Discussion: Beacons for orienteering

Has anyone investigated using beacons (like the smallest Gimbal) for orienteering (i.e., in lieu of electronic punching)? For $5 each, they seem like one could afford to leave them in the woods longer without worrying as much about loss.

In Colorado, it can be hard to get permission for Federal lands...we need to find a place with sufficient parking (most parking seems to be kept deliberately small), but they don't like us to use up the parking that the rest of the public uses, and we can't park in a field or anywhere more than a car length off an official road, and it requires a biologist to visit all the control points, blah blah blah. Less formal events, like training, seem easier...no permit required if we're not collecting money and have no signs up. If some of our lower key "events" could simply be beacons left up for a few weeks, then it might be easier for permission, organization, and attendance...participants can do it when they have time, from any pull-off with several parking spots. A cell phone app could be the equivalent of the e-punch card, registering as you come close enough to each beacon, and uploading your splits when you get back to WiFi or cell coverage. (The cell phone app could have the map and course too, or those could be printed out. The app could even have a "help, I'm lost" mode that uses GPS to locate you, and also marks that on your results...nice for the less experienced.) The beacon could be attached to the bottom of a streamer, with an old fashion spring-loaded clothes pin stapled to the top of the streamer to attach it to some branch, or to a stake. No control, to avoid attracting anyone that might tamper with it.

(Of course, one could just use plain old streamers, and GPS trackers or splits watches for those who want splits. But this seems like a possibly interesting variant.)

Has anyone tried anything like this?

Do you know about radio orienteering, aka Amateur Radio Direction Finding?

http://www.homingin.com/

Well, I hadn't been thinking about beacons in terms of ARDF, but I suppose that's a way to use them too.

I had been thinking about normal orienteering, with an app on your cell phone registering a "punch" when you come within about a metre of one of the beacons, just like one of the no-contract e-punch systems. (Or maybe the app is smart enough to only register beacons that are on your course.). Basically, an e-punch system with much lower costs for the in-the-field units, and using a cell phone instead of a finger stick.

Not sure if you know it already but an Estonian guy launched MOBO a few years back:
http://mobo.osport.ee/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4neUQ2ft-G8

Not exactly what you were looking for (uses QR for registering a punch) but maybe gives some new ideas.

Oh to live in a country where all your maps have cell phone coverage... ;-)

MOBO does sound interesting... QR codes are obviously simpler than beacons. (I wonder if they get dirty over time, but if the MOBO courses are permanent, and still working, then maybe not a problem.)

No (or poor) cell phone coverage for most maps where I've checked. But cellular coverage is not needed for something like beacons (nor for GPS for that matter). A modern cell phone is a Swiss Army knife of disparate tools... GPS, accelerometers, cameras, near field communication, WiFi router, even a telephone. A seemingly ever increasing fraction of its uses are unrelated to telephony or texting.

I love bacon and encourage all events to serve more of it!

So just what is one of these "beacons" for those of us who are too technically out of it to be able to figure it out from the Gimbal website, and who still thought the word had something to do with lighting signal fires on hilltops?

Virtual Orienteering only requires leaving a Q-code at each control point. The runner scans the Q-code at each control, and the app records your time. When you scan the finish line control, results are sent to the web site for results.

What about water? As in when one drops their device in a river. Not that I've ever done that.

How is that taken care of (besides not underestimating the width of the river and falling backwards)?

I am sure mainstream orienteering will eventually analyse a GPS track to see when and whether it passed through a small circle surrounding the point. Other issues (identifying the point on the ground, result processing, backup in the event of equipment failure) will vary widely from event to event, or perhaps in Colorado, to non-event:-)

With the help of Tarmo Klaar, I've set a MOBO course in Colorado, using which one can punch either using QR codes or via NFC (near field communication, allowing one to simply touch one's cell phone to the market). Apparently this is the first MOBO course in North America. We'll see how many try it and how many like it. It's set up as a practice course.

Congratulations and good luck. Hope it goes well (and often)

Jimbaker - how about posting the location, where to get maps, etc?

Looks like it's listed on the Mobo page, which tells you what to do. His course is #87.

http://mobo.osport.ee/

How do I print out a paper map for a Mobo course?

Why bother with paper when you have a phone?

I'm not sure how to print out a map from MOBO. You could send an inquiry to Tarmo using the email address on the web site (MOBO at osport dot ee). I can send you an image of the Colorado course if you're interested in doing it from printed map.

Jim, If you have a JPEG image of the map, I can add it as a download on the RMOC website.

The MOBO sounds pretty interesting. And since I'll be in the general area of Rainbow Falls for the US ARDF Championships (I'm one of the organizers), it might be something to try in the off time.

The only problem I can see with using GPS is the locations can be off by as much as maybe 30 feet or so. FYI, I used an iphone app called Map-N-Compass and had a yellow level orienteer set a green course :). Of course I followed her, but she required very little additional help. But she also had a good orienteering map. I can see it being a lot harder with no map. Hopefully I'm not confusing MOBO techniques with standard orienteering!

To clarify, MOBO doesn't use GPS. (Virtual Orienteering does, iiuc.) MOBO displays the map, course, control descriptions and a compass on the screen, and allows "punching" either by snapping a photo of the QR code, or by holding the cell phone or tablet against an NFC sticker (both methods of punching integrated into the app).

If you do the course, send feedback via the app, email or posting here.

Thanks Jim, that clarification helped a lot!

Marvin, KE6HTS