This year we intend to use electronic punching to record the times of teams at each checkpoint. The system is provided by a company named SportIdent and many of you will have already used the system at orienteering events throughout Europe.

When you register, your team will be given a small plastic Electronic Card (Ecard) and a length of cord so that you can carry it around your neck. The card has a 5-digit number and the last 3 digits are your team number. These cards cost £14 each and we have hired them for the weekend. Should you be unfortunate enough to lose your card and are unable to hand it in at the end of Day 2, we will have to charge you £14 for the lost card. A Control Box and Ecard will be on display in the registration tent so that you can familiarise yourselves with the system.

At each checkpoint, you will come across a Control Box, which is a very small red 'brick' with a cylindrical hole in it. It will be labelled with the 3-digit code of the checkpoint and this MUST MATCH the code provided on your checkpoint descriptions, otherwise you are at the wrong checkpoint! At most locations it will be on the ground beside the kite and attached to it by a piece of string. Dip the tip of your Ecard into the cylindrical hole and providing the box is working correctly you will see an LED flash and hear a 'beep' which confirms that the checkpoint number and your time has been recorded on your Ecard.

The Ecard replaces the Control Card that you would normally punch at each checkpoint and the data from it is used to verify that you have visited the correct checkpoints. If a Control Box fails to 'beep' and the LED does not flash, it is possible that the Control Box is malfunctioning. In this case, use the needle punch placed at each checkpoint as a backup mechanism to make an imprint on the corner of your map. This will prove that you have visited the checkpoint. Also use the needle punch if you lose your Ecard.

When we hand you the Ecard at registration it will have already been cleared of any previous data. At the start of Saturday you will use your Ecard as you start to record your start time. At the finish on Saturday you will record a finish time on your Ecard. We will process the data from your Ecard at the finish and hopefully will be able to hand you back the Ecard almost immediately, cleared and ready for use on Sunday. Please be patient if things don't always run smoothly.

At the start on Sunday, you will NOT use your Ecard to record your start time as this will already be recorded elsewhere. At each checkpoint, use your Ecard to record a time and also record a time when you finish. We will collect your Ecard from you and should you be unfortunate enough to lose the card, we will record your team number and you will need to tell us how/when you will pay us the £14.

The information from the Ecards will prove that you have been to each checkpoint but it will also hopefully provide us with split times at each checkpoint. This may not be displayed during the event, but it will allow us to publish the splits on the web site within a few days.