Compass Sport Cup Final
Wireless Battery PA System for the Compass Sport Cup Final 2024
Client: PFO (Pendle Forest Orienteers)
Event: CompassSport Cup & Trophy Final 2024
Location: Holcombe Moor / Holcombe Ranges, Lancashire
Date: October 20th, 2024
Technical Scope: Deploying a fully wireless, battery-powered Public Address (PA) system capable of braving extreme weather conditions across a remote, rugged event arena.
The Brief & Challenge
The CompassSport Cup Final is the pinnacle of the UK club orienteering calendar, bringing hundreds of competitors from across the country to compete in elite navigation. For the 2024 final, Pendle Forest Orienteers hosted the event at Holcombe Moor, a notoriously bleak, exposed, and rugged military training area in Lancashire.
The event organizers needed a comprehensive PA system for commentary, results announcements, safety briefings, and crowd engagement across the main assembly and finish arenas.
The challenge was threefold:
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Zero Infrastructure: No mains power access meant everything had to run completely on standalone battery power.
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Vast Footprint: The layout required audio coverage stretching across a muddy, wide-open assembly valley. Running miles of signal and power cables through active runner pathways.
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Horrific Weather: October 20th delivered relentless heavy rain, brutal winds, and dense mist, bringing visibility down to just 50 meters on the fells. The equipment had to withstand extreme moisture and cold for the duration of the event.
The Technical Solution
ARTS Projects deployed a specialized, high-efficiency wireless battery-powered PA solution designed specifically for hostile outdoor environments.
Weatherproof Battery-Powered Audio
Rather than using noisy, fuel-guzzling generators that would disrupt the natural environment and commentary audio, ARTS Projects utilized premium, high-capacity battery-powered loudspeakers. These units feature integrated amplification and robust weather-resisting enclosures, allowing them to sit out in the open during the torrential downpours.
2. Long-Range Wireless Architecture
To distribute the audio signal cleanly without trip hazards:
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Wireless Transmitters & Relays: Long-range, directional wireless links were established from the central commentary position out to remote speakers down the run-in and across the assembly area.
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Wireless Mics: Handheld microphones allowed commentators to move freely around the finish line and crowd area without losing signal.
3. Rapid Deployment and Teardown
Because Holcombe Moor is an active military range and sensitive environment, the entire system needed to be deployed rapidly in the dark morning hours and stripped down immediately following the trophy presentation. The lack of cabling requirements allowed the technical team to rig and de-rig the entire arena footprint in a fraction of the time a traditional wired system would take.
The Outcome
Despite the weather being described by attendees as “horrific” and “windswept,” the audio system performed flawlessly from the first safety announcement to the final trophy presentation.
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100% Uptime: The battery management strategy ensured consistent power with ample headroom, outlasting the grueling event schedule.
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Clear Intelligibility: High-efficiency drivers cut cleanly through the high winds of the moor, ensuring runners could hear their incoming club-mates being called over the line.
ARTS Projects is proud to have supported PFO and the wider orienteering community,