Planner's Comments

It was pleasing to see a good turn out on the day. Planning Blackwood was a challenge because of the map changes that had to take place due to Forest Enterprise thinning, motorcycle events adding new paths in late April and the late coming of Spring causing late appearance of many nettles.

I tried to make the most of the runnable areas of the forest and that seemed to work on most courses. The light green turned out to be too technical especially in the open forest to the west where there is a lack of linear catching features, I can only apologise to those runners that did not enjoy the course, the times were far too long for Blackwood.

Thanks to Joe Parkinson for his controlling, to Tony Ludford for help in putting the controls out and for the BADO team in collecting in the controls at the end quickly.

Mike Frizzell, BADO

Organiser's Comments

BADO is a small club with a small hardcore of people who regularly turn out for events. This, combined with ample assistance from the EMIT team of Alan and Jerry, allows the club to organise many more events than would normally be expected from such a small club.

My thanks go to all these people, who made organising this event simple and enjoyable. I did not have to make even one telephone call to “persuade” anyone to help!

John Harrison, BADO

An Orienteer’s view of Radio ‘O’

Anyone who came to the recent event at Blackwood or to many other BADO events recently cannot have missed the Basingstoke Amateur Radio Club tent and seen the radio ”hams” struggling through the forest with strange apparatus not dissimilar to an old fashioned TV aerial.

Some time ago Dave Deane of BARC persuaded me to try out a new , smaller, piece of radio beaconry in our local woods. This seemed much more user friendly for mere orienteers to use so when I had finished my Organiser’s duties at Blackwood, Dave kitted me out with this simple equipment and explained the new style of ‘Score’ radio competition.

The map contained 10 control sites set out in a typical Score format. The difference in this competition, however, was that you orienteered to the circle then had to find a tiny control flag, with a transmitter attached, hidden within 100 metres in any direction. A combination of skills is required as speed across the ground, accuracy of orienteering and the ability to locate the control using the radio direction finder, are all required.

I found this event challenging and a very interesting twist on normal orienteering. My time of 80 minutes for a nominal 5Km distance was acceptable however the winner did it in half that time by smoothly combining all these skills so that he was accurately placed to find the control long before he entered the circle. Clearly I have several new skills to learn and I would recommend this new orienteering format to club members who like a bit of variation in their orienteering.

John Harrison, BADO