Region 3 Championships in Thailand cancelled! Details below
For the first time, USA's national ARDF championships have taken place in a northeastern state. They were combined with the biennial championships of International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 (North and South America). Radio-orienteers of all skill levels and from nine countries gathered for two days of intense competition, first on two meters and then on 80 meters. The events were open to any fan of on-foot hidden transmitter hunting, with or without a ham license.
Site of these direction-finding contests was the Blue Hills Reservation, a 7000-acre open space about ten miles south of downtown Boston. To keep participant costs to a minimum, the ARDF championships were combined with a local meet of the New England Orienteering Club and used NEOC's excellent maps of the site. The concurrent ARDF and classic orienteering competitions had separate distinctive flags and scoring systems. Electronic scoring for the ARDF events was provided by Marvin Johnston KE6HTS and the Los Angeles Orienteering Club.
Organizing and hosting the 2009 championships was Vadim Afonkin KB1RLI (pictured at right), one of USA's most accomplished radio-orienteers. As a youth, he learned ARDF and won awards for it in his native Russia. After coming to America, he first participated in USA's national championships in 2003, where he won silver and bronze medals in the five-fox M21 category. He has competed in M21 at every USA championships since then and has had the best five-fox time of all stateside participants every time. As a member of ARDF Team USA, he has been to the 2004, 2006 and 2008 World Championships. Last year, he finished in fifth place among competitors from 18 nations in the M40 category on 80 meters.
To encourage first-timers and foreign visitors, the competition fees were waived for persons who had never participated in the USA ARDF Championships, and also for persons coming from outside North America.
Each event had a time limit of three hours. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to first, second and third place in each age/gender category.
PLACE BIB NAME AND CALLSIGN TXs TIME COUNTRY
M19 Males ages 19 and under 4 Transmitters
1 122 Addison Bosley 1 1:12:44 USA
M21 Males ages 20 through 39 5 Transmitters
1 134 Nikolay Ivanchihin UR8UA 5 1:25:20 Ukraine
2 117 Matthias Kuehlewein DL3SDO 5 1:53:14 Germany
3 139 Igor Kekin 5 1:59:52 Russia
4 124 Jay Thompson W6JAY 5 2:04:28 USA
5 135 Ian Smith 5 2:05:15 USA
6 126 Kentaro Kurogi 5 2:26:35 Japan
7 103 Kenneth Harker WM5R 4 2:33:07 USA
8 109 Brendan Shields 4 2:44:49 USA
9 127 Masahiko Mimura 4 2:52:49 Japan
10 137 Harald Dettling DC1GB 3 2:53:24 Germany
11 110 Ross Smith 2 2:54:29 USA
M40 Males ages 40 through 49 4 Transmitters
1 141 David Williams M3WDD 4 1:29:58 UK
2 132 Matthew Robbins AA9YH 4 2:31:12 USA
3 133 Csaba Tiszttarto 4 2:33:30 USA
4 112 Leszek Lechowicz NI1L 4 2:44:02 USA
5 118 Brian DeYoung K4BRI 4 2:57:03 USA
6 113 Mark Diggins VK3MD 3 2:30:19 Australia
7 119 Valeri Georgiev 1 1:05:15 Canada
M50 Males ages 50 through 59 4 Transmitters
1 107 Nick Roethe DF1FO 4 1:57:34 Germany
2 129 Dale Hunt WB6BYU 3 1:59:14 USA
3 125 Jerry Boyd WB8WFK 3 2:24:28 USA
4 145 Greg Burakovskiy 3 2:37:40
5 121 Jay Hennigan WB6RDV 3 2:46:18 USA
6 130 Scott Moore KF6IKO 2 2:26:57 USA
7 116 Robert Evans N1BE 2 2:32:26 USA
8 101 Bill Smathers KG6HXX 2 2:34:56 USA
9 131 Guy Olsen 2 2:52:56 USA
10 128 Bill Noyce AB1AV 3 3:02:17 USA (Overtime)
11 143 Steve Stutman KL7JT 1 4:13:28 USA (Overtime)
M60 Males ages 60 and up 3 Transmitters
1 123 Dick Arnett WB4SUV 3 1:36:08 USA
2 120 PA Nordwaeger SMØBGU 3 1:37:12 Sweden
3 102 Robert Cooley KF6VSE 3 1:42:52 USA
4 106 Robert Frey WA6EZV 3 1:59:51 USA
W21 Females ages 20 through 34 4 Transmitters
1 111 Lori Huberman 3 2:49:49 USA
2 136 Susanne Walz DG4SFF 2 2:49:06 Germany
W35 Females ages 35 through 49 4 Transmitters
1 104 Jennifer Harker W5JEN 2 2:18:16 USA
2 108 Brigitte Roethe 2 2:54:08 Germany
W50 Females ages 50 and up 3 Transmitters
1 142 Ruth Bromer WB4QZG 3 2:14:25 USA
PLACE BIB NAME AND CALLSIGN TXs TIME COUNTRY
M19 Males ages 19 and under 4 Transmitters
1 122 Addison Bosley 1 1:35:50 USA
M21 Males ages 20 through 39 5 Transmitters
1 134 Nikolay Ivanchihin UR8UA 5 1:14:56 Ukraine
2 139 Igor Kekin 5 1:31:04 Russia
3 109 Brendan Shields 5 1:35:40 USA
4 135 Ian Smith 5 2:10:42 USA
5 117 Matthias Kuehlewein DL3SDO 5 2:17:27 Germany
6 110 Ross Smith 5 2:28:59 USA
7 124 Jay Thompson W6JAY 5 2:30:50 USA
8 127 Masahiko Mimura 4 2:55:27 Japan
9 137 Harald Dettling DC1GB 2 2:43:10 Germany
10 103 Kenneth Harker WM5R 2 2:48:49 USA
11 126 Kentaro Kurogi 1 2:44:02 Japan
M40 Males ages 40 through 49 4 Transmitters
1 141 David Williams M3WDD 4 1:20:59 UK
2 112 Leszek Lechowicz NI1L 4 2:16:50 USA
3 113 Mark Diggins VK3MD 4 2:20:29 Australia
4 132 Matthew Robbins AA9YH 4 2:58:05 USA
5 133 Csaba Tiszttarto 2 2:24:15 USA
6 118 Brian DeYoung K4BRI 0 0:46:07 USA (Equipment damaged)
M50 Males ages 50 through 59 4 Transmitters
1 107 Nick Roethe DF1FO 4 2:15:27 Germany
2 121 Jay Hennigan WB6RDV 4 2:20:43 USA
3 129 Dale Hunt WB6BYU 4 2:45:01 USA
4 131 Guy Olsen 4 2:58:30 USA
5 125 Jerry Boyd WB8WFK 3 2:25:24 USA
6 128 Bill Noyce AB1AV 3 2:48:13 USA
7 130 Scott Moore KF6IKO 2 2:09:52 USA
8 116 Robert Evans N1BE 2 2:15:50 USA
9 145 Greg Burakovskiy 2 2:49:13
10 101 Bill Smathers KG6HXX 2 3:15:45 USA (Overtime)
11 143 Steve Stutman KL7JT 0 3:42:28 USA (Overtime)
M60 Males ages 60 and up 3 Transmitters
1 102 Robert Cooley KF6VSE 3 1:35:45 USA
2 120 PA Nordwaeger SMØBGU 3 1:38:26 Sweden
3 106 Robert Frey WA6EZV 3 1:46:03 USA
4 123 Dick Arnett WB4SUV 3 1:56:32 USA
W21 Females ages 20 through 34 4 Transmitters
1 111 Lori Huberman 4 2:41:42 USA
2 136 Susanne Walz DG4SFF 3 3:29:14 Germany
W35 Females ages 35 through 49 4 Transmitters
1 108 Brigitte Roethe 4 2:33:43 Germany
2 104 Jennifer Harker W5JEN 2 2:50:14 USA
W50 Females ages 50 and up 3 Transmitters
1 142 Ruth Bromer WB4QZG 3 2:54:13 USA
If your callsign is not listed or is listed incorrectly, please send e-mail to k0ov@homingin.com and I will correct these results.
Click for two pages of photos in this Homing In site. The second page was posted on July 1 and still more pictures will be posted soon. Additional details and photos are in my ARDF Update feature "Foxhunting Fun in the Blue Hills of Boston" on the ARRL Web site. Also watch for upcoming articles about these competitions in CQ-VHF Magazine and other ham radio publications.
Joe Moell KØOV
USA ARDF Coordinator
The Eighth IARU Region 3 ARDF Championships, originally scheduled for October 29 through November 3, 2009 near Bangkok, Thailand, have been cancelled. This announcement was made on June 26 by Yoshio Arisaka JA1HQG, chair of the IARU Region 3 ARDF Committee. In his announcement, he added that there was insufficient time to make arrangements to hold the championships in another country of the Asia Pacific Region (IARU Region 3) this year.
In a letter to the committee on June 23, Chaiyong Wongwuticomjon HS1QVD wrote, "It would be prudent to cancel the championships ... in light of anticipated political problems that might arise then, with the safety and convenience of the participants foremost in mind." HS1QVD is President of the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand.
In an e-mail on June 29, Thida HS1ASC, the event organizer contact, wrote, "Our hearts are breaking with this news." Plans had been proceeding smoothly and the event rules had already been completed.
Two radio-orienteers from USA were planning to attend these championships.
Joe Moell KØOV
USA ARDF Coordinator
IARU Region 1 Youth Championships, June 30 - July 3, 2009 in Czech Republic.
IARU Region 1 ARDF Championships, September 16 - 21, 2009 in Ozbor, Bulgaria on the Black Sea coast. This is immediately after the 8th World High Speed Telegraphy Championship at the same location.
15th ARDF World Championships, September 14 - 19, 2010 in the islands near Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Team USA Participates in 2008 ARDF World Championships
Hwaseong, Korea, September 2 - 7, 2008
This report has been updated and moved to a separate page.
The Eighth USA ARDF Championships
Bastrop, Texas, May 8 - 10, 2008
This report has been updated and moved to a separate page.
Local ARDF sessions for training and practice are sometimes held in the areas listed below. If you are close to any of them, get involved! If you're 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 2009, plus news of upcoming soCal events.
All 2008 -- Southern California practice/demonstration events of 2008, including Hillcrest Park, Schabarum Regional Park, Tri-City Park, Heartwell Park, Fairway Village, Mt. Pinos (2), Irvine Park, Lake Los Carneros (2), Topanga State Park, Huntington Central Park, Balboa Park and Bonelli Regional Park.
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
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This page updated 1 July 2009