The Great Amateur Radio Digital Scavenger Hunt: AX.25 Packet Radio by Prof. Chris Lance, WW2BSA DATES: Saturday, October 3, 2026 to Sunday, October 4, 2026. CONTEST PERIOD: Begins 1800 UTC Saturday, ends 1800 UTC Sunday. CONCEPT: Compete in a digital scavenger hunt game against other amateur radio operators. Race against the clock to be one of the first Digital Amateur Radio Scavenger Hunters to collect the most items and complete the most tasks in a 24 hour period! This year’s Scavenger Hunt will test your AX.25 Packet Radio skills. BACKGROUND: This Scavenger Hunt was conceived by Chris Lance back in 2022. As a professional educator, amongst many other titles, Chris created a program in the 1990’s for gifted and talented children called “Spies Like Us!” Coining the title from the famous comedy film starring Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd, students would work in teams to break cryptographic messages that led them to the next clue. The first team to get to the end would win. Inspiration from his classes joined with his passion for Amateur Packet Radio is the foundation and vision for this game. The Great Amateur Radio Digital Scavenger Hunt is hosted by the Hackettstown Center for the Arts ARC WW2HCA in honor of the modern scavenger hunt. While scavenger hunts evolved from ancient folk games, the modern scavenger hunt can be traced back to the famed gossip columnist and socialite Elsa Maxwell (May 24, 1883 – November 1, 1963). In 1927, she threw a party in Paris where guests were required to bring back random items, including a shoe from a music hall performer and a black swan from the Bois de Boulogne. AWARDS: Digital Certificates will be given out to winners in various categories based on participation. RULES GOAL Complete as many tasks in a 24 hour period. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO PLAY THE GAME? One or more the following will help you complete the game. It is not necessary to have all. Valid Amateur Radio License Internet Access RF Access VHF Radio HF Radio TNC Sound Card or External Hardware capable of AX.25 Packet Radio A computer The ability to email your results at the end of the game. Scavenger Hunt Task List, Resources and Code Book (to be supplied before the game) A competitive nature and desire to have fun! CONNECTIONS Complete tasks by navigating your way through the AX.25 packet radio network via RF, AXIP, or Telnet using the following connections: 1. RF to RF 2. Internet to Internet 3. RF to internet 4. Internet to RF 5. RF to Internet to RF 6. Internet to RF to internet. 7. VHF to HF Gateways allowed (Above 1 - 6) 8. HF to VHF Gateways allowed (Above 1 - 6) 9. Any baud rate (Above 1 - 8) As you can see, there are many possible connection types. Example 1. Connect to a packet node via RF, Telnet or AXIP. Then navigate through other packet nodes via RF or AXIP. GOOD! Example 2. Connect to a node via VARA. Nope. VARA isn’t packet. Example 3. Connect to a Winlink Server via PACTOR or VARA FM. Nope. These aren’t packet. Example 4. Connect to a packet node on HF to get to a node on VHF. GOOD! DO NOT… Please do not use backbone frequencies, usually on 220 or UHF, for any tasks. These point to point frequencies are designed for hauling data only. SCORING Complete the most tasks in a 24 hour period. Each task gets 1 point. Certain tasks will be more difficult than others and will be worth more points. Example: “Connect to any packet BBS and send an email to WW2BSA. (1 pt)” or “Connect to <specific node> in <a specific country> and list the number of ports. (3 pts)” PRE-GAME PREPARATION Approximately, 30 minutes before the contest begins, I will upload the Scavenger Hunt Task List to the web site. There will be a resource list but it is not complete. You can use any off or online resource to help you, such as this packet map. SUBMITTING RESULTS I wanted to use a Google Form, but time didn’t allow. Simply email your results to me at WW2BSA@ARRL.NET with the task number and answer in the body of your email before or at the end of the 24 hour period. Please don’t email me your results hours after the event is over. Honesty is the best policy! FINAL COMMENTS Since this is the first time the game is being conducted, the amount of tasks will be limited. I’m sure there will be bugs and Murphy will jump in to make things interesting. Your comments and creative suggestions are always welcomed. Because of hardware limitations, time, or geographical locations, not all tasks will be able to be completed by everybody. The goals of the game is fun, to become aware of the AX.25 packet networks and the groups that enjoy this digital mode. It may inspire you to set up your own node or BBS or introduce packet to a club. ~ Chris Lance, ww2bsa GM (Game Master) SCAVENGER HUNT TASK FORM Here it is! Have fun! Click for the PDF. Last Update: 2026/10/02