Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools ARDF
News Archives

• CHCCS ARDF home.
• What are CHCCS ARDF events?
• Receiver reservation.
• Current ARDF calendar.
• IslandCT home page.

Welcome to the news archives page for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools ARDF. The page is hosted on the islandcreativetime web site, the family web site of Kelly Sears and Patrick Sears. For comments, suggestions, and questions; please contact ksears(at)chccs(dot)k12(dot)nc(dot)us.

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Listed by posted date.

• 2016-10-08. ARDF event - Hurricane Matthew: We figured we may have no one show up so we down-sized the event in both time and space. It rained heavily all day, tree limbs were falling, one of our transmitters got pulled up in the air by its antenna (and survived). It was an epic course setting. And as expected, no one showed up. Oh, well. We still had a fun time getting all the equipment tested after a summer in storage. We'll be ready for next time.
• 2016-10-11. Changes for the next events (Nov-5, Dec-3). Instead of having the course open from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, we will now have it open from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Note that the course is open for 4 hours but one student's time on course is expected to be 30 to 90 minutes. Also, check this web page for last minute information such as cancellation/rescheduling in case the rain is too heavy.
• 2016-10-31. Nov-5 event this Saturday! The National Weather Service is forecasting Sunny with a high near 68 F. And no hurricane this time! We're meeting in the Seawell Elementary School parking lot (GPS: 35.9401, -79.0788) at 11:00 AM. The course will be open 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. All high school and middle school students, their families, teachers and staff are welcome -- even if only for a few minutes to see what it's all about. If you're planning to go on the course, bring $5 for a receiver. We have already had some receiver reservations. We should have plenty for everybody. But if you want to guarantee you will have one or just want to speed up sign-in, check out the receiver reservation page.
• 2016-11-04. Nov-5 event is tomorrow! The National Weather Service is forecasting Sunny with a high near 66 F. There will be a 30 minute class and then expect to be on the course for 90 minutes. We'll be walking the course with those that haven't done it before. And we should be done by 1:00 PM. The course will be open longer to allow for staggered starts of those that are more competitive. We can keep the course open until 3:00 PM. If everyone is done by 1:00 PM, we'll close the course at that time. If you plan on arriving later, no problem. Just email Kelly Sears (ksears [at] chccs.k12.nc.us) to make sure we keep the course open. See you tomorrow!
• 2016-11-05. We had a real fun event today. I'm working on the event report and pictures. I should have it up within the next couple days, so check again soon.
• 2016-11-06. Nov-5 Event Report posted!
• 2016-11-07. Changes for future events Two changes. First, about rescheduling. If the weather is particularly bad we will reschedule to the following Saturday if possible. Check this page for rescheduling announcements. Second, about course open times. At a minimum, the course will stay open from 11 AM to 1 PM. After that, the course will stay open until everyone is done but no later than 3 PM.
• 2016-11-07. Registration/receiver reservation is open for the Dec-3 event. If the weather is bad, our alternate date will be Dec-17. Check here for any notices. As before, we will meet in the Seawell Elementary School parking lot and the course will be in Carolina North Forest. At a minimum, the course will stay open from 11 AM to 1 PM. After that, the course will stay open until everyone is done but no later than 3 PM.
• 2016-11-19. We may have an extra event - Dec-10. On the registration/receiver reservation page, you can now sign up for another event on Dec-10. We're not sure we'll run it yet. But if enough people sign up, we'll be out there. Check this page for updates.
• 2016-12-03. We had a wonderful Dec-3 event and the Dec-10 event is on! We had a super event! I'll be writing it up today and tomorrow, so expect the posting by the end of the weekend. Also, we had enough interest for an extra event on Dec-10, so it's on! If you want to reserve a receiver for Dec-10, you may do so on the registration/receiver reservation page.
• 2016-12-04. Dec-3 event report is posted! (LINK). Wow! This was our largest event to date. Thanks to all who made this a success.
• 2016-12-11. Dec-10 event report is posted! (LINK). A wonderful final event for the season. A beautiful day and some extra equipment challenges with the cold.
• 2017-03-07 Spring 2017 CHCCS ARDF season opening - Apr 8! We have a great season planned: three CHCCS events and two BOK events. Also, there will be a week-long event put on by BOK in Ashboro this summer. We have a bunch of new receivers. And we're excited to try out a new course timing system. We just updated the site's main web page and the registration page. The calendar needs a bit of work but that will come soon.
• 2017-04-02 Next event: Sat Apr 8! 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Meet in our usual place: Park in the Seawell Elementary School parking lot (GPS: 35.9401, -79.0788) and meet on the edge Carolina North Forest. Follow the orange & white ARDF signs. This will be a shorter course to get every on back into it. The straight line path through all the controls is 2 km (original post had 1.1 km by mistake). It will help us if you register here, but you don't have to.
• 2017-04-09 Apr 8 event report posted! Click here to see the event report. We have a bunch of great pictures.
• 2017-04-23 Apr 22 event report posted! Click here to see the event report. We had a super low turnout, only 4 hounds. But we still had a really good time. Thanks to all that came. And thanks to all who emailed us that they couldn't make it but were definitely still interested. It made us really excited to start planning the next event ☺ .
• 2017-05-07 #1 May 6 event report posted! Click here to see the event report. We had a super time with eight participants going out in three groups. A longer course, larger flags. This time, we have many pictures, many of them from Jason. Thanks Jason ☺ .
• 2017-05-07 #2 We may have an extra CHCCS event on May 27. BOK has an ARDF event on May 13. If May 13 is rained out, the BOK event will be held on May 27. But if the May 13 is on, we'll try for an extra CHCCS event on May 27. Check back here after May 13.
• 2017-05-15 Make the CHCCS May 27 event happen! The May 27 date has opened up. So we will put on an extra CHCCS event on that date if there is enough interest. To make it happen, please register: CHCCS ARDF registration page. Unlike other CHCCS events, this one will start from the East side of Carolina North Forest. From Martin Luther King Jr BLVD, take Municipal Drive to the end (Parking lot GPS: 35.936168 -79.065907, enter these coordinates in the search field of maps.google.com or click this link). We will meet at the usual time, 11:00 AM, and be done around 1:00 PM.
• 2017-05-16 May-13 BOK results and pictures posted. We had a fun time at the BOK event last Saturday and we had two members of the CHCCS ARDF community participate. If you're interested in what these events are like, here is a link to our results write-up on the BOK web site: BOK results, and here is a link to our family website where we posted a bunch of pictures from the event: Pictures from BOK event. There will be one more BOK event this spring, Saturday June 3.
• 2017-05-28 CHCCS May 27 extra - Event report posted! Click here to see the report and all the pictures. We has a fantastic event with many more participants than we expected and the longest course we've ever put on for CHCCS events. Thanks to all who made this a great time.
• 2017-06-17 Summer 2017. This summer, there are two ARDF opportunities. The first one is the BOK International ARDF Training and Competition in Asheboro, NC (Jul-24 to Jul-28). Kelly and I won't be able to make it. The second one is the USA and Region II ARDF Championships in Cincinnati, Ohio (Jul-31 to Aug-6). It's the largest event in the USA. Kelly and I will be there for the entire week. There are links to the event websites on the CHCCS ARDF calendar. If you need equipment for any of these, just let us know and we'll lend you what you need.
• 2017-08-17 Get ready for the fall 2017 season! We had a great time at the USA and Region-2 Championships in Cincinnati just two weeks ago. We'll post pictures soon. Now, we're super excited for the CHCCS fall 2017 season. Check out the calendar. You will notice that the events are all on Sundays instead of Saturdays. As the events got bigger last season, there just wasn't enough time to get the venues ready. So we're moving the events Sundays so that we can do the course setting on Saturday.
• 2017-08-24 #1 The fall 2017 season is here! We have a great season planned: Three CHCCS events and one BOK event. All of these will be the 80m classic events you're used to. We also have an extra CHCCS event date (Oct-22) that we'll use as a make-up date in case one of the other events gets rained out. But if all the other events run ok, we'll try to put on a small foxoring event. More on that later. We also have a new punch-card system to try out. All the events are currently planed for Carolina North Forest. Some are planned for the West side (Seawell School parking lot) and some for the East side (Municipal Drive parking lot). Registration is already open for the Sep-17 event. Most of the ARDF part of the website is up date. Let us know if you find any errors. See you on the trails. ☺
• 2017-08-24 #2 Next event: Sep-17 Sunday, 80m classic. This event will be an 80m classic event. It's the same type of event we've run all last spring. We'll meet on the edge of the Seawell Elementary School parking lot. The course will be open from 11 AM to 1 PM, maybe longer. If you're a newcomer, try to be there at 11 AM so that you can go on course with the class. Registration is open HERE. You don't have to register, but it will be appreciated. It makes our planning easier.
• 2017-09-19 #1 Sep-17, 80m classic - report posted. We had a super fun time. Check out the event report for a bunch of pictures.
• 2017-09-19 #2 Next event: Oct-1, 80m classic - timing. We have moved the course-open time one hour later. Instead of being open from 11 AM to 1 PM, the course will be open Noon to 2 PM. If you're new to ARDF, you should try to arrive before 12:30 so that you can take full advantage of the class. And you will be done before 2 PM. Participants that have been to ARDF events in the past, will have more time available. The transmitters should all be up by 11 AM. Experienced ARDFers can get on the course as soon as all transmitters are up. Also, if experienced participants are still on the course, we'll keep it open until 3 PM. So, in effect, the last possible start time for experienced ARDFers is 2 PM. Email Kelly or Patrick if you have any question.
• 2017-09-19 #3 Foxoring transmitter build update. We just got our first 3D printed object in the mail. Very exciting ☺ ! It was designed using OpenSCAD and printed by Brian Henning. It's a skirt to protect foxoring transmitter user interfaces from rain. Next, we'll design a full case. Also, we just received a notice that our version 2 OSH Park foxoring PCBs are in the mail. We currently have 5 foxoring transmitters. They are working but aren't ready to withstand bad weather. If all goes as planned, we'll have 10 foxoring transmitters ready for the Oct-22 event.
• 2017-10-01 Oct-1 80m classic event at CNF-East and next event on Oct-8. We had a super time at the Oct-1 event. Thanks to all who showed up. With the next event coming in just 7 days, we'll be a bit later than usual in getting the report out. Stay tuned.
• 2017-10-10 Oct-8 80m classic event report posted. Here is the link. Enjoy the pictures ☺
• 2017-10-11 Foxoring!!! Our next event, Oct-22, will be our first ever foxoring event. We're very excited ☺ It will be different from our usual 80 classics in number of ways. You'll get a map with all the foxes marked on it. But you won't be able to hear the foxes from the start. So you'll have to use the map to get close enough to hear the fox. This means you can plan your route as soon as you get your map. And once you get close, you'll have to pay attention to details on the map to make sure you're in the right place. This table will summarize the main differences for the Oct-22 event:
  

  80m classic	foxoring
  Fox locations are not marked on the map.	Fox locations are marked with a pink circle on the map.
  Fox transmitters can be heard over entire course area.	Fox transmitters can be heard from the circle center in the map and from more than 30m away but not over entire course area.
  There are 5 foxes.	There are 10 foxes.
  There is a 30x30 cm orange/white orienteering flag at each fox location. You may be able to see it from 20 to 30 m away.	There is only a stick in the ground at each fox location. You will have a hard time seeing unless you get within 10 m.
  Each fox transmitts for only one minute out of five.	Foxes transmit continuously.

  
  As with the 80m classic, there will be a homing beacon that will be transmitting continuously and that can be heard over the entire course area. So when your time is running out, it's just like an 80m classic. Switch frequencies and go for the homing beacon.
• 2017-12-17

  The fall 2017 season is over. Thanks to all who came out! We had a great time with you guys ☺ New this last season was the foxoring, and that was really exciting.

  The spring 2018 schedule is almost finalized. We're building madly and may have a 2m or sprint in the spring. Stay tuned.

• 2018-02-13

  The spring 2018 season is coming. Our first event will be on March-25, Sunday. It will be a short 80m classic at CNF-West. The dates for the spring 2018 schedule are finalized. See the current ARDF calendar. If the equipment is ready, we'll have a 2 m classic and a sprint. If not, we'll have our usual 80 m classics and maybe a foxoring.

• 2018-03-15

  The spring 2018 season is here!
  
  Our first event will be on March-25, Sunday. It will be a short 80m classic at CNF-West. We'll meet next to the Seawell Elementary School parking lot at 11 AM. google maps.
  
  Bring a compass and whistle if you have them. If you don't have them, we'll loan you some. Bring $5 to rent a receiver; it goes to the school ARDF club. We'll provide the map. We'll have an introductory meeting as soon as everyone has their equipment in hand. If you can't make it by 11 AM, we'll still make sure you get a good introduction. The course will stay open until 1 PM, later if people are still on the course.
  
  You don't have to register but it helps us if you do: Mar-25 registration
  
  Questions? Send an email to Kelly Sears: klsears at chccs.k12.nc.us.
  
  For other events, check out the current ARDF calendar.

• 2018-04-03

  Our next event will be on April 15, Sunday.
  
  It will be an 80m classic at CNF-East. We'll meet close to the parking lot at the end of Municipal Drive. google maps Bring a compass and whistle if you have them. If you don't have them, we'll loan you some. Bring $5 to rent a receiver; it goes to the school ARDF club. We'll provide the map. We'll have an introductory meeting as soon as everyone has their equipment in hand. If you can't make it by 11 AM, we'll still make sure you get a good introduction. The course will stay open until 1 PM, later if people are still on the course.
  
  You don't have to register but it helps us if you do: Apr-15 registration Questions? Send an email to Kelly Sears: klsears at chccs.k12.nc.us
  

• 2018-04-19

  Our next event will be on April 29, Sunday. It will be our first ever Sprint ARDF. We wrote description of how the sprint will be different from our classic events: Check it out here.

  New location. Park in the parking lot on the west side of Chapel Hill High School: google maps Then follow the orange/white ARDF signs along the path at the end of the parking lot. Our meeting place will be just a two minute walk down the path.

  Bring a compass and whistle if you have them. If you don't have them, we'll loan you some. Bring $5 to rent a receiver; it goes to the school ARDF club. We'll provide the map.

  We'll have an introductory meeting as soon as everyone has their equipment in hand. If you can't make it by 11 AM, we'll still make sure you get a good introduction. The course will stay open until 1 PM, later if people are still on the course.

  You don't have to register but it helps us if you do: ARDF registration page.

• 2018-05-02

  Our next event will be on May 13, Sunday. Happy Mother's Day! It will be our first ever 2m ARDF.

  Meet by the CNF Municipal Drive parking lot. google maps. Note the change in location. We are _not_ meeting at Seawell Elementary School. Look for the orange/white ARDF signs.

  Bring a compass and whistle if you have them. If you don't have them, we'll loan you some. Bring $5 to rent a receiver; it goes to the school ARDF club. We'll provide the map.

  We'll have an introductory meeting as soon as everyone has their equipment in hand. If you can't make it by 11 AM, we'll still make sure you get a good introduction. The course will stay open until 1 PM, later if people are still on the course.

  You don't have to register but it helps us if you do: ARDF registration page. Questions? Send an email to Kelly Sears: klsears at chccs.k12.nc.us
  

• 2018-08-10

  We have the CHCCS Fall 2018 season almost completely planned. We hope to have a demo before school starts. Stay tuned for more info.

  We are especially excited for this school year because the USA ARDF 2019 Championships are coming to North Carolina, summer 2019, Raleigh area. Yipieeee!

• 2018-08-21

  Congratulations to Ken Harker for his appointment as IARU Region 2 ARDF Coordinator. IARU Region 2 includes North and South America.
  

  
  We took this picture at the ARDF USA Championships awards banquet, just this last June in Truckee, CA. Also, a big thank you to Dale Hunt who was Region 2 Coordinator for almost 17 years. Here are some Region 2 websites: ARDF-R2, IARU-R2. Joe Moell (USA ARDF Coordinator) has written a nice post about Ken and Dale .

• 2018-08-30 a

  Sep-8 demo canceled. Sorry, we couldn't make it happen on time. Too busy with work. Next year.

• 2018-08-30 b

  Next event — Saturday Sep-22, 80m Classic.

  The event will be held at Carolina North Forest-East. Park in the Minicipal Drive parking lot. We'll meet close by and have signs to direct you. google maps - Municipal Dr. parking lot.

  You can start any time from 11 AM to 2 PM. The course will stay open until 3 PM. We'll have a class at Noon. After the class, you go with Patrick and the group. Or you can go searching on your own.

  You don't have to register but it helps us plan. The registration page is here.

  Hope to see you there. ☺

• 2018-09-24

  We had a super time at the Sep-22 event. It was an 80m Classic at CNF-E. Check out the event report and pictures here.

• 2018-09-30

  Next Event: Saturday Oct-6, 80m Classic.

  We will meet at our usual CNF-East location, close to the Municipla Dr. parking lot. Google maps.

  Participants can start from 11 AM to 2 PM. The course will be open 11 AM to 3 PM at the latest. We'll have a class starting around Noon.

  You don't have to register but it helps us if you do: Registration page.

• 2018-10-07a

  We just had our Oct-6 80m classic yesterday. Check out the event report and pictures here.

• 2018-10-07b, updated 10-12

  Next Event: Saturday Oct-20, Foxoring.

  We will meet at our usual CNF-East location, close to the Municipla Dr. parking lot. Google maps.

  Participants can start from 11 AM to 2 PM. The course will be open 11 AM to 3 PM at the latest. We'll have a class starting around Noon.

  We wrote a blog post to describe how the foxoring event will be different from our usual 80m classic events. You can find it here

  You don't have to register but it helps us if you do: Registration page.

• 2018-10-21

  We just had a wonderful foxoring yesterday. See the event report here. The CHCCS ARDF fall season is over. There is a BOK ARDF event on Nov-4; more info coming soon. Otherwise, see you in the spring ☺.

• 2019-03-01

  CHCCS ARDF Spring 2019 Season.

  Dates: April 6, April 20, May 4, May 18.

  In addition, there will be BOK events on Mar-17 and Jun-2, and the USA Championships will be held in North Carolina this Summer. More info about our events and the BOK events coming soon. ☺



• 2019-03-30

  Next Event. The next event is on Saturday, April 6.

  You can start any time between 11 AM and 2 PM. We'll have a class at 11:30. If you're new and can't make it for class, no worries, we'll make sure you get all the help you need.

  We'll meet at our usual location at CNF - Municipal Drive. Parking lot GPS: 35.936168 -79.065907 . google maps Follow the orange and white ARDF signs to our meeting place.

  You can register here. You don't have to register but it helps us and speeds your sign-in when you get there.

  All CHCCS high school and middle school students and families welcome.

  Questions? Email Kelly Sears: ksears (at) chccs (dot) k12 (dot) nc (dot) us



• 2019-04-07

  Apr-6, 80 m Classic event report posted. We had a super time. ☺ Check out the event report here.



• 2019-04-08 Calendar updated.

  Plan's for May-4 have been finalized. It will be a Sprint. There will also be a small foxoring for newcomers. All event dates are the same as before.

  The new spring schedule:

  • Apr-6 - 80m Classic. Done.
  • Apr-20 - 80m Classic. Next event.
  • May-4 - Sprint.
  • May-18 - 2m Classic or 80m Classic.

  Link to current ARDF calendar.



• 2019-04-12 Next event: Apr-20, 80 m Classic event.

  This event will be like the last one.

  When: Saturday, Apr. 20. The course opens at 11:00 AM. We'll have a class roughly around 11:30 AM. If you can't make it for the class, no worries, we'll make sure you get all the help you need. The last possible start time is 2:00 PM. The course closes and pick-up starts when the last participant returns but no sooner than 2:00 PM and no later than 3:00 PM.

  Where: Carolina North Forest - East (aka Municipal Drive). From Martin Luther King Jr BLVD, take Municipal Drive and continue on it as it becomes a gravel road. Meet close to the parking lot at the end. Parking lot GPS: 35.936168 -79.065907). Link to Google maps. There will be orange and white ARDF signs to lead you to our meeting place.

  Optional registration: The registration page is here. You don't have to register, but it helps us if you do and it will speed up getting your equipment when you get there.

  We provide the map, compass, radio receiver, head phones, and course timing card.

  Have a question? Send email to ksears (at) chccs (dot) k12 (dot) nc (dot) us.

  We hope to see you there
  ☺



• 2019-04-21 Apr-20 event report posted.

  Check it out here.



• 2019-04-26 Next event: May-4, Sprint and beginner Foxoring.
  

  When: Saturday, May 4. The course opens at 11:00 AM. We'll have a class roughly around 11:30 AM. If you can't make it for the class, no worries, we'll make sure you get all the help you need. The last possible start time is 2:00 PM. The course closes and pick-up starts when the last participant returns but no sooner than 2:00 PM and no later than 3:00 PM.

  Where: Carolina North Forest - East (aka Municipal Drive). From Martin Luther King Jr BLVD, take Municipal Drive and continue on it as it becomes a gravel road. Meet close to the parking lot at the end. Parking lot GPS: 35.936168 -79.065907). Link to Google maps. There will be orange and white ARDF signs to lead you to our meeting place. Note that we will be meeting a bit further down the trail than we usually do. Just follow the orange and white ARDF signs.

  Optional registration: The registration page is here. You don't have to register, but it helps us if you do and it will speed up getting your equipment when you get there.

  Sprint? Foxoring?: For those that have already been to some of our events, there will be a sprint. This is a fast-passed ARDF with many more closely-spaced transmitters and short on/off cycles. Super fun! If you are new to ARDF, we have a foxoring course that will help you hone your orienteering skills. Also super fun!

  Last year we wrote some posts describing in detail how sprint and foxoring events are different from classic events.

  • Here is the post about sprints.
  • Here is the post about foxoring.

  We provide the map, compass, radio receiver, head phones, and course timing card.

  Have a question? Send email to ksears (at) chccs (dot) k12 (dot) nc (dot) us.

  We hope to see you there
  ☺



• 2019-05-07 May-4 event report posted. Check it out here.


• 2019-05-07 Next event: May-18, 80 m Classic.
  

  When: Saturday, May 18. The course opens at 11:00 AM. We'll have a class roughly around 11:30 AM. If you can't make it for the class, no worries, we'll make sure you get all the help you need. The last possible start time is 2:00 PM. The course closes and pick-up starts when the last participant returns but no sooner than 2:00 PM and no later than 3:00 PM.

  Where: Carolina North Forest - East (aka Municipal Drive). From Martin Luther King Jr BLVD, take Municipal Drive and continue on it as it becomes a gravel road. Meet close to the parking lot at the end. Parking lot GPS: 35.936168 -79.065907). Link to Google maps. There will be orange and white ARDF signs to lead you to our meeting place.

  Optional registration: The registration page is here. You don't have to register, but it helps us if you do and it will speed up getting your equipment when you get there.

  We provide the map, compass, radio receiver, head phones, and course timing card.

  2m ARDF: We will also have a 2 m transmitter setup and some receivers. If you're interested in checking out this type of ARDF, we'll show you where the transmitter is on the map and you can walk around getting bearings.

  Have a question? Send email to ksears (at) chccs (dot) k12 (dot) nc (dot) us.

  We hope to see you there
  ☺



• 2019-05-20 May-18, event report posted.

  Check it out here.



• 2019-05-22. The CHCCS spring season is over.
  

  Thanks to everyone who came out.
  We had a super time with you guys : )
  
  There is still a BOK event on June 6 at the Eno River State Park.
  We'll post some information about it here in a few days.
  The BOK website is backwoodsok.org.
  Registration will be required and must be done on the BOK website before June 5.
  
  If we don't see you there, see you in the fall : )

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