Radio Society of Great Britain
Hambleden near Marlow
Sun 23 Feb 2020

Summary
The event is being run on a Sunday and comprises a competition using the 2m band with the possibility of an 80m sprint later in the day. There will be courses suitable for different age groups.
It is being held in association with the Chiltern Challenge orienteering event organised by the Thames Valley Orienteering Club using some of the best terrain in the country.

See the TVOC Chiltern Challenge event page and final details for full instructions.
A map, centred on the entrance to the car park, can be found: here
Details of the TVOC Chiltern Challenge orienteering event can be found here

Postcode for SatNav RG9 3GH

Parking
On a vast grassed area (The Henley showground), on the North side of the road. 200m warning.
No charge. NB this not in or adjacent to Hambleden village!
Park along with the Foot-O participants in the main car park and make your way to the Radio-O registration which is in a tent along the West edge of the Car Park field, possibly/hopefully marked with the Radio-O feather flag.
The Foot-O is in the marquee, used for British Nights the evening before.

General Information:
Thames Valley Orienteering Club(TVOC) are hosting a Foot-O Level-B event at the same site.
This is the Chiltern Challenge, they held the British Nights the previous evening. We are privelledged to be allowed to run our Radio-O event on this fantastic area at the same time.
We would not be able to gain access to this premier aera in any other circumstances. As a result there are a number of items to note:
The orienteering event and their competitors have priority over us at all times.
The area will be filled with other orienteers, please be courteous.

Terrain:
Hambleden offers classic Chiltern-style undulating slopes, some steep, with a complex path and track network. The area is covered in mature beech, mixed deciduous and conifer. The woodland is open and very runnable, and at its best at this time of year. Last used for JK2013. (Day 2 & Relays).
The map has been completely updated in 2016.

Clothing and Safety Equipment:
Competitors' torso and legs must be covered. ie no vests or shorts. We reserve the right to require a waterproof jacket to be worn or carried if the weather is bad – if so, notices will be displayed in Assembly and on the route to the start. For safety reasons we recommend you carry a whistle. The distress signal is six short blasts, wait one minute, then repeat.

Steep Slopes:
Take great care climbing and especially descending steep slopes. They are chalk based, and can be very slippery, especially when wet.
Public Access is only on footpaths & bridleways. These are used by the public for walking, running, dog walking, cycling and horse riding. Please be courteous towards other users,especially those with dogs and horse riders.
There are many deer in the forest. Although it is early for ticks, competitors should be aware of them. Ticks are found in woodland areas throughout the UK, and most commonly found from spring to autumn. They are most likely to be picked up when brushing through undergrowth. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks, and can often be treated effectively if it's detected early on. It is recommended that you check your body for ticks after your run.
If you are lucky you may see the roaming wallaby too.

Map
Waterproof map A3, scale 1:10000, with 5m contours. Updated Autumn 2020 by Mark Thompson.
Nothing is marked on the map. A master map is available before the start after map distribution. A suitable template will be given to cut this to around A4.
All maps will be overprinted with an Emergency Number which can be used on the day to contact theFoot-O event Organiser for medical emergencies.

Mapping Notes
Hambleden was last used for the JK2013 for the long distance and relay.
It consists of a NW-SE trending central valley with hills to the west, east and north. There is an additional NW-SE valley in the SW. There are a number of open fields along the valleys and on the eastern ridge.
Runnablility is excellent and we are expecting fast times. There are some areas of brambles usually limited in extent. All fields are in bounds including those shown as cultivated (crops not sown yet) unless shown as OOB. Some fields have long grass up to 1m high as pheasant cover. These are marked as rough open with a wide green stripe (slow run).
As with most Chiltern woodlands the area is prone to strong winds and there are lots of rootstocks, depression and knolls resulting from erosion of the rootstocks. We have only mapped the larger features, generally 1.5m in height apart from some free standing and conspicuous knolls.
We have mapped significant log piles. Please stay off them as they are dangerous. All pheasant enclosures are strictly OOB (marked with black stripes).
For further details see the TVOC Chiltern Challenge final details on the event website here

Main Competition

Radio-O Courses:

3 Transmitters: M70 Start - 3 transmitters - Finish

4 Transmitters: M60, W50, W35 Start - 4 transmitters - Finish

5 Transmitters: M50, M40, M21, W21 Start - 5 transmitters - Finish

Time limit: 150 minutes

Transmitters: 144.525 Mhz : Tx 1,2,3,4,5

There will be no beacon, as the start and finish are close. The beacon would bleed into the Tx frequencies.

Timings: (TO BE CONFIRMED - may move later)

First Start 10:00
Start: This is self service at the Foot-O start.
Punching: i-button
1430 Courses close

Secondary Competiton
This depends on the Orienteering planner and controller agreeing the event.
The intention is to have a Full sprint for GB squad training !
80m 5Tx + spectator + 5Tx + beacon + finish
Start: Probably after 12:30, last start of Foot-O
Punching: sport ident.
More details on the day.

Entry Fee

The fee is £10 for the day. We are making a contribution to the costs incurred by TVOC in running the Orienteering event and getting the land clearance.

Facilities

The Radio-O Registraion tent will be on the West Side of the car park field. Marked with the Radio-O feather flag. The Foot-O assembly area is near to the West side of car park field, in the large marquee.

Assembly Area Facilities