GPS accuracy for "Open" type venues.

[the_bluester]

I run occasionally at a hillclimb venue which has separate start and finish line locations. Has anyone had any success accuracy wise with GPS timing on this type of venue? Assuming that signal is good, is it accurate enough to capture a standing start or is it likely to produce a false start if the error on the day for instance displaces the location by a meter or so?

By a false start, I mean is it likely that an error could be recorded in the cars position where the car may be recorded as being a meter or more away from it's true location? If that were the case then a lap start could be triggered while sitting on the start line awaiting the OK to go. The only other option could be to buy beacon transmitters and a receiver for the car if I could get approval to use them, but they may interfere with the timing beams used by the venue itself.

[adrian]

You are always going to have issues with this while sitting on the start line, it is likely with GPS drift that you will trigger the beacon before you want to.

The best way to do this is to simply set you start coordinates 40-50m up the road and then apply a distance offset to the beacon in i2.

[the_bluester]

Thanks, that should work out pretty well.

The worst inaccuracy if timing was done from the start of movement or a longitudinal G spike would be from a muffed launch, or sitting back a bit further from the line than I should.