car in the garage and road crew in garage area. All teams have a channel 2 analog that you will hear the spotter talk to the crew chief and sometimes a crew chief talking to his pit crew. Pit crew rarely transmits. Think i have heard once ever "STOP". Just because the radio is a MotoTRBO does not mean it is not programmed for Analog. I have multiple DMR radios, all used with analog frequencies.

All NASCAR communications is on MotoTRBO. Racing Electronics has COMMAND 1 which is where I believe the TRBO to Analog patch is done. NASCAR has main and alternate on analog so Spotters, Fans and Crew Chiefs can hear NASCAR. There was an entire list of frequencies from last year on Wiki for NASCAR. All Analog.

 

[evilbrad]

yes kb2ztx is correct. I am in correct.as I had.explained it. The spotter to driver and crew chief.is ANALOG during race

.. I also dont think I have heard the fuel-tire other crew guys on radio often..!kb2ztx.have you made it to a race in 2020 yet??

I have not seen any "analog only"radios on the crews.

 

[KK4JUG]

Could it possibly be because digital signals tend to just drop out whereas analog signals fade, allowing listeners to possibly hear through the static?

 

[jeepsandradios]

Could it possibly be because digital signals tend to just drop out whereas analog signals fade, allowing listeners to possibly hear through the static?

The whole reason to use analog is so the fans can hear the traffic. Pretty simple.

 

[edweirdFL]

Another consideration for mandating non-encrypted transmissions during competition may well be to allow for the sanctioning body and other competitors to all keep an ear on each other for things that be contrary to the rules.