PocketTimer Pro Manual

PocketTimer Pro User Manual

Categories

Introduction

In order to score your race, you need to set up one or more categories (also called divisions or age groups, depending on the type of race). If all entrants in the race are in the same category, you still need to set up one category. You can set up categories on the device itself, or by downloading (inputting) the information from a file (the details of the different types of ways in which you can download a file are discussed in the Input / Output chapter of the manual).

Manually Adding Categories

Tap the + button to add a new category. Each category needs a name ("M29-29" as an example) and must be specified as belonging to a particular race (from 1 to 6), because PocketTimer Pro allows you to time and score up to six races (e.g., of different distances) simultaneously. To configure those races (before you add categories), select Configure Races from the Options Menu and enter the name, date, distance, and distance and pace units for that race.

Optionally, a category can also be given a handicap, which are appropriate if different categories start at different times (very common in triathlon starts, for example). Handicaps will later be subtracted from the recorded time, so if racers in a particular category start after the start of the race (the time at which you tap the Start button), the handicap for that category will be positive. Conversely, if the racers in that category start before the start of the race (often the case for wheelchair racers, and also for "early starters" in ultramarathons), then the handicap for that category is entered as a negative number, so that, when it is subtracted, their time will be increased by the appropriate time. Handicaps can be entered as simple numbers in units of minutes (e.g., "15" or "2.5"), or they can be entered as minutes:seconds ("2:30") or even hours:minutes:seconds ("1:00:00").

After entering the information, tap Save to save the new category. Now, presuming you are entering more categories, there are three "shortcut" buttons. M<-->F changes the letter M to F or vice-versa in the name of the category. So if you just added an "M20-29" category, tap M<-->F and the name will change to "F20-29". The other two buttons, +5 and +10, change the numbers in the category name. So now that you entered "F20-29", tap +10 and the category name will read "F30-39". Using these shortcut buttons you can actually enter a series of categories quite quickly.

To delete a category, tap on it in the list of categories to highlight it, then tap on the garbage can icon on the lower right of the screen. To clear the entire list of categories, just tap on the garbage can icon without highlighting a specific category. In both cases, you'll be asked to confirm your action.

Downloading a Categories File

Create a simple text file (as with the various options for input, some subtle details of creating the file are discussed in the Input / Output chapter of the manual) containing one category per line, with one to three pieces of information per line, separated by tabs or commas, as you prefer:

Category Name
Handicap
Race Number

The race number is assumed to be 1, so if you are only setting up a single race, you can ignore the third item. Handicaps are assumed to be 0, so if all categories of racers start at the same time, item two can be omitted as well, unless you are setting up multiple races, in which case you'll need to enter a 0 for the handicap (or leave it blank) so that you can then enter a race number as the third entry.

Some examples (where -> is used to represent the tab character):

M20-29
F20-29
M30-39
F30-39 ...

M20-29->0
F20-29->0
M30-39->5
F30-39->5 ...

M20-29,0,1
F20-29,0,1
M30-39,0,1
F30-39,0,1 ...
M20-29,30,2
F20-29->30->2
M30-39->30->2
F30-39->30->3 ...

Once you have created this file, you can input it into the software by tapping the Input icon on the lower left of the screen. You can also access the Input functionality from the Options menu.

Read the other sections of the manual: