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I think that my track is too small for the program to work properly

StevebroadStevebroad
edited May 2022 in RaceChrono for Android
Hi, new here. I have built a grass go kart track in our paddock. It is around 30m wide, 130m long and 600m in length. However, when trying to add the course to RC it bares no relation to the actual course. It even extends into next door's paddock. Is the course too small for the accuracy of the GPS in my Samsung S8 (in places there are only a couple of metres between parts of the track)? If I could get it to work I would upgrade so that I can add my GoPro clone. Best regards, Steve

Comments

  • aol_of_RaceChronoaol_of_RaceChrono
    edited May 2022
    Hi @Stevebroad, I think the problem is weak GPS signal, and that's why the track shape in RC doesn't resemble the reality. The phone should not kept in the pocket when using the built-in GPS, as the signal is way too weak in the pocket.
  • StevebroadStevebroad
    Thanks for the prompt reply aol. It wasn't in my pocket but the case was closed. Does the speed that I am driving at make any difference? Would going round more than a couple of times help?
  • aol_of_RaceChronoaol_of_RaceChrono
    The slower you go more accurate it should be. Samsung S8 is not exactly new, but it should work fine, as your track setup doesn't seem too challenging. Try have it in a simple holder, with clear view to sky. It should work. Maybe start the session 10 minutes before going out, to make sure it has lock to as many satellites as possible.
  • dvimdvim
    I noticed that phone GPS receivers have very low reporting frequency. They send GPS coordinates to RaceChrono once or twice every second. This makes the recorded track very jagged and inaccurate even on regular racing tracks.

    I always use external GPS receiver with RaceChrono to have accurate recorded tracks.
  • StevebroadStevebroad
    aol - With a track width of 2-3m and sections passing within a metre of each other I was thinking that the phone GPS wouldn't be accurate enough. What I will do is walk the track (after 10 minutes of starting app) so the phone has a clear sight of the sky.

    dvim - An external GPS receiver would be great but I can't justify the expense of an accurate one just for a garden (paddock) fun track.
  • aol_of_RaceChronoaol_of_RaceChrono
    edited June 2022
    @Stevebroad well that's new information to me... If the parallel sections going to same direction, are too close to each other, then may be difficult to RaceChrono, lap timing -wise. At least you'll need to place the traps, especially the start/finish line to a location where there are no same direction parallel sections close by.

    The above is regarding the lap timing only, you should obviously fix the bad GPS signal first. Or use a different GPS.
  • StevebroadStevebroad
    I tried walking the course (2 laps) but no joy. At one point I stood still around 6 metres from our boundary but the GPS put me in next door's paddock! I don't think that this is going to work for me with my present phone. As an experiment I will try the wife's iphone to see if its GPS is any better.
  • StevebroadStevebroad
    Tried to download RC onto my wife's iPhone, but could only find the Pro version. Is the basic version available?
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