09/08/2023

 At the 21st International Amateur Radio Union World Amateur Radio Direction
Finding (ARDF) Championship in Liberec, Czech Republic, held August 27 through
September 2, 2023, USA competitors won a silver medal for an individual
competition, as well as two bronze team medals.

ARDF, also known as radio orienteering, is a multi-skill sport that involves
running and navigation using only a map and compass.

Competitors use a 2-meter (144 MHz) or 80-meter (3.5 MHz) radio receiver to
locate multiple transmitters hidden in a forest. The sport directly applies to
important activities such as search and rescue, wildlife tracking, airborne and
seaborne navigation, and communications. The competition at the championship in
Liberec involved mountainous terrain, intricate navigation challenges, periods
of rain, and elite racing.

The USA fielded its largest team ever, including 21 athletes, with seven
competing in a world championship for the first time. The (IARU) and Czech
Radio Club hosted the event in the mountainous region of North Bohemia, with 28
countries and nearly 400 racers attending.

Ruth Bromer, WB4QZG, won a silver medal in the W65 category during the 3.5 MHz
"foxoring" event that combines orienteering and transmitter (fox) hunting.
Nadia Scharlau, KO4ADV, and Natalia Leoni earned a bronze team medal in the W55
category 144 MHz classic competition. Several USA athletes also finished within
the top 10 results in nearly all the classes, including two fourth - place
finishes by Scharlau.

Scharlau was thrilled with the results. "All our newcomers performed beyond our
expectations. The courses were extremely hard. We all got along and supported
one another. Most importantly, almost everyone expressed their determination to
improve and come back to compete again," said Scharlau.

ARRL's ARDF Committee Chair Charles Scharlau, NZ0I, who also raced, echoed the
positive take on the USA team, stating, "They successfully navigated
well-designed courses on rugged terrain against a field of skilled and
experienced competitors. The Czech Republic is an ideal place to hold the world
championships. They have great maps, excellent venues, and they know how to put
on a world-class event," he said.

The USA Radio Orienteering Championship will be held in Michigan on October 7 -
13, 2024. Team USA will select its team members for the 2025 USA Championship,
and that team will travel to Lithuania in 2025 to compete in the 22nd World
ARDF Championship.

A complete list of the 2023 results can be found at
https://vysledky.ardf2023.cz/.[1]

Thanks to ARRL ARDF Committee and Event Director Joseph Burkhead, KE8MKR, for
the information contained in this story.

[1] https://vysledky.ardf2023.cz/

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