Event Information

Discover the new Announcer screens in the RaceDay Mobile Timing App and how they can enhance your race day experience. When integrated with RaceDay Scoring, the screens provide a simple way to view participant information about recent reads at a timing location in real time. Not integrated with RaceDay Scoring? You can still manually type in bib numbers to look up participant data. Learn setup, best practices, and how to use this feature to improve finish line commentary and participant recognition.

Who should attend: Timers looking to improve their race day announcer experience

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Webinar Summary

Overview

This Timer Tip Tuesday session introduces the Announcer Tool, a new feature inside the Mobile Timing App. The tool is designed to give race announcers a simple, hands-free alternative to being anchored to a laptop — allowing them to move freely while still seeing real-time participant data as reads come in.

The session covers two modes of operation (manual and race day scoring-integrated), walks through setup on both the race day scoring and mobile timing sides, and previews exciting upcoming updates including a new card swipe interface and list view.

What You’ll Learn

• What the Announcer Tool is and how it works
• The difference between manual mode and race day scoring integration
• How to set up and enable the Race Day Hub in Race Day Scoring
• How to connect the Mobile Timing App to Race Day Scoring
• How to configure timing locations, display fields, and timeout intervals
• How to handle connection interruptions automatically
• What’s coming soon: card swipe view, list view, and improved field selection

Two Modes of the Announcer Tool

Manual Mode

Best for:

• Smaller events not using Race Day Scoring
• Quick name lookups by bib number
• Situations where a simple, standalone tool is all that’s needed

The announcer types in a bib number and the participant’s name and information is immediately displayed on screen. No network connection or additional software required.

Race Day Scoring Integration

Best for:

• Events already using Race Day Scoring
• Larger races where reads are coming in automatically
• Announcers who want real-time data pushed directly to their device

When integrated, the app connects to Race Day Scoring over a local network and automatically displays participant information as reads are captured — no manual entry needed.

Setting Up the Race Day Hub (Race Day Scoring Side)

The Race Day Hub is the same system used for announcer kiosk windows and scrolling leaderboards in Race Day Scoring. Setup is straightforward:

1. Go to your Race Dashboard in Race Day Scoring
2. Click the Race Day Hub indicator to start the server
3. Set a password to protect participant data
4. Note the IP address displayed when you hover over the Race Day Hub indicator — you’ll need this for the next step

Tip: If multiple IP addresses are shown, start with the first one. Most setups will only have one.

Setting Up the Announcer Tool (Mobile Timing Side)

1. Open the Mobile Timing App and import your race from RunSignup
2. Select the Announcer Tool from the tool selection screen
3. Tap the settings gear in the top right
4. Toggle “Stream Results from Race Day Scoring” to enable the integration
5. Enter the IP address and password from the Race Day Hub setup
6. Review and configure additional settings (see below)

Configurable Settings

Once connected to Race Day Scoring, the following settings become available:

• Timing Locations – Choose which locations to display (e.g., finish only, or a dedicated announcer location)
• Field Selection – Pick which data points to show, including custom registration questions, chip time, clock time, lap data, and more
• Unknown Reads – Toggle whether unregistered bib reads appear on the announcer screen
• Timeout Interval – Set how long a card stays on screen (e.g., 3, 5, or 10 seconds) before clearing

Note: Location customization, field selection, and unknown read settings are only available when the Race Day Scoring integration is enabled. These options do not appear in manual mode.

Handling Connection Interruptions

The app is designed to recover from dropped connections automatically:

• If the connection to Race Day Scoring is lost, a banner will appear indicating it is reconnecting
• No action is needed on the announcer’s device — the app will reconnect on its own once the server is reachable again
• Troubleshooting should be done on the timing computer side (check that the Race Day Hub is still running and the network connection is stable)
• The only time an announcer would need to adjust settings manually is if the IP address or password was changed during troubleshooting

Access & Permissions

For announcers using manual mode, the person using the app will need at least participant-level access to the race in RunSignup in order to look up and display participant data. Race director or secondary owner access is recommended for the smoothest experience.

Coming Soon

Several exciting updates are in the pipeline, expected within the next few weeks:

New Card Swipe View

• Cards stack as multiple participants cross in quick succession
• The top card is always held so the announcer can read the name clearly
• The announcer can swipe left to advance to the next card in the stack
• Cards automatically clear after the configured timeout interval
• Swipe back to review previous cards if needed
• Animated stacking effect makes it visually intuitive

New List View

• A scrolling, real-time list of all reads — similar to the existing announcer kiosk view in Race Day Scoring
• Best suited for tablets or larger screens
• Ideal for experienced announcers who want to see every single read as it comes through
• Data displayed will scale based on device screen size

Toggle Between Views

• Announcers can switch between card view and list view on the fly using a toggle at the top of the screen

Improved Field Selection

• A new alphabetically sorted field list with a built-in search function
• Makes it much easier to find and select specific data points when there are many custom fields available

Key Takeaways

• The Announcer Tool gives your announcer the freedom to move around without being tied to a laptop
• Setup is quick — enable the Race Day Hub, note the IP and password, and connect via the Mobile Timing App
• The app handles dropped connections automatically, keeping disruptions minimal for the person doing the announcing
• Both manual and integrated modes are available depending on your event setup
• Upcoming updates will add swipeable cards, a full list view, and a smarter field selection interface