With colleague Efraín Serra HI8EES colaboration, who put in contact the Colleagues Frank Olavarrieta KB2OOJ and Tony Cosme N3VIJ with the Dominican Radio Club, Inc., was celebrated a Radio Marathon transmitted from the FM radio station of the Lehigh Valley University in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the Radio Marathon, was to obtain funds for the acquisition of solar panels to be used in the alternative energy generation for the operation of one of the Dominican Radio Club repeaters.

The solar panels acquired with the funds collected in the Radio Marathon, were received on Tuesday January 31 of 2010 by the Radio Dominican Club, Inc.

From left to right in the picture, colleagues Juan Salas Gil HI8JSG (Vocal of the Dominican Radio Club, Inc.), Sucre Arias HI8SAV, Hugo Ramón HI8VRS (President of the Dominican Radio Club, Inc.), Vantroi Peña HI8VP (Secretary of the Dominican Radio Club, Inc.), Rodrigo Garcia HI8ROD, Sergio de la Rosa HI8SAR and Avelino Mendez HI8AAX, receiving the solar panels.

They came from 15 states and four foreign countries. In their suitcases were radio sets, antennas, sun block and running shoes, but they left some room in hopes of taking home a medal or two. They were the hams and future hams — ranging from age 12 to older than 70 — who went to Southwest Ohio in the third week of May for the 10th Annual USA Championships of Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF).

ARDF is done on 80 meter CW and 2 meter AM in separate events, each with five “fox” transmitters. Your mission is to find your assigned foxes, depending on which of the 11 age/gender categories you are in. Each transmitter is on for one minute at a time in a five-fox cycle that repeats. You must find your way on foot with just your direction-finding gear, the map you’re given and your compass. GPS help is not allowed. Read more here.

http://www.arrl.org/news/ardf-update-radio-foxhunters-find-their-champions-in-ohio

Thanks to ARRL and ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV for the text and photo.