Control system

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In orienteering or related sports such as ARDF, devices are called post control systems (also for short control system , stamp system or post verification ) , with the help of which it is checked whether a runner has actually completed all control posts in the prescribed order. Today this is mostly done with the help of electronic memory chips , the "control cards" that have dominated for a long time are now only used in training or as a reserve system.

Control card

Control card

The control card , also known as the start card or stamp card , has long been the most important method of checking the presence of a runner at the post. This was a card made of (mostly tear- and waterproof) paper that was carried by the runner. This card was divided into numbered fields that had to be marked at the post with the help of a punch. Such punch pliers with an individual pattern were located at each post, so that the presence at the correct post could be checked after the run.

In addition to the cumbersome evaluation, this system also had the disadvantage that the order of the stamping at the finish was not controllable. In the case of entangled lanes, for example those with many crossings, it was possible to cheat by walking through the guards in the wrong order. The need to make this unattractive led to restrictions in the possibility of setting the course if one wanted to forego time-consuming intermediate checks of the control card or card changes during the run.

The system is still in use for training runs, however, because it is easy to use and does not require electricity or computer technology. To this day, punch pliers are used in addition to the electronic control systems to enable the runner to provide proof of items by stamping his ticket, even if an electronic station fails.

Electronic systems

Orienteer stamping a post with Sportident. On the right a punch as a backup system

Electronic systems to replace the control card have been developed since the early 1990s. In 1994 such a system was first used in a World Cup race. In these systems, the runner carries a memory chip that is inserted into a control device at the post and electronically marked there. In addition to the simpler evaluation, especially for large events, this method has other advantages: The times of the stamping are saved so that intermediate times are then available for all sections. In addition, fraud in the order of the items is no longer possible, which allows greater freedom of design when setting the course. Today, multiple crossed and entangled behaviors are more common than they were before electronic marking began.

The most common stamp system used today is SPORTident . With this system, the runner carries a memory chip ("SI stick", "SI card") embedded in a plastic pen on his finger, which he inserts into a control station at the post. The time and control number of the station are stored on the chip by inductive transmission. The storage process is acknowledged by the lighting of a diode and a beep. The storage capacity and speed depends on the respective model.

The second internationally used system is the Norwegian Emit , which is mainly used in the Scandinavian region. In contrast to SPORTIdent, the battery is not integrated in the control station, but in the chip worn by the runner. In addition, Emit has a mechanical backup system in the form of a sheet of paper that is automatically stamped with. This is to ensure that the runner has a proof of item even if the batteries are empty.

More options

Occasionally, scraps of paper marked as an additional backup system are scattered around the post, which the runner can take with him. This allows the runner to provide proof of the item even in the event of the item being stolen. In professional runs, however, it is now common practice to attach or guard items at risk of theft.

Web links

gallery

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Günter Kreft: Orienteering . Hermann Schmidt, Mainz 1988, ISBN 3-87439-178-7 , p. 175 .
  2. Wolfgang Grummt : Tips for railway layers . Ed .: German Association for Hiking, Mountaineering and Orienteering in the GDR. Central expert commission for orienteering. 1985, chap. 31 ( OL-wiki.de [accessed December 19, 2010]).
  3. a b Electronic stamp system (SPORTident). Retrieved December 19, 2010 .
  4. ^ The historic controls of the world. (No longer available online.) Center for Orienteering History, archived from the original on September 21, 2010 ; accessed on December 19, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.orienteering-history.info
  5. Markus Buchtele: Basics of course setting . Editor: Austrian Association for Orienteering, Sports Academy BAFL VIENNA. 2002, p. 7 ( oefol.at [PDF; accessed December 19, 2010]).
  6. Homepage of SPORTident ( Memento of the original from January 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed December 19, 2010 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sportident.com
  7. Overview of SPORTident Cards ( Memento of the original from January 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed December 19, 2010 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sportident.com
  8. Technology - SPORTident on resultservice.ch, accessed on December 19, 2010
  9. homepage Emit , accessed 19 December 2010
  10. ^ Günter Kreft: Orienteering . Hermann Schmidt, Mainz 1988, ISBN 3-87439-178-7 , p. 50 .
  11. International Orienteering Federation (Ed.): Competition Rules for International Orienteering Federation (IOF) Foot Orienteering Events . 2010, p.  17-18 ( ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: orienteering.org ) [accessed December 7, 2010]).@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.orienteering.org