Colorado Time Systems Dolphin Starter Unit

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The Dolphin Starter Unit is a handheld wireless start trigger made by Colorado Time Systems (CTS) for its Dolphin Wireless Stopwatch Timing System, in which each lane timer holds a wireless stopwatch instead of a wired backup button.¹ It starts every Dolphin watch on the deck at the same instant, either at the press of its own button or on a pulse cabled from an electronic start system, so the watches run from the start signal rather than from each timer’s reaction to it.¹² CTS sells the unit separately as part R-1004-0507, and every complete Dolphin system package includes one.³⁴ It is not itself a start system: it produces no start tone, strobe, or public address, and at a meet it works alongside one rather than replacing it.⁴

Role in the timing system¶

The Dolphin system has three modes of operation, and the starter unit is used in two of them. In semi-automatic timing, the starter is cabled to a CTS electronic start system and every watch starts with the start signal, each stopping when its lane timer stops it. In the manual synchronized mode, an official presses the starter’s button in conjunction with the whistle, again starting all watches together. In the fully manual mode the starter is not used at all; the watches run as independent stopwatches, and CTS’s guide tells operators to leave the starter in the case.⁴⁵

A synchronized start with manual stops is what United States rulebooks call semi-automatic timing: activated by the start, stopped by the lane timers. Effective April 13, 2023, USA Swimming allows wireless systems such as the Dolphin to serve as semi-automatic timing systems in sanctioned competition; CTS notes the system had previously operated under a time-limited waiver.⁶ For the fully manual mode, CTS states the watches meet every ruling body’s requirements for backup timing, listing World Aquatics (FINA on older sheets), the NCAA, USA Swimming, the NFHS, and the YMCA; the compliance claim is the vendor’s.⁴¹

Whichever mode is used, the watches report by radio to the Dolphin base unit on the meet computer, and the Dolphin software passes results to a meet-management program such as Hy-Tek Meet Manager or SwimTopia Meet Maestro. When a timing console with touchpads is the primary system, the Dolphin serves as the backup layer instead.⁵⁷

Design and hardware¶

The starter is a handheld unit with two buttons, Start/Stop and Reset. Holding Reset switches it on and off; holding Reset and pressing Start/Stop enters a two-item settings menu, in which Start/Stop changes the displayed value and Reset advances to the next item.⁸ The two settings are the trigger style (TRIG) and the radio channel (CHAN), 0–15; the starter must be set to the same channel as the base unit and the watches.⁸⁵

The starter shares the system radio: 2.4 GHz, 16 channels, spread spectrum.⁴ Rather than carrying their own FCC grants, the starter, watches, and base contain a certified radio module; the user guide lists FCC ID TFB-FreeStar or X8WBT840F.⁵ TFB-FreeStar is LS Research’s FreeStar 2.4 GHz transmitter module, a Part 15 digital transmission system covering 2405–2480 MHz that received modular approval in August 2005, the year before the Dolphin appeared.⁹

Two hardware generations exist. CTS released updated Dolphin hardware with a new radio module in spring 2023; those starters run v2-series firmware, while older starters run the v1 series (v1.3.1 is the current level for older units), and v2 firmware cannot be loaded on older hardware.¹¹⁰ Starter firmware ships with the Dolphin software (.DSC files for the older generation, .DS2 for the newer) and is loaded wirelessly through the base unit.⁵

A standard 9 V battery powers the starter, as it does each watch. CTS’s setup sheet and product page rate battery life at 40 or more hours; its datasheet says about 40 operating hours.⁸¹⁴ The Dolphin software’s signals screen shows the starter’s wireless signal strength and battery level alongside the per-watch columns, and CTS recommends replacing batteries reading below half before a meet.⁵ The setup sheet advises storing the unit off the pool deck when not in use, to limit corrosion.⁸

CTS does not publish the starter’s dimensions or weight. The physical figures on the Dolphin datasheet (6.06 × 2.69 × 1.06 in; 6.9 oz) describe the stopwatch, not the starter, and resellers list only a 3 lb packaged shipping weight.⁴¹¹

Operation¶

This section describes the starter’s race workflow in the two synchronized modes. At the start, the official either presses Start/Stop as the start signal is given or lets the cabled start pulse fire the trigger, and every watch begins timing together.⁴² After the last swimmer finishes, the official presses Start/Stop and then Reset on the starter; pressing Reset makes the Dolphin software write the race’s result file for the meet-management program to read.¹²²¹³ When the starter is used, the lane timers stop their watches but do not reset them; the starter’s reset clears the deck for the next heat, and a race can also be force-reset from the software.⁵

The two patents CTS cites for the Dolphin describe the synchronization mechanism. Both are titled “Synchronization of a plurality of devices in a wireless sensor arrangement”, name Frederick E. Frantz as inventor with a priority date of February 27, 2006, and are assigned to Cool River Systems rather than to CTS.¹⁴¹⁵ The patents describe a start device that establishes a single authoritative start time when its trigger is activated and then keeps broadcasting start messages carrying the elapsed time, so a watch that misses the first message, or is switched on late, synchronizes from a later broadcast instead of forcing a restart.¹⁴

Connection to a start system¶

This section covers the cabled, semi-automatic mode, where both the jack and the trigger setting matter. For a CTS start system the starter is set to TRIG = CTS; the TRIG = NC setting is for a start system with a normally closed start circuit.⁸⁵ CTS start systems send a normally open start pulse (the Championship’s guide notes that a normally closed output requires factory modification), which is the circuit the CTS setting expects.¹⁶

The starter connects only to a start system’s timer-start output: the Start Output jack on the Infinity family and the Championship Elite, or the Timer Start jack on the Championship (Champ Start). CTS warns that connecting the starter’s cable to any other jack will damage the starter.¹²⁵

CTS packages the connection as a cable-and-holster kit. K-DSS-1 serves the Infinity family and the Elite; its adapter cable (R-015-595) runs from a locking mini BNC at the starter to a phone-plug connector at the start system. K-DSS-2 serves the Championship; its cable ends in a dual banana plug (R-025-991). Both kits include a holster (R-080-004) that mounts on a microphone clip so the starter can hang at the start system.¹⁷¹⁸¹⁹²⁰ On the Championship Elite, either of the two microphone rests can be swapped for a Dolphin adapter that holds the unit.²¹

The kits have carried these names since the 2007 setup sheet, which introduced K-DSS-1 for the Infinity and K-DSS-2 for the Champ Start and labeled the start-system cable 015-571 in its system diagram; the current shop sells the heavy-duty starter cable as R-015-595, and the 2022 flyer lists the kits generically as K-DSS-x.²²²³²⁴

Specifications¶

CTS publishes no physical specifications for the starter unit itself; the table gives what its documents attribute to the starter and to the system radio.


Part number	`R-1004-0507`
Type	Wireless start trigger for the Dolphin timing system
Radio	2.4 GHz, 16 channels, spread spectrum (system-wide)⁴
Radio module	FCC ID `TFB-FreeStar` (LS Research FreeStar, 2405–2480 MHz) or `X8WBT840F`⁵⁹
Channel setting	`CHAN` 0–15, matched to the base unit and watches⁸
Trigger setting	`TRIG = CTS` (CTS start systems) or `TRIG = NC` (normally closed)⁸
Controls	Start/Stop and Reset buttons⁸
Battery	Standard 9 V; about 40 hours (CTS lists both “40+” and “~40”)⁸⁴
Firmware	v1 series on older hardware (`.DSC`), v2 series on 2023 hardware (`.DS2`)⁵¹⁰
Dimensions and weight	Not published; the datasheet’s figures are the watch’s⁴
Shipping weight	3.0 lb, packaged, per Poolweb¹¹

Part numbers and accessories¶

R-1004-0507, the starter unit, sold separately and included in every WTS-D-series Dolphin system package.³⁴
K-DSS-1, cable and holster kit for the Infinity family and Championship Elite; includes the R-015-595 cable, and R-025-992 is the replacement start-system connector.¹⁹¹⁷
K-DSS-2, cable and holster kit for the Championship; R-025-991 is the replacement dual-banana connector.²⁰¹⁸
R-015-595, heavy-duty starter cable, also sold on its own.²⁴
R-080-004, the holster included in both kits.¹⁹
R-5000-0362, the standard Dolphin case, which stores the starter and base units and up to 27 stopwatches; R-5000-0363 is the large case for up to 36 watches. The 2007 setup sheet listed a single case, R-045-011.²⁵²²

References¶

Colorado Time Systems, Dolphin Wireless Stopwatch Swim Timing. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵
Hy-Tek Swimming Support, Interface with CTS Dolphin (Start/Stop starts all watches; Reset writes the result file). ↩ ↩² ↩³
Colorado Time Systems, Dolphin starter unit (R-1004-0507). ↩ ↩²
Colorado Time Systems, Dolphin Wireless Stopwatch System datasheet (Rev. 10/20; modes, components, system specifications). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²
Colorado Time Systems, Dolphin User Guide (F912) (Rev. 202412, for Dolphin version 5 and later). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹
Colorado Time Systems, Great News for Dolphin Users (introduced 2006; USA Swimming semi-automatic use effective April 13, 2023). ↩
Hy-Tek Swimming Support, Interface with CTS Dolphin in Backup Mode (backup mode is a separately purchased Meet Manager option). ↩
Colorado Time Systems, Dolphin Wireless Stopwatch Timing System Set Up (F911) (Rev. 201905; part numbers, starter settings, battery, storage note). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹
FCC ID TFB-FREESTAR, LS Research FreeStar transmitter module (Part 15 digital transmission system, 2405–2480 MHz; modular approval August 1, 2005). ↩ ↩²
Colorado Time Systems, Dolphin Software Download (software v5.0.19; firmware levels for older and newer hardware). ↩ ↩²
Poolweb, Dolphin Starter Replacement (R-1004-0507) (3.0 lb shipping weight). ↩ ↩²
Colorado Time Systems, Dolphin Starter Quick Reference (F923) (Rev. 201106; jack warning; Start/Stop then Reset writes the result file). ↩ ↩²
SwimTopia, CTS Dolphin Integration Overview (the starting official presses Start/Stop, then Reset, which writes the result file). ↩
US Patent 7,821,876 B2, Synchronization of a plurality of devices in a wireless sensor arrangement (Frederick E. Frantz; priority February 27, 2006; granted October 26, 2010). ↩ ↩²
US Patent 8,085,623 B2, Synchronization of a plurality of devices in a wireless sensor arrangement (continuation; granted December 27, 2011; assigned to Cool River Systems). ↩
Colorado Time Systems, Championship Start Instruction Guide (F875 Rev. 202202). ↩
Colorado Time Systems, Dolphin Starter to Infinity Family or Elite Kit (F920). ↩ ↩²
Colorado Time Systems, Dolphin Starter to Champion Start Kit (F921). ↩ ↩²
Colorado Time Systems, Cable and holster kit, Dolphin Starter to Infinity Start System (K-DSS-1) (kit contents). ↩ ↩² ↩³
Colorado Time Systems, Cable and holster kit, Dolphin Starter to Championship Start System (K-DSS-2) (kit contents). ↩ ↩²
Colorado Time Systems, Championship Elite Start System User Instructions (F1064 Rev. 202606). ↩
Colorado Time Systems, Dolphin Wireless Stopwatch Timing System Set Up (F911 Rev. 0707), the 2007 revision; kit and cable part numbers. ↩ ↩²
Colorado Time Systems, Dolphin Wireless Stopwatch System flyer (Rev. 09/22); K-DSS-x kit naming. ↩
Colorado Time Systems, Heavy duty starter cable for Dolphin (R-015-595). ↩ ↩²
Colorado Time Systems, Standard Dolphin Wireless Stopwatch Case (holds the starter, base, and up to 27 stopwatches). ↩

Last updated September 17, 2026.