Ken Dion, KD1KU, writes on the WMAFoxHunters mailing list on April 15, 2022:
As of 4 pm, Friday, April 15th, HCRA Foxbox #1 is back in hiding! The weather has drastically improved and it’s the perfect time for a Springtime Fox Hunt! This is also a good opportunity for base stations to give signal reports and a direction if possible. It’s just as important for the hunters to know where it cannot be heard too.
That diabolical fox is running the usual one watt into an 18 inch antenna. I was able to activate it running 50 watts from my mobile in Chicopee near the intersection of Memorial Drive (Rte.33) and Pendleton Ave.
You can activate the fox by going on the 2-meter simplex frequency of 147.55 MHz (PL 100.0Hz), key your transmitter, identify yourself with your callsign, and then press the DTMF “1”.
If the Fox can hear you and you can hear it, you will hear its very distinctive sound. It will transmit for 30 seconds, ID, then repeat 2 more times and then go back to sleep. You can make it transmit as often as necessary to find it.
Do not reveal its location, just a location (and direction if possible) from which you are able to hear it. This then becomes a starting point for the other fox hunters to use.
You do not have to touch the Foxbox to claim finding it. Eyeball contact is sufficient and a photo that shows the Fox is a plus. It is located less than 500 feet from a safe parking location.
Announce it here and on https://groups.io/g/
It’s in a publicly accessible location with safe parking nearby. Getting to the FB requires a short walk on mostly flat ground.
Happy Fox Hunting!
73, Ken ~ KD1KU
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