International ARDF Event Update and a New 80-Meter Set
More and more hams are discovering that hidden transmitter hunting on the 2-meter band is fun and easy. Simple equipment such as a Yagi, attenuator, and handheld will get you started on both of the popular kinds of radio direction finding (RDF) contests, mobile and all-on-foot.
The best on-foot foxhunters compete for medals at national and international championships, using their RDF gear with a map and compass in the woods. The U.S. national championships are open to anyone, but if you show up with gear for just 2 meters, you will only be ready for one of the four competitions. The other three events are on the 80-meter band.
European and Scandinavian countries began competitions in amateur radio direction finding (ARDF), also called radio-orienteering, on the 80-meter band with keyed CW signals. A 2-meter classic event was added later, but the sprint, foxoring, and one classic event still take place on 80 meters.
In the classic ARDF competitions, competitors almost always perform better on 80 meters than on 2 meters, because 80-meter signals don’t reflect from trees, hills, and buildings to cause false bearings like 2-meter signals often do. Unless you are standing right under a long power line or within inches of a big metal fence, the bearing you get on 80 meters is almost always accurate.
It doesn’t matter if you’re on a hilltop or deep in a canyon. Like daytime signals from AM broadcast stations, 80-meter ground wave signals follow the curvature of the earth and aren’t
