Results of Southern California
Radio-Orienteering Events in 2005

(In reverse order by date)

Bonelli foxhunt photos

Vasquez Rocks ARDF on 12/11/05
Report below by Marvin Johnston KE6HTS. Photo above by Eve Vigil KF6NEV.

Vasquez Rocks is a wonderful area for hiking and sightseeing and was the location of the 2004 US ARDF Championships two-meter competition. After having several requests for a December ARDF hunt while Joe Moell KØOV was out of town, I got permission from LAOC to include an ARDF competition along with the regular orienteering meet.

The only problem was that transmitter 2 did not go on the air as expected. Because I was tied up with meet registration, the ARDF portion was run with only four transmitters. Transmitter 1 was located along a trail about 400 meters south of the start area, #2 was another 500 meters south, and #5 was about 400 meters north. Transmitter 3 was located about 400 meters west of the start area and #4 was another 450 meters. The course length as originally designed was 3.7 km and dropped to 3.0 km with #2 taken out of the course using the order of 1-2-3-4-5. Another possible order was 5-1-2-3-4 which would result in a course length of 4.1 km.

RESULTS (4 FOXES)

      Name and call          Foxes  Time
     
     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV       4  0:31:21
     
     Bob Cooley KF6VSE         4  0:43:36
     
     Bill Smathers KG6HXX      4  1:04:13
   
     Sam Vigil WA6NGH          4  1:41:35
        with Eve Vigil KF6NEW

     Michael Helmeste KG6MNB   4  2:15:02

Many thanks to Dave Koskenmaki KK6C for help with putting out transmitters and thanks also to Dave, Greg Walker, and Jay Hennigan WB6RDV for help with picking them up after the event.

Marvin Johnston KE6HTS

Bonelli foxhunt photos

Bonelli Park ARDF on 11/12/05
Photos above and below by Joe and April Moell

Painted RedstartRed-breasted SapsuckerThe "cutoff low" weather system that had brought cloudy and drizzly weather to southern California finally pushed through on Friday, making for a beautiful and pleasant day for transmitter hunting on Saturday. Bonelli Regional Park is an ideal site for beginner/intermediate ARDF, with plenty of trails and just enough hills to make two-meter bearings "interesting."

Our starting point happened to be just a few dozen feet from the tree where an unusual feathered friend has the local birdwatchers all atwitter. As reported on TV news, a Painted Redstart (photo at right) has taken up residence, not realizing that the bird books all say he should be in Mexico or the very southern part of Arizona with the rest of his species. But he prefers it here, sharing the local bug supply with a Redbreasted Sapsucker (photo at left). It gave us the opportunity to tell lots of visiting birders about ham radio, volunteer wildlife tracking and radio-orienteering. (No, I didn't mount a transmitter on him, nor on the coyote that showed up later.)

It was good to see Sam Vigil WA6NGH, who came all the way from San Luis Obispo to hunt. But he was outdistanced by Bob Cooley KF6VSE, who came all the way from Pleasanton. Many of the advanced hunt participants are training for the next USA ARDF Championships, which will take place in North Carolina April 2006. Winners of the national championships will be offered positions on ARDF Team USA to the World Championships in Bulgaria later in the year. Here is how they did on this 3 km course:

ADVANCED TWO METER RESULTS (5 FOXES)

      Name and call       Foxes  Time
     
     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV    5  1:01:08
     
     Bob Cooley KF6VSE      5  1:04:03
     
     Scott Moore KF6IKO     5  1:18:30
     
     Dean Dods KD6I         5  1:49:38
     
     Scot Barth KA6UDZ      5  2:00:08
     
     Jack Myers N6WUZ       5  2:51:38
     
     Jim Ford N6JF          4  2:25:28
        with Ken Erickson KG6TES
     
     Bill Smathers KG6HXX   4  3:05:07
     
     Sam Vigil WA6NGH       1  3:14:43

Meanwhile, on the beginner course, several folks were testing their new gear and learning the basics of ARDF. Here is how they did:

BEGINNER TWO METER RESULTS (5 FOXES)

     John Frerichs N6VCW    5  1:07:40
     
     Matt Hayden KD7YFT     5  1:49:04
        with Andrea Hayden
     
     Craig Johnson NØCCJ    2  1:28:33
       with Nancy Aguilar KF6FEN

In addition, a passing couple in the park took an interest in our sport, so we handed them an ARDF set and followed them as they found two of the beginner transmitters!

The lone 80-meter transmitter was on a hillside at the far eastern end of the mapped area about 1.3 km from the start. Three hunters had enough stamina after their 2m efforts to go after it:

EIGHTY METER RESULTS (1 FOX)

     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV         0:22:20
     
     Bob Cooley KF6VSE           0:34:02
     
     Scott Moore KF6IKO          0:41:18

     Jim Ford N6JF               1:13:22
        with Ken Erickson KG6TES

Thanks to my helpers: Marvin Johnston KE6HTS set out the advanced transmitters and ran the e-punch equipment. April Moell WA6OPS treated the blisters and a bee sting while timing the beginner and 80m courses. Jay Henningan helped pick up the advanced transmitters.

Joe Moell KØOV

Glendora foxhunt photos

Glendora ARDF on 10/8/05
Photos above by Joe and April Moell

A perfect day, an enthusiastic club and a great new site came together to set a new record for attendance and participation at a southern California radio foxhunting practice/demonstration session.

Glendora Emergency Response Communications (GERC) set up a complete tent station in Gladstone Park. Members worked hard to promote and plan, and this paid off with a large number of first-timers -- so many that a mini-class was necessary to get everyone started.

It was mostly pairs, small groups and families at the starting line. Four of the five beginner transmitters were within the 10 open acres of Gladstone Park. The fifth was a bigger challenge, under the 210 freeway about 1.25 miles away. A majority of the participants found them all.

BEGINNER COURSE RESULTS -- 5 FOXES

     Names/calls               Foxes   Time
     
     Bill Jacobson N6PDG         5   0:50:59
        with Jordon and Justin Jacobson
     
     Rob Foth KE6YGF             5   1:00:30
        with Morgan Foth KG6TPT and Julie Foth KG6TPS
     
     Daniel Welch KG6WAP         5   1:15:30
        with Mike Welch KG6FWH
     
     Eric Rice KG6SIH            5   1:18:24
        with Randy Rice WB6BXP
     
     Matt Hayden KD7YFT          5   1:25:13
        with Andrea Hayden
     
     Rich Koch KG6MXD            5   1:37:27
        with May Cheng KE6QVJ
     
     Jacob Johnston WB6LDS       5   1:39:35
        with Andy Johnston W6LDS and Ben Johnson KG6SJF
     
     Pam Humphreys KG6JVS        5   1:53:25
        with Maria Vangilder KG6REG
     
     Ray Zambrana KF6LLH         5   1:53:50
        with Mark Kaspar
     
     Bob Dengler NO6B            4   0:46:00
        with Emilie Dengler
     
     Roman Kamienski KG6QMZ      4   0:59:18
     
     Jacob Foth                  3   0:25:48
        with Rob Foth KE6YGF and Julie Foth KG6TPS
     
     Jerry Paulson               3   1:43:40
     
     Nancy Aguilar KF6FEN        2   0:52:40
        with Vince Sanchez

The international-rules ARDF course in South Hills Park was 3.5 kilometers with 600 feet of climb by standard measuring methods. But hunters wisely stayed on the trails, so they needed to walk or run at least 6 kilometers to find all five transmitters.

It was good to see some new folks on the advanced course, including two young ones, Eric Rice KG6SIH and Daniel Welch KG6WAP. Each of them found all the beginner foxes with his dad, then returned to the start and set out to find one of the advanced foxes.

ADVANCED COURSE RESULTS -- 5 FOXES

     Names/calls               Foxes   Time
     
     Scot Barth KA6UDZ           5   1:36:52
     
     Scott Moore KF6IKO          5   2:58:28
     
     Bill Smathers KG6HXX        5   3:02:10
     
     Bill Elkerton W6ZM          5   3:09:37
        with Robin KC6LEA, Bryan and Michelle
     
     Marvin Johnston KE6HTS      4   3:00:07
     
     Tom Gaccione WB2LRH         3   1:43:50
        with Vicki Moll
     
     Jim Ford N6JF               2   2:33:16
        with Ken Erickson KG6TES
     
     Eric Rice KG6SIH            1   0:55:53
        with Randy Rice WB6BXP
     
     Daniel Welch KG6WAP         1   1:13:09
        with Mike Welch KG6FWH

The challenging two-meter courses didn't leave much time for hunting the lone 80-meter fox just north of the freeway at the south end of the wilderness. Only Jim Ford and Ken Erickson KG6TES attempted it, testing out Jim's new WB6BYU-design 80m ARDF set. It worked, and they bagged this fox and got back in just under 35 minutes.

Roy Bishop KG6RGD and Frank Bigelow KG6TQV served up a great barbecue picnic lunch for the hungry hunters. Two grills, so no waiting!

Many thanks to Mark Hayden KF6DSA, who envisioned an ARDF event in South Hills Park and worked hard to make it happen. He cleared the way with the City of Glendora and organized the event for GERC. He and his son Matt did research and legwork that made the map possible. His son Don helped put out the advanced foxes. Scot Barth KA6UDZ and Scott Moore KF6IKO helped pick them up afterwards. Medic and Timer April Moell WA6OPS didn't have any injuries to attend to, but she was extra busy with start/finish timing for the many individuals and teams. Thanks to them and everyone else for your help and your enthusiastic participation.

Joe Moell KØOV

Waiting for the hunters at Lake Los Carneros

Lake Los Carneros ARDF on 9/17/05
Report below and photo above by Joe Moell KØOV

A small but enthusiastic group of ARDFers gathered at Lake Los Carneros in Goleta on September 17 to run or walk around the lake and find the five two-meter transmitters hidden by Marvin Johnston KE6HTS. This was an 2.6 kilometer international-rules course, complete with flags at each transmitter. Regardless of age category, each of the participants found all five foxes.

In the photo above, course-setter Marvin Johnston KE6HTS and course-medic April Moell WA6OPS are waiting for the hunters at the end point, with mascot Ardee Fox in between.

HUNT RESULTS

      Name and callsign        Foxes  Time

     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV         5   0:27:57

     Scott Moore KF6IKO          5   0:49:35

     Joe Moell KØOV              5   1:06:06

     Bill Smathers KG6HXX        5   1:45:10

As usual, everyone was invited to feast at Sizzler after the hunt.

Joe Moell KØOV

Huntington Park foxhunt photos

Huntington Central Park ARDF on 8/20/05
Report below and photos above by Joe Moell KØOV

If you're going to have an on-foot transmitter hunt in August, the place to do it is Huntington Central Park. Not only is this site very shady and less than two miles from the ocean, it's a great place to conceal transmitters, with heavy vegetation all over. Coming from San Diego to Santa Barbara, the intrepid foxtailers walked and ran among the wedding parties, dog show attendees, disc golfers and bagpipers filling the park that day.

It was good to see lots of activity on the beginners course. Mel and Lori Parrish, visiting from Las Vegas, brought their son-in-law and grandkids out to try transmitter hunting. Jack Currie, a schoolteacher visiting from Tacoma, Washington, used the day to learn as much as he could about the sport with the intent of teaching it to his schoolkids back home this fall.

TWO METER BEGINNER HUNT RESULTS (5 FOXES)

      Name and callsign        Foxes  Time

     Mel Parrish K6UV            5   1:35:18
         with Lori Parrish N6LKT, Bailey, Jared and Darren Williams

     Tom Gaccione WB2LRH         4   2:16:12

     Jack Currie W7ARK           4   2:21:25

The advanced two-meter course was about 3.5 kilometers long and took hunters to every corner of the park. Six of the nine members of ARDF Team California, just back from the USA and IARU Region 2 Championships, came out and showed their medal-winning skills.

TWO METER ARDF RESULTS (5 FOXES)

      Name and callsign        Foxes  Time

     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV         5   1:01:51

     Scott Moore KF6IKO          5   1:08:50

     Marvin Johnston KE6HTS      5   1:16:52

     Bill Smathers KG6HXX        5   1:43:25

     Bill Elkerton W6ZM          5   1:46:33
         with Robin Elkerton KC6LEA, Bryan Elkerton,
         Richard Sherwood KF6UVE and Sandi Sherwood

     Tony Boegeman WA6ZMZ        5   1:57:42
         with Joe Corones N6SZO

     Jay Thompson W6JAY          3   1:58:10

     Terry Newman AE6JR          3   2:24:51

     David Corsliglia WA6TWF     1   1:27:57

     Richard Thompson WA6NOL     1   1:29:38

The single 80-meter CW hidden transmitter was relatively close by, in hopes that some of the beginners would give it a go. But they were all tuckered out by their two-meter efforts, so this fox was only found by three of the advanced hunters.

EIGHTY METER RESULTS (1 FOX)

     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV       8:42

     Scott Moore KF6IKO       12:55

     Bill Smathers KG6HXX     19:25

Mel Parrish K6UV used his beam, attenuator and receiver to get close to the beginner transmitters. Then he took photos of his granddaughter Bailey as she beat the bushes to find my foxboxes and punch the scorecard. (Being small can be an advantage in those situations!) Two of Mel's photos are below.

Thanks as usual to April Moell for handling the timing and scoring duties. She also provided the great "edible fox" cupcakes. Thanks to Marvin Johnston, Scott Moore and Bill Smathers for helping me pick up the transmitters at the end. And thanks to everyone who pitched in to help the beginners learn the basics of radio direction finding.

Joe Moell KØOV

Bailey Williams finds the foxes

Mt. Pinos Nordic Base

Mt. Pinos ARDF on 7/16/05
Report by Marvin Johnston KE6HTS

Note: This was an advanced two-meter practice session for USA ARDF Championships competitors. There were no beginner transmitters.

I got up to McGill Campground about 6:30 on Friday night and got a Camp site. I spent the next couple of hours setting up the computer, programming the e-punch controls and checking out the transmitters. I paid special attention to #3 since it had failed a couple of times. Fortunately, I found the problem: The power plug was the wrong size and thus had an intermittent connection to the transmitter. Replacing the plug with the correct size (which I just happened to have in the van) took care of that problem. After two checks of two cycles each, I was confident that the transmitters were ready to put out and I set the on delay time to 4 hours 15 minutes.

The next morning, I got up about 6:00 AM and headed for the Nordic Base (in the photo). There, I started all the transmitters, software-locked them, and started to put them out. Transmitter #4 was the farthest out and took me about 45 minutes to hike to its location, set it up, and hike back. It only took about 25 minutes to get #3 deployed, the second furthest hike. After that, I put out #1 and #2 which were located about 20 and 100 meters from the main road leading to the top. Number 5 was the last one and it was about 300 meters from the road and closest to the finish.

I setting the last transmitter about 9:00. I parked the van outside McGill Campground about 10:00 or so, and the rest started coming down about 10:15. Jay called about 10:15 on 145.520 simplex saying that he was about 18 miles away, while the rest of us had stayed at McGill the previous night. The start was at the same place the 2004 80M ARDF Championships started, and the finish was at McGill Campground. Many thanks to Scott for providing a finish line transmitter.

Everyone piled into the van and we got to the top about 11:45. I was listening to the transmitters and it sounded like number 1 was on all the time. So I went over to fix it and found out that something had happened to all the transmitters so that once they started, they didn't shut off until the five minute cycle was over. The result was that we didn't actually get started until 1:00 PM since it took that long for me to hike to the other transmitters, reset the PicCons and restart them.

One thing that helped was Travis Wood AE6GA showing up. He was able to get everyone started around 1:00 PM while I headed back from resetting transmitter #4. Everyone since everyone had to wait about an hour before the transmitters were working. I had left the van up there while I hiked to several of the transmitters, and it had water and a place to keep their equipment until the hunt started.

Everyone opted to run in M21 category and try to find all five transmitters.

HUNT RESULTS (5 FOXES)

      Name and callsign        Foxes  Time

     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV         5   1:27:46

     Bob Cooley KF6VSE           5   2:44:14

     Scott Moore KF6IKO          3   2:34:08

     Bill Smathers KG6HXX        2   3:28:00

Afterwards, WB6RDV went out and picked up transmitters #1 through #4. (Thank you, thank you!) It turned out that I had given Jay both sets of keys, so we had to wait until he got back before I could retrieve #5. At that point, most of us headed to the Sizzler's in Gorman for a well deserved dinner!

Marvin Johnston KE6HTS

Bonelli Park foxhunt photos

Bonelli Park ARDF on 6/11/05 (Photos above)
Report and photos by Joe Moell KØOV

It was another great southern California day for ARDF at Bonelli Park on June 11. Hunters arrived from the border to the bay (well, from Chula Vista to Pleasanton) to participate. One came from Kingman, Arizona. The sun never broke through the clouds, making it perfect for running or walking in the hills.

To everyone's surprise, our usual start/finish location near the bike rentals was fenced off in preparation for a Sunday concert. So we moved about 300 meters northeast up the road and everyone found us.

The two-meter ARDF course was near championship length and a bit tricky due to the irregular lake shore. Everyone persevered, even Terry Newman who arrived late and only had time to find one transmitter.

TWO METER ARDF RESULTS (5 FOXES)

      Name and callsign        Foxes  Time

     Bob Cooley KF6VSE           5   1:40:00

     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV         5   1:48:08

     Scott Moore KF6IKO          5   2:17:21

     Bill Smathers KG6HXX        4   3:01:33

     Bill Elkerton W6ZM          4   4:03:00
        with Robin Elkerton KC6LEA

     Terry Newman AE6JR          1   1:19:34

On the beginners course, the Frerichs brothers (John N6VCW and Don KJ7GS) got a good workout as they found three of the five foxes.

Were bearings on the 80 meter transmitter affected by the HV power line that bisects the park and comes within 100 meters of the start/finish point? Times on this band were higher than normal and some unusual indications were reported on this single fox, which was only 1.1 kilometers away.

EIGHTY METER RESULTS (1 FOX)

     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV      38:55

     Scott Moore KF6IKO       55:27

     Bob Cooley KF6VSE        57:10

As usual, a great discussion and planning session took place at Sizzler immediately after all of the transmitters were picked up.

Joe Moell KØOV

Tri-City Park foxhunt photos

Tri-City Park ARDF on 5/21/05 (Photos above)

It seems that southern California has skipped spring and gone right into summer, putting the temperature at 88 degrees for most of the afternoon in Tri-City Park on May 21. That may have slowed down a few of the transmitter hunters, but it didn't reduce their enthusiasm.

There is no room for a full-sized IARU-rules ARDF course in this 60-acre park/school complex. So the main foxhunt course was much shorter, but it still had standard signal ARDF timing to give everyone an opportunity to learn the basics of multiple-fox bearing-taking and route planning.

TWO METER ARDF RESULTS (5 FOXES)

      Name and callsign        Foxes  Time

     Tom Gaccione WB2LRH         5   1:09:05

     Ron Wolfgang KB7MLK         5   3:25:30
        with Rachel Ichiho

     Dick Palmer WB6JDH          3   2:45:28
        with William Phinizy K6WHP and John Hill

     Jay Thompson W6JAY          4   0:28:04

     Richard Thompson WA6NOL     2   0:33:22

For folks just getting started in RDF, there were two "beginner" foxes close by. They were found by the "Civil Air Patrol" team of Dick Palmer, William Phinizy, and John Hill before they went for the ARDF course. They were also tracked down by Manuel Borges AE6SG.

The 80-meter transmitter was only about 300 yards from the start point, a short sprint for most but good training in getting bearings on that band.

EIGHTY METER RESULTS (1 FOX)

     Marvin Johnston KE6HTS   04:37

     Richard Thompson WA6NOL  06:18

     Jay Thompson W6JAY       07:33

     Tom Gaccione WB2LRH      09:08

     Nancy Aguilar KF6FEN     12:55
       with Linda Krause KE6QFL

This hunt was part of the annual "Antennas In The Park" event of several local ham radio groups including Fullerton Radio Club and Western Amateur Radio Association. The big 6-meter beam they put up was impressive! Also impressive was the annual National Foxhunting Weekend cake provided by April WA6OPS.

Joe Moell KØOV

O-Neill Park ARDF on 5/15/05

This hunt was put on in conjunction with a Los Angeles Orienteering Club classic-O meet with five transmitters set out in an IARU-rules course. There were no 80-meter or beginner two-meter foxes. Unfortunately, transmitter #3 didn’t come on so the course was run with four transmitters. The point-to-point distance was close to 6 Km to get the four transmitters. We again used electronic scoring.

O’Neill is shaped like a V with the east side being relatively flat and the west side very hilly. The hilly portion of the course provided a large number of signal reflections and gave everyone bearing problems (as intended). Only transmitter #1 was located in the flat area and that was found by almost everyone.

RESULTS (4 FOXES)

      Name and callsign        Foxes  Time

     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV         4   2:07:35

     Joe Corones N6SZO           3   3:49:16
        with Joe Loughlin KE6PHB and Tony Boegeman WA6ZMZ

     Bill Elkerton               3   4:37:52
        with Brian and Robin Elkerton

     Dick Dabney W5UFZ           3   4:42:54

     Richard Thompson WA6NOL     2   1:03:10

     Richard Saunders K6RBS      2   1:44:25
        with Ian Saunders

     Travis Wood AE6GA           2   1:54:55

     Jay Thompson W6JAY          1   1:06:03

     Bill Smathers KG6HXX        1   1:38:51

Marvin Johnston KE6HTS

Griffith Park foxhunt photos

Griffith Park ARDF on 4/9/05 (Photos above)

Except for some stiff breezes, it was a perfect day for radio-orienteering at the Travel Town section of Griffith Park on April 9. Marvin's course through the hills was a real challenge and great practice for the upcoming USA Championships in Albuquerque.

Newcomers included musician Raul Mendez KG6YFS and ARRL Southwestern Division Director Dick Norton N6AA. Raul used his new pole-mounted log-periodic antenna and a borrowed attenuator to find all the beginner transmitters. Dick borrowed my Aussie Sniffer4 ARDF receiver and tape measure beam, grabbed his binoculars and set out for an afternoon of birdwatching. While doing that, he found all of the advanced-course foxes!

Jay Hennigan WB6RDV tested out his new FRWD Sport Performance Recorder (www.frwd.com) on the advanced course. Afterward, he downloaded to his laptop and retraced his route, finding his maximum heart rate (170), distance traveled (10 km) and calories burned (1260).

ADVANCED TWO METER RESULTS (5 FOXES)

      Name and callsign        Foxes  Time
     Bob Cooley KF6VSE           5   1:01:45
     Jay Thompson W6JAY          5   1:10:20
     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV         5   1:48:35
     Dick Norton N6AA            5   2:33:25
     Scott Moore KF6IKO          4   2:20:59
     Bill Smathers KG6HXX        4   3:01:07
     Scot Barth KA6UDZ           3   2:25:14
     Richard Thompson WA6NOL     1   1:41:53
     Danny White W6DDW & family  1   1:47:04

Art Tanaka's son had fun finding the beginner transmitters and learning about orienteering maps for an upcoming Scout project.

BEGINNER TWO METER RESULTS (5 FOXES)

     Raul Mendez KG6YFS          5   2:30:47
     Art Tanaka WA6TKO and Nick  2   1:41:53

The 80-meter transmitter was 1.2 km away by straight-line and considerably more by trail through the hills. The signal was very weak, but four hunters were able to track it down, as follows:

EIGHTY METER RESULTS (1 FOX)

     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV    0:27:28
     Scott Moore KF6IKO     0:57:40
     Bill Smathers KG6HXX   1:10:11
     Bob Cooley KF6VSE      1:25:20

Thanks again to Marvin Johnston KE6HTS for a challenging course and to April Moell WA6OPS for bandaging up some minor wounds and providing a cold pack to a well-heated runner.

Afterwards, a bigger-than-average group headed to the nearest Sizzler for much-needed carbs and protein. Everyone is welcome at these after-hunt sessions, so be sure to inquire at the site if you're interested. Just be prepared to wait a while until all the foxboxes are recovered.

Joe Moell KØOV

Schabarum Park foxhunt photos

Schabarum Park ARDF on 3/12/05 (Photos above and report below by KØOV)

If the weather at Schabarum Park was as bad as it can get for our January ARDF session, it was as good as one could hope for this time. The light drizzle ended before the first hunter started. The overcast and low-60's temperatures made for perfect running and hiking conditions. From Goleta to San Diego, individuals and families arrived and took to the courses with determination.

The point-to-point course distance for Marvin Johnston's five advanced transmitters was 4.8 kilometers. Careful route planning helped the experts minimize the climb in this park where the trail altitude ranges from 590 to 1310 feet above sea level.

TWO METER RESULTS (5 FOXES)

   Name and callsign     Foxes  Time

  Dean Dods KD6I           5   1:46:08

  Jay Hennigan WB6RDV      5   2:06:18

  Scott Moore KF6IKO       5   2:37:08

  Bill Smathers KG6HXX     5   3:24:51

  Jay Thompson W6JAY       3   1:27:56

  Bill Elkerton W6ZM       3   3:25:28
     with Robin Elkerton KC6LEA, Bryan Elkerton and Michelle Epperson

  Richard Thompson WA6NOL  2   1:09:46

  Danny White W6DDW        2   2:50:20
     with Phyllis White KG6IXF, Karen White and Evan White

John Frerichs N6VCW used the beginner course to compare two different kinds of RDF equipment as he found two transmitters.

The 80-meter transmitter was only 350 meters away from the start, but it required a 140-foot climb. Two hunters weren't too tired after the two-meter hunt to try it.

EIGHTY METER RESULTS (1 FOX)

  Jay Thompson W6JAY       1     10:34

  Jay Hennigan WB6RDV      1     17:09

Besides setting an excellent expert 2m course, Marvin Johnston KE6HTS expanded the mapped area of Schabarum Park to include more challenging territory. Thanks to Marvin and to April WA6OPS for timing and first-aid assistance. The E-punch system worked great, too.

Joe Moell KØOV

Bonelli Park foxhunt photos

Bonelli Park ARDF on 2/13/05 (Photos above and report below by KØOV)

Cloudy skies made for good running and walking conditions at Bonelli Regional Park on February 13. Los Angeles Orienteering Club's combined Valentine Score-O and ARDF event provided a glimpse of the fun of radio-O to many Scouts and classic orienteers. Many asked about it and some tried it for themselves.

Direction finding on the advanced two-meter course seemed more difficult than usual, except perhaps to WB6RDV. There were hills between some foxboxes and the start point, causing interesting VHF signal reflections.

TWO METER RESULTS (5 FOXES)

      Name and callsign     Foxes  Time
     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV      5   1:02:20
     Scott Moore KF6IKO       5   2:02:19
     Bill Smathers KG6HXX     5   3:41:40
     Jay Thompson W6JAY       4   2:11:53
     Richard Thompson WA6NOL  3   1:31:36
     Ron Hudson KF6GKU        2   1:09:08
     Rich Hoesly              1   1:36:35

The 80-meter transmitter was trickier than usual, too. One experienced hunter tried two different RDF sets and didn't find it. Was it because of the high-voltage power lines that bisected the park? The 80m transmitter was about 200 meters away from them. Only two hunters found it, as follows:

EIGHTY METER RESULTS (1 FOX)

     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV      1     28:40
     Scott Moore KF6IKO       1     39:20

Don Ward brought Carissa Mace with him for his second try at the beginner foxes at Bonelli. They tracked down three of them.

Did anyone else see the coyotes? A half-dozen of them crossed my path as I went to hide one of the beginner transmitters near the park entrance.

Thanks to Marvin Johnston KE6HTS for setting the advanced two-meter course and heading up the e-punch team. April Moell WA6OPS handled the synchronized starting, public relations and medical duties with her usual efficiency.

Joe Moell KØOV

Schabarum Park foxhunt photos

Schabarum Park ARDF on 1/8/05 (Photos above and report below by KØOV)

Our ARDF events at Schabarum Park in the past have always been during the hot months, bringing on some sunburns and other heat-related discomforts. That certainly wasn't the case on January 8. It wasn't cold enough for a coat, but there was no way to keep from getting soaking wet. Most marathoners like to stay cool this way, but this apparently isn't true of ham operators. Turnout was as dismal as the weather, but the small group attending had a great time. The biggest problem was muddy trails, which resulted in some slips, muddy pants, and a broken antenna.

Marvin Johnston set a challenging course of about 5 kilometers in length. He also updated and expanded the orienteering map, adding some new territory in the Powder Canyon Wilderness. Marvin and Rich Hoesly set up a computer for e-punch scoring and managed to keep it dry under the LA Orienteering Club's tent.

TWO METER RESULTS (5 FOXES)

      Name and callsign  Foxes  Time
     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV   5   1:14:14
     Dmitri Gropen         5   2:08:58
     Rich Hoesly           3   2:07:19

EIGHTY METER RESULTS (1 FOX)

     Dmitri Gropen         1      9:46
     Jay Hennigan WB6RDV   1     10:12

Here's hoping that future sessions will have much better weather!

Joe Moell KØOV

THRDFS cover Go to Southern California ARDF -- Current radio-orienteering news and results

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 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 9 May 2009