August Activity - Fox (Transmitter) Hunting

I wrote an article in the Nov/Dec 2001 YL Harmonics where I suggested 12 activities that one can do in Amateur Radio during 2002 and recommended that we devote one month to each activity. Some of these may be new to you and others you may not have done. The list of activities are as follows:
This month we will discuss Fox (Transmitter) Hunting. I will try to list a brief introduction followed by links to pages that provide addtional information. After reading them be sure to hit the back button to get back to this page. If you know of any cool links, let me know.

What is Fox (Transmitter) Hunting?


Fox Hunting is a fun activity that alot of hams take part in just about every week. One person, called the fox, hides somewhere within a designated area with a transmitter. Periodically or every 2 minutes or as detemined by the group, the fox transmits, be it his callsign or some other transmission. Those in the hunt then try to find him using direction finding equipment.

You don't need any fancy equipment to participate in a fox hunt. A handheld, directional antenna and an attenuator are some of the the more common equipment used but with just a mobile rig and a handheld you can get close enough to find the fox. In most cases, the person who finds the fox then becomes the fox the following week.

The rules are set by those in the fox hunt and can be played indoors, at hamfests or can cover several miles. Below are some links to various fox hunting sites. If you know of any others, let me know.

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Last updated Aug 8, 2002