A NATIONAL competition which uses radio signals to create a challenging scavenger hunt around the Mount Gambier district has received federal funding to bolster its 2021 event.
Organisers will have scoring results evaluated in minutes instead hours after a long overdue upgrade to judging software.
The South East Radio Group has received almost $3000 to purchase new equipment which will enable rapid and accurate scoring of the Australian Radio Fox Hunting Championships, held annually in Mount Gambier.
Despite the name, the event does not involve the hunting of animals.
Instead, it attracts around 100 South Australian and Victorian amateur radio enthusiasts for a complex search to locate concealed radio transmitters across a 30km area.
Although this year’s hunt was cancelled, the traditional June long weekend event incorporates the use of onboard direction-finding equipment to signal in to radio signals and locate around 10 transmitters in the quickest time possible.
Group president Peter Becker said the competition had always been well-supported.
With funding made available through the Federal Government’s Stronger Communities Program, Mr Becker said a computer-based scoring system was purchased in an effort to speed up event analytics.
“In the past, we have had to have people physically with competitors, clocking the time they arrive and finish, adding everything up by hand and also deciphering all the times and results,” he said.
“This would take hours and it was not fair on the competitors having to wait so long.
“With this new technology, we will now have results ready in minutes.”
Comparing it to technology used in fun runs and marathons, Mr Becker said the new system involved identification cards which were carried by competitors, with all involved manually submitting numbers to record times.
“When they hand their card in, all their start and finish times are already there,” he said.
“Without this system, there is often difficulty managing results and there was chance for discrepancies, human error, clocks do not work and it is just a nightmare.
“We have borrowed a similar system before and it was marvellous and at the time we had a dream of having our own system.”
Considered a niche hobby, Mr Becker said amateur radio operation was a challenging activity which did not require the internet or telephone access.
“It solely involves communicating through the air wirelessly,” he said.
“Most people build their own directive equipment. People’s cars are loaded with antennas, computers, radios, wires and navigation systems.
“The challenge now is to speak with somebody from the other side of the world from your backyard, with your own wires, antennas and technology.”
Mr Becker said the group’s 60 members thanked Member for Barker Tony Pasin for his support attracting the funding.
Mr Pasin said the event attracted significant visitors to Mount Gambier each year and it was important now more than ever, support was provided to events that bring tourism to the region.
“While many members hail from western Victoria and COVID-19 has impacted the group and the annual championships, I am pleased that we can support the event when it can be up and running again,” Mr Pasin said.
