Results and photos from the session at Hillcrest Park on May 10, 2025 will be available here soon.
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So much for "May gray." This may have been the hottest Antennas In The Park (AITP) radio foxhunt to date. The temperature was 87 degrees when the transmitters went on the air at 11 AM and reached 98 degrees by the time lunch was over. But that didn't stop the intrepid on-foot transmitter hunters.
This was Fullerton Radio Club's 28th annual AITP, which began in Tri-City Park and has been in Hillcrest Park since 2015. It is also the 75th anniversary of the club's founding. Joining FRC members were some members of Western Amateur Radio Association as well as transmitter hunters from Long Beach, Chatsworth, Santa Barbara and Winchester.
After fighting exceptionally heavy traffic, Marvin Johnston KE6HTS arrived from Santa Barbara with a box full of measuring-tape antenna and attenuator kits. As it turned out, all of the foxhunt participants had brought their own. My three talking two-meter practice transmitters, all on different frequencies, were quickly found by beginners and experts alike.
The advanced course featured five two-meter transmitters, transmitting one after another on the same frequency for sixty seconds each in numbered sequence and then repeating, per international rules. They awaited the hunters near the trails in the far reaches of the park. This year they all came on as expected and stayed in sync.
TWO-METER COURSE RESULTS -- 5 FOXES
Name and call Time H:MM:SS Foxes
William Wright WB6CMD 0:32:05 5
Scott Moore KF6IKO 1:05:50 5
Michael Hart KC6MEH 1:09:45 5
Liam Van Citters KN6QXK 1:30:49 5
Tom Smith KB6A DNF
It takes dedicated volunteers to put on a successful AITP. Thanks to Bob Houghton AD6QF and Larry McDavid W6FUB for procuring the vittles (and lots of ice-cold bottled water), to our master cook Albert Solomon AG6OF, to April Moell WA6OPS for the traditional Foxhunting Weekend cake, and to Gene Thorpe KB6CMO for arranging access to the Izaac Walton League cabin for a welcome respite from the heat.
Joe Moell KØOV
Since the last time we were at the fairgrounds, the Yuma Hamfest site has changed quite a bit with a new exhibit hall and a huge new asphalt parking lot where the majority of the RVers were parked. Selling tables were spread throughout the RV area and a special area on the northwest side of the parking area was dedicated to the swap meet. The grassy areas and concrete slabs where everyone used to gather were vacant. There were a few folks selling things under one of the barn areas back by the building that was used as a seminar room, but it was not like it used to be with folks parked all over the place. It was a nice new exhibit hall but only about a third filled with vendors and displays.
The antenna clinic did not occur due to technical and security issues but the 3 PM on-foot transmitter hunt was well attended. Marvin Johnston KE6HTS, Joe Loughlin KE6PHB and Robert Dexter N9SCD were kept busy trying to get many of the hunters on the right track. Some hamfest attendees came to see what we were doing. They had never attended a international-style hunt. It was a time of confusion for many, but several hunters did very well and were happy. Others just could not put the pieces together and left without finding any of the five hidden transmitters.
Joe Corones N6SZO
SoCal 2024 -- Southern California practice/demonstration events of 2024, including Hillcrest Park and Mission Bay Park.
SoCal 2023 -- Southern California practice/demonstration events of 2023, including Hillcrest Park and Balboa Park.
SoCal 2022 -- Southern California practice/demonstration events of 2022, including Hillcrest Park, Felicita Park and Yuma Hamfest.
SoCal 2021 -- Southern California practice/demonstration events of 2021, including Lake Los Carneros, Hillcrest Park and Bonelli Regional Park. (No events in 2020 due to COVID-19)
SoCal 2019 -- Southern California practice/demonstration events of 2019, including Bonelli Regional Park, Mt. Pinos, Guajome Regional Park, Hillcrest Park, Mission Viejo Community Park, Yuma Hamfest and Lake Los Carneros.
October 9 - 13, 2024 -- 23rd USA ARDF Championships near Chelsea, MI.
April 19 - 23, 2023 -- 22nd USA Radio-Orienteering Championships near Sulfur Springs, TX.
April 7 - 10, 2022 -- 21st USA ARDF Championships near Triangle, VA.
October 14 - 17, 2021 -- Twentieth USA ARDF Championships in North Carolina.
July 28 - August 4, 2019 -- Nineteenth USA and Tenth IARU Region 2 ARDF Championships near Raleigh, NC.
Go to Championship Foxhunting News -- Results of recent international competitions and announcements of upcoming ones.
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 Foxhunting for Scouts -- Let's get the kids involved
Go to Electronic Scoring for ARDF -- What it is, how it works, and why it's gaining popularity.
Go to Extenders Aid Handicapped Foxhunters -- A novel way to include persons with disabilities
Go to Local ARDF Contacts -- Links to hams and groups that are doing international-style foxhunting in North America and around the world.
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This page updated 12 May 2025