Fox Hunt XXIX
Sunday, September 17, 2023
1300 to 1400 Hours
Somewhere in Gloucester County
Fox Hunt XXIX - September 17, 2023
By Marc Federici, WM2Y Fox Hunt 29 was held on the George Eldridge Trail just off East Pine Street in Wenonah, NJ. The weather was perfect, you could not have asked for a nicer afternoon. We had seven hunters and additional family members participating in the transmitter hunt. It was nice to see that we had some new hunters join in on the day’s festivities :
Thanks for attending and thanks to everyone else who was able to attend Fox Hunt 29. The George Eldridge Trail is a ¾ Mile loop with a kind of hidden second entrance off to the left if you are looking at the trail head entrance sign. The Fox was just a short walk down a hilly path and was located next to Comeys Lake near the fountain. This location turned out to be a challenging spot to find even for the locals. Since this location is in a valley of sorts below street level RF reflections made finding the transmitter that much harder. Because this location was a little difficult to find we extended the typical one-hour hunting period to a little under two hours, so everyone had a chance to find the transmitter. Congratulations to Jim N2GXJ for being first to find the Fox and a bonus Fox. Order of finish :
This Fox hunt had two additional transmitters for bonus points that were broadcasting on 147.450 FM simplex. The transceivers were remotely activated BaoFeng UV5R’s connected to an Arduino microcontroller for some additional RF shenanigans. The hunters needed to listen very carefully to the morse code ID to make sure they were going after either Fox 1 or Fox 2. The transmitters were hidden in such a way that if you did not hear the morse ID correctly you would end up just walking back and forth between the two transmitters causing you much grief and confusion. The UV5R’s were remotely activated by DTMF tones, and those tones were transmitted on a different simplex frequency so as not to broadcast out the super-secret activation code. These bonus transmitters were a test run for Fox Hunt 30. I’m happy to report that the prototype Arduino controlled UV5R’s that I designed and built worked great. I have a couple of additional items that need to be done like adding a real time clock, isolating the UV5R’s grounds from the microcontroller’s electrical ground and shielding the circuit board from RF interference but that’s for a different article. Fox Hunt 30 is just right around the corner, let’s make that one a big one! I’m looking forward to Fox Hunt XXX and you can expect to hear the Arduino controlled UV5R’s next time. With a little more programming they are going to be downright evil. Until next time. DE WM2Y 73 Marc Fox Hunt 29 Update - September 16, 2023
Hunter's, Lace up your shoes and charge your batteries because Fox Hunt 29 is a go for Sunday Afternoon at 1 PM. The hunting boundaries are as follows : In Wenonah,
The main hunt frequency is 146.565 MHz FM. If you would like to participate in a second hunt after you find the main transmitter you will need to tune your receiver to 147.450 FM. Be sure to listen carefully. :) I will trigger the second transmitter remotely since that seems to be causing some confusion. Check-in's will start around 12:50 PM via the repeater 147.180 MHz PL Tone 131.8 Hz or EchoLink : W2MMD-R. This hunt is open to all so please forward this to anyone who might be interested. Good Hunting, see y'all tomorrow. Marc, WM2Y Fox Hunt 29 : September 17, 2023 With A 30th Edition Tech Preview By Jim Wright, N2GXJ Something "Wicked" is coming from Marc Federici WM2Y. He has been working on something special for us for the 30th edition of the GCARC Fox Hunt. Ahead of this, all Club members and their families are invited to come on out for the 29th running of the GCARC Fox Hunt on Sunday, September 17, 2023 for a good time, and a tech preview of what’s to come! Coinciding with the 236th anniversary of the signing of the US Constitution in Philadelphia, GCARC is arranging for a friendly foxhunt at 1300 Hours. It’s a great opportunity to try something new with your family and fellow Club members, and to better familiarize yourself with the capabilities of your own 2 meter hand held radio equipment while having fun doing it. It can be even more fun when partnering up with Club or family members to chase the fox together. Oh, and did I mention there might be a tech preview of what’s to come? Frequencies details (which “might” be different with the new tech), and general area to search, and things like this, will be sent via email from Marc one day in advance to our Club’s email reflector, which will then be posted to the website. It’s not too soon to start forming your hunt teams. Fun for everyone! Reserve the date! These events are quite fun for the whole family, as you don’t need a license to hunt (listen). Just need the ham family member to call in to the W2MMD 2 Meter repeater (147.180 MHz PL Tone 131.8 Hz) asking for check-ins. You can also call in using EchoLink : W2MMD-R. Check-in before the 1pm start time so we know who all is hunting, so that we will know if anyone is still hunting after an hour, to help talk them in to the finish line where we have fun exchanging hunt stories and taking a group photo. Then the transmitter is turned on, and the hunt begins! Can we count you and your family as being in on this one? 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. 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. Everyone is welcome to our meetings, events, and activities! So, who’s ready for a fun fox hunt! See you out there! |
Transmitter
Frequency 146.565 MHz (3rd harmonic 439.695 MHz) Transmitter
Range +/- 1 Mile Radius |