Championship Radio Foxhunting News
From USA and Around the World
Team USA Forming for 2008 ARDF World Championships
Hwaseong, Korea, September 2 - 7, 2008
Team USA Forming for 2008 ARDF World Championships
Hwaseong, Korea, September 2 - 7, 2008
Every two years, hams from around the world gather to see who is best at on-foot hidden transmitter hunting. USA has been
represented at every one of these ARDF World Championships since 1988, and 2008 will be no exception. Team USA is now
training for the 14th World Championships, which will take place near Hwaseong City in the midwest region of South Korea from September 2 - 7.
There will be separate events on separate days for each competitor on eighty meters and two meters, each with up to five transmitters scattered in a forest that might
encompass 1000 acres or more.
Each country may send up to three competitors in each of nine age categories, five for males and four for females, in accordance with rules of the International Amateur Radio Union. Team members are responsible for their own registration/room/board fees (approxomately US$400) and for transportation expenses to and from Seoul.
Invitations to join Team USA were issued in May, based on performances and standings in the Seventh USA ARDF Championships (California, September 2007) and the Eighth USA ARDF Championships (Texas, May 2008, see news item below).
In accordance with standard IARU procedures, USA's Letter of Intent to Participate has been sent to the organizers, and acknowledged. The team roster and advance fees for competitors and visitors were submitted on June 30. For more information about Team USA participation, please contact me by e-mail to k0ov@homingin.com. Do not contact the Korean organizers directly.
For information about participating as a citizen or resident of another North or South American country, contact Dale Hunt WB6BYU by e-mail to wb6byu@arrl.net. Canadians should also contact Joe Young VE7BFK by e-mail to ve7bfk@rac.ca.
For more about the 2008 ARDF World Championships, download Bulletin #1 and Bulletin #2 from the organizers in PDF format. They are in English and sized for North American printers. You can also visit the Korean Amateur Radio League's World Championships Web site.
Joe Moell KØOV
USA ARDF Coordinator
In the past twelve months, stateside hams have been treated to two outstanding national championship events. From preteens to septuagenarians, they have found radio foxes in the woods and have taken home medals. More Amateur Radio operators in the USA are aware of and have participated in international rules transmitter hunts than ever before.
It's time to look forward to 2009. As ARRL's ARDF Coordinator, I am seeking organizers for the USA ARDF Championships, to be held about a year from now. The selected city will invite radio-orienteers from all over the USA plus visitors from abroad. They will stage separate events on 2 meters and 80 meters in accordance with IARU's rules for ARDF competitions. They will provide medals and host a dinner at which the medals will be awarded. And if they organize it well, they will have lots of fun.
As a bonus, if approved, this event may also be designated as the IARU Region 2 ARDF Championships.
If you have experienced international-style foxhunting, you already know how the sport promotes technical skills, builds physical ability, and fosters camaraderie. Putting on large-scale radio-orienteering events can add even more excitement.
If your local radio club or club council has ever put on a hamfest or ARRL convention, then all the necessary organizational skills and experience to stage an event of this type are probably available to you. Hams who have organized previous championships will have plenty of advice about foxtailing sites, mapping, housing, publicity, transportation, finances, and so forth. A page of tips for hosting ARDF championships is now in this Homing In site.
If you believe that the hams in your area would be seriously interested in hosting the 2009 USA ARDF Championships, please contact me via e-mail now. I can provide information to help you approach your club/council leaders about it.
What better way to generate enthusiasm within your club, help your fellow hams, promote international goodwill, and have a great time doing it! Let's get started!
Joe Moell KØOV
The Eighth USA ARDF Championships
Bastrop, Texas, May 8 - 10, 2008
The eighth annual USA Championships of ARDF took place May 8 - 10 near Bastrop, Texas, sponsored by the Texas ARDF group and the Houston Orienteering Club (HOC). Radio-orienteers from all over the country plus a visiting competitor from Canada were in attendance. The competitive courses were open to anyone of any age, with or without an Amateur Radio license.
Primary site of the competition was Bastrop State Park, about 30 miles southeast of Austin, Texas. This park features almost 6000 acres of forest, including loblolly pines and other hardwoods. The fun got under way on Thursday, May 8 as participants fine-tuned their skills and aligned their direction-finding equipment using practice transmitters on both the 2m and 80m bands. An informational meeting with a drawing for the starting order followed. Friday brought the full-length 2m competition on the western side of the park, followed by an awards dinner that evening. On Saturday, there was an 80m event of similar difficulty on the eastern side, followed by presentation of medals. Everything was done by about 2 PM, so most participants could be home in time for Mother's Day.
The USA Championships concluded just in time for final selection of ARDF Team USA 2008 members, who will travel to the Gyeonggi province of South Korea for the 14th ARDF World Championships from September 2 through 7 (see news item above). USA's team positions are being filled based on performances in these 2008 events in Texas and the 2007 events in California.
Organizing Co-Chairs for the 2008 USA Championships were Kenneth and Jennifer Harker, WM5R and W5JEN (pictured). They competed at the USA Championships in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Each won medals on both bands at the 2007 USA ARDF Championships near South Lake Tahoe. Ken and Jen organized the first Texas ARDF Championships in October 2005.
National ARDF Championships are for individuals only. No teaming or assistance on the course is permitted. Participants are divided into five age categories for males and four age categories for females in accordance with standard IARU rules. Medals for first, second and third places were awarded in each category on each band.
Click here to see my photos from these championships and get links to other attendees' photos. Complete results of the competitions are now posted in the Texas ARDF Web site. These championships are also the subject of an ARDF Update feature on the ARRL Web site.
Joe Moell KØOV
USA ARDF Coordinator
14th ARDF World Championships, September 2 - 7, 2008 in Gyeounggi province, South Korea, sponsored by KARL. (See Team USA story above)
IARU Region 1 Youth Championships, June 30 - July 3, 2009 in Czech Republic.
IARU Region 1 ARDF Championships, mid-September 2009 in Varna, Bulgaria.
Local ARDF sessions for training and practice are currently being held in the areas listed below. If you are close to any of them, get involved! If not, the task of developing ARDF locally is yours. With the help of other hams in your town, it can be relatively easy and fun. This may be just the activity to shake the doldrums out of your club. Start planning now!
Current events -- Southern California practice/demonstration events in 2008, plus news of upcoming soCal events.
All 2007 -- Southern California practice/demonstration events of 2007, including Hillcrest Park, Travel Town, Tri-City Park, Heartwell Park, Craig Regional Park, Lake Los Carneros (2), Topanga State Park, Angel's Gate Park and Bonelli Regional Park.
September 14 - 16, 2007 -- Seventh USA ARDF Championships near South Lake Tahoe, California.
All 2006 -- Southern California practice/demonstration events of 2006, including O'Neill Regional Park, Topanga State Park, Lake Los Carneros, Tri-City Park, Heartwell Park, Bonelli Regional Park and Huntington Central Park.
April 7 - 9, 2006 -- Sixth USA ARDF Championships near Raleigh, North Carolina.
All 2005 -- Southern California practice/demonstration events of 2005, including Schabarum Regional Park (2), Bonelli Park (3), Travel Town, O'Neill Park, Tri-City Park, Huntington Central Park, Lake Los Carneros, Glendora South Hills Park and Vasquez Rocks.
August 1 - 6, 2005 -- Fifth USA ARDF Championships near Albuquerque, New Mexico.
All 2004 -- Southern California practice/demonstration events of 2004, including Travel Town, Mile Square Park, O'Neill Park, Tri-City Park, Bonelli Park, and Craig Regional Park.
June 16 - 19, 2004 -- Fourth USA ARDF Championships near Gorman, California.
September 7, 2003 -- ARRL SW Division Convention (HamCon) ROCA in San Pedro, California.
July 30 - August 2, 2003 -- Third USA ARDF Championships near Cincinnati, Ohio.
Go to International-Style Foxhunting Comes To The Americas -- How we're getting the ball rolling
Go to Equipment Ideas for Radio-Orienteering -- Simple and inexpensive receiving and transmitting solutions
Go to Radio-Orienteering News for Southern California -- Results and stories of recent radio-orienteering events in southern California, plus announcements of upcoming ones.
Go to Foxhunting for Scouts -- Let's get the kids involved
Go to Extenders Aid Handicapped Foxhunters -- A novel way to include persons with disabilities
Back to the Homing In home page
This page updated 18 August 2008