Trying Online Rowing

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Trying Online Rowing

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Online Rowing is fun, addictive, and a great way to keep yourself rowing over the long term.  Here's a suggested tour of RowPro Online Rowing that will take you through the main points. You might like to print this topic.

Connect RowPro to the Oarbits server

Open the Control Center and click Oarbits. RowPro will connect to the Oarbits server at Digital Rowing on TCP Port 80.  This is the same  port your web browser uses to connect to the Internet.  In most cases RowPro will just connect to the Oarbits server without any issues. However if your PC connects to the Internet  through a firewall that's outside your PC, you may need to set the firewall to allow RowPro to access the Internet on TCP Port 80. Also, if your PC connects to the Internet through a Proxy Server, you will need to set RowPro accordingly.  See the Troubleshooting Internet Connection Help Topic for details.

Register for Online Rowing

The first time you connect to Oarbits, you will see a registration page.  Enter the same email and password you used when you purchased RowPro, registered a RowPro License you got from Concept2, or got a 20-day free tryout key.  For the Computer Name just make one up.  Note you only need to register the first time you go into Oarbits.

Look around Oarbits

After you register in Oarbits, you will see the Session List.  This shows all Scheduled Rows and Quick Rows currently available. Later you will join or create these sessions in Oarbits.  For now, just click Session Results to see the results of recent completed Online Rowing sessions. Have a look around the rest of Oarbits to familiarize yourself with it. Then close the Control Center and open Session Setup.

Connect RowPro to the Online Rowing server

In Session Setup, click Online. RowPro will connect to the Online Rowing Server at Digital Rowing on UDP Port 9300.  This is a special port reserved by Digital Rowing for the actual rowing in Online Rowing.  In most cases RowPro will just connect to the Online Rowing Server without any issues. However if your PC connects to the Internet  through a firewall that's outside your PC, you may need to set the firewall to allow RowPro to access the Internet on UDP Port 9300.  See the Troubleshooting Internet Connection Help Topic for details.

GMT

After RowPro connects to the Online Rowing Server, the session list will show any Quick Rows you can join - note there may not be any at the time, so the list is likely to be empty. Notice there is a GMT clock showing the current GMT time.  All RowPro Online Rowing sessions are scheduled in GMT, so you'll need to get used to working in GMT.  See the Working with GMT Help Topic for details.

Chat

At the bottom of Session Setup, click Chat to open the Chat window. Look in the panel on the right to see if there are any names listed there. Any people listed there are currently connected to the Online Rowing Server.  If you'd like to try Online Rowing with one of them, type something like "Hi. I'm new to Online Rowing. Anyone want to help me do my first ever online row?" If anyone replies, they can help you from there. Otherwise you can set up a solo Quick Row yourself just to try it out.

Set up a solo Quick Row

Close Chat to get it out of the way. Click the Create Quick Row button at the bottom of Session Setup. Type in a session name like My First Online Row, set the Duration to say 100m and click the big green Row button. This will take you to the Check-in and Start screen. You will see yourself listed there, together with anyone else who has joined the session.

Prepare to start

You'll see the icon next to your name shows flashing red lights, meaning you're not ready.  Click Ready and the red lights will disappear to show you're now ready.  Strap yourself in, get ready to row, and click Prepare to Start.  You'll see the 100m session is now showing on your Concept2 Performance Monitor screen, and the Prepare to Start button is replaced by a Start button.

Row

Pick up the handle and click Start. Watch your Concept2 Performance Monitor screen.  You'll see over a few seconds it goes though a sequence Sit Ready - Attention - Row!  Start rowing when it says Row! While you row, notice your boat moving and your pace showing on the Pace Bar at the right of the display. When there are others rowing online you will see their boats and Pace Bar entries as well.

Check your result

When the session is over, click OK to close the pop-up box and RowPro will reset and set up a new Just Row. Open the Control Center / Rowing Log page and you will see your Online Rowing session result in your rowing log. Click Oarbits, then click Session Results and you will see your result listed there. If you click the result you will see the result details for each participant - if you rowed alone then it will show only you.

Oarbits forum

There is a dedicated Online Rowers Forum at www.digitalrowing.com. Feel free to post there and to see what others are up to in the world of Online Rowing.

On the forum you'll find other RowPro users of 'all makes and models' who are keen to exchange ideas, help each other, and just chat as friends. If you've never posted on a forum before, just look around till you get the idea, then try it yourself, either by replying to a post by someone else, or by starting your own for example saying "Hi. I just got RowPro and thought I'd try the forum. I'm ....".

You'll soon see it's really easy, and you'll be welcomed by your fellow RowPro users, many of whom will cheerfully and enthusiastically help you get going. So give it a go - we put it there for you to use.