ARDF Setting 1:00:00 [2] ***
shoes: Adidas Tri-Star Cleats ($35)
Setting an 80m microtransmitter course for Bob, Dick, Brian, and Addison at England-Idlewild Park in Burlington, Kentucky (just west of the CVG airport). The microtransmitters are really neat. You just wait for the right time, then plug in the battery and it works. (Actually, a switch and a container with the battery inside would make it kick butt, but these are so small and so easy to carry, it's hard to complain).
I took longer than I expected to put out the course, and my lack of a master map and my own forgetfulness caused me to place the first 2 transmitters with numbers 1 and 2, rather than 3 then 1. So I had to quickly do the mental figuring on where I wanted the remaining T's. I settled on the "best order" being 12543, rather than the planned 31425. (This is arcane, easily ignored information that is intended for me when I read this in the future---sorry.)
The plan was to set a course that allowed you to draw bearings to each transmitter, *and* to have actual cross-bearings as you ran along the course. You orienteer to the crossing, then wait for the transmitter to start, and then you run it down. It is more common for an 80m course to prevent you from having cross bearings for 1 or more transmitters as a way to increase the difficulty. I think it was well-received. The vegetation made it a little harder than I'd hoped.
Brian came in first, then Bob with the "ideal" order. Then Addison with 3 T's (missing 2 and 5). Then some time later Dick with the order 14523, a really bad order, and a GPS that said he'd gone about 6 miles---about double the others.
Everyone helped take the course down, and Dick took Addison out so he could find 2 and 5.
It was a beautiful day, with temperatures well above what I saw predicted. I was dressed for a high of 50, and it was at least 60.