Frequently Asked Questions

Articles

• I don’t have internet access at my race, how do I time with your new browser based application?

  Use a local Serverbox to time a race when internet access is unavailable or unreliable.

• How to Set up a Timing Point

  Set up a GoChip timing point with an activator, wire loop, Android phone, and loop checker, then verify it records chip reads.

• Registration Category setup for use in Zone4 Timing

  The legacy zone4 PC based timing software had the concept of “Categories” that you could organize into Parent and Sub categories.

• Do I have to use GoChips at my race

  Compare timing options supported by Zone4 and choose equipment suited to your race.

• Can I test out Zone4 Timing?

  Yes we very much encourage you to test ahead of time and setup all aspects of your race.

• Can I still use the old Zone4 PC software instead of the new system

  Yes – although it is no longer receiving updates, our windows desktop timing software can still be used to build start lists, time races, and post results.

• How do I grant admin permissions to just one race?

  Give a user access to time one race by granting the required race and registration permissions.

• How can I download a race file?

  If you need support from Zone4 staff, please use our new web-based software.

• How to Calculate Age from Date of Birth in a Race

  Here you will learn how to calculate racer ages based off of their Date of Birth (DOB).

• How do I get new racers from a Zone4 registration form?

  Making changes to the registration data will not automatically update the racer information.

• How do I fix times that have been assigned incorrectly?

  In normal operation, as times are recorded from your timing devices they are processed, meaning the times are assigned to racers through a set of rules defined by your timing setup.

• How do I set up Categories in Zone4 Timing?

  There are two primary ways of setting up racer categories in Zone4.

• What are Racer Groups?

  Categories are complicated – different race formats or sports can mean different things when they say category.

• How do I assign Timing Devices to my Club or Organization

  When you’re creating a race you will need to assign devices to the timing points in your race.

• I’m Timing a Race. What Equipment Do I Need?

  Use this checklist to plan the essential and recommended equipment for timing a race.

• What is Precall?

  Learn what a Precall timing point does and how to configure it for announcer information.

• How to Publish a Start List

  In some sports it is necessary to print and or publish start list before an event so racers know their scheduled start time and position.

• How do I Create Awards Results?

  You may need to produce a results set that only has the top 3 or 5 racers in a given category to be used for awards.

• Do I need to rent timing equipment, or can I just enter racer times on the computer?

  If you have a low enough number of racers crossing your finish line that you can keep up with typing in racer numbers as they cross the line, you can open a keypad on your computer or phone and do exactly that.

• Passive vs Active Timing Chips

  Compare passive disposable timing chips with active GoChips and understand their practical tradeoffs.

• What are Minimum Split Times?

  A minimum split time is the minimum time it can possibly take a racer to travel from one timing point to the next timing point in the race.

• How do I use a Wet Weather Kit?

  It’s the day of the big race and you’ve come prepared, but the weather has turned ugly.

• My race isn’t on pavement. How do I attach the Timing loop?

  Choose a way to secure a Zone4 timing loop on grass, dirt, gravel, or snow.

• Printing Results

  The best way to print results is to select the Print option in the Publish & Print menu at the top of the results page:.

• Posting Results to Zone4.ca

  Once you start getting racer times you will want to make your result sets visible to the public.

• What to do when Summits are no longer communicating with your ServerBox.

  If you lose communication with a summit during an event use these steps to re-establish communication.

• I’m Timing a Race. What Info do I need from the Organizer?

  Use a checklist of questions to gather the event, course, schedule, and registration details needed from a race organizer.

• I’m Timing a Race. What Zone4 Timing Hardware do I need?

  Are you timing a race for your local sport club or community organization and are not sure what you need for that race?

• How to Assign Racer Numbers if You are Missing Some

  Use the Missing Racer Numbers List to assign specific replacement or missing bib numbers.

• What should the Race Time Window Beginning and End be set to?

  Choose the race time window used by Zone4 to assign recorded times, including for multiple or multi-day races.

• What is a Timing Point

  In the Zone4 timing software, a timing point refers to one or more timing devices in the same physical location on your race course that work together to assign a time to a racer.

• How are times assigned to racers?

  The Zone4 timing software tries to intelligently assign the best possible time recorded at each timing point to each racer.

• What is the difference between an Assigned Time and a Recorded Time

  A recorded time is any time that has been recorded by a timing device.

• Timing Scenarios for Troubleshooting

  The following is a non-exclusive list of possible issues that race timers might encounter.