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Live surfaces

Live display, Phone live and Public live: what each one is, and the one card on the Timing Desk that runs them.

OrganiserTimerUpdated 27 October 2026
On this page
  1. What it's for
  2. Before you start
  3. Steps
  4. What success looks like
  5. If something goes wrong
  6. Related

What it's for

A live surface shows the race as it is timed. There are three, and each has its own columns, filter and switch:

  • Live display — a TV, monitor or wall at the venue. Its filter also groups the Timing Desk's results.
  • Phone live — the Live view inside Race Relay, one two-line card per competitor.
  • Public live — the race on your club's public pages and on a customer's website.

They are run from the Live control card at the top of the Timing Desk step. The card holds the Live timing switch (LIVE / NOT LIVE), a status line, the Forerunners tick, one tile per surface with its preview, its Columns & filters button and its Off / Live / Test switch, and a ⋯ menu with Live surfaces… and Clear live feeds.

Live timing on the left, one tile per surface
The Live control card on the Timing Desk

Before you start

  • The race picked as the ACTIVE RACE in the header. The surfaces are set per race.
  • The event activated on Race day.

Steps

  1. Open Timing Desk. The Live control card is at the top; press Surfaces if it is folded.
  2. Set each surface to Off, Live or Test (see Off, Live, Test).
  3. Press Columns & filters on a tile to choose what that surface shows. The pop-up has a tab per surface, Columns from (Its own columns or Same columns as the printed results), the Filter and the column list with width and alignment. Changes save by themselves.
  4. Tick Forerunners to show forerunner times on every surface, or untick to hide them everywhere.
  5. Switch Live timing on. The status line reads Live timing is on — every surface is showing this race.

What success looks like

The chip on each tile says ON AIR (Live, with live timing on), WAITING (Live, timing off), TEST or OFF, and the preview on the tile shows the same rows the surface shows.

If something goes wrong

  • Surfaces are set to Live, but live timing is off — nothing new reaches them: press the Live timing switch.
  • Live timing is on — every surface is off or in test: set at least one surface to Live.
  • The pop-up says Live surfaces are set here for the race you are timing with Race Bureau. Pick that race as your active race: change the ACTIVE RACE in the header.
  • Clear live feeds (in ⋯, two taps) empties what the surfaces are showing for this race; it does not touch the timing.
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Live surfaces · Race Bureau Help