It's called hunting, but no animals are ever harmed. The hunt trophies are gold, silver and bronze medals. Will you win one this year?

Every year, more and more hams discover the fun of hidden transmitter hunting, either in cars (called T-hunting and bunny hunting) or on foot (called foxhunting, foxtailing, radio-orienteering and ARDF). If you prefer tracking radio foxes while on the run, 2006 brings opportunities to compete against your fellow hams and to win medals, both at home and abroad.

For almost three decades, hams in Europe have staged formal foxhunts to determine the countries' best. Winners travel to regional and world championships sanctioned by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). These multinational events have a lot in common with the Olympics, including "village" housing, parades and ceremonies with music and dancing, medals, and playing of national anthems for individual and team winners.

In the summer of 2001, hams from ten states and three foreign countries gathered in Albuquerque for the first US national championships. It has been an annual event ever since, and the number of states with ARDF activities continues to grow. The championships of 2002 through 2004 were in Georgia, Ohio and California, respectively. Then, Albuquerque hosted again last year.

Because of its importance in the process of selecting a US team to the ARDF World Championships, this year's national championships must take place in the spring. A one-weekend competition schedule will minimize expenses and away-from-work time for those who wish to attend both major radio-orienteering events of 2006.

ARDF in the Appalachians

Charles Scharlau, NZ0I, sprints to the 2-meter finish line at the 2005 USA and IARU Region 2 ARDF Championships. He and his wife Nadia are the prime movers behind the next national championships in April. [Photo by Joe Moell, K0OV]

Nadia Scharlau, co-chair of the 2006 USA ARDF Championships organizers, garnered the best-to-date US finish in the World Championships in 2002. She placed fourth in her category on 80 meters. Here, she approaches the 80-meter finish at the 2005 USA Championships. [Photo by Joe Moell, K0OV]

Jerry Boyd, WB8WFK, was co-chair of the organizing team for the 2001 and 2005 USA ARDF Championships in Albuquerque. He got his first chance to compete at the World Championships in 2004. Here he approaches the 80-meter finish line in the Czech Republic. [Photo by Dick Arnett, WB4SUV]

Harley Leach, KI7XF, of Montana crosses the finish line at the 2004 World Championships. There are no age limits at these events. Competitors in the category for men over age 60 had to find three transmitters on the large wooded course. [Photo by Charles Scharlau, NZ0I]

At age 15, Jay Thompson, W6JAY, was the youngest person from the Americas ever to compete in the ARDF World Championships when he traveled to China in 2000. [Photo by Richard Thompson, WA6NOL]

There is always plenty of native entertainment at the opening ceremonies of the ARDF World Championships. These youthful acrobats performed at the 2000 event in China. [Photo by Richard Thompson, WA6NOL]

The Sixth USA ARDF Championships will be April 7-9 at William B. Umstead State Park near Raleigh, North Carolina. The fun gets under way on Friday afternoon with practice and equipment checkout sessions, followed on Saturday by the main 2-meter competition and on Sunday by the 80-meter event. In addition to the hunts, there will be a picnic on Saturday night and an awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

Medals await the first, second, and third-place winners--in five categories for males and four categories for females, in accordance with IARU ARDF rules. Radio-orienteers from abroad are welcome and encouraged to compete among the stateside participants.

This year's organizers are Charles (NZ0I) and Nadia Scharlau of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Both have been consistent medal winners at previous USA Championships. They attended the World ARDF Championships in 2002 and 2004, where Nadia was among the top six finishers in her category on one band each time.

Whether you are an expert or you have never before finished a formal radio-orienteering course, the USA's ARDF Championships are open to you. At the official 2006 USA ARDF Championships Web site, you will find more on the schedule, lodging, food, transportation, and hunt site (which you must not visit beforehand!). Registration forms are available for download.

If possible, allow an extra day before or after the USA Championships for visits to other attractions in the Piedmont area, including the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Land of Waterfalls.

Bagging Foxes by the Black Sea

Later this year, stateside hams take on the world once again as Team USA travels to Bulgaria for the 13th World Championships (WCs) of ARDF. This will be the fifth time that Americans have participated in the WCs. Back in September 1998, a group of five stateside hams went to Nyiregyhaza, Hungary, to compete and observe. In 2004, ARDF Team USA competitors and visitors grew to 21, including two who served on the international jury.

The Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs (BFRA) is hosting this year's WCs September 12-17. The gathering place will be Primorsko, a resort village on the Black Sea coast about 32 miles southeast of the port city of Burgas and 255 miles east of Sofia, the capital.

Team USA members will touch down in Europe, travel to Sofia, Varna or Burgas by air or rail, then be transported by the organizers to the host town. They will sleep and eat at a three-star hotel located only 50 yards from the beach. On Wednesday, September 13, the Bulgarians will have ARDF training events on both bands, followed by a gala opening ceremony. These ceremonies traditionally include a parade of the competitors, entertainment, and welcome by local and national dignitaries.

Thursday starts early as competitors board buses to be taken to an undisclosed location for their first big transmitter hunt. The terrain will be wooded and hilly, with deep gullies. Some categories will compete on 2 meters and the rest on 80 meters. Friday is a day of rest with an optional excursion. The second competition in a different venue and on a different band for each category will be Saturday, followed by the closing ceremony and banquet.

If the 2006 WCs are typical, Team USA will face more than 300 competitors from over 25 European and Asian nations. The "big guns" of this contest will be all of the eastern European and former Soviet-bloc countries, plus China and Germany. We're still "little pistols," but that just means that we learn lots more when we attend, and we learn from the best.

WC competitors are divided into the same age/gender categories as in North Carolina. Each country may have a maximum of three persons per category on its team. Our team roster will be finalized in May and June. Team USA members and visitors are responsible for their own WC entry fees, as well as transportation expenses to and from Bulgaria. Pre-registration fees are due in full to the organizers by June 30. ARRL will handle the wire transfer of funds for all.

Fifteen stateside foxtailers ranging in age from 20 to 63 already have expressed strong interest in attending. But it's not too late to put in your name for Team USA consideration. The three categories for males age 40 and over already have at least three candidates, but more are welcome. Team USA selection in "overbooked" categories will be based on performances and standings in last year's national championships in Albuquerque and this year's championships in Raleigh.

The categories for males under 40 and for all females still have fewer than three as of this writing, so it may be possible for inexperienced radio-orienteers in these categories to join the team. It is also possible to attend as a non-competing visitor, but US visitors must be listed as such on the national team roster and fees must be processed via ARRL.

Get on the Roster!

If you are interested in traveling to the 2006 ARDF WCs as a member of Team USA or as a USA visitor, please contact me now via e-mail. If you have not been on Team USA before, include your full name and mailing address, call sign, home phone number, and date of birth. You must be an American citizen or have resident status in this country. At my Homing In Web site, you can read the latest news of Team USA formation plus stories and photos of previous Team USA trips, to give you an idea of what to expect.

If you wish to participate as a citizen of another North or South American country, send e-mail to IARU Region 2 ARDF Coordinator Dale Hunt, WB6BYU. Canadians should also contact RAC ARDF Coordinator Joe Young, VE7BFK.

The World Championships of Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) take place only in even-numbered years, so you won't have another opportunity to compete in the WCs until 2008. The latest information on Team USA formation is on my Web site, along with information from the organizers in PDF format. I'm waiting to hear from you.

ARDF is suitable for hams and non-hams of almost any age. The best radio-orienteers are physically fit, mentally alert and technically adept. If you're looking for a way to hook your sports-minded children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews on Amateur Radio, this may be your answer. Why not hold some easy in-the-park transmitter hunts to get the local hams and their offspring going. Then you can progress to international-rules hunts on both 80 and 2 meters.

For ideas on equipment and rules for simple hunts like this, see my Homing In Web site. Thanks to all who are sending me stories and photos of your local RDF contesting activities. Please keep them coming!

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