Frequently Asked Questions CrossCountry 1 (Wheel icon)
- Recording a course
- Optimum Time
- Minute Markers & The Beep
- Photos
- Course Walking Tips
- Course Library
- App Store and iTunes
- Products & devices
- Updates and technical
- Virtual Guided Course Walks
- Printing maps
- Sharing & Publishing courses
- Backing up and restoring courses
- Anything else?
Recording a Course
- Some events have unreliable mobile or internet reception. Does it still work?
- Yes it will still create a track but you won't see the imagery backdrop until you get back into mobile or WiFi range. This means that if you go overseas you won't have to incur expensive data roaming costs. If you are out of mobile phone range you may notice the GPS takes longer to "settle down" so open your app a minute or two before you plan to start to give it time to lock onto the satellites.
- What happens if I get a phone call or sms while recording a course?
- The app keeps tracking. You can make or receive calls and text messages, go on Facebook, check the weather....
- Can I add photos etc on a second course walk?
- Yes, when looking at a jump just click on the Edit button. You can also delete them.
- Does it work in the UK?
- Yes it does. It works anywhere in the world.
- My course has more wiggles than other riders. Why is that?
- Sometimes the satellites are not in such a good position and the speed at which you walk can make a difference. If you stride out purposefully you will get a smoother track. Measuring with a golf buggy or quad bike gives an even smoother track. But if your track has wiggles or measures longer than the official length don't worry. This will not impact the accuracy of your final minute markers because the app works these out by dividing the distance you measure by the optimum time. If your iPhone cannot get a sufficiently good GPS "fix" to record accurately it will tell you so and refuse to proceed.
- What if I don't know the optimimum time?
- You don't have to enter the optimum time. As you record the app will tell you where your provisional minute markers are based on what speed (mpm is meters per minute) you entered. Update the optimum time when you know it.
- How does the app calculate minute markers?
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Provisional Minute Markers are placed as you walk the course. Every 520m for example for a novice/one star track. Your iPhone will beep to alert you. However, when you finish the course, CrossCountry calculates the exact position of minute markers based on the total length you have measured and the optimum time. If you have not entered optimum time, it leaves them as they are.
If you are riding a 3000m course at 500mpm your optimum time will be 6 minutes, CrossCountry will place the minute markers every 500m along the track but then at the end if you have measured the course at 3,060, it will reposition the markers to every 510m because you have told it that you still have to ride the course in 6 minutes.
- Any tips on minute markers?
- Some riders set their optimum time to 10 seconds less (ie. 5 minutes 10 seconds when the optimum time is 5 minutes 20 seconds) to give them some lee-way. Read our Riding to Time tips to help you practise getting the right pace.
- Can I have count up minute markers?
- Yes you can swap to count up in CrossCountry 2 Pro
- How do the reminders work?
Tap the location arrow. The blue tracking sphere will appear showing your location. As the sphere gets within 15m of a minute marker, the app beeps - whether or not your phone is locked and in your pocket! You can then check the map to find the precise minute marker location and familarise yourself with landmarks. This is really helpful when you are walking the course a second time, if a fellow rider has shared the course with you or you have downloaded it from our library. This feature was created for the Australian Olympic Team and used in London.
Remember to turn off the location awareness to save your battery when you no longer need it, by tapping the arrow again.
- Why don't I hear the beep?
Optimum Time
Minute Markers and The Beep
- Are you low on battery? The iPhone stops making sounds if it is very low.
- Check the following: You have turned on the location awareness arrow. You are seeing the blue sphere and it is tracking your location correctly.
- Your sound is turned up and the phone is not muted
- Does the phone vibrate when you get to a minute marker? (It should vibrate and beep. You will probably only notice it vibrate if it is in your hand)
- Try rebooting your iPhone
- If all these fail, contact us
- Is CrossCountry App useful if I don't wear a watch?
- Absolutely! CrossCountry helps lower level riders and children plan your riding strategy so you ride more smoothly, calmly and avoid missed jumps or going the wrong way. Parents say it helps their children feel less anxious
Photos
- Any tips for getting better photos in poor light?
- On iPhone, before taking the photo tap the screen. A yellow focus box will appear and for a second or two the screen will brighten. Take the photo and you get a much better pic. Here are more photo tips
- Do you have any tips for effective course walking?
- Jess Cocks is one of our most experienced users. Read her tips for using CrossCountry
There is an excellent summary from wikipedia of things to think about when walking the course. Caroline Moore, the British Eventing National U 18 Coach and Junior Team Coach has these top course walking tips. Ian Stark has a concise and very helpful book Walking a Cross Country course US coach Lesley Stevenson wrote this excellent article
Course Walking Tips
Course Library
- How do I publish a course on your library?
- On CrossCountry 1 (wheel icon) Click the Publish button . Don't be shy, others will be very grateful and you could win a prize.
- What is the difference between CrossCountry 1 and CrossCountry 2?
- The free version of CrossCountry 2 lets you view courses and guided course walks. It replaces the CrossCountry Lite iPhone app. With CrossCountry 2 Pro you can record a course, get minute markers or add photos etc to an existing course and create a virtual guided course. Pro replaces the CrossCountry full iPhone app. In a nutshell, CrossCountry 2 Pro is for riders, officials and coaches. CrossCountry 2 is ideal for friends, family, owners and spectators.
- Do you have a list of the differences between the free CrossCountry 2 and Pro?
- Yes. Click hereand scroll down
- Can I record courses on an iPad?
- Yes CrossCountry will record courses on iPad 3G or 4G i.e. with GPS. While the iPad is a bit bigger to carry around,it does take superior videos. Just make sure you don't put your finger over the camera when taking photos.
- What about iPod Touch or iPad Wi-Fi?
- You can review and personalise courses (add photos and comments) but you cannot create a course because iPod touch and iPad Wi-Fi don't have GPS. You can add a plug-in GPS though such as Bad Elf
Products and devices
Printing Maps
Updates and Technical
A lot of questions we are asked are general iPhone or iPad ones rather than specifically about CrossCountry App. We find this iPhone FAQ very good if you can cope with the advertisements!.
If you are experiencing any problems always make sure you are on the latest release of the iOS or Android operating system and CrossCountry App
To check iOS release
1) Open the Settings app
2) Tap 'General'
3) Tap 'About'
4) Scroll down and look for 'Version'
- How do I create a virtual guided course walk?
- It's very easy. Here's how
- Can I arrange or sponsor a virtual guided course walk?
- Yes, please contact us.
- Can I share courses with my friends?
- Yes, privately by email to friends who have CrossCountry 1 or CrossCountry Lite
- Can I share with people who don't have CrossCountry?
- Yes, by sending the course to us to publish in our library. This makes them viewable on all smartphones or PCs. Just click the Publish button
- Can I add a jump in that I missed?
- You can do this with the toolkit. Create and acount at accounts.crosscountryapp.com and upgrade to a paid subscription which will enable you to move the track, add, move and delete fences and print automated maps.
- What is the best way to keep my courses safe?
- Save them to the cloud. Create a free account at accounts.crosscountryapp.com and upload your courses. You can download them again any time. This is useful if your phone is running out of space.
- I just got a new iPhone/iPad. How do I transfer all my courses?
- Save and restore them using iTunes. They will transfer over just as your contacts, notes etc do. Or you can upload them to the cloud as above.
- Are any famous riders using it?
- Yes, Ingrid Klimke and Stuart Tinney (Olympic Gold Medallists), Shane Rose and Clayton Fredericks (Olympic Silver Medallists). Bettina Hoy, Paul Tapner and Irish Olympic Team member Mark Kyle use CrossCountry app, Blenheim Palace International winner Francis Whittington and many more
- My display keeps swivelling from portrait to landscape as I carry it in my hand on my course walk? Can I lock it in one position?
- Yes, its very easy to lock and unlock portrait mode (you cannot lock in landscape but you can still take photos and videos in landscape). Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to open Control Center and tap on the Portrait Orientation Lock icon top right. To unlock just tap it again