STEP BY STEP GUIDE

Import a "Rally without GPX" by giving a unique name. Upon successful import, RallyGDP shall display a menu as below.

RoadBook Information

This option is for displaying and entering the odometer at instruction points as given in the Rally Roadbook/Tulip. Making entries to RoadBook is not essential for using RallyGDP.  It's importance shall be explained later in this guide.

SpeedChart

Making entries to the SpeedChart are essential.

A typical speed chart given by organizers might be as represented below:

and so on...

Note that the third section entry is in minutes

• Starting Odometer of Rally is assumed to be 0.00.

• A sections FROM value is automatically derived from previous sections TO value.

• On top of all the sections there is a row of radio buttons. Select the type of entry

  • If the sections odometer and speed are available select  Odo/Speed (1 & 2 from above speed chart)

  • If odometer and time are available select Odo/Time (3 from above speed chart)

  • If speed and time are available select Speed/Time

• RallyGDP requires any two variables out of the three. It automatically calculates and derives the third variable.

  • It is not necessary to make all the entries at one go. Entries can also be made during a live rally stage.

• After entering the above values, your SpeedChart should look like the following screenshot.

Start Rally (from imported rallies menu)

RallyGDP shall proceed to the main rally screen.

​To disable any accidental input during a rally all buttons work only on long press on this screen.

The the left menu as shown below (to be called Main Menu for future references) has four main buttons

1. Start Rally : Its to start the Rally Stage (details follow).

2. SpeedChart : Make further entries to / review / edit  the Speedchart (All the entries made previously can be made from here too) .

3. RoadBook : Make further entries to / review / edit the RoadBook (Importance explained later)

4. Change TC Start ODO/Time : This is to change the last Time Control's start time and Odometer OR Add any dead/pause/gain time between two Controls.​

Rest of the buttons are self explanatory. 

Rally Stage

Upon start of main screen RallyGDP prompts for addition of Flag Off Time Control. Update the same as per the rally itinerary.

On selection of Start Rally, the app starts searching for GPS Satellites. So being indoors does not help. Your device should have view of the sky and GPS satellites enabled from the device's settings (Location settings).

Once there is a GPS lock, the device shall start showing data...Loads of data... From the main menu press Dash Display help to better understand what this data actually is. Following screenshots show how it should look like

You should have understood the functions of main menu buttons by now (except for RoadBook of course) and the data is being displayed on the screen. If GPS is locked, RallyGDP should have started shouting out your required speed, early, late etc.

Sliding Buttons Menu

Main Menu is not used frequently during actual Rally.

A separate menu handles all the functions that are required. This menu is opened from right side opener as shown below (shall be called Sliding Menu for future references).

Short description of functions performed by these buttons

• • -0.01 : To decrease your Odometer by 0.01 (This value can be changed from settings). Continuous  press keeps on decreasing at fixed interval.

• +0.01 : To increase your Odometer by 0.01. Rest similar to -0.01.

• Chg Odo : To Change the Odometer to the value input.

• TC : Time Control !!! Press this button at your Time Control (It might be called something else in different parts of the world). Basically where a stage ends and a new one starts. Update the Odo at the time control and the time registered on your Time Card. RallyGDP shall start a new stage from thereon. The out time of new stage is automatically calculated by RallyGDP (Press the settings button from the main menu. Select TC Out Time Calculation. From the various options available choose the one that is applicable to the rally. RallyGDP shall use this setting at all the TCs). If the rally organizers have a different protocol (e.g. TC Out time = TC in time + 10mts), use Change TC Start ODO/Time from main menu to adjust. The out time displayed on the dashboad (Last TC date/time) should be your actual out time of that stage.

• Nav To WP : Applicable only if RoadBook is entered - directly navigate to the selected waypoint with an option to change the current odometer to the RoadBook entry. Useful if you get lost during a rally and arrive back to a particular waypoint/instruction.

• Time Card : Your current time card... It displays your penalties incurred according to the TCs entered via the Sliding Buttons Menu.

• Adj Odo : Make minor adjustment to the Odometer taking into account the track being created, where you had made the last adjustment, etc. (more about it later in RoadBook section)

• Undo Chgs : Undo any changes made to the Odometer. Lets say RallyGDP is showing the current Odometer at 10.5. Now you have pressed Chg Odo and entered the new odo to 100.5. It was a mistake and your car is still running. Simply press Undo Chgs and the app shall use the old values for deriving your current ODO. The value to which the current odometer will be changed is displayed by UNDO ODO value on Dash Board. RallyGDP remembers last 20 changes made to Odometer and can revert those changes.

• Hit Time : Target hit time at RoadBook instructions after taking into account your last TC and SpeedChart entries.

• Target Time : Target time at your current ODO + some random selected distance (OR as per entry made).

The RoadBook / Tulip

Having an accurate Odometer reflected in whatever equipment you are using in a Rally Stage is the key to being on time at all the Time Controls.

Apart from making minor increments/decrements and total change of odometer from the sliding menu buttons, RallyGDP has a very powerful feature of alerts if RoadBook Entries have been made.

RoadBook given in a typical rally might be as shown below.

Open the RoadBook Information and make some entries to the RoadBook.

Some points to be noted:

• Cumulative odometer values are to be entered.

• Instruction numbers are generated by the app itself. Make entries corresponding to the Instruction number as given in the rally road book.

• It is not necessary to enter Odometer at all the Instruction numbers. e.g Only every fifth entry can be entered. RallyGDP takes care of blank entries. Entries can also be made during a live rally stage. As stated earlier, these entries are optional...but are extremely useful for maintaining correct Odometer throughout the rally.

If above entries are made, the Roadbook should look similar to the screenshot below.

Odometer Alert

• During the rally, RallyGDP shall alert the Navigator by audible alarm and an alert on screen whenever an instruction point is nearby (distance can be changed from settings -defalut is 150 m).

• If the navigator feels that the Current Odometer displayed by the app needs to be adjusted, the blue button has to be pressed at the approximate instruction location.

• This changes the Current Odometer to the value entered in the RoadBook at that instruction and the FineTuner Screen is overlaid on the map. By pressing on respective +/- buttons, the location of the instruction can be pin point by the navigator to an error of approximate 0.002. The movement of the pin on the track that you have created is used as a visual feedback. Thus, the Odometer is adjusted on the fly and it is not necessary to stop your car for the same.

Go for a ride in your car with RallyGDP running with above entries and you shall have a better understanding on the operation of this app OR start the app in simulation mode (Accessible from the first screen of the app).

Further Suggestions

• Simulate Mock Rally : No GPS reception is required for this feature to work. Use this mode to practice using the app.

• Read the Help Section provided in the app in order to familiarize on the data displayed and also the detailed description of the Odometer Alert.

• Practice using the app before a Rally so as to be familiar with all the functions.

• Use a device that has a good GPS chip. Verify the same by going outdoors and viewing your position on Google maps. The accuracy circle should be small and your position stable.

• It is advisable to use RallyGDP in airplane mode OR atleast have all incoming calls disabled.

• RallyGDP support for  offline Open Street Maps is currently being worked on . Downloads for them would work only after teh update is release ,from the links provided in the app.​

• Help popups are shown wherever relevant through out the app. If cancelled, they can be reenabled from Settings. 

• Most of the settings provided in the app are self explanatory. Go through them and change them as per your requirement.

Odometer Correction Factor (W-factor)

The organizers of Rally may have made the RoadBook/Tulip with any device accessible to them. RallyGDP uses GPS chip of your device. There is bound to be some error in odometer between the two. This ratio of error can be calculated during a test run (Test run may be given from Ceremonial Flag off to some destination from where the rally actually starts). Lets presume that at the end of test run, the destination Odometer as per the RoadBook given is 10 km. Complete this test using RallyGDP but without making any changes to the Odometer. At the end of the run lets assume that RallyGDP displays your Odometer as 10.10 Km. The correction factor is 10/10.1 which equals 0.990099. Entering this value in W Factor via settings shall force RallyGDP to apply this correction in all future calculations.