Thanks Gene for your reply, and thanks for your input, Lyman. That’s the kind of comment I was hoping for.
We’re planning to add RFID timing to our services at BuffaloRunners, but we’re concerned about selecting the appropriate system for our needs. We’d like to be able to time championship events. We’re not satisfied with most of the “chip” timers available to us with respect to championship level accuracy, precision, and completeness.
The current (2013) USTAF Rules of Competition do mention transponder system requirements. Rule 165-16(e)implies a role for the RRTC when it states the following:
16. The use of transponder timing systems in race walking events not held entirely
within a stadium, road, and cross country races is permitted provided that:
(e) the system, including the implementation of its components and its technical
specifications, is approved by the finish line subcommittee of the Road
Running Technical Council;
That’s why I was hoping to find some guidance here!
My concern is that some otherwise great systems really probably can not adequately determine: the precise instant when a finisher crosses the certified finish line; can not adequately separate individuals in the proper finish order from clusters of close finishers; and the reality is that we won’t get a 100% read rate with the more popular and convenient passive transponders. This puts the burden on the timer to know his system’s limitations and compensate.
For example, the marvelous and innovative DAG system: its my understanding they have to deploy workers with hand-held readers to “wand” the finishers to capture finishes missed by the detection wire --- ok, that’s a solution, but the wanders are mobile, therefore they probably cant be capturing the finish at the precise finish line or at any fixed distance form it. The system is fine for what its intended for, but I cant imagine that ever being acceptable for championship purposes.
ChampionChip historically required a “secondary” mat to capture the missed reads, but our local ChampionsChip/MyLaps timer frequently skips the secondary mat – the result is many missed reads. But, even with the secondary, does ChampionChip deploy algorithms to “move the finisher back” if he’s captured only on the 2nd mat? Is that acceptable?
It would be real helpful if an organization like the RRTC could evaluate the various RFID systems and determine if and how they should be used in sanctioned or championship events.