High school sports begin in less than a month, now is a great time to do your pre-season run through to make sure everything is in working order.  Below is a list of the various things you should check on to get ready for the upcoming season.

Sound System

1. Power up the sound system, make sure everything turns on and power lights are working
   • Mixer
   • Processors (if applicable)
   • Equalizers (if applicable)
   • Amplifiers (always last)
2. Do a simple microphone check by reading a sponsor ad or your welcome.  This will give you an idea of how the system sounds and if the microphone is working.
3. Hook up all peripherals that may be used during the season, computer, ipad, CD player, cassette, etc.  Make sure all of your channels are all the way down when hooking peripherals into the sound system.
4. Put the National Anthem CD in the CD player and play the National Anthem from start to finish.  Replace the CD if it’s been in the pressbox for more than two years as extreme temperatures can warp the CD and cause issues.
5. Put music on the computer, then walk the stadium to see if all the speakers work.
   • Bring binoculars
   • Make sure to check all speakers to make sure they sound clear
   • Look for bird nests that may need to be removed
   • Check for damage to speakers that may cause issues later
6. Test all wireless microphones from the various locations they are to be used.
   • Check that all batteries are fresh, extreme temperatures can cause corrosion and wear down batteries
   • Pre-check all microphones in the pressbox, setting their levels
   • Walk the stadium checking the microphones from all locations they would be used, especially referee microphones
7. Do a simple run-through of your pre-game announcements, leading up to welcome the team to the field and National Anthem.

Scoreboards

1. Power on the scoreboard(s)
2. Power on the scoreboard controller from the location it will be operated.  If wireless, make sure there is a line-of-sight connection to the scoreboard(s)
3. Set all digits to 8, or as close as possible.
   • Most brands will allow you to display “88” for score, “to go”, and “ball on”,
   • 8 for “period”, “timeouts”, and “downs”
   • Set the clock to 88:58 (Daktronics will accept 88:88).
   • Set the play clock to 88
   • Alternate possession arrow
4. If using incandescent lights, note which lights are not working so you can fix them.  Use this document: Scoreboard Light Test Football (PDF) to help you with your lights.
5. If using LED, make sure the digits are clear and easily read from a distance.
6. Start running the clock
7. Add to each score for each “plus” and “minus” button on your control board.  Fair Play and Daktronics have different increments to add, use each at least once.
8. If using an auto-calculate feature, check to make sure it works and run through a simulate set of plays including a scoring play.
9. Reset the game clock to 1:00, run down to 0.  If you’re setting up for football, make sure the clock does not run down in tenth of a second (it should show 0:59, not 59.9) unless you’re setting up for lacrosse, basketball or ice hockey.
10. Make sure the team name boards work.
11. Most controllers will come with a lamp test built in, you can also run that in addition to the above.

Video Boards

1. If you’re running any type of video or message board, design several slides to make sure all lamps work correctly
   • All Red
   • All Green
   • All Blue
   • All White
2. Cycle through the colors to make sure all panels work correctly
3. Run a video (if applicable) to check the volume through the sound system and that the playback works properly
4. Connect cameras (if applicable) and do tests from each, not just bars & tone
   • Ensure all connections are secure, fix as necessary
   • Make sure zoom is operational
   • Make sure auto-focus is operational
   • Make sure manual-focus is operational
   • White balance each camera
5. Make sure all editing and content is functional.
6. If using other playback or back-up devices make sure all are functioning properly.