Testing Sportswire 4000 when there are no games on
The worst time to find out the ribbon is broken is the first live game. Daktronics documents a couple of ways to put real scores through Sports Wire 4000 when nothing is being played, plus a fix for a long-standing NFL quirk. Here is how to use them for a proper dry run.
Sample scores from a past season (NFL driver)
Daktronics' method for testing in the NFL off-season is to point the NFL driver at a past season's data. Select the NFL driver (reboot if you switched drivers), then go to Driver Configurations, the Configure tab, and NFL GSIS Server Info, and change the year in the path; Daktronics' example uses a 2017 regular-season path. Apply and OK, run your test, then set the path back to the current year. Daktronics' article does not describe an equivalent for the STATS college feed, so for college sports plan your test on a real game day.
NFL week 18 missing from the dropdown
The NFL added an 18th week in 2021 and Sports Wire's week dropdown was never updated. Daktronics' fix is to type 18 into the Path field by hand and click Apply.
After an update or a new license
Daktronics' update checklist ends with three checks worth doing any time you touch the machine: scores are updating, commands appear on the Driver tab, and your outputs appear on the Outputs tab. Then confirm on the board itself. Repeat on the backup PC.
A dry run that actually proves something
From the booth: pick a busy real slate before your first home date, run the full rotation with nobody touching it, and watch it from the bowl and from your phone. Check the transitions people never test: halftime, overtime, a game that goes final, and a game that tips after yours.
Where GameSlate fits
GameSlate's dashboard shows the live slate for any date, so you can pick a future date's games ahead of time and see exactly the pages the board will play. It renders finished out-of-town pages in your look and writes them to the content share your show already plays, so there is no driver, schedule clear, output port or logo-file mapping to keep alive. Scores, clocks and finals update within a minute all game, and if the internet drops the board holds its last good pages and your phone gets a text with the cause. It runs on the Daktronics machine you already own and installs remotely in under an hour.
Quick answers
How do I test Sportswire 4000 when the NFL is not in season?
Daktronics' method is to change the year in the NFL GSIS Server Info path (Driver Configurations, Configure tab) to a past season, test, then set it back to the current year.
Why is week 18 missing in Sportswire 4000?
The week dropdown predates the NFL's 18-week season. Daktronics' fix is typing 18 into the Path field and clicking Apply.
Sources
- Daktronics KB: Sample scores when the NFL is not in season
- Daktronics KB: Sports Wire 4000 does not show week 18 for NFL
- Daktronics KB: How to update Sports Wire 4000
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