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MaxPunkte Competition


MaxPunkte 6.2.3 Competition released 21.02.2010 Download (appr. 8.3 MByte)

MaxPunkte 6.2.2 Competition released 02.01.2010 Download (appr. 8.3 MByte)

Older versions will not work with most instruments after 01.01.2010!!!

New 02.02.2010: MaxPunkte 6.2.2 Competition:

MaxPunkte 6.2.1 Competition released 17.11.2009 Download (appr. 8.1 MByte)

New 22.11.2009: MaxPunkte 6.2.1 Competition:

MaxPunkte 6.2 Competition released 07.10.2009 New 07.10.2009: MaxPunkte 6.2 Competition:

MaxPunkte 6.1.4 Competition released 07.07.2009

MaxPunkte 6.1.3 Competition released 20.06.2009

MaxPunkte 6.1 Competition released 21.04.2009

New 02.01.2009: MaxPunkte 6.0.11 Competition:

New 25.08.2008: MaxPunkte 6.0.10 Competition:

New 15.07.2008: MaxPunkte 6.0.9 Competition:

New 28.04.2008: MaxPunkte 6.0.7 Competition: Bugs fixed (Garmin GPS, competition features), This version was successfully tested at the Mosel Open 2008

New 23.03.2008: MaxPunkte 6.0.6 Competition: Bugs fixed (optimization XCOpen style tasks, waypoint upload MLR and Compeo product family,...), tool WPTtoGOOGLE Vers. 1.1 (icons changed), new airspace file Air_Germany_2008

New 12.03.2008: MaxPunkte 6.0.5 Competition: Supports Wintec WBT-201 GPS-Mouse.

New 03.03.2008: MaxPunkte 6.0.4 Competition: Bugs fixed with Garmin waypoint upload. Allow decimals of seconds in waypoints coordinates.

New 05.02.2008: MaxPunkte 6.0.1 Competition: Some problems fixed concerning communication with Race

New 09.01.2008: MaxPunkte 6.0 Competition: borlndmm.dll problem fixed, please download and install again

MaxPunkte 6.0 Competition comprises all features of MaxPunkte 5 and additional features for scoring paraglider and hangglider competitions. This page only deals with the competition functions only. It is not a beginners tutorial, it adresses people with at least basic knowledge in competition scoring with CompeGPS and RACE.

MaxPunkte has some restrictions as compared to CompeGPS, but to my personal experience these do not reduce functionality in competition scoring. On the other hand, it allows new types of tasks, which have been sucessfully testet in the XC-Open 2007 World Series.

Waypoints

A main difference between XC-online contest and standard competitions is, that these have fixed waypoints for the task setting. So one group of new functions in MaxPunkte comprises waypoints. After startup, MaxPunkte always immediately loads the last waypoint file used (like the last map, the last elevation data, the last airspaces file,...). So you always get the same setup, when you work with MaxPunkte. You can change this setup in the Options menu. The installation package comes with the waypoints file of German Open Paragliding 2007.

Waypoint file format

MaxPunkte uses a subset of CompeGPS waypoint format. If you already have a CompeGPS wpt-file, then there is a good chance to use it directly in MaxPunkte. See the attached sample files for the format. MaxPunkte only knows WGS-84, no other map datum is allowed! MaxPunkte only uses DD:MM.:S or DD:MM.mmm position format, nothing else! If you use these in your wpt-file, you will not have trouble. Make shure, that your flight recorder is switched tho WGS-84, especially the MLR.

MaxPunkte shows the waypoints in the map display, you can edit them with a double click on the waypoint or in the waypoint list, which is in the waypoints menu. Very self-explaining.

There is an upload function to send the waypoints to a flight recorder. The standard instruments used in paraglieder competitions are supportet. You can send a "pilot identification waypoint" to the instrument and check, if there are already other waypoints of this type. Presently, MaxPunkte doesn't support pilot identification during track download like CompeGPS does.

How to score a competition?

The scoring of a competition is done in in Race. MaxPunkte has been testet with Race Version 6.2.15. The scorer sets up a competition in Race as usual and adds all pilots to the Race database. Then the first task is defined in MaxPunkte and a connection to this Race database is defined. Task definition is very similar to task definition in CompeGPS. The task is then defined in the database and all pilots are set to NYP for this task. When task definition is completed, MaxPunkte has to be closed and then reopened (this is an error in the software, I'm searching...).

The task is then opened again. You have to click throught the task definition. Make sure, that the task definition is correct. Now you can download a track from a flight recorder and calculate the task performance of this pilot in the calculations menu. Then select the corresponding pilot from the drop-down list and send the data to the database using the "=> Race" button. Then click "next pilot" , download or open a new trackfile, calculate, send to database, ...

Remember: Every pilot is sent to the database individually, not all task results at once, which is normal in CompeGPS.

MaxPunkte is not the fastest tool to download tracks from flight recorders. You can use others like GPSdump, it's comfortable to have several instances of this software simultanouisly on you desktop to download from many devices in parallel. It's then ideal to name tracks Tn-mmm.igs, whre n is the task number and mmm is the pilot number. If you open such a file in MaxPunkte while a task is defined, the correct pilot is automatically selected from the drop-down list. I prefer to first download tracks from all instruments and then work througt the trackfiles.

You can open serveral instances of MaxPunkte and let them all send data to the database. But, as I already told, it's not so comfortable and fast. This will improve in the future.

Finally, you manually set ABS and DNF pilots in Race and then score the task in Race as usual.

Next day, next task a new task ist defined in MaxPunkte. Download trackfiles, evaluate and send data to database. Score task and competition with Race.

Differences MaxPunkte/Race to CompeGPS/Race scoring

Main differences are:

  1. Pilot by pilot is sent to the Race database, not the complete task.
  2. If you change a task, you have to load and recalculate every single track and send results to database. There is no possibility to recalculate all. So make shure your task definition is correct from the beginning.
  3. You can calculate results in Race at any time.
  4. MaxPunkte only calculates the values needed for GAP 2000 and PWC formula. GAP 2002 is not supported, because the "pilot leading bonus" is not calculated.
  5. MaxPunkte only supports WGS84 map datum.
  6. MaxPunkte only supports the new cylindrical sectors.
  7. MaxPunkte always opens the waypoints -, airspaces-, map- and elevation data files which have been opened in the last session.

Task types in MaxPunkte

Tasktypes in MaxPunkte are:

  1. Race to goal
  2. Speedrun (multiple departure time windows not yet implemented)
  3. Open distance, open distance with fixed turnpoints
  4. Open distance with predefined heading, optionally with fixed turnpoints
  5. Cats cradle
  6. Out and return with an optimized turnpoint
  7. Two optimized turnpoints
  8. Three optimized turnpoints

1 and 2 are the standard tasks in most competitions. The others have been developed for the XC.Open World Series. These tasks are always open, so that pilots can maximize their flight and fully use the days flying possibilities. Optimized turnpoints, meaning that the pilot can turn his direction whenever and wherever he decides and the software finds this turn, allows further adaption to the days conditions. You can set a task like "Fly straight until you come into headwind and the turn and then fly in another direction as far as possible".

Don't make all errors yourself!

Here I will publish some errors, other people made, so you don't need to make the same error again:

  1. MaxPunkte writes the task to the Race database, it doesn't read it from there. Task properties for MaxPunkte are stored in the *.tsk file. Turnpoints etc. are sent tor Race for reference only. Consequently, there is no chance to edit a task in Race, it will not go back to MaxPunkte.
  2. The filename and path of the connected Race database is stored in the *.tsk file. So if you move or rename the database, the connection gets lost. You can select then the correct file in the task definition. But if you then select the wrong database, you will define a new task of the given name (or overwrite a task, if there is one with the same name) in this database. So be careful renaming or moving databases.

Known issues

There are some problems in the competition version, which are "under construction":

  1. MaxPunkte allows only one time for start of speedsection. Multiple startgates are presently not supported.
  2. Competition property OzGAP may lead to Runtime Error 3021 in Race, subsequently crashing, when editing a pilots properties in a task. For workaround, set competition property to something else (GAP 2000, PWC), save and then set back to OzGAP. The error may come again, when you define the next task. Do the same procedure again, i.e. once per task.

USB-Driver requirements

The MaxPunkte installation package doesn't include any drivers for USB-devices.

For generic Garmin USB please install driver from: http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=591

Flytec 6030 or Braeuniger Compeo+ require the Prolific USB-serial adapter driver, which can be found at www.flytec.ch/usb_serial_driver.htm

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Last edit Sunday, February 21, 2010