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Attackpoint - performance and training tools for orienteering athletes

Discussion: hadn't started yet

in: Charlie; Charlie > 2022-12-01

Dec 4, 2022 12:34 PM # 
jjcote:
This is an annoying minor detail of O-Range, you essentially have to press the button twice to start.
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Dec 4, 2022 7:19 PM # 
cmorse:
I had the same thing today - 20-25m off on a number of controls. And those same controls were spot on when I visited them on my green run last week. I suspect it may have to do with how many satellites your watch is tracking.
Dec 4, 2022 10:19 PM # 
Charlie:
My o-range experience was much more favorable today. I was clued in to the double punch at the start, and then I got a buzz at every control, although it generally said I had 14 meters to go when I got to the ribbon.
Dec 4, 2022 10:27 PM # 
cmorse:
I've gotten into the habit of holding my watch arm out as I approach a control to hasten the GPS settling. Most of today's "misses" were always to the S of control. May also be due in part to 3 clothing layers over the watch since it was chilly.
Dec 5, 2022 1:27 AM # 
PBricker:
I used UsynligO, which is much easier to set up than o-range, and I have a belt that allows me carry my phone without noticing it. You just hit start and forget about it, hearing the phone sing out when you're approaching or sometimes leaving the control. I was skeptical at first, though. When I went to hit start, it told me I was 3,000 something meters from the start, and that the accuracy was 8,000 meters. But it settled in to something close to 5 meters accuracy. I think it rang at every control.
Dec 5, 2022 1:40 AM # 
jjcote:
That's what O-Range does as well, but it's just a watch to carry. There's a bit of one-time fussing to link the O-Range account to the watch, but after that you just go to the O-Range site with your phone, select the course, then choose the O-Range activity on the watch and hit the start button to load it. Then there's a detail that starting the course requires two button presses, and ending it likewise. Nothing more to do with the watch while on the course other than noticing that it's giving a beep and vibration when you get to a control.

There is a short learning curve, as is true with most things. Something happened with Nancy's watch at the start today (first time trying O-Range) and it got into some weird mode. I stopped to help her and paused my watch, but we couldn't figure it out quickly and she said not to worry about it and just went on; meanwhile pausing my watch had put it into th same weird state, so I stopped it and went back a few meters to the boulder and just started it again.

I got the buzz on every control today, and there was only one (#59) where it didn't buzz at the streamer beacuse it thought I a few meters too far away, so I went a couple of steps further down the reentrant and it was good.

I've used Usynligo before, and the main thing I remember was that it was really annoying and distracting to have my phone giving me text message alerts the whole time I was out there.
Dec 5, 2022 2:12 AM # 
PG:
Sure seems easier just to go to the center of the circle. :-)
Dec 5, 2022 2:14 AM # 
PBricker:
I used o-range successfully once, but a couple times something didn't work. And this time, I couldn't sync my watch to the app. I would enter the code it gave me, but it kept rejecting it. When o-range works, though, it's real nice to just have it on the watch and not need to carry a phone. Didn't need either app today because the streamers were all in the right place and very visible.
Dec 5, 2022 3:23 AM # 
JanetT:
For me, O-range isn't loud enough (or buzzy enough) for me to know when I'm at a control. UsynligO doesn't send me texts; it just plays a tune. Maybe that's a setting you can change on your phone.
Dec 5, 2022 4:12 AM # 
jjcote:
Usynligo doesn't send me texts, either. It was mostly hang glider pilots sending them.
Dec 5, 2022 11:02 AM # 
Charlie:
I’ve gotten in the habit of bringing my phone, because . . . I might fall out there.
Dec 5, 2022 3:11 PM # 
JanetT:
@J-J Ahhh; yes, that's annoying. :-)

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