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Biomass burning smoke is often a significant source of airborne fine particles in regional areas where air quality monitoring is scarce. Emerging sensor technology provides opportunities to monitor air quality on a much larger geographical scale with much finer spatial resolution. It can also engage communities in the conversation around local pollution sources. The SMoke Observation Gadget (SMOG), a unit with a Plantower dust sensor PMS3003, was designed as part of a school-based Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) project looking at smoke impacts in regional areas of Victoria, Australia. A smoke-specific calibration curve between the SMOG units and a standard regulatory instrument was developed using an hourly data set collected during a peat fire. The calibration curve was applied to the SMOG units during all field-based validation measurements at several locations and during different seasons. The results showed strong associations between individual SMOG units for PM_2.5 concentrations (r² = 0.93–0.99) and good accuracy (mean absolute error (MAE) < 2 μg m⁻³). Correlations of the SMOG units to reference instruments also demonstrated strong associations (r² = 0.87–95) and good accuracy (MAE of 2.5–3.0 μg m⁻³). The PM_2.5 concentrations tracked by the SMOG units had a similar response time as those measured by collocated reference instruments. Overall, the study has shown that the SMOG units provide relevant information about ambient PM_2.5 concentrations in an airshed impacted predominantly by biomass burning, provided that an adequate adjustment factor is applied.