ARDF Coordinator writes on the ARDF-USA mailing list:
The name Radio Orienteering has been around for a very long time and has frequently been applied to the sport of ARDF, but it hasn’t been recognized in any official sense. Because Radio Orienteering is more descriptive of our sport (especially to the orienteering community), and because Amateur Radio Direction Finding is often confused with other radio direction-finding activities (like mobile t-hunting), the ARRL ARDF committee has decided to officially favor the use of the term Radio Orienteering. We believe that a transition to that name will result in less confusion, and perhaps, quicker acceptance of the sport by orienteers and others who will more readily grasp the essence of the sport.
The name-change decision will impact certain websites, documents, social media, and other communication media that the ARRL ARDF Committee uses. Notably, the annual championship event that the ARRL sponsors will be titled the
USA Radio Orienteering Championships going forward.
We hope that Radio Orienteering will gradually gain universal acceptance. But we recognize that the IARU, and others will likely continue to use the term “ARDF” for the foreseeable future. And, for now, even the committee’s name will remain the ARRL ARDF Committee. The transition may be gradual, but we believe that the change will be beneficial to the sport in the long run.
Look for more references to Radio Orienteering going forward, and don’t be confused: it is the same radio navigation sport we all enjoy, but with a more descriptive name.
Long live Radio Orienteering!
