Learn Radio Orienteering (ARDF) as the pros learned it. Nadia Scharlau got her start in ARDF at age 13 and went on to become a world champion, and taught classes to beginners who became world champions themselves. She still uses the same no-frustration, step-by-step approach she used to learn the sport. Now you can learn that way too.

Classes are free, but you need to register:

Experienced radio orienteers wanting to run the training course for practice must also register.

Details

• Dates
  Three consecutive Saturdays – May 16, 23, and 30
• Location
  Address: 6898 Stagville Rd, Bahama, NC 27503
  GPS: 36.141983, -78.851534
  This is a private residence not far from Horton Grove. Please drive slowly on the gravel roads and park only in the indicated locations near the house. Do not drive into other driveways (this one is marked “6898” on a stone pillar at its entrance).
• Start Time: 11 am (Everyone should arrive by 11 am)
• Course Closes: 2:00 PM (but class finishes earlier)
• Event Director: Nadia Scharlau, KO4ADV

There will be two unique class sessions with new material for those who can attend both days. The third session is a short course for individual practice and also serves as a make-up day for anyone who missed an earlier class. Both class sessions and the practice course are available all three days. (But you can only participate in one activity per day because they are held concurrently.) If you can’t make all three, attend the day(s) you can.

Class 1: A short beginner course with constantly operating transmitters. You will learn how to use your receiver.

Class 2: A longer beginner course with “cycling” transmitters. You will learn how to efficiently locate radio-orienteering “foxes”.

Class 3: Go solo on a “cycling” beginner course to practice your skills / Make-up day.

We will be hiking the courses together as a group, so please arrive on time to avoid getting left behind.

Equipment

All necessary equipment will be provided at no charge. New concepts will be introduced in sequence at each session; if you can’t attend all sessions, come when you can. Previously covered concepts will be reviewed each time, so you can jump right in.

Those who have completed the first class session can elect to use a competition-grade receiver, which can be rented for $5 per day. A competition-grade receiver operates much like the instructional receivers used in the classes but offers improved sensitivity and frequency stability, providing an experience closer to that of competitors. Renting a competition-grade receiver is optional, but suggested for those who have completed at least one beginner class.

Those who complete the first two class sessions should acquire the skills needed to participate in BOK’s 80m radio-orienteering practice events.

Ruth and I would like to welcome you to our house adjacent to the Birkhead Wilderness Area in the Uwharrie National Forest for a weekend of Radio Orienteering and Classic Orienteering. Below is a registration button and details of the weekend plans.

Some of this information will change. Be sure to check back just before the event for the update.

When:

• Friday Noon – 10pm Apr. 3, 2026
  • Night-O 8:30pm – 10pm
• Saturday 9am – 10pm Apr. 4, 2026
  • Pizza Dinner Saturday at ~4:30
  • Night-O 8:30pm – 10pm
• Sunday 9am – 2pm Apr. 5, 2026
• Control Pickup Sunday 2-4pm
  • Any help is greatly appreciated. The orienteering controls are needed for the following week’s Umstead event.

Where:

• Asheboro, NC
• 1725 Gray Owl Road
• 35.6346680703153, -79.88024674672587
• Directions: There is a control on our mailbox at the intersection of Hopewell Friends and Gray Owl Road. Drive 1/4 mile on Gray Owl and take the first left turn onto our driveway. Drive 1/4 mile to the turnaround. Turn around and park only on the right side (east side) of the driveway as you are heading back out. Do not drive on the grass at all! Do not park in the turnaround!

Orienteering Courses

The expert courses have a 1km walk to the start and finish at the house.

• Explorer Beginner through Expert. Max 8k
  • The start and finish are at the house
  • The Explorer course consists of all the controls, beginner through expert. You take as many or as few of the controls as you like without a time limit. Just return before 4pm.
  • Beginner controls are 50-59
• Orange 3k Advanced
• Brown 3.6k Expert
• Green 5.3k Expert
• Red 6.7k Expert
• Blue 8.9k Expert
• Night
  • The Night course also includes all the controls, however there is a 1 hour time limit. You may start at or after 8:30 and must return by 10pm
  • The start and finish are at the house

Since Radio-O isn’t much fun if you know where the foxes are, you should do any radio-O courses before any Orienteering courses.

The Birkhead Hiking Challenge

This is a separate event piggy backing on the Gray Owl Weekend. You can check in and out and share the Pizza dinner Saturday evening (if you are back in time). You will need to download and print the PDF from a separate store product. Details are in this article. You do not need to register for the Gray Owl Weekend unless you intend to do one of the other courses.

Radio-O Courses

(Tentative Schedule subject to change)

Classic 80m

• 9am-3pm Fri, Sat, Sun
• 80m foxes 3.53
• Beacon 3.60
• 1k walk to start, finish at the house
• Distances
  • 5 foxes 4.7k
  • 4 Foxes 3.4k
  • 3 Foxes 2.5k

FoxO 

• 9am-1pm   Fri, Sat, Sun
• 1-2  – 3.55 MHz
• 3-5 – 3.57 MHz
• Beacon – 3.6 MHz
• Start and finish at the house
• Distances
  • 9 foxes 5.4k
  • 6 foxes 3.7k

Sprint

• 1pm-4pm   Fri, Sat, Sun
• Slow 3.55
• Fast 3.57
• Beacon & Spectator 3.60
• Start and finish at the house

Classic 2m

• 9am-3pm Sat 5.5k
• 1k walk to the start, finish at the house (different start from 80m)
• Distances
  • 5 foxes 5.7
  • 4 foxes 4.1k
  • 3 foxes 3.1k

LiveLox

• All the orienteering courses are in one event and the code is specific to your course.
• Each of the Radio-O courses is considered a separate event
• The radio-O LiveLox replay requires a password so you won’t accidently open them by mistake. You will get the code when you finish your radioO course.

Accomodations:

Event Directors: Joseph and Ruth

Resources for Beginners

Check out these videos. The first one is our 15 minute class. Then there are two short ones, one introducing an orienteering map, and the other how to use a Thumb Compass – which we can loan you to try out on your course.

• An Orienteering Class (Video 14:24)
• An Orienteering Map Explained (Video 3:52)
• An Orienteering Thumb Compass Explained (Video 1:26)

Event Notes

Map Notes

There are lots of controls out there considering everything is on one map, so be sure to check the code on the control to be sure it is on your course.

Non Standard Symbols

The trees were mapped years ago, and are flat on the ground and mostly wouldn’t all be mapped at this time. So you should ignore big trees on the ground with branches still up in the air.

Note the upper bridge symbol where there isn’t any trail or bridge. This indicates an area that may be easier to cross especially during low water.

Note the lower bridge symbol around fallen trees. This indicates that you can cross on the trees if you are brave. Make sure the logs aren’t slippery before you cross in them.

Controls in the woods:

You are likely to see controls out there that aren’t yours. Here is what is out there

• 80m foxes have regular controls with a diagonal blue stripe hanging with an ORANGE ribbon 181-185 3.560 MHz

• 2m foxes have regular controls with a diagonal blue stripe hanging with a PINK ribbon 121-125 144.50 MHz

• Orienteering controls have a vertical blue stripe

• Sprint controls are striped poles with an SI-box on top. No flag.

• FoxO controls are a black pole with an SI-box on top. No flag.

What an awesome three days. Besides our regulars we had RadioO people from as far away as Oregon and Maryland. There were, however, some ups and some downs. One crazy thing that caused a bunch of trouble for the results was that the SI master that synchronizes all the controls was an hour off because […]

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Ruth, Dave, Matt K. and I are hosting a 3-day Radio-O and Orienteering event at our Gray Owl house in Asheboro NC.  Everyone is welcome. Be sure to check back here before you arrive, as details will be added as I set the courses.

The forcast for the weekend is clear sunny and cold. You can hang out in our house to keep warm when you aren’t out in the woods. Also, now we have a fire pit so you can warm up by the fire.

Radio-O

• Friday 9am-3pm
  • full sprint – 1.6k Full power 3.56 & 3.58 MHz
• Friday Noon-3pm
  • fox-O – Long 6k, Short 3.1k, 3.52 & 3.54 MHz
• Saturday 9am-3pm
  • 2m classic course Full 5.9k, Short 4.3k, 144.50 Beacon 144.55
  • full sprint – 1.6k Full power 3.56 & 3.58 MHz
  • fox-O – Long 6k, Short 3.1k, 3.52 & 3.54 MHz
• Saturday 4pm – 6pm Vegetarian Chili dinner
• Sunday 9am-3pm
  • Classic 80m course Full 6.1k, Short 4.2k, 3.52 MHz
  • full sprint – 1.6k Full power 3.56 & 3.58 MHz

There is overlap between the radio-O and orienteering courses, so all the radio-O courses you are planning to do should be done before you do any of the orienteering courses except Sprint, which is completely separate.

​Orienteering

• Friday 10am – 3pm
  • 1hr, 2hr, and 4hr Score course (advanced – expert, i.e. Orange – Blue).
  • White and Yellow level Explorer Orienteering course
• Friday and Saturday 7pm – 8pm 1 hour Night Course
  • 7pm Mass Start Must return by 8pm
  • 2 point penalty every minute past 8pm
• Saturday and Sunday 9am – 3pm
  • 1hr, 2hr, and 4hr Score course (advanced – expert, i.e. Orange – Blue).
  • White and Yellow level Explorer Orienteering course
• Saturday 4pm – 6pm Vegetarian Chili dinner
• Birkhead Hiking Challenge. Details here.
  • Saturday: Start window 6:30 am to 12 pm noon 24 hour 64k

Saturday Evening we will have dinner at our house, and camping is available on our property and nearby commercial campgrounds.  Hotels are available within 15 minutes of Gray Owl.

Location & Directions: 1725 Gray Owl Road, Asheboro, NC. (35.634843, -79.881873) There is a control on our mailbox at the intersection of Hopewell Friends and Gray Owl Road. Drive 1/4 mile on Gray Owl and take the first left turn onto our driveway. Drive 1/4 mile to the turnaround, turn around and park only on the right side (east side) of the driveway as you are heading back out. Do not drive on the grass at all! Do not park in the turnaround!

Learn radio orienteering (aka, ARDF) as the pros learned it. Experience the no-frustration step-by-step approach by which many have learned the sport.

Read More