The following article appeared in the recent ARRL Letter. If you are willing to help out at the Championships, please send me an email! Thanks!

Marvin, KE6HTS

*************** The ARRL Letter Vol. 23, No. 20 May 14, 2004 ***************

==>USA ARDF CHAMPIONSHIPS COMING TO CALIFORNIA IN MID-JUNE

Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) enthusiasts across the US are gearing up for the fourth annual national ARDF Championships next month. ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV, says, the sport--also known as radio-orienteering or foxtailing--is an all-on-foot "adventure in the woods" to see who can track down and find the most hidden transmitters in the shortest time. The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club (SBARC) http://www.sbarc.org will host the competition. Radio-orienteers from all over the country plus visitors from abroad are expected to attend. Moell anticipates a mix of experts and newcomers who aspire to be future champions. He says equipment need not be elaborate or expensive.

"Most beginners do very well by augmenting their handheld VHF transceivers with simple Yagi antennas made out of a steel measuring tape and PVC pipe from the hardware store," he said. For "closing in," he says an offset RF attenuator consisting of some $15 worth of small parts will knock down the signal and keep the receiver's S-meter within its scale. "Plans are on the Web http://members.aol.com/joek0ov/offatten.html, and kits are available, so warm up your soldering iron," he adds.

The ARDF competitive courses are open to anyone of any age and at any foxhunting skill level. No Amateur Radio license is needed. Medals in the event will be awarded in five age categories for males and four for females, in accordance with International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) rules http://members.aol.com/homingin/intlfox.html#rules.

Heading up the USA ARDF Championships is Marvin Johnston, KE6HTS, a medalist at the last two USA ARDF Championships.

An optional training camp with map-and-compass orienteering kicks off the ARDF action June 12-13. The main program gets under way Wednesday, June 16. The 2-meter competition takes place Friday, June 18. The 80-meter competition is the next day.

The California events end just in time for final selection of ARDF Team USA 2004 members, who will travel to the Czech Republic for the 12th ARDF World Championships September 7-12. More than 200 participants representing two dozen or more countries are expected to turn out for the event. Moell says Team USA's positions will be filled based on performances in this year's national championships in California and in last year's national championships in Ohio.

There's more information on the 2004 USA ARDF Championships on the SBARC Web site http://www.sbarc.org/ardf/index.shtml. A downloadable registration form and additional information are on Moell's "Homing In" Web site http://www.homingin.com.--Joe Moell K0OV