Introduction
Different types of races will require different types of tags and different timing line configurations. This guide will discuss the basic timing line configurations and appropriate use of equipment with tags.
This Setup Guide will help you setup a Split, Start, or Finish point using ChronoTrack equipment. Before we get started we need to keep a few basic rules and best practices in mind:
- Connect color coded cables to the matching color coded ports on the controller. This is recommended if troubleshooting is needed.
- Always synchronize the time of all controllers before the race.
- Once the controller is time synced do not power it off. The controller does not hold accurate time while it is powered off.
- The distance between a Primary Gator line and Backup Gator line should be 15 ft/4.6 meters.
- Test all antennas with a RFID card once they are connected.
- When running other cables through the gators make sure they are shielded to prevent interference.
- Use a Redundant Line whenever you have a critical timing point. A Redundant Line is a line that is backed up by another ChronoTrack timing system in case one of the lines stops functioning properly.
Gator Specifications:
- Width of one Regular Gator Skin is: 42 in./1.06 meters
- Width of one Mini Gator Skin is: 36 in./.9 meters
FlashPoint Specifications:
- FlashPoints are designed for fast setup and breakdown.
- FlashPoints are ideal to use for running, biking, and other applications- if you have specific questions about an application not in this guide, please contact the support team.
- D-tags worn on shoes and Tri-Tags worn on the ankle are not recommended for use with Flashpoints.
- The height at which you set a FlashPoint is dependent on the type of race and type of tag. Please be aware that reducing the height of FlashPoints reduces their range, so be careful to set them no lower than the suggested height.
Height from ground to bottom of FlashPoint when using:
- Bib tags = 60 inches/1.5 meters
- Tags on a Helmet = 50 inches/1.3 meters The helmet height may vary depending on the type of race the helmet is worn in.
- Tags on Ankle (D-Tags, Tri-tags) = 36 inches/.9 meters
Restrict timing line width as much as possible when reducing FlashPoint height since reducing the height decreases the signal range. Never exceed 6 feet/1.8 meters wide for a timing line using a single FlashPoint at 36 inches/.9 meters. - Seat post Bike tags= 48 inches/1.2 meters
FlashPoint antennas must be turned vertically for use with the Seat post Bike tags.
Additional FlashPoint Tips
- If standard tag orientation is changed, the orientation of the FlashPoint will need to be changed as well.
- It is recommended to use a FlashGuard on the back of each FlashPoint when using FlashPoints for a START/FINISH point. The FlashGuard will help prevent reads on the backside of the FlashPoint.
- Be sure nobody stands in front of a FlashPoint antenna during the race.
Gator-less timing point:
- Maximum distance that 1 FlashPoint covers is 12 feet/3.65 meters
- Make sure when using 1 single FlashPoint you create an area around it with cones or fences to limit the distance a runner can pass by the FlashPoint
- Maximum distance that 2 FlashPoints covers is 24 feet/7.3 meters
- Always connect both cables of 1 FlashPoint in sequential order on the same reader.
i.e. Ports 1 and 2 or 5 and 6. Never ports 1 and 3 or 4 and 5.
FlashPoints used with Gators:
- 1 FlashPoint with Gators will cover 1-4 gators.
- 2 FlashPoints used with gators will cover 5-8 gators.
B-Tags - ChronoTrack's Bib Tags work well with both Gators (ground mats) and FlashPoints. When using Bib Tags with gator antennas, remember to orient the antennas correctly relative to the direction the athletes will be moving. (See the image below)
Dual B-Tags vs Single B-Tags - Dual B-Tags provide another layer of redundancy for your timing setup. Athletes may accidentally damage their bib tags. Athletes also sweat, run in the rain, and pour water over themselves, any of which can damage a tag or cause signal interference. Having two B-Tags effectively doubles your chances of reading every athlete. The concept is simply "more is better". We typically suggest dual B-Tags for large events, high-profile events, Elite runners, or events where you may be short on equipment redundancy.
D-Tags - Shoe Tags work well with Gators, but not so well with FlashPoints since they are closer to the ground and therefore harder for the FlashPoints to read. Remember to orient the antennas correctly relative to the direction the athletes will be moving. (See the image below)
Tri-Tags - Triathlon Tags (disposable or reusable) work best with Gators since they are worn around the ankle. The orientation of the Gator antennas does not matter with Tri-Tags.
Bike Tags - Bike Tags are best used with FlashPoints oriented vertically. They do not work well with gators because of the orientation of the tag on the bike, so we do not recommend using Gators with Bike Tags.
For more in-depth information on the various types of tags and antennas, click HERE.
Key Line Setup Principles
If there is one word that can save you lots of hardship on race day, it is 'Redundancy'. Having a backup line is invaluable in case something happens to your primary line. The addition of another line also helps ensure that you collect the maximum number of tag reads. A single line is fully capable of collecting the maximum number of reads, but a backup should always be used when possible. This provides security for you, the Race Director, and the Athletes.
In addition to having a backup line, networking controllers together with an ethernet cable allows Pro and Pro2 controllers to share and store each other's data and any data from connected MiniTracks. For a more in-depth look at controller networking, click HERE.
Primary and Backup controllers should generally NOT be networked so that you are able to differentiate between primary data and backup data. However, if you are using an Over/Under line with the FlashPoints set directly over the Gator line, you CAN network the controllers since the primary and backup systems are operating in the same physical place. If you're scoring with ChronoTrack Live, you can create two Timing Devices that correspond to your Primary and Backup Gator lines with the Backup device set to Priority 2. In this way, you can have the software pull athletes' times from ONLY the primary device as long as times are available there.
Timing Line Setups
All Minimum Equipment Requirement recommendations show minimum equipment for full redundancy.
4 Gator Line (Single)
Recommended Tags: Dual B-Tags, D-Tags, or Tri-Tags
Line Width: 14 feet/4.26 meters
Full Redundancy: No
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 4 Gators, 4 Threshold Antennas, 1 Short Cable Set, 1 Controller (any type)
Participation Level: Low/Medium
Best Used For: Minor split point, multi-sport transition In/Out lines
Single FlashPoint Line
Recommended Tags: Dual B-Tags, Seat Post Bike Tags (Vertical FP orientation)
Line Width: 12 feet/3.65 meters
Full Redundancy: No
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 1 FlashPoint with Tripod, 1 short FP cable set, 1 Controller (any type)
Participation Level: Low/Medium
Best Used For: Minor split point, non-multisport
Single FlashPoint Line with FlashPoint Backup
Recommended Tags: B-Tags, Seat Post Bike Tags (Vertical FP orientation)
Line Width: 12 feet/3.65 meters
Full Redundancy: Yes
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 2 FlashPoints with Tripods, 2 short FP cable sets, 2 Controllers (any type)
Participation Level: Low/Medium
Best Used For: Any non-multisport point
4 Gator Over/Under Line
Recommended Tags: B-Tags
Line Width: 14 feet/3.65 meters
Full Redundancy: Only when Gators and FPs are using two separate controllers
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 1 FlashPoint with Tripod, 1 short FP cable set, 4 Gators, 4 threshold antennas, 1 short cable set, 2 Controllers of any type
Participation Level: Low/Medium
Best Used For: Non-multisport, non-biking points
4 Gator Line with Gator Backup
Recommended Tags: B-Tags, D-Tags, or Tri-Tags
Line Width: 14 feet/4.26 meters
Full Redundancy: Yes
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 8 Gators, 8 threshold antennas, 2 short cable sets, 2 Controllers of any type
Participation Level: Low/Medium
Best Used For: Any non-biking point
4 Gator Over/Under with Gator Backup
Recommended Tags: Single or Dual B-Tags, D-Tags, or Tri-Tags
Line Width: 14 feet/4.26 meters
Full Redundancy: Double redundant. Overkill for a split point
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 1 FlashPoint with Tripod, 1 short FP cable set, 8 Gators, 8 threshold antennas, 2 short cable sets, 1 Pro/Pro2 Controller, and 1 Mini
Participation Level: Low/Medium
Best Used For: Any major, non-biking point.
6 Gator Line (Single)
Recommended Tags: B-Tags, D-Tags, or Tri-Tags
Line Width: 21 feet/6.4 meters
Full Redundancy: NO
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 6 Gators, 6 Threshold Antennas, 1 Short Cable Set, 1 Long Cable Set, 1 Pro/Pro2 Controller
Participation Level: Medium/High
Best Used For: Minor split point, multi-sport transition In/Out point
6 Gator Line with Gator Backup
Recommended Tags: B-Tags, D-Tags, or Tri-Tags
Line Width: 21 feet/6.4 meters
Full Redundancy: Yes
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 12 Gators, 12 Threshold Antennas, 2 Short Cable Sets, 2 Long Cable Sets, 2 Pro/Pro2 Controllers
Participation Level: Medium/High
Best Used For: Any non-biking point
6 Gator Over/Under Line
Recommended Tags: B-Tags
Line Width: 21 feet/6.4 meters
Full Redundancy: Yes
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 2 FlashPoints with Tripods, 1 Short FlashPoint Cable Set, 1 Long FlashPoint Cable Set, 6 Gators, 6 Threshold Antennas, 1 Short Cable Set, 1 Long Cable Set, 1 Pro/Pro2 Controller and 1 MiniTrack
Participation Level: Medium/High
Best Used For: Any non-biking, non-multisport point
6 Gator Over/Under Line with Gator Backup
Recommended Tags: B-Tags, D-Tags, or Tri-tags
Line Width: 21 feet/6.4 meters
Full Redundancy: Double-redundant. Overkill for a split point
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 2 FlashPoints with Tripods, 1 Short FlashPoint Cable Set, 1 Long FlashPoint Cable Set, 12 Gators, 12 Threshold Antennas, 2 Short Cable Sets, 2 Long Cable Sets, 2 Pro/Pro2 Controllers and 1 MiniTrack
Participation Level: Medium/High
Best Used For: Any major, non-biking point.
Double FlashPoint Only Line
Recommended Tags: B-Tags, Bike Tags (Vertical Orientation)
Line Width: 24 feet/7.3 meters
Full Redundancy: No - even though there are two independent systems, one FlashPoint cannot adequately cover the full distance
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 2 FlashPoints with Tripods, 2 Short FlashPoint Cable Sets, 2 Controllers of any type
Participation Level: Medium/High
Best Used For: Any biking point or any minor, non-multisport point
Double FlashPoint Only Line with FlashPoint Backup
Recommended Tags: B-Tags, Bike Tags (Vertical Orientation)
Line Width: 24 feet/7.3 meters
Full Redundancy: Yes
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 4 FlashPoints with Tripods, 4 short FP Cable Sets, 4 Controllers of any type. Only 2 controllers can be used if both FlashPoints on one side of the road are connected to a single controller. However, this configuration will NOT be fully redundant.
Participation Level: Medium/High
Best Used For: Any biking or non-multisport point
8 Gator Line (Single)
Recommended Tags: B-Tags, D-Tags, or Tri-Tags
Line Width: 28 feet/8.53 meters
Full Redundancy: NO
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 8 Gators, 8 Threshold Antennas, 1 Short Cable Set, 1 Long Cable Set, 1 Pro/Pro2 Controller
Participation Level: Medium/High
Best Used For: Minor split point, multi-sport transition In/Out point
8 Gator Line with Gator Backup
Recommended Tags: B-Tags, D-Tags, or Tri-Tags
Line Width: 28 feet/8.53 meters
Full Redundancy: Yes
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 16 Gators, 16 Threshold Antennas, 2 Short Cable Sets, 2 Long Cable Sets, 2 Pro/Pro2 Controllers
Participation Level: Medium/High
Best Used For: Any non-biking point
8 Gator Over/Under Line
Recommended Tags: B-Tags
Line Width: 28 feet/8.53 meters
Full Redundancy: Yes
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 2 FlashPoints with Tripods, 1 short FP Cable Set, 1 Long FP Cable Set, 8 Gators, 8 Threshold Antennas, 1 Short Cable Set, 1 Long Cable Set, 1 Pro/Pro2 Controller and 1 MiniTrack
Participation Level: Medium/High
Best Used For: Any non-biking point
8 Gator Over/Under Line with Gator Backup
Recommended Tags: B-Tags, D-Tags, Tri-Tags
Line Width: 28 feet/8.53 meters
Full Redundancy: Double-redundant. Overkill for a split point
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 2 FlashPoints with Tripods, 2 short FP Cable Sets, 2 Long FP Cable Sets, 16 Gators, 16 Threshold Antennas, 2 Short Cable Sets, 2 Long Cable Sets, 2 Pro/Pro2 Controller and 2 MiniTrack
Participation Level: Medium/High
Best Used For: Any major, non-biking point.
10-16 Gator Line
Recommended Tags: B-Tags, D-Tags, or Tri-Tags
Line Width: 56 feet/17 meters
Full Redundancy: No (Unless used with backup line)
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 10-16 Gators, 10-16 Threshold Antennas, 2 Short Cable Sets, 2 Long Cable Sets, 2 Pro/Pro2 Controllers (Double equipment for redundant Gator line)
Participation Level: High
Best Used For: Any non-biking split point
10-16 Gator Over/Under Line
Recommended Tags: B-Tags
Line Width: ~56 feet/17 meters
Full Redundancy: Yes
Minimum Equipment Requirement: 4 FlashPoints with Tripods, 2 Short FlashPoint Cable Sets, 2 Long FlashPoint Cable Sets, 10-16 Gators, 10-16 Threshold Antennas, 2 Short Cable Sets, 2 Long Cable Sets, 2 Pro/Pro2 Controllers, 2 MiniTracks
Participation Level: High
Best Used For: Any non-biking point
