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Sunday, February 6, 2022
1300 to 1400 Hours
Somewhere in Gloucester County
Fox Hunt XXIII - Highlights
Sunday, February 6, 2022
By Jim Wright, N2GXJ
It was a brisk but otherwise quite nice sunny day to be out and about, hunting for the elusive radio fox. The Groundhog fox was hiding in a tree on the Cherry Street side of Wenonah Park, near the northern border of the hunt area.
Had to laugh to see so many people tricked into thinking it was somewhere else, and then walking to try and get to the park! I even saw some hunters on the railroad tracks with their beam antennas out. Quite a sight!
A great time had by all!
First place : N4NYY Vinnie Sallustio and his wife
#2 K2MEN Sheldon Parker
#3 KB2AYU Al Arrison
#4 N3PUU Frank Romeo
#5 WM2Y Marc Federici
#6 KD2WDN Rich Federici
#7 KD2VQA Doug Dersch
#8 KG4JYA Mike Thompson - Welcome to the hunt!
#9 N2GXJ Jim Wright - Today's hider of the fox
The park and areas around still show signs of the devastation from the tornado from back on September 1. It is a shame, with so many nice old homes in the area, some dating back from before 1900 still with blue tarps on the roof.
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Fox Hunt XXIII - “The Dirty Dog!”
By Vinnie Sallustio, N4NYY
My day began at my first guess of George Eldridge Trail. Accompanied by my wife for the first time (only because I would take her to lunch at Mannino's afterward), We got an immediate strong signal when the hunt started. So we got out on foot right away. After walking the entire trail and the signal strength still strong, we found nothing. Asking from hikers if the trail went further, they told us that was all of it. Still with a strong signal, we ignored Jim's request of "if anyone could hear the signal", as to not give away our position. We exited the trail on a side street, that took us into an affluent area of Wenonah. We are now walking thru a residential area of Wenonah pointing a Yagi, telling people what we were doing. We came upon a family pulling into their driveway. Announcing our intention, we asked them if there was a park in the area of that specific direction, to which he told us there was, only 2 blocks away. That took us to Wenonah Park.
When it was all said and done, we had walked on foot at least 1.5 miles. Of course, that would be the case when I took my wife for her first fox hunt. The close-in 3rd harmonic Yagi was no good, as the fox was horizontal, and I was pointing vertical. So, I removed my antenna and went without one, looking for overload signals. Then found the fox in a tree. Jim Wright is a dirty dog! We needed a ride from Sheldon, back to our starting point. LOL. Great job by the dirty dog!
Sunday, February 6, 2022
By Jim Wright, N2GXJ
It was a brisk but otherwise quite nice sunny day to be out and about, hunting for the elusive radio fox. The Groundhog fox was hiding in a tree on the Cherry Street side of Wenonah Park, near the northern border of the hunt area.
Had to laugh to see so many people tricked into thinking it was somewhere else, and then walking to try and get to the park! I even saw some hunters on the railroad tracks with their beam antennas out. Quite a sight!
A great time had by all!
First place : N4NYY Vinnie Sallustio and his wife
#2 K2MEN Sheldon Parker
#3 KB2AYU Al Arrison
#4 N3PUU Frank Romeo
#5 WM2Y Marc Federici
#6 KD2WDN Rich Federici
#7 KD2VQA Doug Dersch
#8 KG4JYA Mike Thompson - Welcome to the hunt!
#9 N2GXJ Jim Wright - Today's hider of the fox
The park and areas around still show signs of the devastation from the tornado from back on September 1. It is a shame, with so many nice old homes in the area, some dating back from before 1900 still with blue tarps on the roof.
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Fox Hunt XXIII - “The Dirty Dog!”
By Vinnie Sallustio, N4NYY
My day began at my first guess of George Eldridge Trail. Accompanied by my wife for the first time (only because I would take her to lunch at Mannino's afterward), We got an immediate strong signal when the hunt started. So we got out on foot right away. After walking the entire trail and the signal strength still strong, we found nothing. Asking from hikers if the trail went further, they told us that was all of it. Still with a strong signal, we ignored Jim's request of "if anyone could hear the signal", as to not give away our position. We exited the trail on a side street, that took us into an affluent area of Wenonah. We are now walking thru a residential area of Wenonah pointing a Yagi, telling people what we were doing. We came upon a family pulling into their driveway. Announcing our intention, we asked them if there was a park in the area of that specific direction, to which he told us there was, only 2 blocks away. That took us to Wenonah Park.
When it was all said and done, we had walked on foot at least 1.5 miles. Of course, that would be the case when I took my wife for her first fox hunt. The close-in 3rd harmonic Yagi was no good, as the fox was horizontal, and I was pointing vertical. So, I removed my antenna and went without one, looking for overload signals. Then found the fox in a tree. Jim Wright is a dirty dog! We needed a ride from Sheldon, back to our starting point. LOL. Great job by the dirty dog!
Early clues to where the hidden transmitter will be?
Quick, grab a map!
Here's the "box" in which you'll find the hidden transmitter "fox"!
That's the Box!
With this head start, can you be first to find the fox?
Check in with me on the club's repeater by 1pm, so that I'll know who's hunting. I will turn on the transmitter then.
If anyone is still hunting after an hour, we'll give you clues on the fox's frequency (146.565 FM simplex), and talk you in.
Fun for you and the whole family!
Good luck to all hunters!
See you Sunday!
Jim N2GXJ
Quick, grab a map!
Here's the "box" in which you'll find the hidden transmitter "fox"!
- Find the Barnsboro Inn on your map. That's a corner.
- Head north up Mt. Royal Road to Route 45, then turn right.
- Head North East up Route 45, Bridgeton Pike, then hard right onto Mantua Blvd (632).
- In a few blocks, angle left onto Wenonah Avenue to start going East.
- Keep on Wenonah Avenue with, name change to Mantua Avenue, all the way to right turn onto Glassboro Road (553)(south).
- Keep heading south on Glassboro Road to Center Street, and turn right (west).
- Keep on Center Street back to the Barnsboro Inn - back to where you'd started again.
That's the Box!
With this head start, can you be first to find the fox?
Check in with me on the club's repeater by 1pm, so that I'll know who's hunting. I will turn on the transmitter then.
If anyone is still hunting after an hour, we'll give you clues on the fox's frequency (146.565 FM simplex), and talk you in.
Fun for you and the whole family!
Good luck to all hunters!
See you Sunday!
Jim N2GXJ
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Fox Hunt XXIII - Groundhog Foxhunt
Sunday, February 6, 2022 By Jim Wright, N2GXJ Following our Groundhog day Club meeting on February 2, there will be our Groundhog Foxhunt, from 1pm-2pm on Sunday, February 6. Will there be snow this year? That would be fun! We’ll have to wait and see! Since I was (narrowly) the first to find the fox last time, I get the honors of hiding it this time. As usual, there will be an email to the general membership the night before. In this case, it will be sent out in the early evening following Tech Saturday on February 5. The email will narrow down to just a few square miles a hunt area where the transmitter will be to simplify your search, somewhere in Gloucester County. Novice hunters welcome! All you need is an HT, like a Baofeng, and you are in the game! If you are far from the transmitter, you’re not going to hear the signal, or it will be very faint. That’s actually good, because you can rule out the area you are in, and try another. As you get closer to the transmitter, the signal is stronger. Go past it, and it starts getting weaker again. This is one way to home in on the transmitter. In the minutes leading up to 1pm on Sunday, check in with me on the Club repeater, using EchoLink from your cell phone, or via RF, so I know who is hunting. Then, if any teams are still hunting after an hour, we’ll talk you in so that we can pose for a group photo at the finish line. Sound fun? It is! Good luck to all the hunt teams! Ever want to try something new with ham radio? Mark your calendars, here’s your chance! It is a hand-held radio version of “hide and seek”!
Fellow Club member, Jim Wright, N2GXJ, will be the “fox” that will hide a transmitter for us “hounds” to find. What devious plan does he have in mind to try and stump us? We might have to work together as a “hunt pack” to find him! For those that have not tried one of these fox hunts before, the idea is simple, and is quite fun. You can even bring the whole family along. It goes something like this. A day before the hunt, an e-mail will be sent to the Club reflector. In it, he will give directions that will narrow down search area we have to hunt in to something no larger than approximately 4 square miles, here in southern NJ. Then, by 1 pm on February 6th, we drive into that area, and wait to hear from him on the W2MMD 2 Meter repeater (147.180 MHz PL Tone 131.8 Hz) asking for check-ins. You can also check-in using EchoLink : W2MMD-R. Each car full of us will check in with him on the repeater, so that he’ll know who all is hunting, and can give clues if anyone gets lost. Then the transmitter is turned on, and the hunt begins! By using a “warmer / colder” technique, where the signal is strongest when you are closer, and weaker when further away, or any technique of your choosing, the idea is to find the transmitter within an hour. If anyone is still searching after an hour, he’ll talk us all in using the Club’s repeater, so that all hunters will have the chance to meet up with him and laugh about our adventures! The transmitter is a Byonics MicroFox 15. It has an approximate transmitting range of 1 mile radius. The hunt frequency is 146.565 MHz. The transmission mode is FM simplex. When you are getting close to the transmitter, you can switch to 439.695 MHz, which is the third harmonic, to get a better read on its location. Hunters are encouraged to team up together, as it is a great event to partner up with non-ham family members who can help drive while you home-in on the signal using your radio. So, who’s ready for a fun fall fox hunt! See you out there! |
Transmitter
Frequency 146.565 MHz (3rd harmonic 439.695 MHz) 
Transmitter
Range +/- 1 Mile Radius |