WNYOA Transponder tips This year the use of transponders will be expanded to everything but the Peewee's and mini Quads.
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05.17.07
The transponders worked pretty well on most of the bikes at Dream Riders. There were still some quads having difficulty.
If you are having difficulty getting your transponder (particularly if you have a quad) to work and live around the Ithaca NY area and would like to do a test session and see if the problem can be resolved for your befit as well as others Contact score@terra2tarmac.com
05..4.2007
We had a little bit of trouble at the IDR warm-up. Some of it was because of a mistake in setup. With that behind us there are some other things you can do as a rider to improve the accuracy of the system which is strongly to your advantage.
If you choose to attach the transponder to your bike make sure it is not attached to metal. A layer of duct tape is not enough distance from metal to make a difference. Inserting the transponder in foam like in the photo fastening it to plastic is even better. Your chest protector is a good bet if you can securely fasten it there.
When you enter the inspection chute the green light should quickly flash. If you have to back up to try it again or get closer to make it work then you might think about relocating the transponder. If you have trouble there you're going to have trouble during the race which will slow you down if you need to stop to get scored.
Thank you for your patience
You may have seen them already, A friend or family member racing in the mini or quad class may have used one last year. They are a small cylinder about 3/4 inch in diameter and 5 inches long
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They can be mounted on your bike or person. They can not be mounted directly to metal. The signal is the strongest from the ends so they should be mounted horizontal with the ends of the tubes pointed to the side of the bike. So when you pass by the antenna it will receive the best signal to read your number .
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The transponders are just a cylinder with no mounting facilities. For mounting you probably already have two useful items in your tool box, Zip ties and Duck Tape. Another is foam pipe insulation that fits a 3/4 plastic water pipe or 1/2 steel pipe. There probably is as many ways to mount them as there is imagination but here is we have thought of. |
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The foam is useful for protecting the Transponder when mounting in a open or vulnerable location such as to the cross bar foam pad on your handlebars. The foam also keeps the transponder out of contact with metal. It also aids in mounting with zip ties as the foam crushes a bit adding in mounting security. The photo shows one zip tie but I would recommend at least two. The transponder and foam are also encased in a layer of duct tape. Fortunately duct tape comes in a variety of colors these days. Your imagination may help improve on this. |
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Another option is to mount behind your front number plate. You could secure the transponder by drilling four holes in the plate for zip ties |
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Transponder mounted to back of number plate with zip ties. To insure that the transponder can not move laterally place a layer of tape across the transponder and zip ties |
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You can also mount them to your chest protector using Zipties I didn't take any pictures because chest protectors vary quite a bit. Don't mount them too high like on the helmet or you may loose some laps. Or the same as too low.
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Mount them on the front of the bike or your person. This gives you more time to view your number on the display to verify your lap was recorded.
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On your way to the starting area you will go through an inspection chute. An antenna just like on at the scoring chute will verify that your transponder is working and properly mounted at that time. There will be other equipment checks at that time. Now that you have you transponder mounted and are completing your first lap you pass through the scoring area. With your transponder properly mounted and everything else working properly it should pick u your number at the speed of light. But you probably can't read that fast so go through at a moderate pace in those few feet so that you can verify your lap was counted. |
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This is the Score Board. Your number is displayed on the upper left corner. In this case 110Z, a test number. If the number belong in a bike class it would be 110B or 110Q for a quad. The A1 is just for computer sorting and AA is where the class is listed. AA in this display. To the far right is your Class placing. The second line shows how you are placed at that moment in your class If not first it shows how many seconds behind the person in front of you. |
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This is the first thing you need to see, your number. |
There will be someone backing up the system but id you are not displaying visible numbers on your machine that won't help. If you think you were missed stop right at the score board and a person can scan the bar-code on your helmet with a hand scanner or it can be entered manually so that you will receive the credit you deserve for that lap.
Ultimately it is your responsibility to make sure that the system gave you credit for everyone of your laps. If you don't see your number you need to make sure that someone at scoring knows you were there so that whether by scanning your bar-code or typing in your presence on the keyboard you get credit for the lap.
Good insurance for this is the following:
Display your numbers on your machine. You do not need to display the B,Q M etc. just the numbers.
Wear the bar-code on your helmet.
Mount your transponder in a secure position to the front of your machine or person. And after a mishap on the course take a glance to make sure it is still with you.
Check to see that the system scores your number when passing through.
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