- Radio Orienteering in a Compact Area
Radio Orienteering in a Compact Area is a variation of
Amateur Radio Direction Finding . ROCA is a timed race in which individual competitors use atopographic map and amagnetic compass tonavigate through diverse, wooded terrain while searching forradio transmitters .Description
ROCA is a
sport that requires less athletic skill and more technicalradio direction finding skills than ARDF. In a ROCA course, theradio transmitters put out very little power, typically 10 to 200 mW, and can be received over only very short distances. Transmitters may identify themselves inMorse code or with voice recordings, and only transmit for ten seconds during every minute of the competition. The transmitters are physically small, and marked with a control card that is no larger than a typicalpostcard with a unique number identification. Decoy control cards may be placed in the competition area, as well, to force competitors to locate the actual transmitting devices. Because of the low power and short distances involved, most ROCA competitors walk the entire course, and focus their attention on theradio direction finding tasks rather thannavigation .ROCA is not as popular as ARDF, and activity is limited to only active clubs in a few countries. ROCA events can be found today primarily in the
San Francisco Bay area of theUnited States and in thePeople's Republic of China .ee also
*
Radiosport
*Orienteering
*Amateur radio References
*Crystal, Bonnie KQ6XA (1998). [http://www.qsl.net/kq6xa/roca/roca.htm "Radio-Orienteering in a Compact Area: The New Walking Foxhunt"] . Retrieved Dec. 2, 2005.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.