Radiosport

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For the broadcast radio station in New Zealand, see Radio Sport.

The term Radiosport is of modern Eastern European origin and is used to describe one of several competitive amateur radio activities. It is most often written as a single word, as in radiosport, but can be found as two separate words, as in radio sport. The Friendship Radiosport Games is a multi-sport event that features competitions in each of these radio sports.

The World Radiosport Team Championship 2002 was held in Helsinki, Finland.

The Victorian ARDF Group, a regional ARDF organization in Australia, uses the two-word form of the term radio sport in its logo.

1 Amateur Radio Contesting
2 Amateur Radio Direction Finding
3 High Speed Telegraphy
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Amateur Radio Contesting

The most common use of the term radiosport is as a synonym for Amateur Radio Contesting. Contesting is an activity where amateur radio stations attempt to make as many two-way contacts with other stations as possible, following certain defined parameters of the competition, to maximize a score. At least two specific contests have used the term radiosport in their event names; the IARU HF World Championship, a worldwide contest sponsored by the International Amateur Radio Union, was known as the IARU Radiosport Championship from its inception in 1977 until the name of the contest changed in 1986. The term radiosport also appears in the name of the World Radiosport Team Championship, the radio contest considered by many to be the closest that contesting has to a world championships. The name is the basis for a web site devoted to ham radio contesting, http://www.radio-sport.net.

[edit] Amateur Radio Direction Finding

Radiosport can also be used in connection with the sport of Amateur Radio Direction Finding, also known by its acronym ARDF. ARDF is an athletic sport that combines the land navigation skills of orienteering with radio direction finding skills. The sport has been most popular in Eastern Europe, Russia, and China, where it was often used in the physical education programs in schools. Although they represent a broad range of amateur radio interests in their nations today, several member societies of the International Amateur Radio Union were originally formed for the promotion and organization of the sport of ARDF and continue to use the term radiosport in their society name. These include the Federation of Radiosport of the Republic of Armenia (FRRA), the Belarusian Federation of Radioamateurs and Radiosportsmen (BFRR), the Chinese Radio Sports Association (CRSA), the Mongolian Radio Sport Federation (MRSF), and the now defunct Radio Sports Federation of the USSR (FRS).

[edit] High Speed Telegraphy

High Speed Telegraphy competitions challenge individuals to correctly receive and copy Morse code transmissions sent at very high speeds. International competitions typically involve several events, some of which are based on simulations of amateur radio activity. One event in the Radioamateur Practicing Tests (RPT) uses a computer program that sends amateur radio call signs at high speed for a specified period of time, and generates a score for the competitor based on errors in copying. Another event is the "pileup" competition, where competitors must copy as many individual call signs as possible while many are being sent simultaneously over a defined period of time.