JK2011 - version 9 Si cards ?

[smf]

I assume that an old box won't clear/check an incompatible SI Card?

Ah yes, good point

As per the test SI box used at the Northern Champs

[lindseyk]

But I was caught out by the English club who had upgraded all their units APART from the download station so I got all the way round my course but didn't get a result. They were very apologetic, and the result didn't matter apart from my other half claiming a family victory because I couldn't prove otherwise. I did manage to get my time and splits a few week later back in Scotland where all the units are upgraded to accept all versions.

As more people buy newer versions it almost requires a note in event info about which card versions can be accepted because we can't assume anything it seems.

[andy]

If you can point me towards a club prepared to loan me 90 BSF7 control units that would be helpful.

I don't know any club per-se, but the SOA/6DayCo has more than 90 and they are all held at the same place. I wonder if he / they have been asked? The 6 days last year managed entirely (or close to it anyway) with units based within Scottish Orienteering.

We can't use BSF8 units (which is what most clubs have) unless they come with the adaptor plate to allow them to be fitted to alloy L-stakes.

ESOC has a full compliment (ish) of adaptor plates for theirs (24 units), and I know we bought 30 or so baseplates for the PWT last year which are probably in the 6DayCo store attached to trestles. The baseplates are also not especially expensive to buy and could be a BOC budget investment that would help the clubs in your area.

If we can use all BSF7 controls we will, but right now we can't say that. To suggest that we're "simply not bothering" is wrong, and might be considered "extremely poor form".

I realise it's impossible to know the history behind throw away comments like

Like the Northern Champs, the British Champs will be using a mix of newer and older boxes.

so apologies if I stepped on any toes. For a wee event like the Northern Champs (which pales in comparison to a flagship event like BOC) it's not much of a worry. Major events (BOC/JK) should be the pinnacle of the sport, so the only alternative I could think of is 'simply not bothering'. I'm surprised BO(F) don't crack down on BOC/JK organisers with things like this.

[Spookster]

Thanks Andy for the suggestions which I'll pass on to our SI people.

But I was caught out by the English club who had upgraded all their units APART from the download station so I got all the way round my course but didn't get a result.

The issue with download is that wired boxes are often older than the set used as controls. We also have that issue, in that even if we had a full set of BSF7 control boxes, we also need BSM7-RS232 boxes for use as radio controls. All our current master stations are either USB, or older boxes with RS232. But we're working on it...

[NeilC]

We will be unscrewing BSF6 baseplates and replacing them with BSF8 baseplates ahead of next weekend. Personally I am happy with the lightweight yellow SI stakes - perhaps they work well with the South Downs chalk. We are hiring enough boxes to ensure that all are BSF7/8 - I'd be nervous about mixing and matching, strange things can happen.

[NeilC]

With Emit there would be no problem of different versions of cards and units being incompatible, wrong system anyone.....?

From someone who wasn't at the Sprint Championships at Sandhurst/Barossa perhaps?

[ChristineV]

Major events (BOC/JK) should be the pinnacle of the sport, so the only alternative I could think of is 'simply not bothering'. I'm surprised BO(F) don't crack down on BOC/JK organisers with things like this.

For JK 2010 we used SI boxes from all over the SW. I don't recall that there were any compatibility problems, but then most of the kit down here is fairly new. Apart from the kit itself, you run into two problems. (1) It is expensive to buy or hire up-to-date kit - we don't always have the budget. (2) It is all done by volunteer effort and, at some point, you run out of hours in the day ...

[andy]

(1) It is expensive to buy or hire up-to-date kit - we don't always have the budget.

Isn't this what parts of the major events budgets are for? Major events should be a time to upgrade kit to feed the rest of your events. Perhaps Scotland is spoiled with having a really major (ableit 'holiday') event every 2 years in this regard?

(2) It is all done by volunteer effort and, at some point, you run out of hours in the day ...

Quite right, sadly

[Gross]

Major events (BOC/JK) should be the pinnacle of the sport, so the only alternative I could think of is 'simply not bothering'. I'm surprised BO(F) don't crack down on BOC/JK organisers with things like this.

BOF have a couple of event managers................

[ChristineV]

(1) It is expensive to buy or hire up-to-date kit - we don't always have the budget.

Isn't this what parts of the major events budgets are for? Major events should be a time to upgrade kit to feed the rest of your events.

That's the funniest thing I've heard all week ... really made me laugh

It certainly isn't part of the BOF major event budget. Personally I'm in favour of using a a major event budget to upgrade the map - but that's another issue (and has been well-aired elsewhere).

Oh well - back to sorting out the JK entries ...

[SIman]

The Scottish 6Day Co are about to contact BOC with on offer of a loan of BSF7 units for the weekend.

[graeme]

It is all done by volunteer effort and, at some point, you run out of hours in the day ...

Which is exactly why you and that will be "I" in 2012... want to use kit that works, rather than having to deal with extra card-swap enquiries, computer people changing SI numbers on the day, stressed competitors who missed their starts, start teams trying to figure out how to process people who aren't on their start list, controllers trying to figure whether the seeding is broken, and what to do if it is etc. etc.

(bit worrying that Andy thinks the JK will bring SOA any kit upgrades: luckily we had PWT for that)

[SJC]

Isn't this what parts of the major events budgets are for?

One of the biggest complaints about the major (and other) events is the ever increasing cost of entry. This seems hardly surprising if the electronic punching companies have got us always chasing newer and newer technology. How much money is being spent on continually upgrading equipment? Is it really worth it? I agree with ChristineV that the money would be far better spent on new maps.

[RS]

In my experience, v9 clear and check ok but won't download on older system. Most annoying after successfully completing a course and being unable to obtain a time.
Oops, forgot to read page 2 before I posted

[andypat]

Has anyone from the O community ever spoken to Sport Ident and asked them why there is this compatibility issue and cant they sort it.

Surely the whole point of having a common system is that it should be common to everyone. Sounds like SI are printing their own money by forcing competitors to upgrade to get faster cards and then clubs to upgrade their units to keep up with the dibbers.

Get someone from SI to come onto here or Compasssport and explain themselves!!