From cedarcreek at gmail.com  Tue Jun 14 21:00:48 2005
From: cedarcreek at gmail.com (Matthew Robbins)
Date: Tue Jun 14 21:00:54 2005
Subject: [ARDF] Cincinnati ARDF at East Fork SP, June 12...
Message-ID: <f04fcb9a050614210059b55d07@mail.gmail.com>

Here in Cincinnati, we had a small event Sunday.  It was on an
essentially new map, but in a location that has very poor parking
opportunities, so it doesn't offer us much use for larger events
(unless we use buses).  It's an unused corner of the map we used for
this year's Flying Pig A-Meet.

Competitors were Dick Arnett and Bob Frey.

I had <a href="http://www.kkn.net/pipermail/ardf/2003-September/000333.html">more</a>
transmitter troubles.  Of the five Ts, I had reprogrammed four
transmitters the night before, but when the delay was over, and they
"started", only three came on, and two of those were on top of each
other.  1 and 4 were okay, but 3 was transmitting on top of 4.  (I
have cards with the programming codes, and I'm sure I was using the 4
card when I was programming 3.)

Part of the point of the course was to have multiple decent orders,
so, luckily, 1 then 4 was an okay beginning order.  We had been
listening to the transmitters, so I told Bob and Dick to get 1 then 4,
and by then I could get to the others and get them working.  Bob said
"Don't you mean 4 then 1?  4's a lot louder than 1."  I should have
said, "Yeah", but I didn't.  Lost opportunity...

I fixed 3, then 5, then 2.  Five was the only one I didn't reprogram,
so 2 should have been working.  Later, Bob said 2 was actually
working, but it was just really quiet.  He got 2 first, way before I
got there.  We're thinking maybe antenna or battery for 2.

I went back to the start, and checked the Ts with my tape measure
beam.  3 and 4, the two farthest Ts, were the loudest, which made
sense because of the line of sight.  The other three I could barely
hear.  The funniest thing was that every bearing from the start, all
five (!), pointed toward a powerline corner in sight about 200m from
the start.  I laughed about that for a while, although I'm sure it
didn't affect them once they started.

I had a homing beacon, but I didn't have the antenna high enough.  If
I have the finish in a place like this again, I'll try for a 20 foot
crappie pole with one of those twin-lead J-poles, or something. Dick
didn't hear the homing beacon from about 800m out.

Despite not hearing the beacon, losing his map due to a wet mapboard
(the velcro adhesive still had paper attached), and having radio
trouble, Dick won by about 12 or 15 minutes.

My biggest mistake was not testing the transmitters.  I usually
program them, then turn them all on and make sure they start when the
delay is over.  I actually started that process twice, but both times
something was wrong, so I stopped, changed programming, then
restarted.  After the second failure, I made changes and went to bed
(at midnight)  Big Mistake.  I should have started them at midnight,
and gotten up at 3 am to verify everything, and then gone back to bed.

 The navigation was pretty challenging.  It was mapped in Oct/Nov, and
the summer vegetation is out.  It wasn't too bad, but it did slow
things down a little.  One of my big mental associations with East
Fork involves briars, but this area just has small, well-mapped areas
of briars. There were a few patches of stinging nettles, which I hate.
 I had to pass through about 100m of it on one flood plain.  The
stinging only lasts 10-20 minutes, but *man* is it a long 10-20
minutes.  This map should be really fun when it's not summer.

Overall, it was a really good workout, but the transmitter troubles
made it a little less challenging than I'd hoped.

Matthew
AA9YH
Cincinnati, Ohio
From cedarcreek at gmail.com  Tue Jun 28 22:23:13 2005
From: cedarcreek at gmail.com (Matthew Robbins)
Date: Tue Jun 28 22:23:18 2005
Subject: [ARDF] 2-day event in North Carolina June 18-19...
Message-ID: <f04fcb9a050628222355ff7517@mail.gmail.com>

The weekend before Field Day, several of us from Cincinnati drove to
Raleigh, NC for a 2-day ARDF event.  The setter for both days was
Nadia Scharlau, and she set some tough courses.

Saturday was 2m.  Bob Frey, Dick Arnett, and I showed up at Umherst
Park around 9am.  We met Charles Scharlau, who was also competing, and
we made our way to the start.  The start was at a bridge near the
lowest part of the map, and the most obvious route from the start was
to take a gravel road uphill for 1.1km.

Our start order was Charles, Bob, Dick, and then me.  I forgot to
mention that Bob wasn't feeling well.  He was coughing a lot, and I
was sure I was going to get it too.  The 1.1km was uphill all the way.
 I ran a few steps, but I was feeling really run down, and the whole
day was pretty much a hard walk.

At the far end of the map (with the finish in the middle), I had to
get 2 and 4, then come back toward the finish to get 1.  After I got
4, I had to backtrack to get 2, then 1.  On the way to 2, I passed Bob
and Dick going to 4.  I thought, "If they got 2 and 1 already, then
they've got a really easy route to the finish."  The finish was on top
of a hill with a trail going to it from the north, so I assumed that
would be the way to the finish.  Only when I was out near 4 did I see
a really easy route to the finish (that still meant climbing the
hill).  If Bob and Dick saw that route, they've got me, I thought. 
I've screwed up the order.

After I got the first 4 Ts, in this order, 3542, I went to where I
thought 1 was, an area just outside the finish circle with a trail
heading toward the finish.  When 1 came on, something was wrong.  It
was *way* too weak.  I ran at it, but it didn't get any stronger.  I
followed it for a couple cycles, then I decided to divert around a big
reentrant.  Probably six cycles after I started, I got 1.  It would
have been best to get it either first or second, rather than last.  I
had a weak bearing coming out of 3 (my first T) that I should have
verified wasn't on that spur, but I didn't.

I was pretty disappointed with my performance at this point.  I was
hoping someone else screwed up the order, but I wasn't going to count
on it.  Nadia had advised us to be careful with the big reentrants,
but standing at one, I wasn't about to do the distance going around. 
It was maybe 700m cross-country, or 1.3 minimum going around.  I was
tired, but I wasn't that tired.  Plus, the map had 3m contours.  How
bad could it be?

I aimed for some likely easy descents and climbs, and found them way
easier than I'm used to.  Our Ohio terrain has been described as
having death ravines.  I've seen death ravines.  These were no death
ravines.  So going straight was the right choice.  (And to be
clear---Umstead Park does have some death ravines.  Just not between 1
and the finish.)

When I got to the finish, I saw Nadia first, then Charles.  10 or
fifteen minutes later, Dick showed up.

Okay.  The surprise of the day was that everyone got the order wrong. 
Everyone got 1 last (except Bob who was feeling really bad and went to
the car after getting four Ts).  The best thing for me was that
everyone else came to the finish after getting four Ts, then went back
out to get 1 (except Bob).  I'm pretty sure that means I had a little
more direct route.

The straightline distance was 6+km.  My route was 10.8km or so, almost
all walking.  It was a bad day for me fitness-wise, because I just
couldn't run.  Every time I tried, I just got more tired.

We're not really sure who won.  It was either me or Charles.  My time
was 2:50 or so.  If Charles got back more than 15 minutes before me,
he won.  Dick was next, then Bob.  I've got to say here that Bob was
looking really bad.  If I felt as bad as he looked, I wouldn't have
gotten four Ts---I've have quit a lot sooner.

2 quick side stories:

1.  Charles warned us about the ticks.  He said at the worst times of
the year (later in the summer), he's come out of the woods with 30
dead ticks in his shoes.  My O' clothes have a lot of residual
permethrin from previous sprayings, but I went a little light on the
DEET on my skin on Saturday.  I had one adult tick and one possible
nymph-stage.  We're not for sure, but we think when Bob got back, he
sat down in the passenger seat of the car, and some ticks jumped off
him.  When Dick sat down there (having changed out of his O' clothes
first), it was like a feeding frenzy.  He was picking off ticks right
and left.  The next day, on the way back, I sat there and pulled one
off my leg after 30 minutes or so.  I think we got all of them out of
the car that way.

2.  On Saturday evening, we took Nadia and Charles to dinner at a
barbeque restaurant, both to repay their pizza party Friday, and to
thank Nadia especially for setting the courses.  It was a good sign
that when we walked in, there was a plaque saying this place was voted
best barbeque in the town.  I've posted about Barbeque before, and
I've publicly worried about Carolina-style BBQ, with the vinegar
"sauce".  Well---It's great.  It really not a sauce as much as it is a
spicy vinegar you put on the plain meat.  I've been craving it for
about a week now.  Thursday or Friday I'm going to City BBQ in Dayton
for their Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich.  Let's see how the imitation
holds up to the real stuff.

3.  Okay three stories.  I found out that there is a Rudy's BBQ in
Albuquerque.  Actually 2 Rudy's.  So unless someone from Albuquerque
directs us to a better place, Rudy's is on my list of places to eat at
the US Champs.  I need a t-shirt that with a Yagi on it that says,
"I'm looking for BBQ in ABQ".  Or something.

Now back to the story.

Sunday 80m.  Remember that this is June 19, Father's day.  Some people
back home have noticed our conspicuous absence.  So we need to get
home.  Nadia offered to shorten the course a bit at dinner, and we
accepted.  Instead of just over 6km, it was 5km or so, and there was
much less diverting around reentrants than Day 1.

We started Charles, me, Bob?, then Dick?  We cheated and took initial
bearings.  My first T was 5, and when it came on the first time after
I started, it was apparent my initial bearing was wrong.  I got it
off-cycle at 18 minutes.  I felt so much better than Day 1.  I ran
about as much as I walked on Day 2.  On Day 1, I could go anaerobic by
walking, but not on day two (except up hills).  I pushed pretty hard
to get in a good location for 2, but after my bad bearing for 5, I was
being careful.  I stayed on the trail to a good spot, then aimed off
into the woods.  After a few minutes, before my bearing would take me
down a hill, I stopped and saw Charles.  When 2 came on, we ran it
down and got it on-cycle.  I beat him to it by a second, but then he
was gone.

The next T was 1, and I overran it a little (missed it left), but got
it off-cycle about a minute after it went off.

4 was next, and I didn't trust the crossing on my map, so I favored my
close-in bearing.  There was lots of deadfall, and Charles' controller
IDs at the beginning of the minute, which means they give you no
warning they're going off, and I missed taking a bearing in the last
10 seconds of the transmission.  I lost 5 minutes on that.

The last one was 3, and I almost screwed it up.  Nadia put it in a
100m triangle formed by the start and finish circles, but I didn't
draw them on my map.  Luckily, my bearings and some good decisions got
me really close to it, and I got it just after it went off.

I ran pretty hard to the finish.  I'm not doing enough exercise, but
it was a good run in.

Results: Charles, me, Dick, Bob.  Bob was still recovering on Sunday,
but he was obviously pushing pretty hard.

It was a great weekend. The park was a lot more open than our Ohio
woods this time of year.  The ticks were a little scary, but we
treated our clothes with Permethrin on Saturday night, and used a ton
of DEET on our skin on Sunday, and it really helped.  I had one tick
on Sunday, but it might have been in the car already.

So...A really big thanks to Nadia and Charles for hosting the event. 
It was great practice in a really nice park.  With the exception of
shortening the course a little on Sunday, Nadia really set two
challenging courses.  Four competitors (of 4) getting fooled by number
1 on 2m has got to be proof of diabolical course-setting abilities.

We've offered to Nadia and Charles, and now to you as well:  If you're
coming through Cincinnati for some reason, or if you want to plan a
Cincinnati ARDF trip, let us know, and we'll work something out. 
We're as busy as anyone, but we'll try to accommodate you.  Let us
know.

Matthew
AA9YH
Cincinnati, Ohio
From Homingin at aol.com  Wed Jun 29 22:00:22 2005
From: Homingin at aol.com (Homingin@aol.com)
Date: Wed Jun 29 22:00:34 2005
Subject: [ARDF] Mount Pinos ARDF Saturday July 16
Message-ID: <201.49ff75e.2ff4d666@aol.com>

The last in a series of southern California events leading up to the USA ARDF 
Championships takes place on July 16 at Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National 
Forest.  It is open to anyone of any age, with or without a ham radio license.

This ARDF course will be "advanced" level, about the same length as typical 
national championship courses, with five two-meter transmitters.  Although it 
is intended as training for experienced radio-orienteers, it can be completed 
by newcomers who are capable of walking or running at high elevation for at 
least 5 kilometers.  There will not be any short-range "beginner" transmitters, 
nor any 80-meter transmitters.  Course-setter Marvin Johnston KE6HTS will be on 
hand to teach the basic techniques of on-foot direction-finding.

Mount Pinos terrain is mostly runable forest.  The air is clear, and there is 
no poison oak. Be sure to bring your own water.  Scoring will be electronic. 
If you have an "e-stick," be sure to bring it.  There will be a $5 per person 
charge for the use of Los Angeles Orineteering Club's equipment.

Please be on time for this event.  The radio-O group will meet at the McGill 
Campground day-use parking lot at 10:30 and carpool to the starting point at 
or near the Nordic Center (8300' elevation) three miles beyond the campground.  
We'll try to monitor 146.52 MHz simplex for ham operators, but may not be 
able to hear you if you're not close by.

Directions: Take Frazier Park exit and go west on Frazier Mountain Park Road. 
 Continue 8 miles, passing Frazier Park and Lockwood Valley Road (which is 
your last chance for supplies and water).  Four miles beyond the Lockwood Valley 
turnoff, stay left at the fork onto Mt Pinos Road.  (If you reach Pine 
Mountain Club, turn around.)  Go another five climbing, winding, miles to McGill 
Camp on your right.  As you enter the campground, the day parking lot is on your 
right just before the road goes out to the campsites.

Overnight camping is available for $12 per campsite on a 
first-come-first-served basis at McGill Campground.  The campground is dry, so bring your own 
water.

As of June 2005, USFS Adventure Passes are no longer required at Mt. Pinos in 
the summer months.

Questions? Send e-mail to marvin@rain.org 

73,
Joe Moell K0OV
www.homingin.com