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Shooting at clay targets flying through the air is a sport enjoyed by millions
of participants world- wide. At its highest level it features in the Olympic
and Commonwealth games. Common to all forms of the sport is a flat clay disc
which is launched into the air at high speed by a release mechanism. The shooter,
armed with a shotgun, tries to hit it. In some variants two discs are launched
together.
In trap shooting, the shooters have to be 16 to 27 yards from the trap
house, depending on their handicaps, and the targets are released in random
directions within an arc of 44o. Each shooter has five shots from each
position, making a total in one round of 25 shots.
Since the early days of the sport the target has been released by a person,
sitting with the referee behind the shooters, who responds to the shooter's
command of "pull". The randomness of the delay introduced by the varying
reaction times of the "releaser" has always been a problem in ensuring
fairness within and between traps (In some competitions in the United
States there can be more than 100 traps operating). Voice operated release
mechanisms are designed to eliminate the effect of the releaser's reaction
time on the outcome of the competition.
A microphone picks up the shooter's call of "pull" and the resulting electrical
signal triggers the release of the target. This simple outcome is, in practice,
very difficult to achieve. There are many sources of noise that can trigger
the release mechanism, from other shooters' calls or shots, to spectators' voices,
bird song, or vehicles. Many competition venues are near airports and so aircraft
noise can also be a problem. Systems which try to overcome these obstacles have
tended to be complex, difficult to operate, and expensive.
Canterbury Voice Release, (CVR), a small Christchurch company owned and operated
by Graham Callendar and Bruce Rickard, has developed a system which is simple
to operate and overcomes all these problems. So successful has their system
been that CVR is now a world leader in this technology.
A former DSIR scientist, Graham became involved with trap shooting about ten
years ago when a local club approached the DSIR to develop an automatic doubles
trap. As a result of his involvement Graham became interested in voice release
systems and produced a number of prototypes of voice activated tTrap release.
The DSIR took out patents on his ideas but these were never developed commercially.
In 1997 Graham became aware that the patents had lapsed and after growing interest
from local shooters, he picked up the development again, this time working in
his spare time.
The development process was aided by the technological approach adopted.
Because of his own non-involvement in the sport as a shooter, Graham was able
to approach the problem impartially and objectively. Through close consultation
with local shooters, the key factors were identified and a brief formulated
for the system. After more than two years, several prototypes and extensive
trailling, consultation, and modification - a final outcome emerged. The final
system, incorporating the use of some clever electronics, addressed the fundamental
need for the system:
to respond only to the shooter's command "pull" and not be triggered by
extraneous noise; and
to be simple to set up and operate.
The final system also had other attractive features, for example, a relatively
low cost. Because of its reliability and ease of operation it eliminated the
need for an operator to work the release mechanism. The resulting reduction
in the running costs of a tournament is another attractive marketing feature.
At this stage Bruce, who has an extensive background in trade development and
marketing, joined Graham and, by exposing themselves to significant financial
risk, they set up Canterbury Voice Release International Ltd with the aim of
selling their system to the world. Dealerships were set up in the United States,
Sweden and the United Kingdom. Bruce covers New Zealand and Australian marketing
from Christchurch. Manufacturing was contracted out to companies in Christchurch
and Bruce and Graham feel confident that this approach has enabled them to concentrate
on areas in which they have strengths and skills.
Quality control for example is taken care of by their manufacturers.
The success of the company has been such that over two and a half thousand
units have been sold since 1999. In 2000 CVR won the Best Export Commendation
of the Year Award and "Canterbury" is now the recognised top brand name in voice
release systems. Brand recognition has reached the level where CVR has been
approached by two separate enterprises, one American and one British, to manufacture
and market equipment they have developed. One is an automatic doubles trap for
releasing two targets simultaneously and the other is a laser based simulation
system which will allow shooters to practice at home. CVR also continues to
develop its own product line which now covers all variants of the sport.
