What is a Fox Hunt

The Fox Hunt consists of two types of participants.  The Fox is the Amateur Radio Operator that hides the Transmitter within the perimeter of a given location.   Some Foxes prefer to stay hidden with their transmitter.   Other Foxes like to come back to the starting place and mingle with the other group known as the Hunters.  

Most Fox Transmitters transmit an audible tone usually in CW every few seconds.  The job of the hunters is to tune into the Fox's Transmitting frequency and walk around listening for the tone.   The first individual to find the Fox wins.   Pretty simple huh?

In real world applications these skills can prove to be very useful.  The most common use for Fox Hunting in the Amateur Radio Community is finding a transmitter that is stuck in the transmit mode.  This is fairly common, someone is talking on the local 2 meter group with their friends while running various errands.  They will stop, get out of the car and the microphone gets stuck in the seat, Now the Push-To-Talk Button on the microphone is activated and the rig is left to transmit while the Amateur Radio Operator is out of the car conducting their business.   In these cases the offender will usually return to their car in a few minutes, but what if they are at work for an 8 hour shift. 

In these cases it would be nice to locate the stuck transmitter before the user's battery is run down or their radio overheats causing damage to itself or surrounding objects.

Other situations are where there is intermittent interference that is causing problems with the Local Amateur Radio Repeater.   Tracking down interference from another dirty transmitter or broken radio is pretty easy with your newly learned skills.

Sometimes other individuals will ask for help in locating a stuck transmitter or interference.  Several times the local police have asked a local Radio Club to help them locate a radio transmitter that is stuck or help isolate harmful interference that is disrupting their vital communications for a given area.

So improving your Fox Hunting Skills are useful across a whole spectrum of Radio Users that depend on the airwaves to be interference free.

There are many case studies and new reports where the local Civil Air Patrol also used their Fox Hunting Skills to help locate a downed aircraft in heavily wooded areas or remote locations.

Okay I am interested, what equipment do I need in order to get started?

Needed Equipment started

The only piece of equipment you really need is a radio that can receive the VHF/UHF Frequencies.   Even the very Cheap $13 Baofeng radios will work perfectly for this application.

Next you will need a nice directional antenna.   The little "Rubber Duck" antenna that comes with nearly all HTs is omnidirectional.   This means that they receive equally well in all directions.  

One of the simplest ways to add some basic directivity gain to the little Rubber Duck Antenna is to use a simple aluminum for Pie Pan to shield different areas around the Rubber Duck Antenna.  As you turn around you will see that there is a direction where you no longer hear the signal.  Okay the transmitter is in the area or direction of where you have provided the maximum shielding.   You are off and running at this point.

A simple VHF or UHF Yagi could be your next stop in your direction finding or Fox Hunting career.   

The idea is to keep walking in the direction that provides you the strongest signal.  If you notice that the signal is getting weaker as you walk, then you know you are moving away from the Fox.   As you approach the Fox you will notice that signal starts to get weaker as you walk past the Hidden Transmitter.   In this case you start looking all around the area with your Pie Pan Attenuator or you simple Yagi to pinpoint the direction of the signal.  Before long you will find the transmitter.

Be sure to look up and point your makeshift direction finding antenna in both the up and down directions.   Individuals have been known to hang their For or Hidden Transmitter from a tree branch.  All the while other Foes have been hidden on the ground in a Fast Food Restaurant food container or slightly buried in the ground.

(Below)The next page shows 2 Youtube 'How To' Videos on building Yagi Fox Hunter Antennas....

Fox Hunt Schedule

9:30 AM Fox Hunt Number 1. 

The Fox will be Hidden within the Park Area.  The person that successfully finds the Fox will receive the prize of an HT

1:00 PM Fox Hunt Number 2

The Fox will be hidden within the Park Area.   The person that successfully finds the Fox will receive the prize of an HT.

The starting point for both Fox Hunts will be in the area between the Hamfest Building and the POTA Tent.  You do not have to hold an Amateur Radio License to participate in the Fox Hunt.   Children younger than 10 Years Old entering the Fox Hunt Event, must be with an adult or guardian during the Fox Hunt.