We have been testing an active chip timing system from Feibot with a local cross-country ski club here in Washington state:
Gunnar Hagen 7.5k & 30k classic: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=377136
Ozbaldy 10k & 50k freestyle: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=382254
You can view the software setup from each race on your own Webscorer app as follows:
- Navigate to the app's home panel
- Tap "Race with start list"
- Tap "Download start list from Webscorer.com"
- Tap "Search for results"
- Tap the Race ID field, key in e.g. 377136 and tap Enter
- Navigate forward to the "Chip Timing" panel
All active chip timing systems work as follows:
- Racers wear the active chip (with a battery) on an ankle
- Chip is attached to the ankle facing the receiver antennas using a velcro strap
- Chip gets activated when it crosses the antenna loop on the ground / in snow
- Chip then transmits its chip ID to the receiver antennas
- This activation / transmission happens quickly so that timing accuracy is typically 0.01 secs
Activation antenna loop setup:
- We used two loop antennas (2nd loop for backup)
- Both loops were attached to the same A400 reader
- Length of each loop: 20 m (10 meter lap / finish width)
- Depth of loop: 10 cm below snow
- Width of loop: 45 cm between each wire
Receiver antenna setup:
- We used two external antennas
- Each antenna was attached to the A400 reader via 2 m cables
- The antennas were attached to wooden sticks with electrical tape
- One antenna was at 30 cm above snow, the other at 60 cm above snow
- One antenna was at 60 cm after the finish line, the other 60 cm after the first antenna
Reader & timing device setup:
- The A400 reader was inside the timing hut, with cables routed outside via a window
- The A400 has its own battery than can last 12 hours
- We had the A400 attached to USB-C charging during the race
- The Webscorer PRO app was running on an iPad
- The timing iPad was connected via WiFi to the reader's WiFi hotspot
- We used a 2nd iPad connected to the timing iPad via Bluetooth in Master / Helper timing mode
- The role of the Helper iPad was to post live results & act as a results monitoring device
Race notes (from March 2 race):
- Total of 388 detections were recorded
- Chip detection rate was 100% when the chip was worn correctly on the right ankle
- One skier forgot to his chip at the start, another wore the chip on his shoulder
- A few skiers had attached the chip to the left ankle, facing away from the receiver antennas
- The misses were noticed in real time during the race, and covered with a manual tap on the timing iPad
- Lesson learned: check each skier's chip for correct attachment before the start
Feibot A400 advantages:
- The chips cost just $25 each (comparable RaceResult chips cost $72.50)
- There is also a chip with replaceable battery for $35 each
- The A400 system comes with two external receiver antennas
- You can also attach two loop antennas to the same reader
- The reader has a built-in WiFi hotspot, making it easy to use a mobile device for timing
- You can also use a direct Ethernet connection from Windows or Mac laptop to the A400
Availability
The Feibot active timing system has been FCC certified and is now available for rent or purchase for North American customers by Pegasus Timing Serviecs at https://www.pegasustiming.com/. Pegsus is based in the Sammamish, WA which is close to Webscorer headquarters based in Woodinville, WA. We have partnered with Pegasus to provide joint support services, Webscorer support can handle also the hardware integration issues.
PICTURE 1 - Activation antenna setup (before covering the wires with snow)
PICTURE 2 - Receiver antenna setup
PICTURE 3 - Reader & timing device setup
