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Sep 2019
11:47am, 6 Sep 2019
274 posts
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Non-runner
If someone did use their own smartphone for scanning, and it broke as a direct result, say a sprinting runner crashing into the scanner, who would foot the bill? Would parkrun ask volunteers to sign a disclaimer?
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Sep 2019
11:49am, 6 Sep 2019
32,325 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Luckily I guess I'm most people FDNB and I wouldn't mind using my phone (including accepting that if I dropped it or it was knocked, that it would just be an unfortunate accident and not try and claim from anyone.)  G
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Sep 2019
11:56am, 6 Sep 2019
27,706 posts
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LazyDaisy
Re: rain on the screen - this is a potential problem which we hope to resolve by putting the phones in a plastic bag (apparently it is a *special* plastic bag, I've not seen it yet so don't know what's special about it, will report back)
The last time I RD'd one of our watches died mid-event and I gave the timekeeper my watch to finish timekeeping using the app. He liked using the app more than the watch, as you get a bleep and slight vibration with each tap, but from a funnel managing POV it wasn't quite as good apparently as you don't get the immediate display of number of finishers (I'm not sure about this, he may have got that wrong? )
The downside of course is needing the phone to be on flight mode and therefore you are out of contact - which, given our currently flaky radios, could be a problem in an energency. (We're replacing said radios asap.)
Young people are generally only too happy to add apps, but if our parkrun is anything to go by, it's older (ie middle aged+) people who tend to do most of the volunteering
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Sep 2019
12:00pm, 6 Sep 2019
32,326 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
I'm 50. Think that's middle-aged, isn't it?! G
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Sep 2019
12:03pm, 6 Sep 2019
27,709 posts
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LazyDaisy
Yep
And I meant, 'gave the timekeeper my *phone* to finish timekeeping with'
Because I am down wiv da kidz, innit.
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Sep 2019
12:09pm, 6 Sep 2019
8,550 posts
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larkim
There seems to be quite a lot of obstructionist attitudes about phone use being presented here. Even the biggest data miser who owns a smartphone wouldn't miss the few kb of data that uploading the results will take. And forecasting damage through being bashed into by a runner seems highly unlikely. Waterproofing is the big genuine difficulty (e.g. my phone is not splash resistant, despite being relatively new, and from experience of using it on rainy days it is very liable to "ghost" taps etc), but the idea of each run getting a few hand-me-downs from discarded handsets, or even picking up a handful of £40 brand new phones which are Chinese alternative models from Ebay using any local funds seems like a very sensible way of moving away from the disproportionately expensive watch and scanner setup. The app works in the field, as demonstrated by those countries such as Germany and Japan which are watch / scanner free zones by design. Time to move with the times, rather than obstruct surely?
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Sep 2019
12:19pm, 6 Sep 2019
1,364 posts
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bonners
Agreed Larks. I particularly like the idea of using recycled or 2nd hand phones.
Like I said, just need to sort phones out in the rain as cheapskate phones like mine struggle in the rain.
I know one of my clubmates who is a regular tourist will often step in to help scan using the app.
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Sep 2019
12:24pm, 6 Sep 2019
4,842 posts
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Fragile Do Not Bend
A question for folks who have used the app as a timer (as I haven’t yet), does it cope ok when your phone is set up to lock the screen after a period of inactivity? I’m thinking of the period between starting the run and the first finisher coming in. Does the app force the phone to stay unlocked?
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Sep 2019
12:32pm, 6 Sep 2019
1,524 posts
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CumbriAndy
We had a voluntourist offer to scan using the App a couple of weeks ago. I (as RD) thanked him for the offer before giving him one of the standard scanners, explaining that 'phone reception is more than a little flaky around our parkrun location (there's also no WiFi in the cafe) and hence that waiting for his message to transfer the data could actually cause more of a delay to results than any possible help.
The App works well in some areas - but anything that relies on a decent 'phone signal, let alone 3+G coverage, is a non-starter in others.
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Sep 2019
1:24pm, 6 Sep 2019
8,553 posts
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larkim
Wifi is the solution to that of course. But if there isn't a cafe with wifi available and any sort of 3G+ signal isn't available the app is scuppered - I presume it doesn't offer bluetooth transfer?
Where there is no signal on one network, often another will be available - tethering a phone and using that as a wifi hotspot for 5 minutes would work of course.
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