Radio Society of Great Britain
80m - Winner's Blog

3.5 MHz ARDF competition
With the day being cold and wet, coupled with the delayed start, I was glad when I eventually started and was able to start running and warm up.
As I was running up the road, taking rough bearing on the TXs, #2 was conspicuous by its absence.
This was a little concerning as this was the TX that caused the started to be delayed. I decided that it must be at the other end of the map and behind the hill so my PJ80 couldn’t hear it. PJ80s have a reputation of being a bit deaf.
As I went past the road that led to #4 I did consider going for it, but was more interested in getting higher on the hill to hear #2.
By the time of the third transmission of #1 I was on the track nearby and following the final bearing I was able to locate it.

Still on the hunt for a location where I could hear #2 I continued climbing and heading for the far side of the hill. I was on the track near ‘A’ when listening carefully I could hear #2 in the noise. With a bearing for it and then #3 on the next minute the order to get the rest was settled with the final route turning into a fig of 8.
When #3 next came on I wasn’t close enough and the terrain wasn’t obliging to enable me to follow its bearing. Looking in the correct block of forest, initially on the wrong spur I eventually found it. Moments after punching it came on, very loud, not the first time and probably will not be the last when my ear drums are abused in this way.

Climbing out of #3 I was on the road when #4 came on and got a bearing for it then powered on to be near #2 for its next transmission. As luck would have it I was on the track above when it came on and soon had it punched as well.

Whilst collecting #3 and #2 I had looked at the route options for getting to #4 and decided that over the hill by the edge of the map was the way to go. From the bearings I had I wasn’t sure if it was on the main hill or the next hill across, so I was also hedging my bets. Near the top of the hill I got a bearing that had me staying on the main hill. I did not travel down the track too quickly as I was conscious that I could easily go too far as I was going down hill, watching the time for when #4’s next transmission was due. When it did come on it gave a bearing of straight down the very steep hill. Plunging into the vegetation, thankfully benign, I made my way to the bottom of the hill. At the bottom I was beginning to wonder what my next move was going to be as it was a couple of minutes before #4 was due to come on again. I glanced over my shoulder and there beside a tree I had just passed was a control, #4. My immediate reaction was surprise and subsequently it became joy from my luck.

With all my designated controls located it was now get to the finish as quickly as I could. My earlier thoughts had been to follow the roads round past the start. Closer examination of the map showed that passing through the saddle and round the north side of the southern hill was shorter, didn’t involve any significant climb and had the advantage of a near level track run to #6.
The drop from #6 to the finish wasn’t as bad as expected from looking at it when passing through the finish on the way to the start earlier in the morning.

Michael Dunbar M40

Notes: 1. On the winner's route, Michael has marked the times when he was listening to a transmitter as a red bar on his track and the number of the transmitter he was receiving is the circled red number alongside.
2. The route followed is otherwise in purple.
3. The locations and numbers of all the transmitters are shown in dark blue.
4. Point A referenced above is also shown in dark blue.