Two-way Radios used in NASCAR

NASCARThere are numerous industries all over the world that use two-way radios as a trusted form of communication between employees, supervisors, and outside sources. But nowhere else is there such a high concentration of radios than at a NASCAR race. With anywhere from 100,000 to 200,000 people in attendance, including fans, staff and race teams, radios number in the thousands.

During such a large event, a repeater is used to transmit both digital and analog signals from radio to radio. All frequencies available are used as the need for communication is in such high demand. Two-way radios began their use in NASCAR back in the 1970s, when crew chiefs began talking to their drivers about car performance, pit stops and strategy. Quickly two-ways have moved into almost all aspects of the sport. From fans to drivers, few people at a NASCAR race aren’t equipped with a two-way radio.

The Driver

The driver is of course the key element of any race team. The driver wears a small radio that fits inDriver his ear that both gives and receives signals. A hands free device is a must, as he is busy driving, and is also wearing a helmet, along with other protective gear. The driver talks to his crew chief constantly throughout the race; when to pit, what will happen during a pit stop, how the car is performing and any changes that need to be made, where his teammates are on the race track, and more are all topics of discussion. The driver is also receiving signals from race track staff. When there is a caution on the track or there is an update on laps left the driver hears it via a one-way signal coming from NASCAR officials. The driver is also communicating with his spotter.

The Spotter

The job of the NASCAR spotter is to watch out for his driver. He usually sits up high, on top of the grandstands or a tower and radios down to the driver about accidents and race strategy. Drivers have extremely limited peripheral vision, due to their safety equipment and car structure, so a spotter is their eyes from up above. They can tell them which way to go around a wreck, where other cars are on the track, and when they are clear after passing another car. Spotters also communicate with drivers about who to work with on the track. Teammates (drivers who work for the same car owners) will often team up and draft, or work together to pass other cars. This is often worked out by spotters, who often all sit together. Spotters are also helpful to the car crew, as they can relay to them imminent changes in weather. At large race courses, many teams will have multiple spotters, as one alone cannot see the whole track.
 
The Crew Chief

Crew ChiefThe crew chief for any race team is the head of operations. He decides on all the important matters during a race, and needs to be informed on a second by second basis. Throughout the race, he is talking to his driver, their spotters, and the race crew. In addition, he is also getting one-way signals from NASCAR officials. It is imperative to the success of the team that the crew chief be able to communicate, both sending and receiving signals, with anyone on the team at all times during a race.
 

The Crew

The crew of a NASCAR team is like the organs in a person’s body. They keep the car running at peak performance Pit Crewduring a race, make major and minor adjustments during pit stops, and prepare between pit stops to help put their driver out ahead. Like the drivers, the crew use hands free two-way radios because they wear helmets and are constantly moving and using their hands. When a driver makes a pit stop, the crew can fill up their gas tank and change four tires in around 16 seconds! But, there are times when a driver only needs two tires, or a quick adjustment to the car. Many of those decisions are relayed to the crew via two-way radios.

 

The Staff and Officials

OfficialIn addition to the race team, there can be upwards of 40,000 staff working during a given NASCAR event. This requires an extreme amount of planning and communication before, during, and after the race. There are officials who keep the race going, track maintenance workers, and emergency personnel, just to name a few. Like the race teams, specific staff functions are kept on certain frequencies and the staff does their best to communicate only when necessary, in order to keep radio channels open.
 
The Media

The media at a NASCAR event are of course using one-way radio and television waves to transmit information to the public, but what about to each other? Again this is where the two-way radios come in. Media staff are not only responsible for knowing up to the second information, who they are interviewing and what is happening on the track, but also who their colleagues are interviewing, who is up next, and who is being interviewed in real time. In order to keep all this information straight, they are set up with two-way radios to talk to other reports, the station or TV channel they work for, and the race teams.

The Fans

The fans are the sole reason that NASCAR racing exists. Without them paying for seats, or watching the race at home, teams would have no sponsorship, and basically no reason to race. Income from fans pays for just about everything (besides the companies who sponsor each specific race – who only do so to advertise to fans). Today fans are becoming more and more in the know when it comes to the happenings at each event. And often the way they do that is with radios. All communication between teams is transmitted to nascar.com, where any fan can download an ap and hear exactly what is going on with their team of choice. In addition, many fans in the stands have two-way radios and listen in on the conversations being had on the many channels being used. They can also use two-ways to communicate with each other. Many fans will arrive on Friday and camp out until the race on Sunday, during which time families get spread out and can use two-ways to discuss current locations and meeting times.

Overall a NASCAR event has the highest number of two-way and one-way radios being used at a given time than any other event in the world. The smooth operation of both the staff and race teams is due in large part to the use of radios, and could not happen without them. The fans at the track and at home also get their information from both kinds of radios, and each year becomes more and more informed because of them. To a race team, radios are a key to not only their success, but also their driver’s safety. Spotters relay information to drivers that keeps them safe, and to most racers, safety is at the top of their priority list.

Two-Way Radios

Two-Way Radios: What Cell Phones Can’t Do

We often hear from customers that cell phones have the same capabilities as two-way radios. With cell phones now being able to connect you to the internet, share pictures, and access email (among many other things) it is not surprising that they are seen as a descendant of two-way radios. This could not be farther from the truth. It is no secret that cell phones have come a long way in recent years, but what is widely unknown are the many uses of two-way radios that cell phones just can’t do.

 

The History of Two-Way Radios

Two-way radios date back to the late 1800s. In 1885, Heinrich Hertz proved the existence of electromagnetic waves and that these waves could be sent and received. Shortly thereafter, Nikola Tesla used this theory and created the first radio. To learn more about Hertz, visit (this article). To learn more about Tesla and his part in two-way radio history, visit (this link). Two-way radios made their first appearance on ocean ships and airplanes. Before this, pilots often had to land their planes to deliver important messages, and ships were relegated to using Morse code and carrier pigeons. Within a few decades, two-way radios were implemented in police cars, and used by the military in WWII. Today two-way radios are used in numerous public and government functions. From firefighters to police officers, and construction workers to miners, two-way radios go where cell phones simply can’t.

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Three Modes of Communication

When electromagnetic waves were first harnessed to serve as communication transmitters, they were sent in only one direction, which is referred to as simplex communication. Your car radio or home televisions are examples of this form of communication. Simplex communication is one-directional and often used in instances of emergency when a large population needs to receive information. Your television harnesses simplex communication to deliver you the news, and both your TV and radio will interrupt normal broadcasting to inform citizens of emergency situations. Today simplex communication is still used in daily life more than most people realize. Pagers, GPS services, baby monitors, garage door openers, video cameras, and printers all rely on simplex communication.

While advancements in technology with radios and harnessing electromagnetic waves continued, two new systems evolved: half-duplex and full-duplex communication. Half-duplex communication is when radio waves can be transmitted and received by the same tool, but signals can only move in one direction at a time. Most walkie-talkies work in this fashion. A button is held down by the current transmitter, while the receiver simply hears the message. After the message is received, the receiver can then send a message back. In contrast, a full-duplex system of communication allows for both transmitter and receiver to send messages at the same time. Examples of this are today’s home and cellular telephones. While people are speaking to one another using telephones, both speakers can talk and be heard at the same time. Two-way radios can also be designed to work on full-duplex mode, where the transmitter relays their message on one frequency, and the receiver of that message can also relay a message at the same time using a different frequency. (Read More)

Most people would follow the logic that when looking at the advancements in communication, full-duplex is better than half, and half is better than simple. In contrast, all three forms of communication have their own pros and cons. Simplex communication is used in technology that is all around us, and would have no added benefit if turned into half or full-duplex forms. Do we really need our garage door openers to transmit signals back to us? Or do we need to send radio signals to our GPS services? Most would say no. It would be a waste of time and money to create car radios that also send outgoing messages. On the other hand, our telephones would be of little value to us if we were only able to speak to our friend at the other end without them being able to respond. When we compare two-way radios to telephones, cell phones in particular, we see many advantages to using a two-way radio.

 

Emergency Situations: Group and Instant Information

When it comes to emergency personnel, one would be hard pressed to find individuals who believe that a cell phone would be of greater use to them than a two-way radio. There are two main reasons for this: group communication and instant messages. Picture a large house fire. Firefighters and other emergency workers arrive to the scene, already with their two-way radios set to the same channel. All messages sent out by each person are heard by every worker who is set to the designated frequency. No answering, no buttons to push, no stopping. In addition to all personnel being able to hear the same messages, they receive these messages instantly. While a paramedic is moving an injured person to a nearby ambulance, he hears on his radio that another person has been rescued and needs medical support. He can quickly prepare himself and his team for the next person, and do it within a matter of seconds. The lives of all workers, and the people they are trying to rescue, require immediate action and to the second information.

In addition to emergency personnel, every day citizens will find it difficult to use their cell phone during national emergencies. It has often been seen during these times that millions of people get on their phone trying to reach loved ones. Because of this massive deluge of callers, cell phone networks often do not work. Callers cannot get through, and messages are not sent or received.

 

Durability

In addition to ease of use, group and instant messaging and reliability in emergency situations, two-way radios are much more durable than today’s cell phones. As most of us know, a cell phone can be destroyed with one simple drop onto an asphalt or concrete surface. Two-way radios are much sturdier and able to withstand much more abuse than any cell phone on the market. In tough work environments, a cell phone might last a matter of months, whereas a two-way radio can withstand the conditions and last for years.

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Remote Locations

Even though most of us are used to having excellent cell phone coverage, there are many locations around the world where cell phone towers are absent. When in remote locations, two-way radios are far superior. Two-way radios do not need any towers to send signals. The radio waves are simply transmitted from radio to radio. Examples of these areas include remote forests, underground construction sites, and open ocean.

 

Wide Area

Today, two-way radio providers are creating larger and larger areas in which radios are able to transmit to one another. A common problem with two-way radios is that their range can be just a few miles. For many companies, and during emergency situations, this short distance is detrimental to operations. Towers and tall buildings equipped with radio transmission equipment are making it possible to send messages via two-way radios that are up to 300 miles away. Using this equipment, messages are received in less than one second, just as if the two-way radios were only feet apart. (Learn More)

Overall two-way radios and cell phones are wonderful pieces of technology that in and of themselves serve very different purposes. Each has had advancements that further their uses, and in many ways are on separate tracks. Cell phones are great for having conversations, playing games or browsing the web. Two-way radios are a means of instant communication in emergency situations, in remote locations and when cell phone towers are overwhelmed. For more information on two-way radios for your company or government sector, please check out our contact us page (HERE).

How Highland Wireless Is Making A Difference

Highland Wireless is proud to say we give back! With an excellent team of individuals and plenty of resources, Highland Wireless has stepped up to the plate to give back what we can to the community.

 

The Past

Toys in the Sun, Run – In the past, Highland Wireless has worked closely with Toys in the Sun, Run, an organization combining motorcycles and car shows to raise money for needy children in the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation. We were able to provide radio communications for the entire event and we are always looking forward to giving in any capacity we can to this organization.

Ride 4 Orphans – Another charitable event we sponsor is the Ride 4 Orphans bike ride by Spanish River Church. It is a ride to benefit orphan children in developing countries such as Haiti and in the Sub-Saharan African region. This year and previous year, we as a company attended the event and provided radio communications to the church staff for use.

 

The Present

Currently, Highland Wireless is jumping right into new opportunities for giving back and were engaging our whole team to pitch into the effort.

5k Race to End Homelessness – On March 22, 2014, The Highland Wireless team will be participating in the 5k Race to End Homelessness. While supporting this race financially, the Highland Wireless team will also be running in the race, showing our support for this worthy cause.

House Building at Habitat For Humanity – An ambitious project coming up on the horizon, Habitat for Humanity has called for volunteers to help construct a house in the local area. Highland Wireless is taking up the challenge by lending a helping hand to fund and help build a house for a needy family.

 

The Future

The work of giving back is never “Done;” the more we have, the more we can give. That is an ethic this company follows as a whole and as individual employees. We understand that for a company to be sustained, it must sustain others. We are willing to exert the time and energy to support any worthy cause that comes our way! We are all in to contribute to a anyone with a charitable organization and would love to discuss with future partners how we can aid in event execution and funding! Please call, (954) 376-7400 to see how Highland Wireless can get involved with your event!

Are 2-Way Radios Outdated? Think Again! The 4 Myths Of The 2-Way Industry

Back in the 1980’s and 90’s, Radio communication was all the rage with companies wanting to talk instantly with its employees and keep its business running smoothly and efficiently. Why do some think this has changed? With cellphones getting smaller, sleeker, and more powerful, more companies are turning to cellphones, thinking THEY are the ones who have the instant communication capability, but this is far from the truth. Cell Phones have gotten smaller and more powerful, but that power goes to its ability to play games and run apps, not communicate. There are plenty of misconceptions out there in the communications world, but here are 5 of the most prevalent.

 

1. Radios Haven’t Changed Since the 80’s

This is the farthest from the truth you can be! To put it simply, Radios have evolved just as much as televisions have evolved! Radio communication has been trusted into the 21st century with the move from Analog to digital technology. Meaning, the range in which 2 radios can communicate has skyrocketed from 30~ miles to 300+ miles, thanks to Kenwood and Motorola digital networks!

 

2. A Cellphone App can Mimic Radio Communications

Also, this is untrue. By its very nature, a cellphone CAN NOT do what a radio can do, and never will be able to. Two things a cellphone is not made for is instant communication, and group communication. To further explain, a cell phone works on an point to point system, similar to how a computer works. It requires two addresses to connect and confirm a this connection before any communications can be sent. This process can take a substantial amount of time, especially in an emergency situation. On the other hand, radios send a signal to a near by repeater which is broadcasted to its destination instantly. A process that takes less than seconds.

 

3. Radios are More Expensive than Cellphones

With cellphones becoming so much of a bundled system, (I.E. talk, text, web), today a basic phone plan from Metro PCS will cost $40 a month with data limitations. Radios on the other hand are designed for audio communication, and have a flat $25 airtime charge, for them to run at their fullest potential. For communicating with a fleet of trucks or a team of employees, no communication is more efficient and cost effective than radios.

 

4. Radios are Only for Government Use

Lastly, this is a myth that can easily be debunked. Highland Wireless, as well as its competitors in the surrounding area, are currently supplying radio communications to a whole plethora of businesses and organizations that need instant communications. For example, Highland wireless services many Towing, plumbing, cement, ambulance, taxi and security companies in the central and south Florida areas.

If you or your organization is in need of radio communications, do not hesitate to call: (954) 376-7400 to see how Highland Wireless can tailor a communications plan to your needs!

Highland Wireless Is Expanding, Everybody Wins!

Highland Wireless has experienced lots of growth over the past couple years, with new employees, new clients, and an expanded network. But in recent months we’ve grown more than ever!

First, Just recently, our Tampa tower has become operational, bringing radio communications to companies based in Tampa and also allowing existing customers to use their radio systems in the area. With this expansion, we are proud to say our radio network now extends florida from coast to coast! This expansion gives transportation and logistics companies that travel across the state, more utility on our network. Also, we look forward to launching two news sites in the coming months. One in Daytona, opening our company up to the northern Florida market and the second, in Lake Harbor, expanding our area near Lake okeechobee.

Second, With a desire to expand our coverage from Orlando down to the Keys, we have aligned ourselves with Sun Talk LLC in order to extensively expand our radio network. With this additional coverage we hope to be able to provide radio service to more customers. as well as give our customers additional network functionality.

We are a company that grows with our customers and we are always willing to expand based on our customers needs. If you or your company has any desire to have radio communications in a specific area, that is not in our coverage, bring us your need and we will analysis the possibility to provide coverage to your area.