SPORTident Active Card (SIAC)

Recording device/timing chip for orienteering races. You use it to "punch" controls during a race. The SIAC lets you do contactless punching, just placing the chip near the reader instead of having to stop and insert the card into the reader.

Modern orienteering courses use an e-punch system instead of the old card punches that hung at each control. SPORTident is the most commonly used system around the world, while a few places, primarily in Scandinavia, use EMIT. Each time an e-punch is used at a control, a time and the control number are recorded. Depending on the model, they can take anywhere from 20 punches to 128 punches. 

It's very common for orienteers to own their own e-punch, though they can be rented at most events.

https://www.sportident.com/products/siac

The SIAC records up to 128 punches and can do contactless punching in AIR+ mode. The controls also have to be in AIR+ mode and each control can be "punched" within about half a meter. This allows one to just run by a control instead of having to stop and insert the e-punch into the control. It will beep and flash to confirm you punched the control. When not using AIR+, the control itself will beep and flash. 

The SIAC becomes more important in sports like bike orienteering (MTBO) or ski orienteering (SkiO) where stopping and starting can create a bigger time loss. I've never tried either of these disciplines, though. 

The biggest drawback is battery replacement. SPORTident recommends replacing the battery every 3 years. The only place in North America that is authorized to do battery replacements is o-store.ca They only do replacements twice a year due to SI policies. February replacements are shipped in.  July/Aug replacements can either be shipped or done during Canadian Orienteering Championships. The cost is $22 Canadian. 

The SIAC will still work like an SI Card10 with a dead battery. 

The other drawback to an Air+ punch is that the punch is only recorded on the card and not on the station. 

I enjoy just running by a crowded control without having to touch it. It's also convenient when it's just out of reach. It was great for my son when a lot of controls were too high for him, though he found the beeping annoying and always insists on using a traditional e-punch. I also saw a friend who didn't want to climb down to a low control and simply tied it to her hiking pole and lowered it until it beeped

It's fully waterproof and is supposed to work in temperatures from  -20°C to+50°C

Background

I've participated in 50 orienteering races, using a borrowed SI 9card for my first 20 and my own SIAC for subsequent races. I've used both in all weather conditions, from hot and dry, hot and humid, temperate, cold and rainy, freezing and snowy.