KPC3335: The 19th World ARDF Championships

The 19th World Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championship is scheduled to take place from September 2 – 8, 2018, in Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, as a festival for amateur radio practitioners from all over the globe. The competition calls upon amateur radio practitioners to use receivers, compasses and topographic maps in order to search for radio transmitters, or foxes, hidden in nearby mountainous terrains within a set amount of time. The entry categories are determined by age, while competitors are ranked within their category based on how fast they are able to locate the transmitters. It is a dynamic sport that requires agility, keen judgement and endurance.

The sport is also called fox hunting as it originated in the West as a game in which people attach a bell to a fox s neck and search for it and the hidden transmitter is often referred to as a fox. Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) is a sport that utilizes radio and science, while being considered as a treasure hunt using radio frequencies. Anyone can attend ARDF competitions as long as they know how to operate a receiver, as well as know a few Morse codes, enabling the diffusion of the sport primarily across Europe and Asia. As of recently, Korea has also seen a rise in local and national competitions. This sport provides a wholesome opportunity for modern-day people to grow friendlier with nature and maintain their health, resulting in its popularity going beyond just amateur radio practitioners to everyday people.

The inaugural World Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championship took place in Poland in 1980, and continues to be held on a biannual basis. South Korea has been participating in the world championships since 1986, leading up to the 14th World Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championship being held in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do in 2008. The 19th World ARDF Championship, hosted by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) and the Korean Amateur Radio League (KARL), will gather participants from around 30 countries all over the world, including Korea, the U.S., Australia, Japan, China, Mongolia, Germany, France, Russia, Czech Republic, Norway, Sweden and the Ukraine.

Korea Post is issuing commemorative stamps in celebration of the 19th World ARDF Championship and anticipates that this will serve as an opportunity to increase interest and participation in amateur radio.