Wednesday and Thursday, September 12 - 13
While not an official part of the competition, a two-day "training camp" will be held to practice the various aspects of ARDF. Your leader/trainer is Bob Cooley KF6VSE. Practice will concentrate on determining reliable bearings, interpreting reflected signals, probable control locations, course strategies, route choices, and other essentials for doing well. This training is open to anyone who will be participating in the Championships. You may participate on either or both days. There is no charge for the training itself. The training venues, which are to be announced, do not include the competition areas.
Friday, September 14
The championships will officially start today with competitors checking
in at
Camp Concord Headquarters. Those staying at the camp will receive their
cabin
assignments and related information upon arrival. Some 2M and 80M
transmitters will be on
the air around the campgrounds for equipment checkout in the afternoon
(the Model Event). All non-competing volunteers are asked to
attend a meeting at 4:00 PM in the Dining Hall with the Meet Director.
Supper for Camp Concord campers will be served in the Dining Hall at 6:00 PM. If you are not staying at Camp Concord but wish to take this meal (or any other meal during the Championships) at the camp, please advise staff well in advance. Anticipated per-meal fee is $12.
Friday evening at 7:30 PM will be a meeting and briefing in the Dining Hall, marking the official opening of the competition. Introductions will be made and competitors will get a chance to make new friends and renew old acquaintances. Topics to be covered include:
Rules and what to expect during each competition
Review of the starting process
Safety in the forest and emergency calling information
Makeup of the jury
Information on meals for competition days
Time limits for the courses
Maps and directions to competition start locations
Any other information that needs to be disseminated
Question and answer session
Announcement and posting of the starting order for each day
Numbered bibs and safety pins handed out to contestants
It is important that every competitor, observer and volunteer attends this meeting. Please contact Marvin KE6HTS in advance if you cannot attend.
Saturday, September 15
The moment of truth has arrived -- today will be the 2M competition.
Breakfast for Camp Concord campers will be served in the Dining Hall at 7:00 AM. Be prompt so that the group can head for the starting area at 8:30 AM. The
competition (first runner off the line) will start about 9:30 AM.
After all competitors have reached the finish, the jury will meet to certify the results. Lunch for Camp Concord campers will be served beginning at 1:00 PM. The remainder of the afternoon is free time. The Camp Concord coin-operated laundry will be open.
Tonight is the official banquet and awards ceremony in the Dining Hall at Camp Concord, featuring Santa Barbara style tri-tip beef and all the trimmings, beginning at 7:30 PM. We expect several VIP guests from the American Radio Relay League to be in attendance. Medals for the 2M event will be presented.
Sunday, September 16
Today will be the 80M
competition.
Breakfast for Camp Concord campers
will be served in the Dining Hall at 7:00 AM, but we will leave for the
start a half hour earlier than yesterday, at 8:00 AM. The
first-runner starting time is planned for 9:00 AM to accommodate those
who must leave in the afternoon.
Typically, the
80M times are a bit faster than the 2M times. The competition should be
over by
1:00 PM, after which the jury will meet and lunch for Camp Concord
campers will be
served. Then an awards ceremony will take place to present medals.
Marked
maps will be given out. The championships will officially end at this
time. If you wish to stay on at Camp Concord tonight, please make
advance arrangements.
General ARDF Rules
Because no official ARDF rules exist for IARU Region 2, these Championships will follow the current Region I ARDF rules. Any exceptions to those rules that are not stated on this page will be announced at the event briefing and/or in the starting area before the competitions.
Competition Site Embargo Now In Effect
The forests near South Lake Tahoe are off limits to all competitors in the 2007 USA/R2 ARDF Championships. No one who intends to enter a competitive category in the Championships may go into the Mount Tallac and Fallen Leaf Lake forest (except for paved roads, Camp Concord and other camping/RV areas) prior to September 15, 2007.
Transmitter Details
Note that the two-meter frequencies are below 146 MHz to accommodate European/Asian equipment.
2M foxes: 145.565 MHz, FM modulation (continuous carrier) with CW tones
2M homing: 145.730 MHz, FM modulation (continous carrier) with CW tones
80M foxes: 3580 kHz, keyed CW (A1)
80M homing: 3542 kHz, keyed CW (A1)
2M transmitters will use omnidirectional horizontally polarized antennas. 80M transmitters will use vertically polarized antennas. All transmitters will identify with a call sign in CW at the end of each one-minute transmission.
Map Details
Scale: 1:15000
Paper size: 8.5 x 11 inches (21.6 cm x 28 cm)
Contour interval: 5 meters
Start, finish and exclusion circles will be pre-drawn
Required Transmitters For Each Category
Per IARU Region 1 Rules, or as announced at event briefing
Time Limit
180 Minutes for all categories, or as otherwise announced at the event briefing
Scoring
Electronic scoring (SportIdent) will be used. Your registration fee includes
use of a borrowed "e-stick," or you may use your own.
Suggested Lodging
In order to simplify transportation arrangements and minimize costs, the organizers encourage all visitors to stay at Camp Concord (elevation 6390 feet ASL). Having most competitors housed together makes it much easier to arrange for ride-sharing, as well as for socializing.
As an alternative, there are many hotels, motels, RV parks and campgrounds in the South Lake Tahoe area.
Transportation
For those flying from overseas or distant cities in the USA, the recommended airport is Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO), which is served by 13 airlines including Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest and United.
For those who prefer rail transport, Reno is served by the Amtrak California Zephyr. It runs daily between Chicago and San Francisco, coursing through the plains of Nebraska to Denver, across the Rockies to Salt Lake City, and then through Reno and Sacramento into Emeryville/San Francisco.
Competitors and visitors are encouraged to provide their own ground transportation during their stay, as is customary at American orienteering events. Persons who will need transportation assistance to the event site, or to/from an airport, bus or train station should notify the organizers at the time of registration.
Car rentals are available at the Reno airport. Public transportation is also available. South Tahoe Express has coaches running every couple of hours daily between Reno airport and five Stateline casinos. Fare is $43 per person round trip. Schedules are on the Web and reservations are recommended. Be sure to use the tables for "after 9/1/2007." Then the BlueGO bus goes from Stateline Transit Center (very close to the five casinos) into South Lake Tahoe and makes a stop near Highway 89 and 15th Street on the northwest side of town. This is just 3.5 miles from Camp Concord. Fare is $1.75 one way. See routes A and H. Transportation can be provided from the bus stop to Camp Concord, with advance arrangements.
Driving Directions from Reno Airport to Camp Concord (63 miles, about 85 minutes)
Take Sky Way onto East Plumb Lane westbound, then to US Highway 395. Take 395
southbound for 28 miles through Carson City, then turn west onto US Highway 50
and go 31 miles over Spooner Summit and through Stateline into California, to
the junction with State Highway 89 in South Lake Tahoe. (This junction is
called "the Y.") Turn right onto Highway 89 (also called Emerald Bay Road) and
proceed 3.9 miles, going past Camp Richardson to the Mt. Tallac Road turnoff on the
left, indicated by a sign that points to Camp Concord. Follow the signs on Mt.
Tallac Road to Camp Concord.
Regional Repeaters For Travel Coordination
147.15(+) PL 123.0, W7ROZ Mt. Rose (13 miles SW of Reno)
147.195(+) PL 123.0, N6ICW Sacramento (linked to 147.15 Mt. Rose)
147.27(+) PL 123.0, W7DI McClellan Peak (near Carson City, NV)
Local Repeaters
147.24(+) PL 123.0, NR7A South Lake Tahoe
146.85(-) PL 123.0 WA6EWV South Lake Tahoe
Suggested Local Simplex Frequency
146.565 MHz
The event's Field Medic team will be
stationed at the finish line on
competition days. The team will monitor 146.565 MHz simplex (or other
frequency as announced) during the competitions for emergency
calls. (Note that competitors are forbidden to transmit while on
the course except in an emergency.)
South Lake Tahoe is served by a 75-bed hospital with 24-hour Emergency Department as well as an Air Ambulance Service. An Urgent Care and Family Practice Clinic is located nearby in Stateline, Nevada.
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This page updated 14 May 2008