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Sunday, September 25, 2022
1300 to 1400 Hours
Somewhere in Gloucester County
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Fox Hunt XXV Summary
Sunday, September 25, 2022 By Jim Wright, N2GXJ Our Club held a hidden transmitter Foxhunt on Sunday, September 25, 2022. It was a beautiful 70 degree sunny day, truly a great day to be out with the family, enjoying some fresh air and some radio sport! Congratulations to Marc WM2Y and Rich KD2WDN who were first to find the transmitter! Hiding it this time was Frank N3PUU and his family, who chose to hide the transmitter in a drainage ditch on the edge of the WTCC Cricket Field in Washington Township, off of Johnson Road, in Gloucester County, NJ. Though "out in the open", on the edge of a field, this turned out to be a rather challenging hunt. Making this somewhat more challenging than usual was the size of the hunt area (about 6 square miles), and the location of transmitter (below surrounding ground level). It turns out that the cricket field that the transmitter was located in lies in a valley, meaning the radio signals from the transmitter didn't get out much. To illustrate the challenge, even with a Yagi out the roof of his wife's car, it took Jim N2GXJ and his wife about 20 minutes of driving just to get a first whiff on the radio of the transmitter's signal. Even after finding the cricket field, the challenge did not end then. Though Jim was first on site, he was still unable to find the transmitter in the ditch, assuming it was along the tree line ahead of him instead. Jim even got help from a passer-by cricket player (who just also happened to be a licensed ham), to help look for about 5 minutes, in an area that turned out to be within just a few yards of where the transmitter was located, without finding it. It took Marc and his family coming on site, with his beam antenna and attenuator, to finally find it in the drainage ditch, to be able to claim first to find the transmitter! Shortly after, Al KB2AYU drove up on us in his truck. Out the window, he told us how he had not been able to hear the transmitter. In hind sight, maybe asking us to find a transmitter below ground level was a little aggressive. We'll make it easier next time! Still, Marc did find it this time. And as he was was first to find the transmitter this time, he gets to be the fox to hide the transmitter next time. That will probably be some time in November. Looking forward to that one! Care to join in? Please do! All are welcome! September 24, 2022
By Frank Romeo, N3PUU Attention all fox hunters! Tomorrow the fox will be hidden on the eastern side of Gloucester County, somewhere near Washington Township. The boundaries for this hunt are as follows :
A map of the hunt area can be found at the following link : https://www.shadetree.org/tmp/skunkworks/W2MMD_Sep2022_Foxhunt_Boundaries.png As Jim mentioned, the fox will begin transmitting at 1:00 PM local. We will take check-ins on the Club's 147.180 MHz repeater starting approximately 10 minutes earlier. 73 and best of luck to the hunters! September 24, 2022
By Jim Wright, N2GXJ Looking for something to do with the family from 1pm to 2pm on Sunday? How about piling everyone into the car and trying to find the 2 meter hidden transmitter that Frank N3PUU ("The Fox") is going to hide somewhere here in Gloucester County NJ? It's fun! When you're close, the signal is stronger. When you're farther away, it is weaker. No license required to listen in! To help narrow down the search area, the fox will send out an email later today to this same email reflector describing generally where in Gloucester County he will be. That way us "hounds" that will be hunting him, will have just a few square miles in which to hunt him within the hour. If anyone is still hunting and has not found him in the hour, he'll talk you in on the 146.565 MHz simplex fm frequency that the fox transmitter uses for a group photo. More details linked from our w2mmd.org web site. So, just before 1pm, grab your hand helds, check in on the club repeater to let us know who is out there hunting, then when the "fox is on the air"announcement is made, let's go find us this fox! Hope to see you tomorrow! Good luck everyone! Jim Wright N2GXJ September 22, 2022
By Jim Wright, N2GXJ You’ve heard about these things. How about trying one? Get out of your radio comfort zone. Join us for a fun radio related “hide and seek” game! It can be educational too, as you’ll probably learn a thing or two about your hand held radio, while picking up some useful skills. Such skills may help you when trying to track down sources of unwanted signals or interference you may encounter on the ham bands. (But really, it is about getting out of the house and having some fun!) What are we talking about? Hidden transmitter fox hunts, of course! Check in with us on our 2 meter repeater (via RF or Echo Link) by 1pm so we know who is hunting, and then the Fox will switch on the transmitter, and we’ll switch over to the hunt frequency to try and hear it. Using whatever approach works for you, and knowing that as you get closer to the transmitter the signal will be stronger, try and “home-in” on the hidden transmitter once it has been activated. Based on the check-in list, after about an hour, if anyone is still hunting, they’ll be talked in to the finish on the hunt frequency so that everyone can pose for a group picture and exchange hunt stories. To give us a fighting chance of finding it within the hour, Vinnie will email to all registered club members via the club email reflector the day before, to narrow the hunt area here in Gloucester County NJ to a few square miles ahead of time. Can we count you and your family as being in on this one? Hunt frequency: 146.565 MHz (3rd harmonic 439.695 MHz) (FM Simplex). 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 |