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Sep 2019
4:24pm, 6 Sep 2019
11,310 posts
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Badger
David, the reason for not scanning barcodes on phones is that it just doesn't work with the standard scanners (because they sweep a light across the code and look for the reflection, which doesn't work on a phone) - it just holds up people behind them in the queue while they insist that it definitely worked last week and please can you just tryyyyy, before they go off and queue for another scanner which won't work either 
One upside to using phones for scanning is that barcodes on phones do work, because they work from an image of the code and don't care if it's reflected or emitted light producing that.
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Sep 2019
4:33pm, 6 Sep 2019
2,298 posts
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12barDavid
Hello Badger.
As I used to be on our local parkrun core team, I realize that the ordinary hand-held scanners are not powerful enough to scan mobile phones.
What Kev seems to be saying, & I admit, I may have read his post incorrectly, is that he uses his phone app to scan runners personal barcodes from their phones. Which as I say, is against the parkrun rules. We do not accept barcodes on mobile phones.
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Sep 2019
4:36pm, 6 Sep 2019
4,848 posts
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Fragile Do Not Bend
Thanks LD!
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Sep 2019
4:39pm, 6 Sep 2019
27,714 posts
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LazyDaisy
I too read BexleyKev's post in that way David. I also understood that we only accept barcodes on paper, wristbands or tags.
If some parkruns are taking barcode readings off phones, and this is now permitted by HQ, I must have missed the communication telling us so.
Otherwise, it would be helpful if we all stuck to the same procedures.
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Sep 2019
4:41pm, 6 Sep 2019
11,311 posts
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Badger
David, it's not a question of power, it's just physics, and it was my understanding that the rule was there because it doesn't work, but you can tell people asking for it that it's not allowed and shoo them off without wasting time in the way we have both experienced. Having an easily readable emergency contact on a printed barcode is an element too, true, but nobody's ever told me I can't have one of my older barcodes scanned because there's no emergency contact on it!
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Sep 2019
4:42pm, 6 Sep 2019
2,299 posts
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12barDavid
No barcode = No result; No exceptions!
This rule is very important to us as volunteers and it's a rule at ALL parkruns. If you have been elsewhere and they've accepted writing down your number without a barcode, they shouldn't have and WE WON'T, so please don't ask! We would appreciate that if you don't have your barcode for any reason that you don't put our volunteers under any pressure to add you to the results. A negative experience for a volunteer because someone has aggressively spoken to them about being added to the results without a barcode, can stop them wanting to volunteer or join the event again, which is totally unfair on them and we won't tolerate aggressive behaviour towards volunteers. To clarify, we only accept printed barcodes, either on a piece of paper or one of the ERS (https://parkrun-barcode.com/) plastic cards or wrist bands. We do not accept barcodes on mobile phone screens, screen shots of barcodes or scrap pieces of paper with your barcode number written on it. It is your responsibility to bring your barcode, so don't feel hard done by if you've forgotten it and we won't add you to the results.
There you go, no mobile phones. I rest my case M'lud.
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Sep 2019
4:43pm, 6 Sep 2019
2,300 posts
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12barDavid
Quite right Badger, I just didn't explain myself very well.
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Sep 2019
4:43pm, 6 Sep 2019
11,312 posts
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Badger
I should add that my point is just that if parkruns move to using only phones for scanning, then it increases our flexibility in what we can scan. I agree that as long as most parkruns are only using the handheld scanners, the rule makes sense, because there won't be any way to scan phones at those parkruns.
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Sep 2019
4:49pm, 6 Sep 2019
17,944 posts
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Dvorak
Just had a look at the German instructions. Despite being all-phone, the instructions insist on a printed barcode.
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Sep 2019
4:50pm, 6 Sep 2019
8,563 posts
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larkim
I must admit I've tested the app at home to see how it works on phone barcodes, but that was just to see if it did work (it does, which should be no surprise as my phone reads barcodes regularly on various devices). But they've been ultra clear about it as a policy - printed barcodes only.
I don't actually believe in most of their reasons for it (e.g. ICE details, names printed on so they can say hello etc etc), the only one I really buy is that the faff of getting phones out of holders, switching them on with sweaty hands, dropping them in the mud on wet days, finding phone is broadly unusable in the wet etc would just clog up the scanning queues unacceptably.
Best to stick to printed barcodes until a better, frictionless system can be deployed (we've discussed on here a while back, RFID may find it's way in as a good alternative, providing paper barcodes remain an option for all due to lowest barriers to participation).
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