09/05/2025
By Charles E. Scharlau, NZOI, USA ARDF Co-coordinator
Team USA brought home both individual and team medals from the 22nd World
Championships of Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF), held August 16 - 22,
2025, in Birstonas, Lithuania.
ARDF, also known as radio orienteering, combines radio direction-finding with
on-foot map-and-compass navigation. Using a handheld receiver with a
directional antenna, a map, and a compass, competitors search for "foxes"
(transmitters) in forest terrain, racing to locate them in the shortest time.
The USA delegation numbered 19 competitors, who represented the country across
multiple age categories. Overall, the championships featured over 300 athletes
from 25 nations, a strong showing on the international ARDF stage.
The highlight for Team USA came in the classic 80-meter event, in which Nadia
Scharlau, KO4ADV, of North Carolina, was awarded an individual silver medal in
the W55 (women ages 55-64) category. Her strong performance also anchored the
USA W55 team, which earned the team bronze medal. The W55 team was rounded out
by Maria Burrus and Alla Mezhevaya, who also received team medals. At the world
championships, team scoring is based on the two best individual results from a
nation's competitors in each age category; teams may include two to three
athletes.
Several U.S. athletes competed at a world championship for the first time,
including Maria Burrus (W45); Rose Ganim, W1RBG (W45); Andrew Meyer (M21); Matt
Craig, KM8WBC (M50), and Roland Woodward, KC9YQT (M50). Except for Burrus and
Craig, each was introduced to the sport at the 2024 USA Championships in
Michigan - demonstrating rapid progression from novices to international
competitors in under a year.
Other notable U.S. competitors included Erin Hammer (W35); Natalia Leoni (W45);
Ruth Bromer, WB4QZG (W65); Gheorghe Fala (M21); Eduard Nasybulin (M40);
Alexander Myachin (M50); Evgeny Danilov, KQ4QYZ (M60); William Wright, WB6CMD
(M60); Nicolai Mejevoi (M60); Ian Shields (M70), and Joseph Huberman, K5JGH
(M70).
For full results of the 22nd ARDF World Championships, see
ardf.darc.de/contest/25081721/25081721.htm[1].
For more on ARDF and how to get involved, visit the ARRL Radio Orienteering
webpage: www.arrl.org/ardf[2].
[1] https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zNDI2OTI1JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTgxODI4NCZsaT0zO
TUxNzcwOA/index.html
[2] https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zNDI2OTI1JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTgxODI4NCZsaT0zO
TUxNzcwOQ/index.html
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