[ARDF] Open Letter & Petition: Region 2 Rules Request

[Jay Hennigan]

On 6/9/17 8:18 PM, Charles Scharlau wrote:
> Dear IARU Region 2 ARDF Working Group:

> The need for permanent rules is well illustrated by a particular adaptation
> that is sorely needed, and long overdue: the use of personal smart
> electronic devices (smartphones and tablets) in ARDF competitions.

I disagree that this is either sorely needed or long overdue. As far as 
need, the fundamental nature of ARDF is navigation by radio direction 
finding using a map and compass. Personal smart devices are neither 
sorely needed to read maps and compasses nor to operate a receiver.

These devices contain a compass and a GPS receiver as well as a powerful 
computer and a display. They can memorize bearings by pointing the phone 
and pushing a button or tapping the screen. With input from the receiver 
and clock synchronization or Morse code analysis, even the need to push 
the button or tap the screen can be eliminated. Just turn around in 
circles. The phone pulls RSSI from the receiver, compares this against 
its compass, and calculates the bearing. It knows its position from GPS 
and which fox is transmitting from its clock or the Morse ID.

Such applications would fundamentally change the nature of the sport as 
they essentially eliminate the map. A competitor hopelessly lost on the 
map can spin in circles with a smart device and have the device alone 
determine with good accuracy the relative location of each of the 
transmitters. As the competitor continues to wander, lost on the map, 
the smart device can provide optimal finding order and distance and 
direction to each fox even while the competitor remains lost. This goes 
against the unique character defined in rule P2.2.1 .

In addition, consider that smartphones are primarily communication 
devices. Fundamental principles of ARDF competition are to prohibit 
communication between competitors and remove the possibility of 
information transfer from the finish back to the start. See rules 32.2 
and P3.2 .

As far as the claim that the use of personal smart electronic devices is 
long overdue, this technology has been available for a relatively short 
time with respect to the age of the sport. Furthermore, smartphone 
hardware and software continue to evolve outside of the scope that can 
be continuously redefined by updating the rules.

> In an acknowledgement of the need to adapt ARDF to the realities of
> advancing technology, Region 1 rules have evolved to allow broad use of GPS
> devices in ARDF competitions. That was a profound departure from the
> traditional map-compass-receiver sport it had been since its origin. 

Broad use is hardly accurate here. It is limited to non-mapping devices. 
Latitude and longitude are not printed on the maps. It is certainly true 
that some useful information can be derived from GPS such as distance 
and direction to a waypoint such as the start or a found fox which can 
aid in location, whether an exclusion zone has been passed, etc. This 
really doesn't change the fundamental nature of the sport, and trying to 
calculate all of this on the run is likely to result in a competitive 
disadvantage.

> But
> the sport has always been a combination of skills and technology, and
> failure to adapt would render the sport an anachronism. Region 1 leadership
> is clearly cognizant of that risk.
> > As Region 1 has chosen to advance the sport with the use of GPS devices,
> the time has come to include smartphones, and similar portable electronic
> devices capable of running customized applications. 

Allowing non-mapping GPS devices which have no communication capability 
is far different from allowing smartphones with custom software. My 
understanding is that the rule clarification with regard to GPS was to 
allow the use of common fitness watches with integrated GPS capability. 
The GPS function of these devices is incidental to the stopwatch, heart 
rate monitor, and similar functions that are typically used by 
competitive runners. They offer little in the way of competitive 
advantage. Such devices use GPS primarily to determine running pace and 
for later analysis and are not optimized for navigation.

> Such "apps" running on
> personal electronic devices can be designed to preclude the use of banned
> functionality, such as maps and radio communications. Apps can also record
> if they are closed, placed in the background, or otherwise circumvented.
> Thus, if an app logs all such events to a file, that log file can be
> submitted as proof that no banned activity occurred on that device. 

The burden on the jury to verify this would require incredible technical 
skill. Jailbroken and rooted phones are very common and it is certainly 
conceivable that unethical competitors would develop apps or operating 
system modifications with undetectable communication capability. 
Consider for example "Easter egg" hidden functions that would allow 
communication and bypass logging. The jury would need the technical 
skill to verify the absence of such forbidden software on every version 
of smartphone operating system and every version of every application. 
This is extremely difficult when dealing with compiled applications. 
This skill would need to be kept up-to-date as new versions appear which 
can be quite often.

I'm somewhat familiar with an early version of the app that Charles has 
developed and it is indeed extremely well written. It is excellent for 
ARDF simulation and course planning. It is very useful with respect to 
direction finding in general such as tracking interference or emergency 
beacons. In my opinion its use by ARDF competitors at a championship 
event is not a good thing.

There exists a game called Pokemon Go. There exists a game called ARDF. 
I'm not convinced that the two should be merged. If they are, in my 
opinion it should be called a new game entirely. Such a game could 
indeed be a lot of fun, but it would no longer be ARDF, or for that 
matter Pokemon Go.

--
Jay Hennigan - CCIE #7880 - Network Engineering - jay at impulse.net
Impulse Internet Service  -  http://www.impulse.net/
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