With another day of scored racing today, timing and RA have been finding issues with control of a real time race file.
Tradionally the RA gives timing a race file in the morning. This is the xml file that will carry all the race data. After first run a csv file is given back to the RA for importing into the race file that RA works. This allows the RA to continue to work on the xml file during the run without having timing overwrite the information that the RA has been adding, ie. forerunners, gate counts etc. Both RA and Timing add dsq information and sorts for second run independently as RA generates lists with RA race file. After second run the same happens with export of a csv and RA imports.
What is happening is that when one takes control of the real time race (ie RA posting reports from first run) timing cant touch it even though the race apears to remain registered and data continues to apear to be transmitted. If timing unregisters and then re-registers timing regains control but all RA reports are erased. Has anyone figured this one out yet?
Another issue came up when emailing the xml file. If you are using a web based email you may need to zip it, we did.

John,
I too have experienced this earlier in the year. I talked to Geoff the day I had problems and there was an error on his part that made "Real Time" not function at all. Because you can unregister and reregister, this may be different. I could unregister my race, but nothing changed on the site. The software would then get stuck trying to register the race again.

Note that everytime you register a race you will receive a "new" ID number located in the header of the xml file. So if you unregister the race and reregister the race, you have changed the ID number and (if RA unregister/reregistered the race) the timing computer will have the wrong ID number. This can be hacked by hand with notepad in the XML file and you should be back to normal with online transmission.

Today we did it a bit different and had timing responsible for all reports. Once the race was handed off to timing in the morning, RA stayed out. This worked for us but made for not much spare time in the timing cabin. One more day...