BCRadioSport - ARDF Canada

Internet App for RDF Mobile hunt (Powered by Google)

2010-10-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

BCRadioSport is developing an application for the mobile RDF fox-hunt using the Google APIs. There will be 2 apps developed (one interactive with full functionality of the Google Maps, and second one for mobile devices with static map generation, non-interactive). More details to follow.Here is how UI on the second one looks like.

Upcoming events:

Oct-31-2010 (Sun) —> 11:00AM —> 2m Band RDF practice —> Central Park in Burnaby —> on-foot (5TXs hidden)

Nov-14-2010 (Sun) —> 9:00AM —> 2m band Mobile RDF exercise —> Robert Burnaby Park (start location) —> 1 TX hidden in the Lower Mainland area

Nov-28-2010 (Sun) —> 11:00AM —> 2m band RDF practice —> Robert Burnaby Park —> on-foot (5TXs hidden)

73's

Amel

Back home and already in action - 2m band fox-hunt

2010-10-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

BCRadioSport, in cooperation with VE7SAR club and in support of DARS’s COMFEST 2010, held a 2m band fox-hunt in Watershed Park in Delta BC, on SATURDAY OCT 2, 2010.

Final results:

Novice Category - looking for 3 TXs:

1st place - Ian Saari from GVOC (Great Vancouver Orienteering Club) - 3 TX found - 1h 05min 40sec

2nd place - Jay VE7CDG from DARS (Delta Amateur Radio Society) - 2 TX found - 2h 23min 55sec

3rd place - Thomas Nippen from GVOC (Great Vancouver Orienteering Club) - 1 TX found - 1h 37min 31sec

Advanced Category - looking for 5 TXs:

1st place - Jan VA7VJ from SARC (Surrey Amateur Radio Club) - 4 TX found - 1h 57min 31sec

2nd place - Alex VA7ACG from MRARC (Maple Ridge Amateur Radio Club) - 2 TX found - 2h 23min 53sec

3rd place - Keith VE7MID from BARC (Burnaby Radio Amateur Radio Club) - 1 TX found - 1h 55min 20sec

Also BCRadioSport was present at he ComFest on Sunday OCT 3, 2010.

Day 5 - Competition day - other nations

2010-09-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

383 competitors from 33 countries:

Croatia, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Slowakia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Ukraine, USA.

Day 5 - Competition day

2010-09-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

Complete results from the competition can be found at:

http://www.ardf2010.com/index.php/results

Day 4 - Excursion (Day Off)

2010-09-25T11:07:00.001-07:00

Day 3 - Competition day and awarding

2010-09-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Taking the competitors to the start location early in the morning.

At the start location - getting ready for the running.

Start list - indicating the time and the groups (10 people per group). Competitions were held on both 2m and 80m bands. For M40 competition was on 80m, and for M50 and M60 competition was on 2m band.

At the finish location.

Team Canada supporters at the finish location.

Amel VA7KBA arriving at the finish. He started in one of the early groups and managed to find all foxes.

Joe VE7BFK, also arriving and started in the early group.

After punching at the finish we were all given a printed result of the hunt with all splits.

John VE7GED arriving with the cheering support.

Les VA7OM sprinting to the finish line.

While we were discussing the results Nick Roethe was still in the field on his 2m fox-hunt.

Amel's brother Jasenko with Les VA7OM and his wife Sonja.

Complete results from the competition can be found at:

http://www.ardf2010.com/index.php/results

Ready to go back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel - enjoying the view and a beautiful day.

AWARDING:

Day 2 - Training (Modeling event, 2m, 80m)

2010-09-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Day 2 - Competition for the blind and opening ceremony

2010-09-15T13:41:00.001-07:00

September-14-2010 in the afternoon hours we watched the 1st World ARDF Championship for the blind.

In the evening hours we participated at the opening ceremony. John VE7GDE was selected to carry the Canadian Flag and Amel VA7KBA carried the official board.

Day 1 - Report

2010-09-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Team Canada in ARDF with Dale Hunt (Region II ARDF Coordinator), in front of the Hotel Opatija where team did the registration early this afternoon.

Canadian Flag already displayed at the ARDF headquarters (Hotel Opatija).

Les VA7OM meeting USA member George Neal KF6YKN who won the bronze medal in the M50 age category at the previous World ARDF Championship in Korea 2008.

Time to go sleep!

Team Canada in Opatija - First pictures from this morning

2010-09-13T01:03:00.000-07:00

City of Opatija looks awesome in the morning (see the pics).

At 2pm today, Team Canada in ARDF is meeting in front of the Hotel Opatija and going for the official event registration. Today is casual day, arrival and registration. Tomorrow is the official training on 2m and 80m bands (in the morning) and ARDF competition for the blind (in the afternoon). Wednesday is our first competition.

Go Canada go!

The 15th World ARDF Championship - Terrain and map

2010-09-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Terrain characteristics

The terrains are located within 70 km range from Opatija. Mid-difficult, with small hills, mostly covered with forest. Competiton areas are at 500 to 1000+ meters above sea level so there is big possibility of lower temperatures in competition area than those in Opatija (at sea level), wormer clothes are preferred.
Region of Gorski Kotar has been selected for this purpose:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorski_kotar

http://www.gorskikotar.hr/index.aspx?lang=English

Map

- Scale 1:10000, contour 5 m.
- A3 size (297 x 420 mm) - one is landscape while the other is portrait oriented.
- Color printing, IOF standard, waterproof
- Reambulated in early 2010

Few questions to John VE7GED, member of the Team Canada in ARDF

2010-09-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

With a small delay but still right in time, before the official start of the 15th World ARDF Championship in Opatija (Croatia), I would like to give you more info about John VE7GED. He is probably the most modest team member but yet very knowledgeable in many many areas. Easy to talk to and always something new to learn from him. I asked him same questions...

When did you start doing ARDF? Who introduced you into ARDF?
I first became aware of ARDF in 1993 when the Friendship Amateur Radio Games (FRG93) were held in Victoria. Prior to that I had never heard of ARDF or of Radio Games (Radiosports). I watched some demonstrations and tried out some equipment. I was immediately attracted to the sport. I assisted in the set up of the ARDF contest in Victoria for FRG93.

Why do you like doing ARDF?

For me, ARDF is an ideal combination of physical, analytical and perceptual skills. One needs to operate the radio equipment, listen to and analyze the received information, read the map, move through the landscape, plan ahead geographically, develop and execute a strategy, maintain a good degree of situational awareness and carefully manage time. And do all of these things at the same time!

As a team Canada member what experience do you expect from upcoming World ARDF Championship in Croatia?
I am expecting to learn how a serious World Championship ARDF contest is conducted. My experience up to this point has been with local and regional contests with an emphasis on enjoyment and international goodwill rather than pure competition. I hope that my experience at this level of competition will enable me to assist in organizing future competitions in Canada and perhaps to act as a referee or course official in future ARDF contests. My personal goal in Croatia is to complete the course within the assigned time limit and not get lost.

By Amel (VA7KBA)

Opatija, Croatia - First ARDF World Championships for the Blind, Sept-14-2010

2010-09-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

On September 14, also taking place in Opatija (Croatia), the First ARDF World Championship will for the blind will be held. That competition will be on 80 meters in an open area with no obstacles, following rules that the Croatian Amateur Radio Association developed in 1998 for competitions among clubs for the blind in that country. Check in here for more information on rules:
http://www.ardf2010.com/files/RULESS_ARDF_BLIND.pdf

The latest list of participating countries in the 15th World ARDF Championship

2010-09-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

Country, number of competitors

Ukraine, 37
Japan, 34
Russia, 32
Germany, 30
Czeck Republic, 27
China, 26
Slovakia, 24
Slovenia, 19
Poland, 18
Croatia, 18
Bulgaria, 17
Hungary, 16
USA, 16
Korea, 12
Lithuania, 12
Great Britain, 11
Kazahstan, 11
Sweden, 11
Belgium, 9
Norway, 7
Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6
Canada, 6
Netherlands, 5
Estonia, 5
Belarus, 5
France, 4
Mongolia, 4
Austria, 3
Denmark, 3
Australia, 3
Albania, 2
Israel, 2
Spain, 1

Opatija 2010 ARDF - Training Camp in progress (reports by Nick)

2010-09-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

Organizer has offered 4 trainings before the 15 World ARDF Championship. Those have been placed in the forests area cca. 50km around Opatija, on both 3.5MHz and 144MHz, on 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th September. Nick, member of the Team Canada in ARDF has already been in Opatija for the traingings. We have the first reports from Opatija.

Wednesday, Sep-8-2010:
Today was the first training, 80m band. Weather was unbelievably bad, pouring rain and heavy fog - visibility sometimes down to 20m. Transmitters/Antennas/Operators were the ones that will also be used next week. One transmitter failed from the beginning, was replaced by a spare, that failed also. Computer failed because of water in the keyboard. Rough start for the organizers... Some transmitters were 10kHz off the stated frequency, but were strong. The 80m TXs were placed close to the good trails, so it was, except for the weather, an easy hunt. The best Ukrainians finished in 35 Minutes. Other than that the course was easy. Tomorrow will be the first 2m training. Weather should improve, but be prepared for anything next week.

Thursday, Sep-9-2010:
We had the first 2m training. Same area as Wednesday, but much nicer weather, no rain or fog. The terrain was in the mountains, between 1000 and 1200 m high. It was a ski resort area. Dense vegatation, many trails hard to find because of overgrowth. We had a good orienteering map, 1:10000, A4 - so the area was less than 2 by 3 km. Since the Ukrainians complained about the 80m being to easy, for the 2m yesterday 4 of the TXs were placed at the very edges of the map, with lots of vertical meters to cope with. Also, since it was still very wet, there were strong reflections, so a difficult contest. All TXs could be heard from the start both days. One transmitter failed, but all TXs were relatiively weak. They had only one SI-station per fox, but will have 2 at the championship.

On this photo: Nick Roethe, 144MHz training fox-hunt

Few questions to Joe VE7BFK (by Amel VA7KBA)

2010-09-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

When I arrived to Canada I was heading to Victoria to do practices with the group whose leader was and still is Joe (G.D. Young). Friendship Amateur Radio Society of Canada from Victoria has been for years a center of the ARDF in Canada. This great group has represented Canada in many regional, international and Friendship Radio Games events since beginning of 1990s. Joe with his enthusiasm and superb technical knowledge in the area has been Canadian ARDF coordinator for years. With his and FARS assistance ARDF in Canada has become a sport which has been gaining in popularity every day. I asked Joe the same questions:

When did you start doing ARDF? Who introduced you into ARDF?

My start in ARDF was participating in the 1993 Friendship Radio Games which were held in Victoria, hosted by the Friendship Amateur Radio Society Canada. These games had participants from other FARS members from Russia, USA, and Japan. I used an Altai receiver borrowed from the Russian team.

The Russians donated an Altai Receiver and a practice fox transmitter to FARSC after those games, and sold several Altai receivers to Victoria hams. With this startup gear, we embarked on a program of fairly regular 2m foxhunts and developing some of our own gear.

Why do you like doing ARDF?

I like doing ARDF for the health benefit accruing from outdoor activity tied to my interest in amateur radio. Also, it is an area of amateur radio where it's reasonable to build some of your own equipment which is one of

my main amateur radio interests.

As a team Canada member what experience do you expect from

upcoming World ARDF Championship in Croatia?

Our ARDF activity has been rather isolated so far. Attending the world championships will be an opportunity to view performances at the highest level. Sometime in the future I hope to be involved with hosting a national

or regional level ARDF competition, so this attendance will help to understand what's involved.

Few links:

FRG - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendship_Radiosport_Games

FARS - http://www.islandnet.com/~jyoung/FARSC/

RAC pages for ARDF - http://www.rac.ca/en/amateur-radio/operating-technical/ardf/

Meet the Team - G. D. (Joe) Young - VE7BFK

2010-09-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

Joe’s been ARDF coordinator for Radio Amateurs of Canada since 2002. He's been very active in Radio sport and ARDF development in Canada and in British Columbia. He has also been an important member of the Friendship Amateur Radio Society Canada which organizes actively both 2m and 80m band fox-hunt sessions in Victoria BC area. Joe is going to represent Canada in M60 category.

Past results:

2002, RAC AGM in Vernon - demo equipment, talk
2001, Friendship Radio Games ARDF competition - organizer of the event.
2000 Kamloops ARC hamfest demo foxhunt
1999 IARU region II/FRG99 combined; team first VHF OT men, team third 80m
1998, Hiroshima, All Japan OT men, 42 out of 70 in category
1997, Friendship Radio Games ARDF competition, 2m band
1995, Friendship Radio Games ARDF competition, 2m band, 3rd place Team Canada.
1993, Friendship Radio Games ARDF competition, 2m band, 3rd place Team Canada.

Amateur Radio Direction Finding, Part 2 - by G. D. (Joe) Young, VE7BFK

2010-09-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

Operating the ARDF Receiver - General

The course should be setup so that all of the foxes are audible from the end of the start corridor, so as soon as the receiver is turned on you should be able to tune it to the foxes' frequency. For some old receivers (Altai) tuning is fairly touchy, and may need to be adjusted from time to time.

Since you need to be able to discern changes in signal strength as the antenna is swung around, it's generally a good practice to keep the receiver attenuator adjusted so that the signal is fairly weak. This setting avoids receiver saturation, and may help lose some unhelpful responses in the antenna pattern.

Many receivers that are purpose-built for ARDF will provide an 'audible S-meter' to take advantage of the ear's better ability to discern small pitch differences compared to small loudness differences. This feature will have an audio output tone that varies in pitch as the signal level changes. Higher pitch means louder signal.

Especially at VHF the signal from the transmitter may travel along multiple paths. The effect of this propagation may be to give a bearing in the wrong direction--along a reflected path rather than the desired direct path. Also, the multi-path signal may vary in amplitude with movement over distances of about a wavelength. To guard against erroneous bearings from multi-path, it's common to get a trial bearing then take a step or two to the side and make sure the bearing is still the same. Alternatively, move until you're in a maximum signal zone and take a bearing--but this position could still be affected by multi-path. Generally, the best strategy is to take and plot many bearings from different locations on the course. The assumption is that most of them will be right.

Russian Altai antenna/receiver

In addition to the usual (tuning, attenuator) controls, the Altai has a 'tone' switch that adds a tone modulation to the incoming signal. This function is mainly to help locate unmodulated signals. However, since the Altai is an AM receiver, and the foxes we will be using have frequency modulation, turning on the tone might be helpful. Most users do not use the 'tone' switch.

The 'audible S-meter' function in the Altai is push-button operated, and is only effective when very near the fox. It is also very loud, so if you try it remove the headphones away from directly over your ears.

Finally, the Altai has a 'threshold' switch that decreases the sensitivity of the receiver by requiring a larger signal at the detector. This switch may help sharpen bearings by allowing only the maximum level to pass the detector as the antenna is swung around. Again, most users do not use this feature.

VK3YNG Sniffer 4 (for advanced hunters)

This purpose-built ARDF receiver has many features that can help the experienced user, but may be confusing for the beginner. The advice here is to assume that the receiver has been configured so that it will work OK for the beginner when it's turned on. The unit is turned on by pressing the M key and it's turned off by pressing and holding the M key. When the receiver is turned on, it can be set to the fox frequency and a useable mode by selecting one of the memory preset keys, e.g. 6. This selection puts the receiver into the mode that was decided by the person setting it up, and it should be useable by the first-time hunter.

The attenuator function is automatic, and the current setting appears in the display as 0..8, with 0 being most sensitive or responding to weakest signals. An indication of 8 means you are very near the fox.

Depending on how fast you move, the multi-path environment, or perhaps your preference, the automatic gain-ranging may be distracting. You can temporarily freeze the current gain setting by pushing the R key. Pushing the key again releases the setting to the automatic control.

Active Attenuator with handheld (for beginners)

A useful minimal configuration that can be put together fairly simply consists of a directional antenna (3 element Yagi), an 'active attenuator', and a 2m handheld.

The active attenuator is a simple oscillator/mixer with variable mixer injection level—this setup moves the received frequency up or down the band by the oscillator frequency (500 kHz, 1MHz are common) where it's level can be adjusted without interference from the direct signal. There are many examples of these gadgets around and someone probably has a kit available. The one I like best was described in November/1992 issue of QST (and recent ARRL handbooks—e.g., 2009 edition, page 13.30).

Similarly, there are many home-brew examples of Yagis made with measuring-tape elements. These tape-element antennas have the advantage of being robust in the woods, but any directional antenna will serve.

Few questions to Nick Roethe, new member of the Team Canada in ARDF

2010-08-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

When did you start doing ARDF? Who introduced you into ARDF?
"Since I was a kid I have been an active homebrewer, always looking for things to build or improve. Six years ago at a ham-fair I bought a PLL-circuit and thought 'this would be nice for a portable radio or maybe ARDF receiver'. So I read a book on foxhunting, built what I thought was a good receiver, and, to try it out, went to my first foxhunt. It was a desaster! But it was also fun and I got a lot of encouragement from experienced ARDFers, so I stuck with it and gradually improved my equipment and my technique. From the beginning I published all my ARDF designs on the Internet, and they are now very popular homebrew projects in Europe."

Why do you like doing ARDF?
"I like building things. I like being in the nature. I love the excitement of searching and finding hidden transmitters. And it is always fun to spend time with other ARDFers, because they are as crazy as I am."

As a team Canada member what experience do you expect from upcoming World ARDF Championship in Croatia?
"I feel very honored that I have been invited to be a member of Team Canada. Realistically I have no chance to get close to a medal. So I see this more as a social event, a chance to meet old friends from all over the world and to make new ones. This is my first World Championship, so I am very much looking forward to the experience. And although I will not be world champion, I will definitely challenge my American friends and my German training partners."

By Amel Krdzalic - VA7KBA

Program of the 15th World ARDF Championship

2010-08-28T23:54:00.000-07:00

13 September, Monday – Arrival, Accommodation, Registration;

14 September, Tuesday – Training on both bands, 1st ARDF World Championships for the Blind, Official opening;

15 September, Wednesday– First competition, Awarding;

16 September, Thursday– Day off, Excursion;

17 September, Friday – Second competition, Awarding, Closing ceremony and banquet;

18 September, Saturday – Departure.

List of countries taking a part in the 15th World ARDF Championship growing!

2010-08-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

Till 27th July organizer has received OFFICIAL APPLICATION from the following countries:

Australia (WIA), Austria (OEVSV), Belarus(BLR), Belgium (UBA), Bosnia & Herzegovina (ARABIH), Canada (RAC), China (CRSA), Croatia (HRS), Denmark (EDR), Estonia (ERAU), France (REF), Germany (DARC), Japan (JARL), Kazakhstan (KFRR), Korea (KARL), Netherlands (VERON), Norway (NRRL), Slovenia (ZRS), Spain (URE), Sweden (SSA), UK (RSGB), Ukraine (UARL) and USA (ARRL).

Amateur Radio Direction Finding - by G. D. (Joe) Young, VE7BFK

2010-08-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Amateur radio direction finding (ARDF)—also called Radio Orienteering, foxhunting, or transmitter hunting—can take many forms. The game described here has been standardized and fostered by the International Amateur Radio Union since about 1978. The object is to locate and visit on foot each of up to five transmitters concealed in a wooded area in as short a time as possible by using a directional receiver to obtain bearings to the transmitters. The transmitters (foxes) all transmit on the same frequency, but take turns transmitting a unique signal for one minute and are silent for 4 minutes while the others transmit.

The skills needed to succeed include obtaining accurate bearings with the receiving gear, navigating through the wooded area using map and compass, and devising a strategy to visit the required sites in the minimum time.

Course layout, rules

See Figure 1 for a (schematic) course layout. The hidden transmitters, foxes, will be located so that the associated marker flag (control) can be seen when the hunter is within about 3m of the transmitter; they will be at least 400m apart; no fox will be nearer than 750m from the start. A homing beacon on a different frequency from the foxes is located at the entrance to the finish corridor.

Each fox will transmit a signal with a unique pattern that identifies which transmitter it is. The standard patterns are incidentally slow Morse code characters, but you do not need to know that to understand which fox is on. The signals have two long (dashes), three long (dashes), then followed either by one short (dot), two short, three short, four short, or five shorts to indicate fox 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 respectively. In addition to the transmitted patterns, a fox can also be identified by the time it is on: fox 1 transmits in minute 1, fox 2 in minute 2, and so on. The beacon transmitter sends two long, three long, continuously. Finally, to comply with radio regulations, the transmitters will also send an amateur radio call sign in rapid morse code at the beginning of each transmission.

Prior to any competitor being on the course or starting of the foxes, it is usual to gather the receivers in a quarantine area near the start. When there are many competitors, they will be divided into groups of 3 to 10 and the groups start at 5 minute intervals to spread competitors out in time. A few minutes before the start, the competitors will receive a map of the area and any last-minute info about the course and will pick up their receiver from the quarantine. The receivers must remain turned off while awaiting start.

The hunter will leave the start position when instructed to do so, go to the end of the marked start corridor (about 100m long), turn on the receiver after passing the end of the corridor and begin to locate the foxes. At each fox, the hunter will punch his score card with that fox's unique punch to prove having visited that fox. After locating all the foxes required, or as many of them as there is time for, the hunter exits the course via the marked finish corridor.

The time elapsed from leaving the start position until reaching the finish line is recorded along with the number of transmitters successfully located to determine the hunter's standing with respect to others in his category. The standing is first among those finding all of the required foxes in the shortest time, then among those finding one fewer fox, etc. Those not returning to the finish within the maximum time limit (2 hours, typically) are disqualified.

To be continued ... Receivers ...

Nick Roethe has joined the Team Canada in ARDF

2010-08-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

Nick was born in Montreal in 1953. He lives in Germany since he was 5 years old, became an electrical engineer and worked for IBM in Germany and USA for many years. He enjoys hiking and rock climbing, and he is an active ham with special focus on ARDF. Nick today lives in Southwest-Germany, where Mercedes and Porsche cars come from. He has close relatives in Vancouver and has been there many times.

Nick participates in dozens of foxhunts every year, mainly in Germany, but also in other European countries. He has attended the last two Region 2 championships and won 3 first places. In this years German championship he finished second on 80m. Nick makes high quality ARDF receivers for both 2m and 80m bands. Just at the last German Championships in August 2010 receivers made by him won total of 6 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze medals! Nick is going to represent Canada in M50 Category in upcoming World ARDF Championship in Croatia.

Welcome Nick!

Meet the Team - John MacConnachie - VE7GED

2010-08-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

John is a member of the Friendship Amateur Radio Society Canada and has participated in ARDF competitions hosted by that organization since 1993. He has also been involved in hosting regular practice/demo ARDF sessions in Victoria BC since that time to the present. He is also a reigning ARDF champion from the last Friendship Amateur Radio Games 2008 held in Portland, OR, USA, in category M50.

Past major results:

2008, Friendship Amateur Radio Games ARDF Championship, M50, 1st place individual (2m band), 1st place Team Canada (2m band)
2001, Friendship Radio Games ARDF competition - organizer of the event.
1999, IARU region II and FRG99 combined ARDF competition; 1st place Team VHF OT men, 3rd place Team 80m band.
1997, Friendship Radio Games ARDF competition
1995, Friendship Radio Games ARDF competition, 2m band, 3rd place Team Canada.
1993, Friendship Radio Games ARDF competition, 2m band, 3rd place Team Canada.

Few questions to Amel VA7KBA (by Matthew VE7UDP)

2010-08-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

Every few weekends, enthusiasts from around Greater Vancouver (British Columbia) converge in local parks to sharpen their radio orienteering skills by hunting down hidden radio transmitters, and Amel is always one of them. To Amel VA7KBA, fox hunting is a sport that challenges the mind and body. Amel started hidden radio finding in his youth in his home country of Bosnia. Amel wanted to share his passion and his skills so he recently formed an ARDF group BCRadioSport whose mission is to promote the sport and develop radio direction finding skills in BC. He was heading to Victoria to do practice with the FARS Canada group there but wanted to see more people in the Lower Mainland pursuing the hobby.

1. When did you start doing ARDF? Who introduced you into ARDF?
"I started fox-hunting when I was seven. My father Almas (E71W, ex.T91W, 4N4DA, 4N4WF, YU4DA) took me to the national ARDF YU competition in 1979. He gave me an 80m sniffer and said I was going to compete, and then explained how the hunt was supposed to be done. I found all 3 foxes and finished 7th although I was the youngest competitor in that category."

2. Why do you like doing ARDF?
"Technology is one of my passions. I like being around technology. I also like being outdoors. What better way to do both things at the same time?”. “Each fox hunt is a new experience, hiding stations is different – each hiding spot has unique challenges and there’s always something new to learn. Also social aspect – meeting other people while playing with technology is very important to me too”.

3. As a team Canada member what experience do you expect from upcoming World ARDF Championship in Croatia?
"Meeting friends and people from all over the world. Gathering information on how to organize a big ARDF competition (Vancouver will be host in 2013 for IARU Region II ARDF Championship). Competing and doing my best to represent the country."

Meet the Team - Amel Krdzalic -VA7KBA

2010-08-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

Amel was a national champion of Bosnia and Herzegovina and national champion of ex.Yugoslavia in multiple categories, as an individual and in team competitions. He is also a reigning ARDF champion from the last Friendship Amateur Radio Games 2008 held in Portland, OR, USA, in category M21. He is an active promoter and teacher of radio direction finding skills in Vancouver BC area. He’s been recognized by many local radio amateur clubs for organization of BCRadioSport group, whose mission is to promote the sport and develop RDF skills. He is a member of the Burnaby Amateur Radio Club (VE7BAR) and Friendship Amateur Radio Society Canada.

Past major results:
2008, Friendship Amateur Radio Games ARDF Championship, M21, 1st place individual (2m band), 1st place Team Canada (2m band)

(No competitions between 1992 and 2007)

1991, Bosnian Amateur Radio Association ARDF Championship, M21, 1st place (80m band)
1988, Bosnian Amateur Radio Association ARDF Championship, M21, 2st place (80m band)
1987, YU Amateur Radio Association ARDF Championship, M17, 1st place (2m band)
1987, Bosnian Amateur Radio Association ARDF Championship, M17, 1st place individual (80m band), 1st place Team YU4FRS (80m band)
1984, Bosnian Amateur Radio Association ARDF Championship, Age 7-14, 1st place (80m band)
1983, Bosnian Amateur Radio Association ARDF Championship, Age 7-14,2st place individual (80m band), 1st place Team YU4FRS (80m band)
1979, YU Amateur Radio Association ARDF Championship, Age 7-14, 7st place individual (80m band)

Few questions to Les VA7OM (by Amel VA7KBA)

2010-08-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

Last year, about this time, during the SARC fox hunt in Surrey, I met Les. He came and introduced himself to everybody. He was asking about fox-hunting gear and I could "smell" someone who used to do the fox-hunting in the past. He tried VK3YNG MK4 (2m band) receiver. I didn't see him for a while until beginning of this year when he visited our another fox-hunt event. He showed even more interest in what BCRadioSport has been doing in Lower Mainland, BC. Les lives in Maple Ridge and belongs to the local radio club. He was so enthusiastic as he started talking about how he built 80m receiver, a prototype and how he wanted to try it. At that moment it was clear that Les was the person to recruit for not only the BCRadioSport mission but also for Team Canada which was just forming for the 15th ARDF World Championship. I asked him to join us and he accepted it. I am so glad Les is member of the team as he has shown (even after so many years not competing) that he is still a true champion. He is a super nice guy, very approachable and with excellent technical knowledge.

Recently I asked Les a few questions:

1. When did you start doing ARDF? Who introduced you into ARDF?
"In 1966/67. First I became interested when I saw an article in a magazine about fox hunting. It was in my native Slovakia. I was then 15 years old. But I learned the sport later when I joined the local radioclub OK3KTP in 1966. The radioclub was preparing a local 80m foxhunting competition. I joined the foxhunt with a borrowed receiver. The receiver was not working properly, I heard only one fox and could not find the direction as the sensing antenna was not working. That time I decided that I will build a better receiver."

2. Why do you like doing ARDF?
"I like ARDF because it is challenging – requires constant improvement of receivers, tactics, physical condition, work with maps, as well as building transmitting equipment and antennas. Doing ARDF I meet lots of new friends that have the same hobby. In Slovakia after first two courses (80m and 2m) we were running the third course – drinking contest and partying, and there we had lots of fun."

3. As a team Canada member what experience do you expect from upcoming World ARDF Championship in Croatia ?
"I hope to find all 3 foxes in my category and get back within the time limit. The competition will be very strong so I expect to end-up somewhere in the second half. I am looking forward to see some of my old friends that we were competing together as well as to meet new ones. I hope that this is better. I am working on my new 80m receiver and hopefully will finish it for the Victoria foxhunt."

Meet the Team - Les Tocko - VA7OM

2010-08-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

Les was a Czechoslovakian and European champion in multiple categories, as an individual and in team competitions. He is also an active promoter and teacher of Radio Direction Finding skills in Maple Ridge BC area. His excellent technical building skills have produced high quality equipment for radio direction finding. Les will be competing in M60 category.

Past results:
(No competitions between 1975 and present)

1974, Czechoslovakian National Competition, 2m, 1st place.

1973, Czechoslovakian Regional Competition, 80m 1st place, 2m 3rd place

1973, Czechoslovakian National Championship, 80m 1st place

1973, European Championship, Hungary, groups, 80m 1st place

1972, Czechoslovakian Regional Competition, 2m 3rd place

1972, Czechoslovakian National Competition, 80m 10th place, 2m 1st place

1972, Slovakian Championship, 80m 5th place, 2m 1st place.

1971, Czechoslovakian National Competition, 80m 10th place, 2m 2nd place
1971, Czechoslovakian National Competition,80m 1st place, 2m 1st place
1971, Czechoslovakian National Championship, 80m 3rd place, 2m 2nd place
1970, Czechoslovakian Regional Competition, 80m 1st place, 2m 3rd place
1970, Czechoslovakian Regional Competition, 80m 5th place, 2m 2nd place
1970, Czechoslovakian National Competition, 80m 1st place, 2m 7th place
1970, International Competition Germany – groups, 80m 2nd place, 2m 3rd place
1969, Czechoslovakian Regional Competition, Brno, 80m 3rd place
1969, Czechoslovakian National Competition, 80m 3rd place, 2m 7th place
1969, International Competition, Austria, 2m 12th place
1968, Czechoslovakian National Competition, 80m 4th place, 2m 5th place
1967, Czechoslovakian Regional Competition, 80m 2nd place
1967, Third Czechoslovakian National Competition, 80m 7th place

Meet the Team - Valeri Geuorguiev - VE2UMS

2010-08-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Valeri has been active in the Montreal Amateur Radio club (VE2UMS). He has increased ARDF activities recently by contributing a design for a 2m ARDF receiver that was then constructed as a club project so that there are now a couple dozen equipped to participate in ARDF. Valeri will be representing Canada in M50 category.

Past results:
2010, 10th USA ARDF, International Category M50, 2m band, 3rd place.
2010, 10th USA ARDF, International Cat M50, 80m band, 2nd place.
2009, 9th USA ARDF & 5th IARU Region 2 ARDF, Cat M40, 2m band, 7th place
2008, 8th USA ARDF, International Cat M40, 2m band, 1st place
2008, 8th USA ARDF, International Cat M40, 80m band, 4st place
1977, First European ARDF, Scopje, ex.Yugoslavia, 80m band, 5th place
1976, Bulgarian National ARDF, 80m band, 2nd place
1976, Bulgarian National ARDF, 2m band, 2nd place

The ARDF 2010 Championships - Venue

2010-08-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

The Championships will be held in Opatija, situated at Adriatic Sea coast, 12 km west of Rijeka and 170 km west of Zagreb, capital town Republic of Croatia.

Opatija, often called the Pearl of the Adriatic, is one of the most popular tourist resorts in Croatia and has the longest tourist tradition on the Adriatic Sea. As early as 1883, Opatija was known as a favorite destination for high society and famous artists from all over the world who came to Opatija to find new energy in this unique landscape.

The 15th World ARDF Championship, Croatia, 13-18 Sept. 2010

2010-08-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hi,

A small team of five people representing Canada, four from BC, will travel to Croatia to compete in the ARDF, in September 2010. http://www.ardf2010.com/

ARDF - Amateur Radio Direction Finding (also called Radio Orienteering or fox-hunting). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio_direction_finding

This is the first time Canada is participating at the World Stage ARDF competitions. http://www.ardf2010.com/

We started this blog to inform you about this important event and to keep you up-to-date with Team Canada day to day activities. We are also on Facebook and on Twitter. Stay tuned.

73's - Amel - VA7KBA