Timing System required

The major thing that we have encountered over the years that matters is the photocell arrangement. ALGE makes the RLS3c which has 3 beams that can be broken by different heights of dogs. The Kinetic Dog group and ESPN Great Outdoor games has had great success with them. As with any tool, the more it gets used the more you should invest in it. Brower and FarmTek are "club" systems. ALGE, Microgate, and Tag systems are what are regarded as Professional.

A major consideration is the precision required in the timing. If even seconds are satisfactory, this can be done manually with a push button. If greater accuracy is required, the aforementioned photo beam concept works well. Once precision has been determined, your options become more focused. Looking through a sampling of old results should help you determine what accuracy is required. Next there is the timer itself, Alge, Tag Heuer, Bower or Summit. I personally would recommend the Summit timer for its' price and performance is unmatched. There is a very capable wireless version so no cabling is required in the setup. Multiple timers can be connected to a single serial port so one computer can manage all timing needs. The last component is the Software that manages the timers and does the scoring. A sreadsheet may work but there may be additional needs, display boards etc. Good Luck
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