Radiosport
Radiosport (or radio sport) is formal competition between amateur radio operators in any of three amateur radio activities. The Friendship Radiosport Games is an international multi-sport event that includes all three types of radiosport. Since 1977, the International Amateur Radio Union has sponsored the IARU HF World Championship (originally named the IARU Radiosport Championship). The World Radiosport Team Championship is another international competition.
Amateur radio contesting
The most common use of the term radiosport is as a synonym for amateur radio contesting (ham 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.
Amateur radio direction finding
Radiosport also can refer to the sport of amateur radio direction finding (ARDF). 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, the Belarusian Federation of Radioamateurs and Radiosportsmen, the Chinese Radio Sports Association, the Kazakhstan Federation of Radiosport and Radio Amateur, the Mongolian Radio Sport Federation, and the now defunct Radio Sport Federation of the USSR.
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.
References
- American Radio Relay League (1978-2005). Bibliography of IARU contest results and related articles in QST. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2005.