Radio Track Frequency Monitoring?

Ron Earp

Ron Earp

Administrator
Would there be any benefit to monitoring the track frequency whilst racing? I've never really monitored it before and don't know what sorts of useful info might be obtained from listening in while racing.

I do know I was completely surprised in a recent ECR at VIR when two ITA cars passed me on a re-start. I was not in view of a flag stand and they definitely got the jump on me for a bit. I assume they had radios, however, they might have been listening to their pit helpers. I don't have pit helpers so the only option for me would be to listen into the track frequency.

I've got a Uniden handheld I could rig up in the car with external antenna and a ampilifer/booster on the ear phones if needed. Just don't know if it'd be worth listening to.

Ron
 
The VHF/UHF radios that I use in 'Le Plastique Pig' can receive two different frequencies at once (ham radio geek for 35+ years...what do you expect ?), and I've tried the "listen to the flag net" thing a few times. For me, it's too distracting. Too much chatter. I always end up just turning the volume down on that channel of the radio. Trying to sort the wheat from the chaff on flag or safety nets is difficult at race speed in traffic. If you're REALLY good at multi-tasking, you might try it and find you can do it, but I know I can't. Hell, I don't even like unnecessary chatter directed at me when I'm under green flag conditions. If it's not important, I don't need to know. Don't radio out to me with some silly-assed question like "How's the car feel"...you'll be met with silence. But that's just me.

Restarts are always a challenge. If you don't have crew with radios in the pits, find some other crew in another class and tune in on their frequency. Listen for them to "call the green". Even when I have crew on the radio, I still watch the flag stands like a hawk, and as soon as the flagger starts to make that physical move to dump the double-yellows, I go. Watch them enough on restarts and you can read the body language when they hear the "green" call on the flag net. I have a mental block about "going green" if I'm approaching a flag station that is still displaying yellows, even if the crew is screaming "GREEN" on the radio....just can't do it.
 
Hell, I don't even like unnecessary chatter directed at me when I'm under green flag conditions. If it's not important, I don't need to know. Don't radio out to me with some silly-assed question like "How's the car feel"...you'll be met with silence. But that's just me.


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You and I are alike there brother! We have done the 13 hour for the last few years and some of our crew wants radios. I just don't want all of that. Hold up pit board when I need to come in. If the car doesn't "feel right" I'll come in. If it breaks I'll get towed in. Don't need radios for that.

To be fair they can be useful though. This year we were all wired for them but they failed. As I predicted.

Now, on the track frequencies and the crew rigs, are they both on frequencies I can tune with my hand held Uniden scanner? I know I can get the track frequencies, but I didn't know I could also get other teams' pit to car.

Ron
 
Ron: I agree with John. Trying to listen in on a track frequency would demand too much concnetration, taking away from your driving concentration. I asked Johnny Rutherford one time what he found was the most important factor that made him a successful driver and he said 'focus'.

And even then, there is probably a delay from when the starter displays the green to when the network hears about it. As a starter, I know when the pace car comes in and when I give the green flag. And can tell you that there is a delay between that time and the time a call goes out over the net.

John's suggestion about finding the frequency of another team (of course in a different class) is probably the best suggestion, as their call will be much quicker. You will just have to tune out their conversation for the rest of the race.

The question about whether you can pass after the green is dropped but the corner workers have not dropped their double yellow can be argued both ways. I agree with John that it is a hard thing to do, but I can see some type A drivers jumping on the verbal que.

From my own perspective, I tried FRS radios with VOX. But I found that the noise in the car kept my mike open so I could not hear my crew. I might try again next year with just pit to car. Should work ok.

KC8ULQ
 
Now, on the track frequencies and the crew rigs, are they both on frequencies I can tune with my hand held Uniden scanner? I know I can get the track frequencies, but I didn't know I could also get other teams' pit to car.[/b]
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The majority of "race radios" use either the FRS channels (FRS = "Family Radio Service" - those cheapie things you get at Wal-Mart), MURS channels ("Multiple Use Radio Service) or GMRS ("General Mobile Radio Service").

FRS and MURS does not require a license. GMRS does. FRS and MURS only allow low power radios (<2 watts), while GMRS allows higher power operation. FRS channels are cluttered with Mom, kids and assorted yayhoos. MURS...not so much.

Frequencies for each service here (cut and paste from other sites...might have column problems that I'm not smart enough to fix)

MURS
151.820 MHz
151.880 MHz
151.940 MHz
154.570 MHz
154.600 MHz

FRS
CH - FREQ.
01 = 462.5625
02 = 462.5875
03 = 462.6125
04 = 462.6375
05 = 462.6625
06 = 462.6875
07 = 462.7125
08 = 467.5625
09 = 467.5875
10 = 467.6125
11 = 467.6375
12 = 467.6625
13 = 467.6875
14 = 467.7125


GMRS Designated Frequencies
Repeater Out Repeater In Usage
462.550 467.550 50 watts GMRS
462.5625 5 watts splinter / .5w FRS
462.575 467.575 50 Watts GMRS
462.5875 5 watts splinter / .5w FRS
462.600 467.600 50 watts GMRS
462.6125 5 watts splinter / .5w FRS
462.625 467.625 50 Watts GMRS
462.6375 5 watts splinter / .5w FRS
462.500 467.500 50 Watts GMRS
462.6625 5 watts splinter / .5w FRS
462.675 467.675 National Emergency andTravelers Assist channel
462.6875 5 watts splinter / .5w FRS
462.700 467.700 50 Watts GMRS
462.7125 5 watts splinter / .5w FRS
462.725 467.725 50 Watts GMRS
467.5625 .5w FRS
467.5875 .5w FRS
467.6125 .5w FRS
467.6375 .5w FRS
467.6625 .5w FRS
467.6875 .5w FRS
467.7125 .5w FRS

BUT...easiest way to find out what frequency your friendly neighborhood team (who might let you listen in) uses is to ask them.

I have field-programable radios, and I know where the quiet, unused chunks of spectrum are hidden....that's where I am. Ssssssh....don't tell anybody.....
 
I have lost races due to missing starts/restarts, when I could not see the starter, or a flag station from my position (view obscured by another car, or a hill, or a bridge). We have since added an FRS radio to the car, the appropriate Radio Shack adapter and a set of Radio Shack headphones with memory foam surrounds. My crew only calls greens, and notifies me if something is visibly wrong with the car (such as the muffler draggin on the ground last time out, and the fact that the officials told them they would black flag me if it got any worse - nice to know, and allowed me to keep everything smooth and bump free). I cannot talk back, and don't want to hear much from them.

It works great, and saved me a lot of $$. We already had the radios, and the other parts were less than $50.

Before that I would post my one crew member in view of the start, as close as possible to the last turn, and have him wave his hat to signal the green to me (and everyone else). Not ideal, but at least it kept me from missing the call that everyone else saw or heard.
 
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