Course sensors, plus NWS as context.
A National Weather Service office a county away is useful. It is not the start line. HeatTrackR is built so on-course instruments and NWS can sit in the same event.
- Default model
- Kestrel 5400FW
- Ingest host
- api.heattrackr.com
- Current
- Last reading < 2 min
- Delayed
- Last reading < 5 min
- Offline
- Last reading ≥ 5 min
- NWS stations
- Up to 3 nearby per event
On-course instruments
In the app these are labeled Instruments. You register a device with a name, manufacturer, and model — the form defaults to a Kestrel 5400FW, which is a common WBGT meter on road races. HeatTrackR issues a bearer token once (it starts with htk_). Point the gateway at the ingest API. The device has to be assigned to the event or observations are rejected.
IrisTrackR and the ingest API
The IrisTrackR Kestrel gateway is a first-class path: a short payload with device id, timestamp, and WBGT (F or C) is accepted alongside the full measurement body. Ingest is POST https://api.heattrackr.com/api/v1/device-observations, or the batch route for catch-up. Tokens are shown once and can be revealed again from the instrument dialog, including a QR code for the gateway.
Freshness
Current means the last observation is under two minutes old. Delayed is under five. Offline is five minutes or more. The map and instrument table use those states so a dead radio is obvious.
NWS is context, not a replacement
When an event has a location, HeatTrackR pulls the NWS grid forecast and creates up to three nearby NWS observation stations. Forecast WBGT is estimated from that grid. Nearby stations are regional truth. They do not replace a meter on the blacktop. Use both: instruments for the course, NWS for what is coming in the next few hours.
How HeatTrackR treats measured vs estimated WBGT · Assign a device to an event
Connect a station.
Register an instrument in the app, copy the token once, and assign it to the event before race morning.