TackTracker Release Notes for Mac OS

End of Life Notice for Mac Player

We have decided to end active development of TackTracker for macOS. The web player is now rich in features, and operates on all platforms. Now that we can no longer support QStarz loggers on Mac (see below) there are few compelling reasons to maintain the Mac player. We're sorry if this impacts you, and thank everyone who has enjoyed using this product.

Support for QStarz Loggers

Recent versions of macOS have applied increasingly stringent requirements on driver software. From macOS Big Sur (version 11), the drivers we used to recommend for use with QStarz trackers no longer work. To connect your GPS you will need to use Windows - possibly running on your Mac under Parallels or VirtualBox.

Release 8.5.4 - 16 Oct 2022

Update map API credentials.

Release 8.5.3 - 10 May 2022

A single tracker may be used to share mark tracks for multiple marks using the '|' character, where one of the marks is a start or finish mark or pin. For example, if the Start and Finish boats are the same boat, you can use one live tracker named "StartBoat|FinishBoat" to service both marks. Or you can name a tracker "FinishPin|C" to use the same tracker for the Finish Pin and mark "C". Note, this complements the support for the '&' character added in release Release 7.06.3

Release 8.5.2 - 22 Mar 2022

Two fixes specific to Variable Laps races:

  • Save the start and finish mark tracks if present
  • Fix a rare corner case where a boat was not correctly finished
Release 8.5.1 - 16 Feb 2022

For variable laps races, ensure that the boat completes the lap before finishing, and correctly finish a boat even if it rounds the next mark after the finish is crossed.

Release 8.5.0 - 14 Nov 2021

Improve the smoothing of speed and VMG data.


Release 8.4.5 - 30 Jun 2021

Improve speed smoothing algorithm to give better speed charts and report more realistic minimum and maximum speeds.

Release 8.4.2 - 14 Jun 2021

Automatically select the winning boat when loading a race.

Release 8.4.1 - 8 Mar 2021
  • Race reports now interpolate the finish time, estimating the line crossing between recorded track points. This yields more accurate finish placements that are consistent with the player's leader board.
  • Prevent Finish on station time exceeding the race span.
Release 8.3.2 - 22 Oct 2020
  • Landmarks in race area are now included when publishing a race that doesn't yet have tracks.
Release 8.3.1 - 10 Oct 2020 Introducing support for automatic race results
  • Fix problem loading some Variable Laps races.
Release 8.2.1 - 9 Aug 2020 Race Reports tuning:
  • Adjust reporting algorithms to match Windows version.
Release 8.2.0 - 20 Jul 2020
  • New "Lap Times" report for Variable laps racing.
Release 8.1.0 - 27 Jun 2020

Added keyboard shortcuts for common operations:

  • Press spacebar to toggle Play and Pause
  • Press "," and "." to move back and forward one point
  • Press "+" and "-" to zoom in and out

Removed "Publisher Tools" from the Cloud Races tab. To publish a Regatta, login to the TackTracker cloud and go to Setup -> Races (https://tacktracker.com/cloud/manage/races).

Release 8.0.1 - 19 June 2020

Fixed date controls in Track Loader which didn't allow dates past Jan 2020.

Release 8.0.0 - 08 Jun 2020

Updated to the latest macOS. Requires macOS 10.13 or later.

  • Add MPH option for speed units
  • Fixed the create race date selector - allowing 2020 dates to be selected
  • Fix free start detection

Release 7.06.11 - 26 Nov 2019
  • Additional fix for the GPS Week Number Rollover Bug seen on some QStarz devices. The original fix was delivered in R7.06.5. This new fix resolves an additional case seen in the field. With the fix, TackTracker automatically corrects dates reported by affected devices when uploading tracks.
  • Track Loader: Default the "Auto-Save" checkbox to unchecked to avoid tracks being saved unintentionally to the wrong race.
Release 7.06.9 - 1 July 2019

Race Editor: Improve behavior when setting the start time. Race span will now be preserved.

Release 7.06.8 - 25 Jun 2019

Race Editor: Fix behavior of the race trim control in the Race Editor start tab. Previously the race would be trimmed at an offset to the specified time.

Release 7.06.7 - 10 May 2019

Update to a new online maps account so that maps will continue to be displayed.

Older versions of TackTracker will stop displaying maps when the old account is deacticated.

Release 7.06.6 - 4 May 2019
  • Make it easier to drag the timeline with the mouse
  • Fix coloring of text in light and dark modes in the Legs table and marks box
Release 7.06.5 - 7 Apr 2019

Automatically correct for the GPS Week Number Rollover Bug seen on some QStarz devices. TackTracker automatically corrects dates reported by affected devices when uploading tracks.

Release 7.06.4 - 21 Jan 2019
  • New "Open Start" feature allows informal handicap style races where competitors are free to start when they wish. To use, check "Free Start" in the Race Editor Start tab.
  • Timeline shows Start and Finish labels to help first time users
  • The Leg Times report correctly puts competitors who did not complete the course last
Release 7.06.3 - 13 Dec 2018
  • Improve Autoplay behavior - now smoother to watch and the leading boats always stay on the screen
  • Fix track matching to a gatemark when track is already in use for another mark
  • It is now possible for a start or finish tracker to be shared with a course mark. For example, name a tracker "FinishPin&C" to use the same tracker for the Finish Pin and mark "C".
Release 7.06.2 - 8 Nov 2018
  • Fix error loading some variable laps races
  • Use correct text color in dark mode on some race editor controls
Release 7.06.1 - 7 Nov 2018
  • Fix variable laps hang when loading some races.

Release 7.06.0 - 28 Oct 2018

Adds support for macOS Mojave - including the new "Dark Mode". The minimum supported macOS version is now 10.8.


Release 7.05.5 - 20 Sep 2018
  • Fix variable laps finish calculation when finish time on station is specified.
Release 7.05.4 - 4 Sept 2018
  • Fixed an anomaly with finish placings seen if track points are missing at the finish line
Release 7.05.3 - 21 July 2018
  • Display year folders in the Library in correct ascending sequence.
  • Fixes to Mark Roundings Report: Omit finish times if boats not correctly finished. Fix errors in mark rounding counts.
Release 7.05.2 - 12 May 2018
  • Guard against invalid race location specified when creating a race
  • Rename Close button to Continue on splash screen
Release 7.05.1 - 4 April 2018
  • Updated to use the correct code signing certificate (the wrong certificate was used in 7.05.0 and the application would be blocked by Gatekeeper).

Release 7.05.0 - 3 Apr 2018

  • You may now optionally specify a Finish "On Station" time on the Race Editor Start tab. Before the Finish On Station time, the finish line is not shown, and no finish will be recorded. This feature can save the day when you have boats passing through the finish area prior to the actual finish.
  • The mark drag feature has had a number of fixes, particularly when the mark has an associated track.

Release 7.04.4 - 27 Mar 2018
  • Fixed a crash after using the Track Tools in the Race Editor Track's tab.
Release 7.04.3 - 22 Mar 2018
  • Fixed a bug preventing a race from loading after it has been renamed in the Library and without refreshing the list.
  • Updated the URL accessed when clicking the Manage Schedule button in the race editor.
Release 7.04.2 - 4 Feb 2018
  • Offer "Name" and "Details" options for name display - drawing from Name and Details fields respectively.
Release 7.04.1 - 28 Jan 2018
  • Remove Publish Credits from race publishing process - now that publishing is free.

Release 7.04.0 - 9 Jan 2018

  • Race Editor: New Copy/Paste feature makes it easy to copy course and marks from one race to another
  • Get Tracks matching race wizard has been moved from Library right-click menu to Race Editor Tracks tab
  • Track Tools button has been moved into the Race Editor Tracks tab
  • Fixed a bug displaying empty races
Release 7.03.2 - 17 Dec 2017

Fix a crash seen when loading certain races.

Release 7.03.1 - 12 Nov 2017

Update the code-signing certificate.

Release 7.03.0 - 23 Oct 2017

  • New Create Races button makes it easier to create new races and to split a race session into multiple races
  • Create Races dialog is simplified and Edit Course/Marks button removed
  • Track Loader now shows a "Get Cloud" button alongside the other two track sources
  • Fixed a crash in "Get Tracks Matching Race" feature

Release 7.02.9 - 27 July 2017
  • Fix the publish wizard sometimes selecting the wrong regatta.
  • Update the target URL shown when user asks to purchase publish credits
Release 7.02.8 - 5 July 2017
  • Fix calculation of distance to finish and place in the last leg of the race (for some races).
Release 7.02.6 - 12 June 2017

Several fixes for Variable Laps races:

  • Correctly locate the finish in a variable laps race if it is moved during the race.
  • Allow trackers to be used on start and finish lines for a variable laps race.
Release 7.02.3 - 21 May 2017
  • Use any tracks present to define the displayed course area when the course is not set.
Release 7.02.2 - 25 April 2017
  • Improve detection of tacks and gybes - where the tacking angle is smaller.
Release 7.02.1 - 1 April 2017
  • Fix a problem where boats no longer move after saving the race in the race editor (Since 7.02.0)
  • Automatically set the default race location from the first track if it was not set when the race was created.

Release 7.02.0 - 27 March 2017

  • Rename the "Training Session" event type to "Variable Laps Race". This mode now supports a type of handicap race where boats do one or more laps of a course, and the faster boats must complete more laps than the slower craft.

Release 7.01.2 - 5 March 2017

Add File/Edit menu. Copy / Paste shortcut keys (Cmd-C, Cmd-V) now work in text fields.

Release 7.01.1 - 28 July 2016

Tune background color to match map color.

Release 7.01.0 - 16 July 2016

  • Switch the map provider to HERE Maps. Maps are better looking, and satelite maps are now available in all countries.
  • Remove the clear map cache button in Settings. The cache is now managed automatically.

Release 7.0.0 - 10 July 2016

Live Tracking is now accessible to everyone! The free license now includes the Race Editor for creating, editing and publishing races to the TackTracker cloud. With the free iPhone and Android apps, your smart phone becomes a live tracker. The only ongoing costs to you are tracker rights and publish credits.

Update 6.01.6 - 19 June 2016
  • Fix a problem with restoring hazard marks
Update 6.01.5 - 15 Mar 2016
  • Fix a problem with live updates resetting the current track
Update 6.01.4 - 6 Mar 2016
  • Fix a problem with the Race Editor Live publish tools not always picking up a value typed into the textbox
  • Re-word "Login" to "Sign In"
Update 6.01.3 - 1 Jan 2016
  • Enhance the Get tracks wizard with a location search tool to save typing in lat/lon coordinates
  • Fix the date filter in the TrackLoader
  • Fix to correctly match the track time boundary when creating a race from a track
  • Remove the date edit button when creating a race from a track
Update 6.01.2 - 27 Dec 2015
  • Fix a problem in the TrackLoader when viewing a track that contains no records
  • Adjust the TrackLoader duration column to avoid truncation
Update 6.01.1 - 24 Dec 2015
  • The time splitter control was not showing the correct spacing between events
  • Fix a problem with the Publish button on the create races dialog

Release 6.01.0 - 13 Dec 2015

Release 6.01

We've worked through every step to make creating races much simpler and faster - especially for races tracked live. All steps are now handled by the Race Editor wizard. Numerous other enhancements make the TackTracker experience easier and more responsive both for people creating races and those viewing.

General Enhancements:

  • General responsiveness and performance during playback is improved - especially noticiable with large races
  • The Leader Board (Sort Place) on the Select tab is re-written with an improved algorithm that provides accurate results even during live play.
  • Races may now be closed by clicking a close button next to the race name.
  • The race timer shows red before the start and omits hours if zero.
  • Google Earth button has been removed as not often used. This feature is still accessible through the menu.

Race Editor Enhancements:

The Race Editor has had a major upgrade, making it easier and faster to use, especially for live racing.

  • The user is now guided all the way through the process for creating a live race, including publishing and scheduling trackers.
  • A location finder is provided for specifying the race location if Landmarks have not been pre-defined.
  • The previously used race location is remembered for next time
  • The process is simplified, with unnecessary choices removed.
  • The time splitter control is now much easier to use. For example, it is no longer necessary to manually type the time span, simply drag the race end markers to the right or left as far as you need.
  • The race duration may be entered in a text field as an alternative to using the time splitter control. Multi-day races are now much easier to create.
  • Live start tools have been enhanced, with a watch like clock and sync function to help the user nail the start under pressure conditions.
  • The Start tab now shows the race date.
  • Landmarks are now sorted alphabetically to make them easier to find

Fixes:

  • Fixed a crash when navigating to the Tracks tab when no tracks are present.
  • Menu items have been rationalized - and perform expected functions

Update 5.15.4 - 17 Oct 2015
  • Fix the Track Loader Send function, which was hanging when matching tracks to races
  • Update for OS X El Capitan
Update 5.15.3 - 15 Sept 2015
  • Fix the bearing displayed by the ruler function, which was incrementing in the reverse direction
Update 5.15.2 - 25 May 2015
  • Make the 100m circles around the next mark a little more prominent
  • Fix the draw course function (available under Settings - General)
  • Fix effect of boat travelling backwards on a straight line when replaying at a time before the track starts
Update 5.15.1 - 23 May 2015
  • Fix a problem with the login window not being responsive to mouse clicks (Since 5.15.0)

Release 5.15.0 - 10 May 2015

Fixes

  • The sail drawn on boats is no longer shown if the wind direction is not known
  • The SiLabs VCP driver is no longer included in the install package as it is not needed.
  • Don't show invalid entries in the GPS list box when connecting a tracker.
  • Numerous minor and stability fixes.

Update 5.14.2 - 21 March 2015

Tune live race timing to stay within configured parameters.

Update 5.14.1 - 12 October 2014

Update the application icon (with a yellow disk in the background)

Release 5.14.0 - 21 September 2014

This is an important release, with coordinated enhancements and fixes across all platforms, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Web player.

General Enhancements:

  • The currently selected boat is now highlighted by a spotlight, making it easier to find.
  • Shows a postponement flag (answering pennant) and message when a live race is postponed.
  • Allow VMG relative to course or VMG relative to wind be shown against each boat

Club Regatta Enhancements:

  • A new Publish tab in the Race Editor significantly improves live race management:
    • Live race (1 click set and publish) tools are moved to the Publish tab with an improved layout
    • You can indefinitely postpone a race, and provide an explanatory message to viewers. All players support this new postpone mode. When a race is started after a postponement, players will automatically start playing the race.
    • You can now see your publish settings used to re-publish a race and clear those settings in case you wish to start over.
    • You can publish a race "hidden" so it is visible only to you. Hidden races do not require any publish credits until re-published.

Fixes:

  • Fix Tracking mode for races with a course of just one leg.
  • Handle the case where two marks are very close, which previously caused the rounding of the second mark to be missed.
  • Allow comma's in the Trackee name or details when reading a CSV file.

Release 5.13.0 - 5 August 2014

This release brings requested features for people using TackTracker to run live regattas.

Race Editor Enhancements:

  • The "Get Tracks matching race" Library menu wizard can now filter and rename tracks using a supplied CSV spreadsheet to map between the source track name and the desired target name.
  • When publishing a race, you can now specify whether you wish to replace all existing tracks in the race. (The default is to merge the tracks.)
  • TackTracker saves race publishing parameters with the race, so it is no longer necessary to re-specify each time when using the RePublish button in the Race Editor.

Fixes:

  • Fixed a problem with marks not shown in the marks box if originally defined as part of a gate mark, then used as a rounding mark.

Update 5.12.2 - 19 July 2014
  • Correctly display custom stats in tables and charts if included in a race
  • Show Gate end selection buttons when selecting a Start or Finish Gate in a multi-purpose race
Update 5.12.1 - 8 July 2014

Correctly display the "out of credit" wizard page shown when publishing a race with no publish credit available.

Release 5.12.0 - 6 July 2014

With Release 5.12, Tracker adds printing support! Now you can print the map area of the screen - by pressing Cmd-P.

Race Editor New Features and Enhancements:

  • Setting a course when using fixed marks is now much easier. Course marks named the same as a nearby Landmark will automatically snap to the Landmark location.
  • The Race Editor's time splitter control is now more responsive making it easier to create and edit races.
  • A new Library menu option allows you to save the course to a GPX file. You can use this feature to import TackTracker course into other systems such as a chart plotter.
  • The Race Editor license now allows individual users to create a Navigation Rally course and save to a GPX file. (A Navigation Rally license on Windows is still required to run a Navigation Rally event.)

Fixes:

  • Widen the date/time column in the Track Loader to avoid truncating the track time.

Update 5.11.3 - 25 May 2014

For Club Regatta license holders:

  • Race reports now fully account for multiple start times in the same course. For races with staggered starts, the overall times respect the actual start time for each boat.
Update 5.11.2 - 6 May 2014

For Club Regatta license holders, improved the operation of multiple starts in the same course:

  • The interval between starts is no longer restricted to be greater than the trim minutes before the first start.
  • Corrected the algorithm that matches a boat to the closest start.

Release 5.11.0 - 12 April 2014

A bug fix release:

  • Fixed creation of a general race - the Start and Finish gate marks are saved correctly.
  • Resolved console warning about a deprecated compositeToPoint function

Update 5.10.1 - 16 February 2014
  • Fix a crash when viewing the live Trackers

Release 5.10.0 - 9 February 2014

TackTracker now lets you see more of the action - the tab pane may be slid all the way to the left and a vertical splitter bar remains visible.

Other Enhancements:

  • The Settings, Landmarks dialog now has an Apply button, making it easier to adjust Landmark Lat/Lon values.

Update 5.09.6 - 3 February 2014
  • Fix a problem writing TTZ files introduced in the 5.09.5 update.
Update 5.09.5 - 31 January 2014
  • GPX files created by TackTracker now declare the topografix namespace to improve portability.
Update 5.09.4 - 5 January 2014
  • Added a "Mark Roundings" report to count mark roundings - useful for scoring average lap races.
Update 5.09.3 - 5 January 2014
  • Fixed the "Search for Location" service in Landmarks
  • Remove track records outside the event time during live replay: prevents problems with the timer display
Update 5.09.1 - 21 December 2013
  • Reports can now be output in CSV format for direct input into a spreadsheet
  • Show all tracks just loaded when using the Get button in the Track Loader
  • Fix a problem with the Race Editor tools when copying tracks to the Track Loader

Release 5.09.0 - 4 December 2013

  • Improvements to the live tracker display
  • Speed up live race re-publishing from the race editor

Update 5.08.5 - 17 October 2013

This update brings three important usability improvements to the Race Editor:

  • Laying of gate marks has been fixed. Previously it was difficult to relay a gate mark after the first time it was laid.
  • It is now much easier to accurately select marks with the Mark Lay tool or the Mark Drag tool
  • You can now lay a mark that has a track associated - and automatically hide the track.
Update 5.08.3 - 6 October 2013
  • Fix the Tacks Report - which was one competitor short
Update 5.08.2 - 29 August 2013
  • Fix a problem with Getting tracks in the Track Loader not finding matching tracks
Update 5.08.1 - 6 August 2013

Race Editor fixes:

  • Fix a problem that could cause a duplicate start line when serializing a race using "Finish At Start". TackTracker will also correct any loaded race that was saved incorrectly by a previous version of TackTracker for Mac OS.
  • Cloud send/get icons appear the right way up in the Track Loader
  • Remove an extraneous mark drag symbol that would sometimes show in the marks list box

Release 5.08.0 - 25 July 2013

This release brings some requested live replay and race editor enhancements.

Live Replay Enhancements

  • On loading a race, TackTracker automatically selects the first track available at the replay time.
  • Prevent a boat that doesn't start the race from appearing at the top of the leader board
  • Automatically clip track points that fall too far outside the race boundary
  • Fix loading of live races that don't have colors assigned - now automatically assign colors to each boat.

Race Editor Enhancements

  • The Time Splitter control on the Start Time tab is now interactive and you can adjust the start times and the race span.
  • You can now change the split period before race start from the Start Time tab.

Miscellaneous Enhancements

  • Prevent conflict between a Safari browser and the player's browser when used simultaneously
  • Fix the Jury mode display
  • Tweak background colors

Update 5.07.2 - 22 June 2013
  • Correctly sign all binaries with Mac Developer ID. This means that TackTracker is now recognised by Mac OS 10.8 as from a "recognised developer" and passes the Gatekeeper security test.
  • Fix parsing of timestamps in some Velocitek VCC files which have a negative local time offset.
Update 5.07.1 - 25 May 2013

Fixes:

  • Update the Library when a new Month entry is required after adding a new race.
  • Allow thumbnail and regatta images to be uploaded in the Regatta Publisher.

Release 5.07.0 - 5 May 2013

Incorporates the new TackTracker Logo graphics for a fresh, lively look.

  • Introduce "Live Start Tools" for users managing a live regatta.
    Allows you to instantly set the start or postpone the race and re-publish with just one click. Live Start tools require a Club Regatta license and must be enabled in the Settings dialog.
  • Fix to allow adding and laying a landmark whilst a race is loaded

Update 5.06.1 - 27 April 2013
  • Fix "Auto" mode breaking live replay
  • Show speed x1 when in live mode and revert speed when switching back to replay mode.

Release 5.06.0 - 23 April 2013

A major release, with many enhancements to the race editor and live replay.

Race Editor Enhancements

  • A new "multi-purpose race" event type has been added for non-sailing events.
  • Courses Tab layout has been simplified, integrating sample courses drop-down into a single course entry control.
  • TackTracker remembers your 10 previous courses - so you don't need to type them each time!
  • A new Publish button on the Race Editor panel lets you make changes and immediately re-publish them with just one click.
  • A mark end from a gate mark now may be re-used on its own elsewhere in the course.

Live Tracking Enhancements

  • The displayed race is automatically updated when a course or start time change is made to the published race definition.
  • A new "CourseMark" craft type for live tracking is automatically displayed as a mark even when not present in the course definition.
  • The displayed elapsed time when in live tracking mode now reliably shows the live time regardless of which track is currently selected.

General Enhancements and Fixes

  • All binaries are now code-signed with a Mac Developer certificate - which should resolve installation problems in MacOS 10.8.
  • When playing the end of the race, the current boat no longer swaps between boats as they finish
  • Laying a gate mark now works as expected
  • Mark circle diameter is 500 feet when selected units are feet.
  • Marker craft type is drawn slightly smaller
  • Added a new "Current Placings" report
  • Fix the handicap times gained and lost report

Release 5.05.0 - 6 April 2013

TackTracker is now associated with TTZ files so you can simply double click on a TTZ file to open the file in TackTracker. TTZ files provide a convenient ways to save an entire race into a single file. Create them from the right click menu in the Library.

Fixes

  • Save race correctly when loading a TTZ file through the Track Loader
  • Update the Track Library after loading a TTZ file
Update 5.04.4 - 15 March 2013

In this update, the Library menu option to "Get Tracks matching Race" has been enhanced to ask whether you wish to replace all existing tracks with the tracks downloaded from the cloud, or whether you just wish to add new tracks.

Bug Fixes:

  • Fix reporting of incomplete races
  • Allow the Race Editor's time-splitter control to define a race that spans two days
Update 5.04.3 - 5 March 2013
  • Sign code with Mac Developer certificate to prevent installation problems on Mountain Lion.
  • Don't include Spectator craft in reports
  • Move competitors who do not participate or finish to last place
  • Ensure leaderboard remains correct after finish
  • Support CSV files (competitor schedule) using non-comma separators, such as semi-colon, colon or dash
  • Display wind strength when known
  • Wind direction fix: import all tracks to get averaged wind proir to analysing tracks.

Update 5.04.2 - 11 February 2013

  • Re-build all libraries to support both 32 and 64 bit Mac computers
  • Fix migration of BSF handicap data from earlier versions of TackTracker

Release 5.04.0 - 3 February 2013

Race Editor

  • Moved the Track Tools from the Tracks tab to a separate dialog accessed by a button at the bottom of the Race Editor
  • Added a Track Tool to strip POI marks from a track or all tracks in the race
  • Added Race Metadata to the Options tab: Yacht Class, Wind Speed, Handicap Mode and Course Type.

Race Reports

All reports now display race metadata including race name and number, yacht class and wind speed. We've also added a bunch of new race reports to help you get more out of your TackTracker data:

  • Positions Gained and Lost
  • Leg Times Gained and Lost
  • Handicap Positions Gained and Lost
  • Handicap Leg Times Gained and Lost

See Race Reports for details.

Club Regatta License Enhancements

Added support for two new handicap modes: Performance Line and Triple Number. TackTracker now supports all four ORC simple scoring systems:

  • Time on Time (or TCC)
  • Time on Distance (or BSF)
  • Performance Line
  • Triple Number
Other enhancements:
  • Added a Course Type setting (Inshore or Offshore). TackTracker can store different handicap data for each boat depending on course type.
  • Download and Import handicap data directly from the ORC database

Fixes

  • Use a single consolidated wind estimate for all boats to give a consistent sail orientation across all boats.
  • Remove 20 track point filter in the Track Loader, which could lead to it not showing a downloaded track.
  • Get Tracks from cloud now splits tracks if needed.

Release 5.03.0 - 16 January 2013

A major release - TackTracker 5.3 brings you many refinements to the Race Editor and Landmarks.

Mapping and Landmarks Enhancements

The Settings "Fixed Marks and Landmarks" tab has been renamed to "Landmarks" and the dialog has been redesigned to make it much easier to add and edit your landmarks.

A new location search feature lets you search for a place name anywhere in the world to locate your race or landmark and TackTracker will show the place on the map. And you can now add a Landmark and lay it on the map with your mouse.

When you select each landmark (and a race is not currently loaded) you will see the landmark shown on the map

TackTracker now offers a satellite map view - though please note that the service does not at this time offer high resolution satellite images outside of the US.

General Usability Fixes

  • A redesigned license install process can now install licenses directly from an Access Code without the need to manually install a license file.

Race Editor

  • The New Races dialog now shows the selected landmark on the map
  • Changing the boundary times on the TimeSplitter is now easier - as you don't need to move the markers out of the way first.

Track Loader

The Cloud Get dialog has been re-designed to make it much simpler to find your tracks on the TackTracker Cloud. You can now make queries like "get all my tracks recorded in past 6 hours" and if getting your own tracks, it is no longer necessary to specify a location.

Reports

We've added a new "Tacks Summary" report, which provides all the information available in the Tacks Table.


Update 5.02.1 - 5 December 2012

For Club Tools License holders, we add support for Time on Distance handicapping. The BSF rating is the number of seconds expected to take to travel 1 Nautical Mile. The adjusted time is calculated as:
AdjustedTime = Actual Time - BSF x Distance

The handicapping system is selected in Settings, under a new tab: "Club Tools".

Release 5.02.0 - 26 November 2012

Supports viewing live trackers on the trackers page

Update 5.01.4 - 5 October 2012

  • Reinstate TrackLoader button for RaceEditor license holders
  • Fix Library issue with Japanese month names

Update 5.01.3 - 3 October 2012

  • Add a new TrackLoader license tier to expose Track Loader but not Race Editor features

Release 5.01.1 - 28 September 2012

This release refines TackTracker's live replay capabilities as a result of extensive field trials:

  • Real-time distance to finish and distance to first stats - in the Select tab
  • Select tab has been redesigned to look better and make better use of space
  • During live play, the timeline becomes a "distance line" showing the progress to-date through the course.
  • User clicks "Go Live" to enter live play mode, or pauses play to return to normal replay mode.
  • Reports have been updated to give accurate progress scores during the race.
  • Add Spectator craft type - has no trail.
  • Improve mark visibility by drawing a circular outline around the mark.
  • Legs and Tacks tables show distances in selected length units (m or ft).

Fixes:

  • Prevent FinishBoat/Pin location affecting default zoom when Finish Through Start Line is checked

Update 5.00.9 - 19 August 2012

  • Fix loss of mark drag positions when configuring course and marks in the Create Races dialog.

Update 5.00.7 - 12 August 2012

  • Tune live replay behavior after live trial in Denmark
  • Fix Trial license validation

Release 5.0.5 - 5 August 2012:

Cloud

This is the TackTracker cloud release. Play and publish races to your personal home page on the cloud. You can also use the cloud to share tracks with others. TackTracker can now play live races and replay the action as it is happening. And there are many more minor features and bug fixes.

The Race Reports feature has been ported to the Mac OS version - and is now available through the new RaceReports license.


Update 4.15.2 - 10 June 2012:

  • Fix finish line detection when log interval is very large
  • Record finish for boats even if finish line is missed
  • Add Track smoothing tool to Track Loader tools
  • Prevent unselected boat shadow from overlaying selected boats

Update 4.15.1 - 27 May 2012:

  • Important fix for the race editor to correctly save and restore race span information.
  • Fix race-editor timeline to correctly show the full span of the race.

Release 4.15 - 14 May 2012:

It's time for a new release after a long series of incremental updates. The major enhancement is a new tools menu in the track loader to help with housekeeping tasks such as deleting old tracks. There are also some hints towards the big changes that are on their way with the TackTracker cloud.

Track Loader Enhancements:

  • New tools menu (Delete and Join buttons moved into the Tools menu)
  • Hide "n tracks saved" message after changing selection
  • Filter by date unchecked by default - so its obvious that tracks are present
  • Update date on selection change

Other enhancements:

  • Don't show overlapping boats and text when start and finish boats coincide
  • Automatically thin very large races when publishing to the TackTracker site

Update 4.14.10 - 5 April 2012:

  • Display shadow boats for those boats not selected. This is helpful to illustrate where the bulk of the fleet is positioned without obscuring the selected boats.
  • Two new display modes, available from the Settings dialog:
    1. Jury Mode: shows each timestamped GPS point rather than an interpolated track. For use in race jury meetings, where only the raw data should be used as evidence.
    2. Show Course mode: draws a line between each mark - useful for illustrating the course - especially for long or offshore courses.
  • Allow anonymous course marks to be specified, where the name is hidden. Mark names beginning with an underscore are not displayed.
  • Fix display of Nav Rally courses

Update 4.14.9 - 26 March 2012:

  • An additional Race Editor fix.

Update 4.14.8 - 25 March 2012:

  • Fix crashes in race editor when trying to add new races.
  • Boats not selected in the Select Panel now remain on the track plot, in a greyed outline

Update 4.14.7 - 24 March 2012:

  • Fix online maps. (The provider had changed the tile images from png to jpg).
  • Add support for Apple Magic Mouse. You can now also pan the image with a two finger gesture on the trackpad.

Update 4.14.6 - 20 February 2012:

  • Remember Track Loader "Auto-Save on Load" setting during session
  • Improve accuracy of saved id character counter

Update 4.14.5 - 19 January 2012:

  • Allow joining and viewing of tracks split at midnight
  • Allow races to be defined that span multiple days

Update 4.14.3 - 5 January 2012:

  • Fix crash in Join Tracks #2

Update 4.14.2 - 4 January 2012:

  • Trim tracks saved when creating new races
  • Use a dark color for the mark lay cursors so they are easier to see

Release 4.14 - 22 December 2011:

The new synchronise feature lets you easily compare the relative performance of each boat for any leg of the race.

Fixes:

  • Edit Track will now rename the track when the name is changed - previously a duplicate would be created
  • Move the timer display adjacent to the Timeline as with the PC version
  • Fix an intermittent crash in the race editor/track loader when loading a new race

Release 4.13 - 13 December 2011:

Usability refinements and fixes:

  • Save selected tracks to new race when creating a new race
  • Improve Track Loader startup time
  • Recognise the CR-Q1100P name character limit
  • Fix reset sequence when resetting multiple trackers

Update 4.12.5 - 3 December 2011: Further QStarz GPS upload fix

Update 4.12.4 - 29 November 2011:

  • Improvement to QStarz GPS upload algorithm to self correct if data falls out of alignment
  • Speed up saving of track files in the Track Loader and race library

Update 4.12.2 - 20 November 2011: Minor color scheme updates.

Update 4.12.1 - 16 November 2011: Fix map tile retrieval. Note: please clear your map cache if you see blank map tiles from the previous release.

Release 4.12 - 13 November 2011:

  • Migrate to Mapquest open maps
  • Change color scheme to a fresher, brighter look
  • Add Join button to the Track Loader to join adjacent tracks
  • Automatically close the Track Loader after loading a TTZ file
  • Automatically save Wind changes to the event
  • Fix Training Session guides to display for the correct leg

Update 4.11.1 6 November 2011:

  • Fix instability issues with the Track Loader
  • Implement track backdating feature - available from the Track Loader's Edit dialog

Update 4.11 2 September 2011:

  • Updated to use TackTracker's beautiful new logo

Release 4.10 - 7 September 2011:

Introducing online background maps from openstreetmap.org. All TackTracker platforms can now play tracks over an online map to provide more race context. This is especially useful when races are sailed close to land and are influenced by shore lines.

With maps, you can now use TackTracker for other activities, such as cycling or running.

TackTracker's map implementation uses local caching so that previously viewed map tiles are still available when you are disconnected from the internet.

Other enhancements:

  • Added new avatars: Motor Boat, Vehicle, Bike, Marker
  • Fixed display refresh problems with the Library race browser

4.06.2 - 25 August 2011: Fix issues with add/change/delete landmarkss

4.06.1 - 23 August 2011: Fix problems with trial license usage

Update 4.06 - 20 August 2011:

  • Added support for new QStarz CR-Q1100P Tracker.
  • Improved GPS upload algorithm to improve its ability to recover from bad or missing data.
  • Fixed issues with loading NMEA files - especially when bad records are present

4.05.2 - 21 July 2011: Fix inconsistent use of localized month names in non-english locale

4.05.1 - 19 July 2011: Fix file serialization on systems with Germanic language settings

Update 4.05 - 17 July 2011:

Fixes and enhancements for loading GPS files:

  • Added support for loading Velocitek (.vcc) files
  • Fixed a problem loading some .gpx files
  • Added support for non-standard GPX time format
  • Ensure that manually supplied trackee details are applied immediately before adding the loaded track

Release 4.04 - 16 July 2011

This is the first public release of TackTracker for Mac OS. It is the result of over 15 months development, and marks a huge milestone for TackTracker. TackTracker for Mac OS is a complete, no compromise native implementation on the Mac. All race player and race editor features available on the PC are also available on the Mac to the same 4.04 feature specification.

Like the PC, you may freely download and use TackTracker for the Mac. Race Editor features are unlocked with the same Race Editor license used for the PC. If you have purchased a Race Editor license for the PC, you may use it on your Mac.

Some PC features are not yet available on the Mac. These are:

  • Import of Velocitek (.vcc) and Locosys (.sbp) files
  • Share feature
  • Notes Tab
  • Club Tools

As this is new release software, users are encouraged to report any problems or issues to TackTracker and to update regularly. A feedback button is provided on the Splash screen.

Enjoy!