Australian Rogaining Association

This one is nothing to do with electronic scoring devices.

It has been suggested that teams should be encouraged to carry mobile phones as a safety measure, and even in some parts of the world this may be an obligation (e.g. Finland). If a team got into difficulties, the phone could be used to reach help (subject to network availability).

On the other hand, it is easy to envisage unfair advantages that a mobile phone could be used to gain.

ARA Rule 13 states: "A team shall not accept assistance from, nor collaborate with, other people, nor deliberately follow another team."

Also, some mobile phones handsets have GPS capabilities.

My suggestion is that if phones are to be carried on course, they should be sealed inside a bag or container that would prevent their use without a means of detection. It would only be fair that the event organizers provide appropriate bags and sealing equipment. Thermal sealing of opaque plastic bags would probably be sufficient and relatively low cost.

Here's a list that was sent to me of example devices and capabilities for consideration:

• Full GPS systems – eg Garmin systems [explicitly banned by R7]


• GPS receivers – eg Timex “Speed&Distance”, Garmin Forerunner watches [explicitly banned by R7]
  


• “foot pod” accelerometers – eg Polar RS series [implicitly banned by R7 – navigational aid]
  


• Altimeter – eg some Polar and Suunto models [explicitly banned by R7]


• Digital compasses – eg Suunto Regatta series [unclear - compass is actually magnetic, but could record and display path]


• Heart monitors [unclear – probably allowed as it doesn’t aid navigation]


• Mechanical (hand-operated) counter (option on some Silva compases) – as used for counting sheep/cattle/people – to aid pace-counting [unclear]

In addition to the above, carrying a GPS data-logging unit gives a great deal of information for later analysis. These have been carried by some teams at the discretion and with permission of event organizers subject to being sealed in some fashion and not able to be used during the event. Having a standard for enabling this would be helpful to teams wishing to do so.

I think mobile phones would be difficult to ban in the immediate future because of safety arguments without some form of substitute. I anticipate that within the next decade we will have a new navlight type system or something similar where teams in need can press an alarm button. The SPOT satellite messenger systems is one system that could be adapted to our sport.

I reckon heart rate monitors should be banned - just like the old farts ban them in some of the English Ultra's. They are an electronic device that assists one to pace themselves - which would help with endurance.

Funny story from the 2010 Aus Champs - a team came in 1 hour late. They were using a mobile phone to keep time. Trouble was, it had an old time zone file in it, and gave them a bonus hour overnight as it thought daylight savings had ended on Saturday night!

Trouble with SPOT system is rules currently prohibit any means of reporting team progress during the event. Combine it with mobile broadband, and you could see what other teams had been doing and even estimate their score during the event!