Fox Hunting

On Sunday March 17, 2024 @10AM we will have our monthly Foxhunt and this month we will have a special treat for all with an easier foxhunt. All members and non-members are invited to attend and this should be a family friendly event. The purpose of the foxhunt is to track down a hidden transmitter (Leprechaun) and find some information, then relay that information according to the instructions on a sign where the Leprechaun is located. For more tips, see below the map.  The hunt will be mainly in a square area Fairfield from Southport north to just north of the Merritt Parkway east to Sacred Heart University and south to Captains Cove.

Recommended Starting Location: Chips Family Restaurant- Fairfield

525 Tunxis Hill Cut Off, Fairfield, CT 06825

Starting Time:10:00 AM Local

we will meet at Chip at 8:30 for breakfast prior if interested

Fox Frequency:147.485 MHz Simplex

Fox Power: 5W into a 1/4 wave antenna dropping to 1W at 11:00

Sponsor: Peter K1PCN

Check in on: 441.700 or 146.445 Repeaters  (recommended)

Look for my RED Toyota Pick up truck

En-Route Communications: Contact K1PCN on the above repeaters 

Paul Gibson, N1TUP, writes on the BEARS of Manchester and ctfoxhunter lists:

Greetings Foxhunters,

Keeping with tradition, I will be hosting a Foxhunt on New Years Day at 1pm.

This hunt will be conducted in the same manner that we have previously conducted live foxhunts. The hunters will assemble at the 91 Ayers Road in South Windsor, CT, home of the old Wapping Elementary School, be set up and ready to start by 1pm. The fox will take a roll call at 1pm on the BEARS repeater, 145.110 MHz, PL tone is 77.0 Hz. This hunt will be conducted using the repeater for all communication and information sharing. I encourage communication between participants and any base stations that can supply helpful information to the hunters. Once you have spotted the fox you should stop all transmissions. Pay attention, if someone says they are going to check an area and you never hear from them again, that might be a clue. Remember not to hunt the repeater output frequency as that will just lead you to the repeater. I will not be there. You will want to listen on the repeater input frequency, 144.510 MHz. That is the frequency the fox will be transmitting on.

The fox will be located within 20 air miles of the starting point and not within Hartford or Springfield. The fox will be on publicly accessible property that will not require anything other that a standard passenger car for access. The fox will host a “tailgate” party at the end of the hunt at the “den.”

If this is your first hunt, I would recommend riding along with someone who has done this before. Dress warmly as you will be outside at the end for the party, the rest of the time you will be in and out of the car taking bearings etc.

Experience has shown that hunters will start arriving in the den about 1 hour after the start. The event has a two hour time limit not including socializing in the den at the end.

Current information regarding this and other foxhunts in Connecticut are on groups.io. If you are not already a group member, you may want to consider signing up for the groups.io CTFOXHUNTER so that you do not miss any important foxhunt related news.

73,
Paul, N1TUP

We’ll have a live Fox Hunt on Sunday from 9:30am until 11:00am.  The Fox will be hidden somewhere in Wallingford.

We’ll be using these three frequencies:  

There will be a 1 watt signal continuously on 146.565MHz.  It will make a short beep every three seconds and will ID in Morse Code every minute.

The 10mW transmitter is on 147.455MHz and will beep every three seconds and will ID in Morse Code every minute.

The 1mW transmitter is on 146.290MHz and beeps every three seconds and ID as W1NRG in Morse Code every minute.  Expect a range of only about 1/10 mile on this transmitter.

There is no central starting location.  And, there will be no check-ins prior to the hunt.  Hunters should be at a location of their own choosing and listening on 146.565 at 9:30.  

There may be a two second long test of the 146.565 transmitter at 9:25.

Other Fox Hunters can be contacted on the W1NRG repeater 147.360 with PL 162.2  Hunters with an extra radio available might do well to monitor 147.360 throughout the hunt.

Good luck.

Dave NZ1J

Dave Tipping, NZ1J, writes on the ctfoxhunter list on September 2, 2023:

We’ll have a live Fox Hunt on Sunday from 9:30am until 11:00am.  The Fox will be hidden somewhere in Wallingford.

We’ll be using these three frequencies:  

There will be a 1 watt signal continuously on 146.565 MHz.  It will make a short beep every three seconds and will ID in Morse Code every minute.

The 10mW transmitter is on 147.475 MHz and will beep every three seconds and will ID in Morse Code every minute.

The 1mW transmitter is on 146.315 MHz and beeps every three seconds and ID as W1NRG in Morse Code every minute.  Expect a range of only about 1/10 mile on this transmitter.

There is no central starting location.  And, there will be no check-ins prior to the hunt.  Hunters should be at a location of their own choosing and listening on 146.565 MHz at 9:30.  

There may be a two second long test of the 146.565 transmitter at 9:25.

Other Fox Hunters can be contacted on the W1NRG repeater 147.360 with PL 162.2  Hunters with an extra radio available might do well to monitor 147.360 throughout the hunt.

Good luck,

Bob – WB1GYZ

Mark Noe, KE1IU, writes on the ctfoxhunter list:

I will be bringing my tape measure Yagi and offset attenuator. We will happily help beginners, and if you do not have equipment there will be some available for you to borrow. The weather forecast for Monday is partly cloudy and 76 F – perfect for fox hunting. I look forward to seeing you there!

Joe Moell, KØOV, writes:

The annual CQ Foxhunting Weekend is coming Saturday and Sunday, May 13-14.  If your club hasn’t had its spring transmitter hunt, now is the time to plan it.  We’re not picky about the actual date—any weekend in the spring is fine—but it’s time to get the ball rolling.

There have been some changes at CQ Magazine in recent months, but it’s still being published.  You can read more information about Foxhunting Weekend, including results, stories and photos from last year, in the February 2023 issue.  There’s also lots of foxhunting information at www.homingin.com, including news of the USA ARDF Championships.

I look forward to receiving your Foxhunting Weekend reports and photos.  It will help spread the word about the fun of transmitter hunting, both mobile and on foot.

73,
Joe Moell K0OV
CQ Foxhunting Weekend Moderator
www.homingin.com

Rod Bungard, N1RUU, writes on the ctfoxhunter list on April 20, 2023 at 4:28 PM:

After a long winter break, Fox #5 PL 123.0 is out in the wild. The fox is running 1.5 watts into a 18-inch antenna and is on 146.550 MHz (PL 123.0).

To activate, key your transmitter, ID and then send a DTMF “1.” If the FoxBox can hear you and you can hear it, you will hear its very distinctive sound. It will transmit for 30 seconds, ID and then go back to sleep. You can make it transmit as often as necessary to find it.

Once someone has been able to bring it up and hear it, please report that information to the other fox hunters. Feel free to reply to the group. 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 actually have to touch the box to claim finding it. If you hunt the Fox please log to this group even if you don’t find it.

Located in the Enfield area.