Correct use of a backup control point

This article explains what a backup line is, what advantages it offers and what to keep in mind to use it correctly in your races.

1. What a backup line is

A backup line is an additional reading line that can be placed before or after the main line. It is usually a reinforcement for the start or finish line, where you need a higher level of accuracy.

The way it works is as follows: if a participant does not have a reading on the main line, Copernico uses the backup line reading to calculate the participant's passing time.

This calculation adds or subtracts the time, in seconds, set in the Distance from timing point field to the backup line time. This time is an approximation for Live timing.

2. Advantages of a backup line

The use of a backup line has various advantages:

1. Security: if something happens to the main line, you will have a backup reading.
2. Accuracy of the backup line: the reading time is adjusted automatically if a reading is lost on the main line; the process is transparent and helps generate correct times.

To learn how to set up a backup line, see Setting up backups.

3. Recommendations for correct use

To use a backup line correctly, keep in mind the following points:

• Use the backup to achieve accurate reads; its use is intended for start or finish locations.
• If your race is not an official event, for which you need a high level of accuracy, we don't recommend using a backup line, even if you have a main line and a reinforcement line. In this case, add all of the timing devices to the start or finish location.
• Taking into account the direction of passage, configure the backup before or after the main line, indicating an approximate time (in seconds) it takes to pass between the two antenna lines. This time is a whole number of seconds, between 1 and 9999. At the end of the race or when publishing results, Copernico calculates an average and applies it to each of the participants to adjust this time as much as possible. For example, if you have set the time between the 2 lines to 3 seconds and Copernico calculates that the time is 2.1 seconds, it will make this adjustment to the final times. This is a very exaggerated example: in the 5 meters that we recommend between the backup lines, there can be a deviation of +/- 0.1 or 0.2 seconds. When you end the event, the end-of-event summary shows how many participants had their backup time updated.
• Do not use a backup in a lap race in which participants pass through the same location several times. Due to the complexity of lap race calculations, we advise against a backup line as it complicates your logistics.
• It is not possible to back up two 4 m lines with the same 8-port device. To achieve this automatic time adjustment you will need different devices, as they are different locations. The backup line is just another location of the race: create it first and assign its own timing device in Devices. When you filter by event, backup locations are shown alongside the main ones.
• Physically, place the lines at least 5 m apart. Never place two antenna lines next to each other.
• If you use side antennas for backup, you must respect the same distance between the lines and set up the timing devices with side antennas in the appropriate channel. You can check how to do it in this article.