I am the MD for a level 2 USPSA coming up this fall. We want to try to do scoring without paper backup. We will have wifi through the range before then, and we run all android devices. How can we have scores push automatically to the master throughout the match? This is one of the items that seems to be required to not have paper backup.
Tammi,
I just finished scoring a Level II +450 competitor match this weekend. I also found it impossible to comply with the current USPSA requirements to avoid paper backups.
Currently, there are no PractiScore platforms that “PUSH” to a master.
We made a choice to use printers which worked very well. There are some tricks to getting them setup depending on if you are using Samsung or Kindles.
I plan to work with my Area Director to suggest a more attainable set of standards to comply with USPSA requirements in the future.
I can tell you that in one instance we were glad we had the printers.
On one stage, a shooters COF was scored and a receipt was printed. However, the score was NOT saved in the device or to the SD card. Without the printout it would have been a reshoot.
PractiScore support for knowledgeable users is non-existing. I constantly get referred to this blog which is of absolutely no help to me.
So, felling sorry for others, I will begin to give it a try to help the many that are frustrated like myself.
RANT MODE NOW OFF
You can email me directly if you need any timely support on match day or have issues setting up your match.
AZUSPSA@GMAIL. COM
Russ
Russ, please stop this! You haven’t asked any questions here to say “this resource is absolutely no help”. At very least you do need to ask for held in order to get it.
For the same reason, by switching to emailing each other directly instead of continuing conversation here you aren’t contributing to PractiScore community.
However I do find it ironic that organization which demands certain requirements haven’t provided you with exact details how to meet those requirements.
@Tami_Waite I’m not aware of a feature for automatically pushing scores to a master in neither iOS or Android apps. The data sync always been a manual pull process.
I strongly suggest to contact your organization and request the exact instructions how they want you to comply with their requirements and avoid a “broken phone” situation when you are consulting with someone else who isn’t necessarily in the loop in regards to your organization policies.
Tami,
I’ve run several Tier 2 and 3 matches, as well as hundreds of tier 1 matches with limited Wi-Fi.
We originally started using Nook Simple Touch - I didn’t know about the capability of the memory card slot and able to do a scorelog to it until I had someone sit on a tablet and butt-dial it to a factory reset… weird how they got it JUST-RIGHT.
After a discussion with Eugene, he suggested getting micro SD memory cards for each tablet and setting them up for logging. Now when the approve button is clicked, it writes to a text file for that match.
That saved my first Tier 2 match where the scorekeeper managed to damage a tablet beyond repair. I was able to put the memory card into my laptop, pulled the log file into a spreadsheet and replicate to another tablet.
Ever since then, I’ve made sure that ALL of our tablets have a memory card in them.
This is one of the many reasons I won’t ever use an Apple tablet at our matches… the fruit tablets don’t have a memory card slot for such backup. And if you have limited Wi-Fi, the backup methods they have aren’t reliable.
Here’s what I do with our matches:
Set up the match on the master tablet - I use a Samsung Chromebook. This has a quirk due to some behind the scenes things that Chromebook does with the Wi-Fi Connection… I’ll explain the fix in a sec.
I then set up my cell phone’s Wi-Fi Hotspot. I have a Samsung Galaxy phone and it’s capable of hosting 8 devices. Fruit-Fone’s can only support 4 devices. Keep this in mind when synchronizing as you may need to turn off the Wi-Fi on tablets after you’ve synchronized.
On the scorekeeping tablet, press Sync Devices.
If your master tablet is a Chromebook and it’s already listed, check the box and press CLEAR SELECTED.
Now click refresh.
When your master tablet shows up again, click the check box and click “pull from selected”.
Turn off the Wi-Fi if needed - this can also help conserve power. I usually don’t bother as our club matches are usually only 3-5 tablets… I always make sure I set up a spare tablet.
I will also pull from the master tablet with my cell phone.
Issue out the tablets.
If time permits, I’ll go around periodically and PULL from the scorekeeping tablets using my cell phone. This allows me to see the match progress and also determine if there’s any issues with scoring.
Good luck,
Mark
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Russ,
I’m interested to know what issue you had with that. I understood that the printout happens at the same time as pressing the Acknowledge button that saves the score to the tablet.
I had considered getting printers, but I haven’t been concerned with loss of data with the memory cards as backups.
Mark
This was a first for me also and also and a single match isolated incident. Last year at a different large match. I had a similar issue were the score printed when approved but did not save to the program but DID save to the SD card.
This issue compounded as it was a 2 string classifier stage and only the total time was saved to the printout and not the separate string times which is another issue.
Still not a bad record considering over 5000 scores and only one issue.
At this point in time, the printers seem to be the most reliable source for an independent backup.
It’s a complete guess on my end what actually occurred as I am certain that if I could ever replicate it it could be resolved. Right now, I am not certain if it’s a device issues or a program issue. I am leaning towards a device issue.
Glad to help if you need it with printer choices and setup. Russ