Safety Checks using SI

[Guest]

there's no way it could have mis-read one of the 4 people who didn't punch the start is there?

[Guest]

All these apart from Ghost are starting roughly on minute intervals; but Ghost is 30 seconds later.

Did you have people starting at 30 seconds intervals? If not, perhaps more likely to be a beginner (with hire card) who had to have things explained to them.

Alternatiely a delay might have occurred if people picked up their map before punching the start.

[stodge]

Ive PMd fatboy to see if I can get out of Autodownload who has been given a "check punch start time"
Its a good theory....

I didnt go to the start so not sure of the layout but yes it is odd on the half minute, though I did hear a rumour that we were thinking about 30 sec start times to ease the huge entry on green (130 people)

Only one reply on whether we did the right checks on the day....

[Guest]

The starts for all but the "ghost" are within seconds of a complete minute, which is normal.

The ghost must have been moving very slow between the start pen and the start box, 36 seconds, a long time even if there was a queue of other people....

[Guest]

I can confirm that people on the Green course were being allowed to start at 30 second intervals - having been one of them.

[Mrs H.]

Oooo this is so exciting - our first nopesport whodunnit

[Adventure Racer]

Having started 5 minutes after that, I didn't think they were doing 30 second starts at that point - in fact for some reason (shortage of maps on other courses?) I was the only person to start on my minute. Map pick ups were very definitely past the start box, so it seems very unlikely for somebody to go back after picking up a map. Unfortunately I was only at the start 3 minutes before I went, so just missed the chance to shed any light on the particular situation. My gut feeling is that it was a software glitch.

Regarding what you did to check - if anything you did a bit more than you really had to, given that this ghost hadn't even registered, but better that than not doing enough and then finding out the worst days later. Having been on standby with the rescue team due to people starting but not reporting to finish / download at JK day 1 this year (an area wild enough you don't want to risk leaving people out) I can understand the frustration - at least we had a car park to check on that occasion.

[Tessa]

I'm not sure if this is connected but I was handed a SI Card that had been dropped on the floor just outside download tent. I gave it straight to the WMJS cake sale who were next to where it had been dropped. Maybe ask Liz Furness if someone has claimed it - I can't remember what the number was - but it might give you the location of the SI Card now!

[the all seeing eye]

Code: Select all

O-ringen 2002, Startlista
D18 E
Nr-lapp Bricka   Namn                    Förening                 St tid    
679     24197    Satu Haajanen     Pohjantähti SK, FIN    12:17    09:59    10:31    11:45

[Guest]

or........

Skol SM 2001
H16 (96) 6090 m
254 24197 George Gerdin Oscars IF 12:54

[FatBoy]

My gut feeling is that it was a software glitch.

Hardware glitch possibly but not software. 2 different (independent) software packages concur that this card went through the start at this time.

Stodge - if you send me the download from the start box I'll work out which 4 card numbers you gave the check time as a start time. Not sure it'll help though as if it is a hardware glitch then it's not likely to be a digit wrong in the card number as a) card number is stored in binary and b) the card number is CRC checked by the hardware.

As for if you did enough/too much - in the old days if you didn't register you weren't going to be searched for! I think you did the right thing though by sending out a search - better to be safe than sorry. I do think we as a sport need to get to the bottom of this one though as we have to avoid a situation like the boy who cried wolf.

[Adventure Racer]

My gut feeling is that it was a software glitch.

Hardware glitch possibly but not software. 2 different (independent) software packages concur that this card went through the start at this time.

Probably should have said firmware, as I meant what was going on in the SI box rather than on your computer.

[stodge]

Spooooky

Its not a software glitch - used two seperate download programs to confirm.

Could be a SI hardware glitch but Martin Stone has not heard of anything like it.

Ive just checked the Olympic Tour start lists to see if it was there but No !

The SI card handed in was a WCH member....

There have been cases of 'people using other peoples si cards that have been found!! Honest guv'.
There is a lost si cards file you can get from Sportident UK that imports into OE and Autodownload
(You should register your lost cards with them ) - Thats about the only explaination for the "Satu Haajanen " name, unless it was hired at the oringen and has somehow found its way to the UK.

Ill get martin to forward this thread to Siegfried, see what he has to offer....

[Adventure Racer]

Its not a software glitch - used two seperate download programs to confirm

Are you 100% sure? I don't know how it works for SI, but for other similar things I'm aware of, two bits of software may be totally independent, and have no obvious commonality, but both rely upon the same supplied library for the hardware interface. I'm not saying this is the case for SI, but just something worth bearing in mind.

[FatBoy]

There's no library to read SI kit - just some documentation on how to read the serial port direct (which is badly translated from German).

I do suspect the problem (as you say) is in the firmware, although it's slightly bizarre as there are checks in the unit to prevent the card number being misread.