Flymaster Trackers have been a godsend and I say this as an
atheist. They have immeasurably improved the competition experience for first of
all the pilots, the scorekeeper and the meet organizers and meet director. They
are more than worth the small expense required to rent them. They are simply
amazing machines.

Their primary function is to track, record, and send to the scorekeeper, through
the Flymaster server, the completed track logs of the competitors. They
eliminate the need for pilots to download their track logs. The completed track
logs are sent to the Flymaster server right after the pilot lands, when they
have a good cell phone connection.

In addition, the trackers can provide an on-line live tracking display. The
quality of this display depends not as much on the trackers but on the
abilities, qualities, and coverage of the local cell phone networks. Cell phone
towers turn their antennas horizontally. They have a much harder time picking up
cell phone transmission from locations high above the ground. This is especially
true on flat land locations where there are no mountains upon which to place
cell phone towers.

Because our focus is on getting the best track log for scoring purposes we tell
the pilots to be sure that the trackers are given the best shot at "seeing" the
satellites and not so much "seeing" the cell towers. Aim up, not down.

The trackers record your flight and then transmit it to the cell towers whenever
they are able to find a connection.

The frustration of having to send in your track log (find a computer, download
it, email it to the scorekeeper) or stand in line to have the minions of the
scorekeeper or the scorekeepers themselves download the track log from your
device is eliminated. No longer do you have to worry about having the correct
Windows operating system or the correct serial/USB driver. No longer do you have
to know how to use the downloading software.

The flights are displayed in real time and later with replays on the Flymaster
https://lt.flymaster.net/
and Airtribune
https://airtribune.com/2018-green-swamp-sport-klassic/blog__day_5 web sites.
The Flymaster site will have the complete track logs after the flight for
replay. The Airtribune site will have the complete tracklogs once the
scorekeeper uploads them. Perhaps we can get that automated.

To rent trackers contact Brett Janaway at
http://www.flyevent.org/.

We currently have 120 of Brett's Flymaster trackers here for the Quest Air
Nationals and will have the required numbers for the Big Spring Nationals and
the Santa Cruz Flats Race. If other meet organizers in the US want to use some
of these when we are not using them, contact Brett.