Radio-Orienteering Events in 2018

(In reverse order by date)

Bonelli Park ARDF
Bonelli Park ARDF on 11/24/2018
Photos above and report below by Joe Moell KØOV.

What a cool and pleasant day it was for ARDF at Bonelli Park!  The temperature stayed in the 60s and the breeze was mild.  Some of the newer foxhunters found my three beginner transmitters as a warm-up to the full-size ARDF course that was set by Bill Wright WB6CMD.  This was a longer and more difficult ARDF course than normal for this park, so the times were considerably longer than usual.  Results are below, also SportIdent splits.

     TWO-METER COURSE RESULTS -- 5 FOXES
      Name and call           Time     Foxes

     Scott Moore KF6IKO      1:58:27      5

     Bob Cooley KF6VSE       2:00:34      5

     Brad Wayers             2:38:19      4

     Steve Herbert K6CRW     2:11:58      3

     David Guder AI6OU       1:16:06      2

     Tom Gaccione WB2LRH     2:09:28      2

     Erik Wresch W6INE       2:44:52      2

My 80-meter transmitter was 1.1 km to the northwest.  Here are the 80-meter results:

     EIGHTY-METER TRANSMITTER RESULTS
      Name and call           Time  

     Bill Wright WB6CMD      0:23:12

     Scot Moore KF6IKO       0:37:45     

     Robert Canillas AD6XJ   1:37:20
        with Jenna Canillas WWØMAN

Thanks to Bill Wright WB6CMD for setting a challenging course, to Marvin Johnston KE6HTS for running the e-punch setup, to Scott Moore KF6IKO for help with fox pickup and to April Moell WA6OPS for standing by with First Aid.  And thanks to everyone who came out for making it a day of fun.

Joe Moell KØOV

Lake Los Carneros
Lake Los Carneros ARDF on 10/27/2018

Here are the results of the two-meter ARDF course, which was set by Marvin Johnston KE6HTS.  Course length was approximately two kilometers.

     TWO-METER COURSE RESULTS -- 5 FOXES
      Name and call           Time     Foxes

     Bill Wright WB6CMD     0:42:22      5

     Scott Moore KF6IKO     0:48:20      5

     Bill Smathers KG6HXX   1:01:09      5

     Dean Dods KD6K         1:09:30      5
        with Allison and J. R.

     Tom Gaccione WB2LRH    1:23:20      5

     Haydn Brooke KK6OYV    1:25:45      5

     Steve Morse KI6HGH     Not timed    5

     Darryl Widman KF6DI    Not timed    4

Mt. Pinos ARDF photos
Mt. Pinos ARDF on the weekend of 8/10-12/2018
Photos above by Joe Moell KØOV and Tom Gaccione WB2LRH
Report below by Joe Moell KØOV.

It's a tradition to have a training weekend at Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest in California in the weeks leading up to the ARDF World Championships.  This gives ARDF Team USA members an opportunity for additional experience in direction finding and map orienteering skills.  It's not limited to team members, so anyone who can safely navigate in the woods is welcome.  Organizer and host, as usual, was Marvin Johnston KE6HTS, who promised the traditional Santa Barbara style tri-tip barbecue for everyone on Saturday evening.

This year's camp was the best attended ever, with a couple of new wrinkles.  The weekend we picked was peak viewing time for the Perseids meteor shower.  Also, this part of the forest is now the home of numerous brown bears.

The weekend began with a foxoring competition on Friday afternoon, set by Marvin.  It started and ended at his campsite at McGill Campground.  One of the five transmitters was not properly placed near its map circle, so nobody found it.  Here are the results:

     FOXORING COURSE RESULTS -- 5 FOXES
      Name and call           Time     Foxes

     Joe Burkhead            0:40:06      4

     Jay Hann                0:43:20      4

     Bill Wright WB6CMD      0:46:43      4

     Scott Moore KF6IKO      0:49:33      4

     Tom Gaccione WB2LRH     0:54:16      4

     Bill Smathers KG6HXX    1:24:35      4

     Scot Barth KA6UDZ       1:18:40      2

Afterward, some of the participants went to a Mexican Restaurant in Lebec, while others stayed at camp.  They should have kept better watch on their food, because at about 11 PM, a mother bear and her cubs came through, looking for a late supper.  These bruin marauders grabbed one of the marinating tri-tips before Marvin and others were able to scare them off.

At 9:50 AM on Saturday, the first participant set out on the two-meter classic course that was set by Scott Moore KF6IKO.  Scott didn't think his course was overly difficult, but some competitors disagreed.  Results are below, with links to individual statistics in FjwW.

     TWO-METER COURSE RESULTS -- 5 FOXES
      Name and call           Time     Foxes

     Eduard Nasybulin        1:47:08      5

     Joe Burkhead            2:29:31      5

     Bill Wright WB6CMD      2:36:02      4

     Scot Barth KA6UDZ       3:14:56      4

     Tom Gaccione WB2LRH     2:13:09      3

     Bill Smathers KG6HXX    2:09:03      2

     Jay Hann                3:23:37      2

     Michael Hart KC6MEH     2:53:14      0

Next, on Saturday afternoon, was a sprint course set by Bob Cooley KF6VSE.  By that time, the Nordic Center lot at the top of the road was overflowing with the cars, trucks and RVs of meteor enthusiasts, which made it difficult to find parking near the sprint start/end point.

     SPRINT COURSE RESULTS -- 10 FOXES
      Name and call           Time     Foxes

     Eduard Nasybulin        0:31:40     10

     Joe Burkhead            0:33:18     10

     Bill Wright WB6CMD      0:39:13     10

     Jay Hann                0:41:40      7

     Michael Hart KC6MEH     1:00:55      5

Because of the severe fire danger, campfires were prohibited anywhere in the forest, including the campgrounds.  Fortunately, Marvin's friend Les Benson W6CGE offered the use of his cabin at Pine Mountain Club.  It was great to be able to avoid flying bugs by eating inside, and Les was the perfect host.  He and Barbara Johnson KE6OTF prepared the fixings while Marvin barbecued the remaining tri-tips.  Everyone agreed that it was great.

After a night of meteor viewing with no more bear problems, it was Sunday morning and time for the 80-meter classic course, set by Bill Wright WB6CMD.  As on two meters, it started near the crowded Nordic Center and ended at McGill.  Here are the results:  (FjwW details)

     80-METER COURSE RESULTS -- 5 FOXES
      Name and call           Time     Foxes

     Eduard Nasybulin        1:13:17      5

     Scott Moore KF6IKO      1:45:53      5

     Bob Cooley KF6VSE       1:56:28      5

     Jay Hann                2:16:24      4

     Bill Smathers KG6HXX    2:24:24      4

     Tom Gaccione WB2LRH     2:16:22      3

     Scot Barth KA6UDZ       2:57:34      3

Thanks to everyone who came out and made it a great weekend!

Joe Moell KØOV

Vacation Isle ARDF photos
Mission Bay Park ARDF on 5/12/2018
Photos above by Joe Corones N6SZO and Joe Moell KØOV.
Report below by Joe Loughlin KE6PHB, Joe Corones N6SZO and Robert Dexter N9SCD.

This year, the San Diego T-hunt group's contribution to the CQ World Wide Foxhunting Weekend (and BBQ) resulted in an attendance of 28 participants.  Five were from north of San Diego county (as far as Santa Barbara) and 23 were locals.  We were honored to have Joe Moell KØOV (co-author of the Transmitter Hunting book), Marvin Johnston KE6HTS (internationally known ARDF course-setter and antenna clinic guru) and Jerry Gastil K6DYD (long-time part-time local T-Hunter) join us as observers.

When the day started about 7:30, it was cold and misty.  Robert held down the fort while Joe and Joe headed out to plant the transmitters, using a ladder for three out of the five.  We figured if it was high enough, it could not be tampered with.  T-3 was secured on a conex box close to the boat ramp.  T-1 was secured in a palm tree close to the north end of the island.  T-5 was secured on a sign on the NW end of the island.  T-2 was by the entrance to Vacation Isle and was later discovered to have a bee hive within a few feet of the punch.  Finally, T-4 was secured on the very west end of the island in some bushes.  We encountered some brief showers, which apparently caused us to get the T-2 punch at the T-4 transmitter and T-4 punch at T-2.  Sorry about the confusion!  Here are the results:

     TWO-METER COURSE RESULTS -- 5 FOXES
      Name and call           Time     Foxes

     Bill Wright WB6CMD       0:39       5

     Dick Foran WB6ZAM        0:45       5
        with Mark Ording K6MHO

     Scot Barth KA6UDZ        0:50       5

     Greg Spaulding W6BAF     0:51       5
        with Karen Spaulding KI6FON and Makenzie Spaulding

     Tom Franks N2TEN         0:55       5
        with David

     Bill Elkerton W6ZM       0:59       5
        with Robin Elkerton KM6OUL

     Daniel KM6MXP (?)        1:33       5
        with Aaron

     Cliff Steagall N5BXE     1:35       5
        with Claudia

     Steve Herbert K6CRW      2:08       5

     Marvin Johnston KE6HTS   2:25       5

     Bryan Kukuk KG6SMT       1:37       3

The first hunter started at 10:15 and the last hunter finished at 2:23.  The BBQ was well under way with clearing skies.  Ideas were exchanged, plans were made, stories were told and we think everyone had a good time.  By 4:30, the weather was perfect, although we could not enjoy it due to packing things up, picking up the hidden T's and heading home.  We are looking forward to next year's hunt.

Joe Loughlin KE6PHB, Joe Corones N6SZO and Robert Dexter N9SCD

Hillcrest Park ARDF photos
Hillcrest Park ARDF on 5/5/2018
Photos above and report below by Joe Moell KØOV.

There was no May-gray to keep things cool at Fullerton Radio Club's annual Antennas In The Park session.  The temperature in Fullerton topped out at 94 degrees as members and friends gathered in Hillcrest Park for ARDF, food and radio fun.  It was pleasant inside the Izaak Walton cabin, where several newcomers built tape-measure yagis.  Just outside were three easy two-meter transmitters for training and antenna testing.

The five-fox ARDF course had an extra challenge because one of the transmitters went berserk and began randomly QRMing some of the others.  Nevertheless, three of the teams solved the problem by taking careful yagi bearings to distinguish between two simultaneous transmitters.  It was a quick sprint through the 40 acres for Bill Wright WB6CMD, who found all five in less than 43 minutes.  Here are the complete ARDF course results:

     TWO-METER COURSE RESULTS -- 5 FOXES
      Name and call           Time     Foxes

     Bill Wright WB6CMD      0:41:38      5

     Michael Hart KC6MEH     1:17:00      5
        with Mary Ann Hart KM6NCA and Michael Wertenberger

     Allison Lindauer KG6AAT 1:39:27      5
        with J. R. Lindauer and Dean Dods KD6I

     Scot Barth KA6UDZ       1:26:00      4

     Jordan Heichman WC6J    3:16:35      4

     John Frerichs N6VCW     0:56:00      1
        with Don Frerichs KJ7GS

I was hoping that all newcomers would try to find my 80-meter transmitter, so I put it just 350 feet away.  However, most folks were too tired after completing the two-meter course.  (And they wanted to eat, too!)  Here are the 80-meter results, which was another sprint for most:

     EIGHTY-METER TRANSMITTER RESULTS
      Name and call           Time  

     Bill Wright WB6CMD       3:03

     Scot Barth KA6UDZ        5:00     

     Robert Canillas AD6XJ    8:00
        with Jenna Canillas KBØZDR

Parking was more difficult than usual this year because Fullerton city VIP's picked this day for ribbon-cutting of the refurbished fountain in the newly-landscaped Great Lawn portion of the park.  They arranged for additional public parking a quarter-mile away across the street, but they had many spaces within the park roped off to provide close parking for themselves.

Thanks to everyone who made it a great day, including Gene Thorpe KB6CMO for arranging for the cabin, Bob Houghton AD6QF for procuring the food, Albert Solomon AG6OF for barbecuing and April Moell WA6OPS for bringing and cutting the traditional Foxhunting Weekend cake.  Thanks to Marvin Johnston KE6HTS for providing the antenna building session and Tom Gaccione WB2LRH for helping to train new hunters.

Joe Moell KØOV

Los Carneros ARDF photos
Lake Los Carneros ARDF on 4/7/2018
Photos above and report below by Joe Moell KØOV.

It was a fine day for ARDF at Lake Los Carneros on April 7.  OK, so it rained, but only a sprinkling and it kept the temperature nice and cool.  A few of the participants warmed up by finding the three practice transmitters near our starting point in the parking lot.  That included newcomer Jay Hann, who came along with Bob Cooley.  Bob gave him some quick training and he was off to find those transmitters and then to take on the two-meter ARDF course.

Here are the results of the two-meter ARDF course, which was set by Marvin Johnston KE6HTS:

     TWO-METER COURSE RESULTS -- 5 FOXES
      Name and call           Time     Foxes

     Bob Cooley KF6VSE      0:26:37      5

     Eduard Nasybulin       0:36:50      5

     Scott Moore KF6IKO     0:59:54      5

     Jay Hann               1:37:46      5

     Tom Gaccione WB2LRH    1:43:15      5

     Steve Morse KI6HGH     2:07:30      5

     Bill Smathers KG6HXX   1:46:20      3

My 80-meter transmitter was only 750 meters away, but it was an opportunity for attendees to test the new 80m ARDF receivers by KB1RLI and RigExpert:

     EIGHTY-METER TRANSMITTER RESULTS
      Name and call           Time  

     Eduard Nasybulin        13:36

     Bill Smathers KG6HXX    19:12     

     Scott Moore KF6IKO      45:11

Thanks to everyone who helped make it a great day!

Joe Moell KØOV

Santa Fe Dam ARDF photos
Santa Fe Dam ARDF on 1/28/2018
Photos above and report below by Joe Moell KØOV.

With clear blue skies and temperatures topping 80 degrees, the weather was great for our first ARDF session of the new year.  This on-foot transmitter hunting session was combined with a classic orienteering session of the Los Angeles Orienteering Club.  Marvin Johnston KE6HTS and Bill Wright WB6CMD got a workout beginning on Saturday, setting the two-meter ARDF course plus all of the LAOC classic-O courses.

My five two-meter practice transmitters were found by several participants, untimed, as they prepared for the main ARDF course.  Here are the main course results:

     TWO-METER CLASSIC COURSE RESULTS -- 5 FOXES
      Name and call          Foxes  Time

     Bill Wright WB6CMD        5    49:37
      154(1)   151(1)   155(1)   153(1)   152(1)        F
        4:34    11:30    29:30    39:09    42:40    49:37
        4:34     6:56    18:00     9:39     3:31     6:57

     Bob Cooley KF6VSE         5    55:26
      151(1)   153(1)   152(1)   155(1)   154(1)        F
       15:00    33:04    41:55    46:47    53:28    55:26
       15:00    18:04     8:51     4:52     6:41     1:58

     Rob Brigham W6ZH          5  1:04:51
      154(1)   151(1)   155(1)   152(1)   153(1)        F
        9:14    21:14    39:35    47:28    54:52  1:04:51
        9:14    12:00    18:21     7:53     7:24     9:59

     David Smith W6DPS         5  1:29:23  
      155(1)   152(1)   153(1)   151(1)   154(1)        F
       11:17    22:25    35:31  1:16:52  1:27:02  1:29:23
       11:17    11:08    13:06    41:21    10:10     2:21

     Scott Moore KF6IKO        5  1:32:08  
      151(1)   154(1)   152(1)   155(1)   153(1)        F
       11:21    50:37  1:01:51  1:07:14  1:18:58  1:32:08
       11:21    39:16    11:14     5:23    11:44    13:10

     Rick Stutsman N6IET       5  1:53:14  
      154(1)   151(1)   155(1)   153(1)   152(1)        F
       28:19    39:37  1:05:51  1:27:06  1:33:55  1:53:14
       28:19    11:18    26:14    21:15     6:49    19:19

     Steve Herbert K6CRW       2  1:18:13 
        with Bill Moldt KM6LQD 
      154(1)   151(1)        F
       13:12    33:17  1:18:13
       13:12    20:05    44:56

My 80-meter transmitter was about 600 meters northwest of the gathering area.  Here are the 80m results:

     EIGHTY-METER TRANSMITTER RESULTS
      Name and call           Time  

     Bill Wright WB6CMD      12:25     

     Scott Moore KF6IKO      15:04

     Robert Haggard AD6XJ    25:10
        with Jenna Canillas KBØZDR

Newcomer Bill Moldt KM6LQD brought his Arrow VHF-UHF antennas to try RDF with them.  After that, he worked a few Oscar satellite passes from the park.

Thanks to everyone who came out!

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 24 May 2021