Welcome to ARDF Ottawa!

What is "ARDF"?

ARDF stands for Amateur Radio Direction Finding. ARDF is also known as fox hunting, transmitter hunting, and bunny hunting. Please note that none of these activities actually involve hunting or animals - a better term than hunting might be "finding". However, these alternate names are widely used.

ARDF is an activity where participants use radio direction finding techniques to locate one or more radio transmitters hidden within a designated search area. In North America, ARDF is typically a casual social activity with variable rules. Outside of North America, ARDF is an organized sport that combines elements of orienteering, cross country racing, and transmitter hunting. ARDF is very popular in Europe, Asia, and Australasia. In Australia, ARDF is sometimes referred to as "radio sport". The much more formal rules for international ARDF are maintained by the IARU Region I ARDF Working Group. For their description of ARDF, please see https://www.ardf-r1.org/whatis.

History of ARDF Ottawa ...

Roger VA3EGY, gave a presentation (get a copy from the presentations page) at the September 2019 OVMRC club meeting where he showed the results of the survey he conducted to gauge the interest and experience of Ottawa amateurs related to transmitter hunting. He explained the difference between casual transmitter hunting and more formal ARDF events. He introduced Emily VK3ACM/VE3EMI from Melbourne, Australia. Emily is very experienced in ARDF, builds her own ARDF gear, and has connections to Bryan Ackerly VK3YNG (https://www.foxhunt.com.au/) who designs, builds, and sells ARDF equipment. Roger asked if there was anyone interested in pursuing the development of an ARDF program in Ottawa that would appeal to both amateurs and the general public - in particular, youth. Several people volunteered, and ARDF Ottawa was started.

Can we run an event for you?

We have successfully run transmitter hunting events for a number of local youth groups, including Scouts Canada, in local parks around Ottawa. We would be happy to hear from you if you have a group that is interested. We host events regularly for groups large and small. For a brief description of what is involved, see the Run Your Own Event page. Drop us an email at the 'contact us' details below.

Contact us!

Interested in joining our efforts or finding out more about ARDF Ottawa? Please send an email to Roger VA3EGY at va3egy@gmail.com or Neil VE3PUE at ve3pue@hambone.ca