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 InternationalAmateur 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.
Summits or peaks are allocated unique identifiers if the mountain summit meets certain criteria as an activator, meaning the operator climbs the summit and makes at least 4 contacts from it or b) as a chaser, that is, an operator who makes contact with an operator on a summit. Summit to summit contacts attract bonus points, as does operating certain summits during pre-defined Winter periods. Certificates are issued at point intervals. Other variants of this radio-sport along the same lines exist, for example WWFF where activators set up a station in a nature area and chasers contact an operator who is in the nature area.
RaDAR (Rapid Deployment of Amateur Radio)
Originally called SIAS, this radio-sport combines speed, a portable station and efficient communications. The operator picks a four hour time-frame within which to operate and deploys his portable station as quickly as possible. Once deployed, the operator makes a maximum of five contacts, exchanging name, signal report and exact maidenhead location digits. Once five contacts have been made, the operator packs up the station and moves it at least 1 km on foot or 6 km by car. Other modes of transport are also used, each with its own minimal distance. The operator then deploys his station at the new location, makes five more contacts, packs up and moves again, until the four hours are up. The operator with the highest contact count at the end of the day, for his chosen four hour period of operation, wins.
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 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.
