Available from December 2009

We are pleased to announce the release of Ultra, the latest offering from RFID Race Timing Systems. Put simply, Ultra is a Ultra High Frequency RFID system using the latest Generation 2 UHF protocols, high sensitivity readers, specialised in-house antennas and Battery Assisted Passive (BAP) tags.  Ultra consists of 3 superior components;

The Reader Box – Contains the RFID reader, networking hardware and industrial computer. The control box is a small heavy duty case that is designed for work in the worst outdoor conditions. With 8 or 4 antenna ports, one control box can drive 8 or 4 antennas to cover a 9 or 4.5m wide timing point. The UHF reader inside is currently the world’s most sensitive Gen2 reader with a maximum receive sensitivity of -80dBm. With some antennas we have achieved a read range of up to 70m using the BAP tag.

Proprietary Antennas – RFID Race Timing has developed their own UHF patch antennas specifically for sports timing. These antennas have maximum sensitivity to the BAP tags whilst minimising unwanted reads flanking the read zone. The antennas are currently embedded in a flexible EVA mat that is easy to position in many configurations. Each mat piece measures 1.1m wide by 0.45m deep and weigh’s 2.5kg. The antenna mats are extremely thin at just 11mm (0.4 inches) high thereby avoiding issues with athletes tripping on a thick and bulky antenna section.

BAPs – Until now UHF tags have had problems being read on the human body. Several of our competitors have tried to address this by placing the transponder off the human body using elaborate tags on the shoe lace – a system that requires input from the competitor and is not ‘idiot proof’. All passive tags are severely compromised when placed very close to the human body due to detuning and loss of backscatter signal. Enter the Battery Assisted Passive or BAP tag. These tags use an ultra thin liquid battery that powers the onboard RFID chip leaving maximum energy backscatter to the reader. The tags are also specifically designed to be read next to the skin and tuned accordingly. The performance gains are remarkable for what is essentially still a passive tag that can be produced at low cost (unlike an active tag that uses a coin battery cell). The battery is non-toxic and has been cleared for safe disposal by the most stringent of environmental rules imposed in Europe.
The beauty of the BAP is that it can be worn on the back of the chest race number completely eliminating the need for the competitor to perform fiddly manoeuvres with an adhesive label on their shoe. This really is the ultimate system for timing large running events throughout the world.

Applications – ULTRA has been designed primarily to time major running events but is also extremely efficient at timing mountain biking and road cycling. For cycling the BAP’s are easily read from the race number plate (MTB) or from a special disposable label on the seat post.

The advantages over our competitors –

• The BAPs cost about the same as shoe tags without the hassle of runners having to place a transponder on the shoe. The athlete does not have to do anything special other than what they would otherwise be doing in a manually timed race.
• The smallest and most compact of all timing systems with the control box 35cm x 25cm x 20cm able to time 9 metres width
• Proven and stable firmware translated across from our successful HDD Systems
• Antennas in mats that are easy to transport. We also design antennas for overhead gantries but believe that mats are the simpler and safest option.
• Race Bib and tag are easily posted out to competitors pre-race.
• Reasonable pricing on control box and antenna mats.

What is EPC Class 1 Generation 2?
Ultra utilises the Gen2 Protocol adopted worldwide for passive UHF readers and tags. What that means is that there are multiple vendors manufacturing hardware that can read the same tags in every country. As the name suggests, this is the second protocol that has been released which gives far better tag reading performance over legacy protocols. The reading of 100 tags per second in difficult environments with the one reader is now quite achievable using Gen2.

What is UHF?
UHF stands for Ultra High Frequency. Ultra uses UHF RFID to communicate between reader and tag around the 900MHz spectrum. The FCC standard for USA is 902-928 MHz whilst Europe is more stringent with just 8 channels near 868Mhz. Countries like Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia/NZ use a similar spectrum between 918-924 Mhz. Readers are preconfigured to these spectrums and country specific protocols (ie frequency hopping or fixed frequency).

What advantages does UHF have over LF and dual frequency?
The number of vendors that manufacture UHF tags is the greatest. That means UHF tags are some of the least expensive of RFID transponders on the market owing to manufacture volumes and minimal use of copper and silicon. This makes the UHF tag priced low enough to make it disposable after use.

What is the lifespan on the BAP?
The battery on the BAP lasts for 2.5 years when kept at temperatures below 20 degrees C. The tag can still be read with a dead battery and will act like any other passive UHF tag after this time.

Do the BAPs work in the rain?
Yes. We have tested the read rates of BAPs under wet and raining conditions and there is no compromise in performance under these conditions. The BAPs themselves are waterproof when applied to a normal wax style race bib commonly used in running races.