[ARDF] Photos from 2006 USA ARDF Championships

[Matthew Robbins]

Regarding the 3L of water---It's 1.5 to 2 L.  In Albuquerque, I used
2L, probably because of the dry air (and all the extra breathing due
to the thin air).  In Raleigh, I think I did 1.5L before my start on
both days.

In Albuquerque, I needed water at the finish.  In Raleigh, I didn't
feel like I needed water, but I drank the electrolyte drink anyway.
The banana at the finish was great, too.

Also, it wasn't water---It's a sports drink called Gookinade
Hydralyte.  It was developed by Bill Gookin, an orienteering and
marathon runner.  He analyzed his sweat and made a drink to replace
what he was losing.  I think it's a lot better than water.  If I drink
too much water, I get a headache.  I just feel better when I drink
this before I run.

Matthew
Cincinnati

On 4/24/06, Kenneth E. Harker <kenharker at kenharker.com> wrote:
>      The photos I took (please let me know if I made any errors):
>
> http://www.wm5r.org/photos/2006_usa_ardf/
>
> Some of my comments, in no particular order:
>
> * I had a great time at the event.  The state park was very nice, even
> with all the deadfall that made getting through some portions of the forest
> difficult.  The lack of significant undergrowth in most of the park was a
> refreshing change from what I'm used to in Texas.  The hills were not as
> bad as I remember in Georgia, New Mexico, or even in Ohio.
>
> * In the two meter event, I did think it was odd that the map included
> many private home sites that were not marked out of bounds.  I would kind of
> feel wierd running through someone's back yard during an event like this.
>
> * I thought the downed trees markings on the map were not all that useful.
> I certainly never felt like I could rely upon them for determining where
> I was, or for deciding upon my route choice.  Maybe they were more accurate
> or useful in 1997.
>
> * The route lengths for M21 felt longer than in recent ARDF Championships,
> but of course at 8.2 and 8.5 kms are still perfectly appropriate lengths
> for these championships.
>
> * I wasn't really as prepared for the cold weather on Sunday morning as I
> should have been.
>
> * I am now interested in trying out other receivers for 2M keyed AM courses.
> The VK3YNG receiver worked best for me in tone mode, but even then, it was
> hard to get good bearings on distant transmitters.  There was a certain
> "ramp-up" in audio frequency with the beginning of each code element that was
> really distracting because you had to mentally factor it out as you compared
> the relative audio frequency between code elements as you moved the antenna.
> This was less of an issue with stronger signals or when you moved the
> antenna more slowly.
>
> * On Sunday morning I had a serious issue with my Altai 3,5 receiver right
> out of the start.  It was so cold that morning that the conductors in the
> Soviet headphone jack and plug I think shrunk just enough that they were no
> longer making good contact.  The result was really scratchy audio.  In fact,
> the headphone plug was so loose in the jack that it was falling out on its
> own just from the normal walking motion.  Luckily, I had a spare rubber band
> with me that together with a really small twig, I used to hold the headphone
> plug firmly in place.  After that, I had no real issues with the headphone
> audio unless I happened to physically bump the plug.  From now on, I'm always
> carrying an extra rubber band or two with me.
>
> * I'm mildly surprised that we didn't have any issues with the use of 144.200
> as the hunt frequency on Saturday.  144.200 is the national CW/USB call
> frequency for two meter weak signal enthusiasts, which is probably the only
> other interest group on the band that is also horizontally polarized and
> likely to understand the Morse code.  I was concerned that we might
> attract attention from up to a hundred miles away...
>
> * Most of the 100-milers in the park on Saturday ignored me.  One made some
> crack about me hunting for the mother ship, and another joked about "I'm not
> speeding officer, I swear!"  I think having a competition number on my chest
> probably helped keep people from bothering me too much.
>
> * Saturday was the first time I've done an ARDF event in the rain.  I had a
> plastic Ziploc bag over the VK3YNG receiver, held on with a rubber band, and
> did nothing special with my cheap Sony headphones.  Everything worked fine,
> even though I know the VK3YNG receiver is not designed to be waterproof.
>
> * I really appreciated April looking out for us at the finish lines.
>
> * I continue to make gross navigation errors.  On the eighty meter course,
> my route from MOH to MO5 was especially bad.  Most of my errors are the
> result of assuming that the transmitter is a lot closer than it really
> is, so I am willing to charge up or down hillsides and such when I really
> should be spending longer on trails or the same contour until I really know
> where the transmitter is located.
>
> * I especially enjoyed finding MOI on two meters off cycle when I knew
> Jay and Bob were on the same general hillside still looking for it.
>
> * I'm looking forward to the next one.
>
> Thanks Nadia and Charles!
>
> --
> Kenneth E. Harker WM5R
> kenharker at kenharker.com
> http://www.kenharker.com/
>
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