The first-ever USA National Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships were held recently near Albuquerque, New Mexico. ARRL Southwestern Division Vice Director Art Goddard, W6XD, offers impressions and photos from this historic event.

Hokona Hall on the University of New Mexico campus, site of the opening ceremonies, orientation sessions and the grand banquet/awards ceremony.

ARDFers from 10 US states recently descended on Albuquerque for the first USA Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championship. Joining them August 1-3 for a few days of learning, fun and friendly competition were competitors from China, Ukraine and Australia. Sponsoring the event was the Albuquerque Amateur Radio Club, with support from local radio orienteering and Boy Scout groups and ARRL. Event chairman was Jerry Boyd, WB8WFK, of Albuquerque.

On hand to emphasize the League's support for the increasingly popular ARDF radio sport in the US were ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV, Southwestern Division Vice Director Art Goddard, W6XD, and New Mexico Section Manager Joe Knight, W5PDY.

Day 1: Jerry Boyd, WB8WFK, leads the orientation sessions, assisted by Mike Pendley, K5ATM. Highlight of these sessions is a lottery drawing to establish the starting order for the next day's competition. The ARDFers do not know the site of the competition until they arrive there the next morning.

Host site for the ARDFers was the beautiful campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

The international Amateur Radio event involved on-foot 2-meter and 80-meter transmitter hunts employing radio-direction-finding techniques, map and compass skills--plus lots of enthusiasm. Participants compete against the clock as well as against each other in five age categories to find the hidden transmitters. The 2-meter and 80-meter events were held on separate days.

Day 2: Competitors arrive at the staging area in Manzano State Park. ARDF equipment is taken to an impound area and is not available to the competitor until five minutes before start time. In the foreground is part of the Southern California contingent (L-R), Dave Jacobs, K9KBX; Scott Moore, KF6IKO; Richard Thompson, WA6NOL; and Marvin Johnston, KE6HTS.

After opening ceremonies, Boyd led the orientation sessions with support from AARC Secretary-Treasurer Mike Pendley, K5ATM. A lottery established the starting order for the 2-meter competition. DF practice sessions followed that afternoon.

ARDF radio sport is characterized by openness, learning, friendly competition and the highest standards of sportsmanship. These participants, representing three continents, are eager for the 2-meter competition to begin.

Thursday, August 2, was the 2-meter event. A course is laid out on a map with a start and finish point. The contestants have no idea where the course will be until they were bussed some 60 miles to Manzano State Park--which also happens to be at an elevation of 8000 feet.

Maps of the 2001 USA ARDF Championships hunting area were given to competitors just five minutes before the chase began.

Once the competitors disembarked, their DF equipment was checked out and the event began with one or two contestants being started about every five minutes. At the starting line, DFers received a map of the course, which they used to navigate and mark the transmitter locations. Each hidden transmitter had a punch device to mark the contestant's entry sheet. The course was about five square miles and contained five hidden transmitters.

In addition to developing radio orienteering skills, ARDFers learn to do their DFing on the run. Here, Hou Huimin from the Peoples Republic of China gets off to a fast start in the 2-meter competition.

"This is a very athletic event," President Haynie observed. "The participants actually run throughout the course." Haynie remarked on the fact that equipment used is largely homebrew. Antennas used on 2 meters typically have three elements fashioned from flexible measuring tapes or window blind slats.

"The reason for this is so the elements will not break or bend as they run through the woods," he said.

Making a strong finish is just as important as the other aspects of an ARDFers performance. Charles Scharlau, NZ0I, displays winning form in the 2-meter competition.

Friday, August 3, was the 80-meter event, which is conducted in much the same manner as the 2-meter event. On 80, competitors use loops that have a sense antenna attached to the middle.

After the 80-meter competition and bus ride home, participants had just a few minutes to freshen up and make their way to the grand banquet and awards ceremony in Hokona Hall. Spirits were high. Once there, the ARDFers participated in the traditional exchange of trinkets. Master of ceremonies Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, capably conducted the prize drawings and announced the US and overall winners for the 2-meter and 80-meter competitions in the different age categories.

See "How They Finished" or visit the 2001 USA ARDF Championships Web site for detailed results.--ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, provided information for this report

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