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 Previous: Register Early for ARRL Radio Frequency Interference Course and Save | ![Next (later) Story](/images/sty-up.gif "Spectrum Defense Fund 2005: "It's Time to Step Up to the Plate!""){kind=small} Next: Spectrum Defense Fund 2005: "It's Time to Step Up to the Plate!" |
NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 23, 2005--Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) competitors from 11 states in the US and from three other countries gathered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, earlier this month to test their RDF and map/compass orienteering skills. The 2005 USA ARDF championship event August 1-6 served dual duty as the third International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 ARDF Championships. ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV, says separate events were held on 2 and 80 meters.
"Automatically controlled foxes transmit for 60 seconds each in rotating sequence, sending an easy-to-recognize identification," Moell explains. There are five age categories for male competitors and four for females. Winners in each category are those who find the most hidden transmitters and navigate to the finish line in the shortest time. "All must hunt independently on the courses," Moell points out. "No teaming is allowed."
 IARU Region 2 ARDF Coordinator Dale Hunt, WB6BYU (center) shows American 2-meter RDF gear to Kazakhstan's Alexandr Kochergin, UN7JR, and his wife Natalya. Looking on is event co-chair Jerry Boyd, WB8WFK. |
 Speeding down the 2-meter finish corridor and soon to win medals: (L-R) Brian DeYoung, K4BRI, (M40 Region 2 silver), Marvin Johnston, KE6HTS, (M60 overall bronze) and Karolina Sucha (D19 overall gold). |
 Coming up the finish corridor on their way to 80-meter medals are (L-R) Bob Cooley, KF6VSE, (M60 overall gold), Jen Harker, W5JEN, (D21 overall gold) and Juri Suchy, OK1WAY, (M40 overall silver). |
 More medalists in the 80-meter corridor (L-R): Jay Thompson, W6JAY, (M21 Region 2 silver), Jay Hennigan, WB6RDV, (M50 Region 2 gold), and Dick Arnett, WB4SUV, (M50 Region 2 silver). |
 These folks are smiling because they just successfully completed the 80-meter course. Left is Dale Hunt, WB6BYU, whose homebrew 80-meter receiver/antenna project appears in the September 2005 issue of QST. |
 ARRL New Mexico Section Manager Bill Weatherford, KM5FT (left), handed out medals and congratulated the recipients. Vadim Afonkin was overall gold medalist in M21 on both bands. [Joe Moell, K0OV, Photos©] |
He says the course employed an all-electronic timing/scoring system (e-punch), courtesy of the Los Angeles Orienteering Club. Although most ARDF participants are radio amateurs, the 2005 championship courses--as are nearly all sanctioned transmitter/fox hunts--were open to anyone of any age, licensed or not.
The Albuquerque Amateur Radio Club (AARC) hosted the first USA ARDF championships four years ago, and Moell says this year the club members outdid themselves in hospitality. Participants stayed and ate in University of New Mexico dormitories and family living quarters. Co-chairing this year's event were Jerry Boyd, WB8WFK, and Mike Pendley, K5ATM. Boyd was a member of ARDF Team USA 2004 at the World Championships in the Czech Republic.
The Results
The 2-meter hunt August 3 was at Oak Flats in the Cibola National Forest, southeast of Albuquerque and at an elevation of more than 7000 feet. "The course was 6 km point to point from the start to each of the five transmitters and then the finish," Moell said. "The total distance traveled by competitors was greater, especially for those who stayed mainly on the trails or had problems with direction finding."
Vadim Afonkin of Massachusetts, competing in the M21 category, posted the best performance on 2 meters, finding all five transmitters in 1:04:37. Matthew Robbins, AA9YH, of Indiana and Scot Barth, KA6UDZ, of California, placed second and third respectively in the M21 category.
Bryan Ackerly, VK3YNG, of Australia, logged a time of 1:02:24 in the M40 category, which required tracking down four transmitters. He bested Jiri Suchy, OK1WAY, of the Czech Republic, and Charles Scharlau, NZ0I, of North Carolina, who took second and third respectively in M40.
In the hotly contested M50 category, Alexandr Kochergin, UN7JR, of Kazakhstan found the required four 2-meter foxes in 1:24:18, besting Bob Frey, WA6EZV, of Ohio, and Larry Benko, W0QE, of Colorado, who took home silver and bronze.
In the M60 category, long-time orienteer Bob Cooley, KF6VSE, of California posted an excellent 1:06:12 in locating the three required foxes. He topped Harley Leach, KI7XF, of Montana, and Marvin Johnston, KE6HTS, of California, who came in second and third respectively.
Thirteen-year-old Karolina Sucha of the Czech Republic picked up the gold in D19 category, while Karla Leach, KC7BLA, topped the field in D50.
The 80-meter event August 5 in Sandia Park had approximately the same point -to-point length as the 2-meter course earlier in the week, but trails and terrain made for greater travel and longer times, Moell said.
Once again, Australia's Bryan Ackerly, VK3YNG, logged the best time of the day--1:13:27--in finding his required four foxes in the M40 category. In fact, the medalists in M4o were the same as they were on 2 meters.
In M21, the prime age division for men, Vadim Afonkin again had the best time--1:42:57--to find the required five foxes. Jay Thompson, W6JAY, was number two, while Matthew Robbins, AA9YH, came in third in M21.
In M50, the winner again was Alexandr Kochergin, UN7JR, with a time of 1:27:33. Silver went to Jay Hennigan, WB6RDV, of California, while Dick Arnett, WB4SUV, of Kentucky picked up the bronze.
The 80-meter results for M60, D19 and D50 categories duplicated the results on 2 meters. Also winning gold on both 2 meters and 80 meters were Jennifer Harker, W5JEN, of Texas in D21, and Nadia Scharlau of North Carolina in D35.
The awards ceremony featured a Mexican buffet. In addition to the gold, silver and bronze awards for top three places in each of the nine age/gender categories for Overall and IARU Region 2 only divisions, everyone who completed the course within the time limit and found at least one fox received a participant medal. ARRL New Mexico Section Manager Bill Weatherford, KM5FT, presented the awards for the event.
Next Stop: North Carolina
The next USA ARDF Championships are being planned for next spring in North Carolina. The results of the 2005 and 2006 USA ARDF Championships determine the makeup of ARDF Team USA, which will travel to Bulgaria for the ARDF World Championships in September 2006.
"Many thanks to all the AARC officers and members whose
months of work yielded a highly successful championship," Moell said. Complete results are available on the
AARC official 2005 USA and IARU-R2 Championships Web site. More information about the sport of direction
finding/foxhunting and additional photos are on Moell's Homing In Web site.
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