Blog

Did you know?? O-store.ca is the authorized repair depot for SPORTident equipment in North and South America.  That means we have all the equipment and knowledge needed to replace batteries, repair damaged controls, replace waterproof seals, and solve orienteering related computer issues.  We can also provide you, the users of SPORTident equipment, with tips, tricks, and tools for proper use and cleaning.  If you are someone who uses SPORTident equipment, particularly as a timing specialist, event organizer, or race volunteer, you may be interested in checking out our SPORTident-specific blog page.  There you’ll find updates from SPORTident, technical support for SI software, and details about repairs.  Check it out at sportident.ca and if you have any questions about your timing equipment, contact erict AT o-store.ca

Tomorrow is Canada Day. As you celebrate and reflect, remember that for so many people in our country, Canada Day is not a day of celebration. We would like to acknowledge the struggle and hardship that has been and still is imposed upon indigenous people in Canada.

The o-store would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe People. The Algonquin peoples have lived on this land since time immemorial. We are grateful to have the opportunity to be present in this territory.

As orienteers, we are thankful to all who have and who continue to take care of, fight for, preserve, and love the land from coast to coast to coast. We recognize that as we orienteer our way across the country, we are witnessing the beauty of the traditional lands of different Indigenous groups – First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

We at the o-store are on a journey of continual learning. We want to learn and grow and understand. We used the following resource to help us determine whose traditional lands our home is on. From now on, before every orienteering race we participate in, we will learn in advance about the territory that we will be running through. www.native-land.ca

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This picture was taken during an orienteering meet at what we know as the Constance Bay area. A land acknowledgement was not made at the time of the event, and now that we know the significance and importance of this, we will do better at future events. This picture was taken during an orienteering meet on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe People.

Nous sommes trés heureux de vous annoncer que, dans le but de mieux vous servir, nous débutons un projet en traduction afin de vous fournir avec un site en français. La traduction se fera au fur et mesure, alors sachez qu'il faudra un certain temps pour que tout le site soit disponible en français.

Soyez patient avec nous! Le français n’est pas notre langue maternelle et la plupart de nos communications continueront à se faire en anglais.

Welcome to our French speaking customers!

We are very excited to be working on translating our site into French to better serve you. Please know that this is an ongoing project, and although we will have the French site available, you will find that it will take some time for all of our pages and products to be translated. Please also be patient with us as French is not our first language and most of our communication will continue to be in English!

Christmas is on its way and if you've got orienteers on your shopping list, then you've come to the right place! We're here to help you find just the right gift for all the orienteers in your life.  Take a look at the following top ten gift ideas!

1. Handmade Note Cards		These greeting cards are perfect for orienteers to address notes, letters, or gifts to loved ones over the holidays.  They are designed and created by orienteer and artist Silva Tratnik.  What better way to celebrate the holidays than by supporting a local artist?	Order here
2. Scents of Direction Lip Balm		This lip balm makes a great stocking stuffer.  It is created with all natural ingredients and has a delicious, lemony scent.  Fight the dry winter air with a delightful, locally made lip balm.	Order here
3. Stephen Stagg Story and Puzzle Books		These adorable books will definitely become your child’s favourite.  With flowing rhymes, beautiful artistry, and fun puzzles, Stephen Stagg can be read many times and reveal something new every time.	Order here
4. Murder at the 14th Control Novel		For the older reader in your family, Wilf Holloway’s classic Murder at the 14th Control is a must read for every orienteer.	Order here
5. SI 10 Timing Chip		Does someone in your family need an upgrade to their SI timing chip? This is the perfect time to surprise your loved one with an SI timing chip that will help them achieve their orienteering goals.	Order here
6. Orienteering Canada Buff		It’s getting chilly out there! Provide your beloved orienteer with a comfy, multi-purpose neck warmer and support Orienteering Canada’s High Performance Program at the same time.	Order here
7. Orienteering Board Game		This is a fantastic game for the whole family! Imagine sitting by the fire, with a nice cup of hot chocolate, all cozy in your blankets, and having a great laugh as the family races toward the finish line of this orienteering board game.	Order here
8. Orienteering Themed Rubik's Cube		Do you have a puzzler in your family? This orienteering themed rubik’s cube is a fun twist on the classic cube puzzle, with an extra challenge (orientation matters!)	Order here
9. Orienteering Bumper Sticker		Everyone knows someone whose car is an homage to all of their marvelous adventures.  These bumper stickers are an excellent addition to any orienteer’s bumper sticker collection.  Or maybe this gift will jumpstart a new love of collecting bumper stickers.	Order here
10. Gift Card for o-store.ca		Got an orienteer who’s tricky to buy gifts for? How about a gift card for Canada’s orienteering store? You can choose the value so they will be certain to find something they’ll love.	Order here

The O-Store family is very excited about a project we did during the pandemic: an orienteering clock! The o-clock has all the features of a regular race clock plus the universally recognizable orienteering beeps!  Our clock is great for use as either a start clock or a finish line clock at all your events.  And of course a clock with all the start beeps is particularly valuable at any championship event. As organizers and participants ourselves, we’ve tried to incorporate in our clock all the features that we would want to have available. Here are some details:

Display

• Size: 34 x 8 cm
• Each digit is 11 x 16 LEDs
• Adjustable brightness, with 5 settings
• Red LEDs
• Excellent visibility from large angles of centre, readable in direct sunlight
• High-accuracy, temperature-compensated internal clock

Case

• Size: 46 x 20 x 13 cm
• Weight: 3.6 kg, including battery
• Aluminum handles for easy carrying; doubles for hanging the clock
• Multiple set-up options including,: stable on a flat surface; hangs easily using straps through handles either left to right or back to front (through the hollow handlebars); sits nicely on a tripod using tripod mount on base of case
• Case has no parts sticking out, no pieces to cause damage or get damaged during transportation
• Battery pocket at back of case makes inserting and removing the battery an easy task
• Case is water resistant, but should have tarp above it if being used in significant rain
• 12 key numeric keypad for easy programming of all modes
• Built-in, waterproof speaker allows ample volume for beeps to be heard throughout the starting arena of your race

 

Power

• Rechargeable battery and charger included
• Battery life: 8 hours at regular brightness with beeps

 

Modes and Command Codes

• Count Up or Count Down modes; count down mode can stop after reaching 0 or can begin counting up
• Numerous beeper options include
  • Intervals of 60, 30, 15, or 10 seconds
  • One beep per interval or "O-beeps" (10 second warning beep, followed by leadup beeps (optional number) and, longer beep on the interval)

 

Click image to enlarge

Now that you know a little bit about the clock, we hope you'll invest in one for your club or event and let us know what you think of it! We are always open to feedback and are looking forward to continuing the development and improvement of this passion project.  

If you're interested, read on for a little bit of behind the scenes/making of!

The R&D Process

This project has been on our minds for a long while and the COVID-19 lockdown provided the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with it.  We now had the chance to delve in and start building.  

Our home office white board was perfect for drawing out our design ideas.

Here's a few more early drawings.  These were our ideas for the battery case.

We tested various possibilities for the display and software design.  Here you see the time display on two panels.  We decided to add another panel, allowing us to increase the size of each digit.

We used one of our favourite toys in the basement, the CNC router, to create the front of the case.

Here you see the three panels and larger digits with the front of the case for a better sense of what it would eventually look like.

Even during breaks we couldn't stop thinking about the readability of our clock 

Even once we had the design it took several attempts to perfect the battery case.

Here's an early pre-assembly of the clock case.