As far as I know the teams are all Analog simplex still.
And too much antenna is just as bad as to little, I have been to over 20 NASCAR races and have the scanner on my belt with stock antenna and a headset and never had an issue
SDS100/SDS200: Thinking of getting this Headphone Antenna from Rugged Radios for my SDS100
- Thread starter ccsprague
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And too much antenna is just as bad as to little, I have been to over 20 NASCAR races and have the scanner on my belt with stock antenna and a headset and never had an issue
As far as I know the “too much antenna” only applies when using scanners such as the UNIDEN BCD996P2 and the BCD325P2 that are susceptible to “simulcast”. In fact any scanner other than the SDS100/200’s will be susceptible to simulcast. The SDS100/200’s were built to avoid simulcast so the antenna length should not have a bearing on eliminating simulcast provided the antenna is resonant to the frequency being used.
That being said, a short stubby, one that is resonate on the band you are monitoring won’t do as well as the longer after-market versions, with claims of better gain. Both the stubby and the longer antennas have the about the same amount of length, the shorter by coiling up thinner wire (or using electronic methods that fool the scanner into accepting it as resonant) into a compact housing. I do agree a race track (as opposed to a road course) will allow for less concerns when choosing an antenna due to the shorter distances that need to be covered. In such cases, the stock antenna that comes with the scanner is all that is needed. The only thing that would be a concern is if the scanner is also used for routine monitoring of the local first responders. I’ve found the stock antennas are at best a trade-off, with the many bands the scanner is capable of receiving, the antenna must work on all, and that means reception is not as good as if you were using an antenna that was specifically built to resonate on one band (or two bands when speaking of VHF High Band & UHF) or one of the after-market “gain” antennas that are longer and better resonate on multiple bands.
Bottom line here is the specific needs of the end user. If it’s just racing, the stock antenna is probably all you need… mounting it atop your head like the sports announcers use during NASCAR races when they interview the pit crews and drivers is beneficial due to the bands and restricted power levels they use, and will help reception on the bands the scanners use, just not as necessary. (There are regulations in place, specific for each race course that pertain to variables such as power levels, bands, modes, in order to protect the events ability to satisfy the needs of the race teams, media, and first responders by preventing each from interfering with others. In the case of the broadcasters, I imagine the max power levels emanating from any headphone mounted antennas must be restricted to an acceptable level so as not to cause injury to any part of the interviewers head. And those who are in to scanning as a primary use, and a racing event or airshow as a secondary consideration may experiment with different antennas. I am one of those. When I attend an event I experiment with different antennas just because I can, it part of the hobby, and I’m not listening only to the event but additionally all the local towns or cities that are there in support of the event.
That being said, a short stubby, one that is resonate on the band you are monitoring won’t do as well as the longer after-market versions, with claims of better gain. Both the stubby and the longer antennas have the about the same amount of length, the shorter by coiling up thinner wire (or using electronic methods that fool the scanner into accepting it as resonant) into a compact housing. I do agree a race track (as opposed to a road course) will allow for less concerns when choosing an antenna due to the shorter distances that need to be covered. In such cases, the stock antenna that comes with the scanner is all that is needed. The only thing that would be a concern is if the scanner is also used for routine monitoring of the local first responders. I’ve found the stock antennas are at best a trade-off, with the many bands the scanner is capable of receiving, the antenna must work on all, and that means reception is not as good as if you were using an antenna that was specifically built to resonate on one band (or two bands when speaking of VHF High Band & UHF) or one of the after-market “gain” antennas that are longer and better resonate on multiple bands.
Bottom line here is the specific needs of the end user. If it’s just racing, the stock antenna is probably all you need… mounting it atop your head like the sports announcers use during NASCAR races when they interview the pit crews and drivers is beneficial due to the bands and restricted power levels they use, and will help reception on the bands the scanners use, just not as necessary. (There are regulations in place, specific for each race course that pertain to variables such as power levels, bands, modes, in order to protect the events ability to satisfy the needs of the race teams, media, and first responders by preventing each from interfering with others. In the case of the broadcasters, I imagine the max power levels emanating from any headphone mounted antennas must be restricted to an acceptable level so as not to cause injury to any part of the interviewers head. And those who are in to scanning as a primary use, and a racing event or airshow as a secondary consideration may experiment with different antennas. I am one of those. When I attend an event I experiment with different antennas just because I can, it part of the hobby, and I’m not listening only to the event but additionally all the local towns or cities that are there in support of the event.
As another user said you dont need a crazy antenna for the Rolex. From the stands you can see every part of the track. I actually run this antenna on all my scanners at the NASCAR events -
racingelectronics.com
On my radios I use to talk on are all stubby antenna's. If all your looking to hear is on track communications you are fine with stock or smaller. IF you want to listen to other outsdie stuff then maybe another route. Also there is high amounts of RF at the tracks especially on UHF. I go to many races each year and never have issues with the combinations above.
ANTENNA - HIGH PERFORMANCE SCANNER ANTENNA
This high performance scanner antenna helps increase range so you won't miss any race action. This product comes with a 90 day warranty.
racingelectronics.com
On my radios I use to talk on are all stubby antenna's. If all your looking to hear is on track communications you are fine with stock or smaller. IF you want to listen to other outsdie stuff then maybe another route. Also there is high amounts of RF at the tracks especially on UHF. I go to many races each year and never have issues with the combinations above.
I have a friend in NC and he attends many races around the country having done so for many years and uses only the supplied scanner antenna and it is fine. No need to mount one on your head!📡🙂. Just enjoy the races.!
Ubbe
Member
I've supplied radios for racing and rallycross cars on closed circuits and they have all been simplex, some in the 400MHz band and others in 150MHz and they where set to only 5W output power.
For Rally WRC where they drive for many miles in one direction they use airborn repeaters in helicopters. For smaller club level amateur rallys they use VHF simplex and often use the help of HAMs positioned along the track that can receive calls about punctures and crashes and relays that to the communication center. But usually they will also have mobile phone coverage.
The only way to get gain in the antenna are to flatten the directivety pattern to a more pancake type of pattern that also could make it more narrow banded to keep the pattern at the horizon, but that also makes it more crucial to have it vertical and not tilted, as that will make it work worse than a lower gain antenna.
If you have line of sight to the transmit antenna then 5W will be plenty to be received by any type of rubber duck antenna. At a racing circuit at race day the major issue will probably be overload in a receiver, so a good scanner are needed that can be helped by a lower gain antenna.
/Ubbe
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