MaprunF not registering some control site visits

[Simon]

Hi Peter.

Firstly, can I say thanks for a fantastic app concept. I have been using maprun for a couple of years now and I have greatly enjoyed using it and had no problems.

I have recently tried MaprunF. So far I used the CheckSites function to verify a course I created, and this worked without problems.

Yesterday I used the app for the first time to run an existing course, and after some 16 controls into the event working fine, the app stopped registering the control sites. This continued for 6 contiguous controls then the app registered one more control and then missed the last control visited.

Looking at the trace afterwards in maprunf, the app shows me passing right through the centre of the missed controls even zoomed right in. The missing controls are still showing as purple rather than green, and no notification was generated.

Loading the track into "GPS Track Upload" in MapRun console, the missing sites are listed as visited at the same tolerance of 15m.

I am somewhat perplexed that it temporarily stopped registering controls that according to its own registered GPS trace I visited.

My wife ran the same course (although by a different route) and had no problems. We were both using MapRunF 4.8.8 on IOS 13.4.1 with identical in-app settings.

Are you able to look into this? Please advise what data I can provide to help.

Kind regards,

Simon Denman

NGOC, UK

[Peter Effeney]

Simon

Thanks for your enquiry.

I see uploaded results from you and Ashleigh in: 18-19 Winter 6 Leckhampton PZ1907032019 PXAS ScoreN60.

All your uploaded results show you using MapRun iOSMapRun10.0.6.

Ashleigh's results are from MapRunF 4.8.8.

So maybe you have both MapRun and MapRunF installed on your phone and the settings are the same as Ashleigh's, but you are still running with the old MapRun app.

MapRun is now not being upgraded and MapRunF is the recommended App. It may be best to delete MapRun from your phone.

Let me know if I'm not looking at the right event here... or send more details please.

Peter

[Simon]

Hi Peter.

All of my runs on the server are indeed using the old maprun. Yesterday was the first outing with MaprunF but I chose not to finish or upload my run as I lost too much time on the controls which did not register. I can confirm that MaprunF 4.8.8 was the only version of maprun on my phone. I deleted the old maprun last week after testing maprunF on Check Sites.

The event of yesterday is still on my phone. I am happy to upload it for diagnostic purposes although I was not looking to preserve the result otherwise! Alternatively I can email you the GPX, whichever you prefer.

Simon

[Peter Effeney]

Simon,

One of the advantages of MapRunF is that it uploads some detailed log information for analysis.. eg the GPS accuracy of each location point, times when the phone goes into sleep mode etc etc. By default this is uploaded when you upload a result (unless you have changed the setting to turn this off). So, if you upload your result, I can look at the log to see if I can see an issue,

Peter

[Simon]

Actually, thinking about it, there is clearly additional state in the event that is not present in the GPX so I have uploaded the event.

Many thanks.

Simon

[Simon]

The event is called Benhall 2020 SAW PXAS ScoreN60.

[Peter Effeney]

Simon

Thanks for uploading results (including logs).

Your GPS accuracy deteriorated sharply after control 13. (At least as reported by the location service on your phone) .

MapRunF should have been showing yellow across the bottom of the screen in this situation and it ignores GPS data points that have a reported accuracy of worse than 25m for the purpose of punching a control.  This is to avoid random scatter data points "accidentally" punching a remote control. Your track still looks reasonable ... so potentially the 25m threshold is a bit tight.

Could it be that you were in battery saver mode - or your phone put itself into battery saver mode? Often device manufacturers sacrifice the GPS (as a high power consuming component) when battery life extension is called for.

You might be interested in the log files. If so, send an email to the support email address on the website (ie www.maprunners.com.au) and I'll send you the logs.

I'm happy to hear if you can shed any further light on this .. or confirm or otherwise your battery status.
If the problem continues, I'd recommend increasing the "Level of Logging" in the "Options and Settings" so we get more info.


Regards
Peter
 

[dougienisbet]

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread but I've been reading it with much interest.

My wife and I have just walked around a short course that I've been refining and experimenting with recently as I get to grips with maprunf. I have an iPhone 11 and she has an iPhone 8. We saw big differences in the GPS accuracy between the two smartphones. On one control she had the the yellow bar across the bottom of the screen with a reported accuracy of 32m. It 'stuck' on this for a few minutes. From what you've written I'm assuming that as long as the accuracy is 'yellow' the control will not be punched, even if the reported position is correct?

This is the first time I've tried a course while looking at the phone. Normally I'd use a printout from oom and run with the phone in my pocket on standby, which seems to work ok. Roberta's phone was in her pocket on standby, but clearly had gone to sleep.

I've been looking at the iphone settings and trying to work out where this may be controlled. Under Privacy/Allow Location Access I have it set to 'while using the app' - perhaps this should be 'always'? But that's on my phone, and it seems to work ok in my pocket on standby.

You also mention that it uploads detailed log information for analysis, such as GPS accuracy for each control. Is this at a user-access level, administrator level, or developer level, as it might be interesting to see if there's a pattern.

Dougie

[Simon]

Hi Peter.

Apologies for not responding earlier. I got an email notification of your first post and was assuming I would be informed by the forum software when there was an update so I didn't see your post until today.

It is interesting what you say about the reported accuracy. I am fairly confident that IOS did not go into low power mode as it is quite visible on the screen however the GPS trace was decidedly drunk after that point and the fact that maprunf disregards the trace at such times does at least explain why it wasn't registering. I can't confirm if the yellow bar was showing as the phone is strapped to my arm with the screen off. I would not have seen it.

It's hard to say where the threshold needs to be set but 25m does not seem unreasonable.

I can however report that I completed a run today with maprunf with no controls missed so that is more reassuring.

Thanks,

Simon

[Peter Effeney]

Simon

Thanks for the feedback and good to hear you had a successful run.

If you don't get a punch at a control, I'd suggest checking the phone and seeing if the GPS colour band is green.

Peter