SBARC ARDF Hunt by Marvin Johnston, KE6HTS
The day turned out to be perfect with the sun out but not too hot. Besides being a part of the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club 2000 Hamfest and Communications Fair that to be held the following day, this 2M hunt would also be a practice event for Team USA.
Starting about 8:30AM, I began to put out the transmitters with the identifying control flags and punches. The course itself was about a mile and three quarters with each transmitter at least 200 yards from each other. Each transmitter was setup to cycle for one minute on and four minutes off in round robin style.
At 9:30 the training session began with Julia Vollmer attending. It was really nice to see Julia show up as she had previously done Orienteering events, but this was her first ARDF event.
Joe (K0OV) and April (WA6OPS) Moell arrived shortly after Joe had set up an 80M transmitter out on the course. Joe is the ARRL and IARU Region 2 ARDF Coordinator, and has been promoting this type of hunting in the US for quite a few years. April also brought along Artie, the "official" foxhunting mascot. Also attending were Bob (KF6VSE) Cooley, Richard (WA6NOL) Thompson, and Jay (W6JAY) Thompson, all members of TEAM USA who will be going to the World ARDF Championships later this year over in China.
Becky, a NewsPress reporter, arrived to do a story on this new (to the US) sport. She had quite a few people describing it, and my hope was that she would not be confused by all the new information (she wasnt) being tossed in her direction. April talked her into going out onto the course with Jay where she was able to experience first hand the fun of ARDF. It was a pleasure meeting her and thanks to the NewsPress for sending her out to do the story.
About 10:25, I turned on the transmitters and Murphy decided to put in an appearance with three of the five transmitters not starting. With a quick change of plans, I headed out to check on these mischievous transmitters. The first did not hear the start signal, the second had the switch turned off, and the third had one of the antenna connections come loose. With that all taken care of, Joe and April started the hunt about 11:00AM. The Advanced class competitors started on two minute intervals while the Beginners class had a mass start.
With everyone out on the course, the start crew headed over the finish area where the BBQ would take place. Rick (KE6DKF) Barrett arrived first with an advanced class winning time of 44 minutes! Other competitors started arriving about 30 minutes later. Several people took advantage of some 80M equipment and headed out to find the 80M transmitter. The final results of that hunt were:
Advanced Class Place Competitor Time Transmitters Found Team 1) Rick Barrett, KE6DKF 0:43:27 5 2) Brian Peddicord, KF6DZN 1:09:55 5 3) Bob Cooley, KF6VSE 1:31:20 5 Team USA 4) Jay Thompson, W6JAY 1:29:44 4 Team USA
Beginners Class Place Competitor Time Transmitters Found Team 1) Scott Moore, KF6IKO 1:52:55 5 2) Richard Thompson, WA6NOL 1:08:52 3 3) Julia Vollmer 1:59:12 1 4) Mike Peddicord 2:21:20 5 Over Time
After coming in from the 2M hunt, several people went after the 80M transmitter hidden a little over a half mile away. The results were:
Place Competitor Time Team 1) Marvin Johnston, KE6HTS 0:13:58 Team USA Jay Thompson, W6JAY 2) Rick Barrett, KE6DKF 0:23:33 3) Brian Peddicord, KF6DZN 0:33:20
With the hunt over, everyone enjoyed the "eat until gone" hamburger BBQ, and most stayed for about an hour or so after the hunt eating and chatting. Joe and April Moell did a great job of starting the event, informing Becky about the US efforts to build ARDF, hiding the 80M transmitter, and keeping things going. Darryl (KF6DI) Widman helped at the registration area and also took care of collecting money for the BBQ. Terry (KF6DZK) Mekker was out on the course taking pictures and ready to help any of the beginners as needed. Frank (KO6TP) and Karen (KE6UBH) also served as course marshals. In addition, they also brought the excellent potato salad and beans for the BBQ! Noel (KF6LDC) and Julie did a great job of cooking and serving the hamburgers. Noel also picked up and returned the BBQ grill used for BBQing. Barbara (KE6OTF) Johnston set up the picnic area and got things ready to serve. Jay, Brian, and Julia helped bring in the 2M transmitters and flags after the event was finished. To everyone who attended, a big THANK YOU for making this a successful event!!!