SJRA Fox Hunt

SJRA Supports Troop 70 this Saturday with a Radio Direction Fox Hunt

Saturday October 5th The SJRA will be supporting Troop 70  in Cinnaminson, for the Cub Fun Day, with  A Radio Direction Fox Hunt. If you are available for on the air contacts, please visit our repeater to make contact with the Cubs, as we also plan to have a SJRA table set up for local repeater contact. We will use the  K2UK Repeater located in Pine Hill, NJ. 

SJRA Supports the Cub Fun Day Fox Hunt.

Rick Lawn, W2JAZ

It all started last spring and summer when we decided to build 2 meter tape measure yagi antennas as a Kit Night Project. One thing led to another and a decision was made to organize a fall Fox Hunt followed by a satellite event at some point where we could use our yagis for 2 different tasks. When we couldn’t seem to find a good weekend date that wasn’t interfering with one contest or another, Ken, K2WB suggested that perhaps we could coordinate a Fox Hunt activity for the Cub Scouts Fun Day since we had been asked to contribute some ham radio activity to their weekend as we had in the past. Unfortunately getting volunteers for October 5th wasn’t as easy as anticipated, but fortunately Scott, AA2SD, Melissa, KE2BWZ, Glen, KE2BUO and I signed on, and that seemed to be the critical mass we needed. Pete, N2LVI joined us to help out later in the afternoon which was appreciated. 

We decided to do as we had done in the past which was to also put a 2 meter station up for repeater contacts to club members using the club’s repeaters. Brian, K2DFJX, and Alan K3WWT across the river volunteered to give our scouts some experience with the microphone. Jeffrey, KZ2J also showed up on the repeater to relieve Alan and QSO with some scouts.. The Cub Fun weekend was held at the Pine Hill Reservation so it was a stone’s through from our K2UK repeater. We also utilized the K2AA repeater for member to member and member to scout QSOs. Some of the funny comments from these young scouts bear repeating here: One scout who was talking with Alan looked at me and asked pointing at Joe’s 2 meter rig, “is that a real person?” and another asked Jefferey if he had ever handled animal poop and remarked that he had! As the say…”out of the mouths of babes!”

When I left the house that morning I had no idea if this venture would prove to be successful, or a bust. I left the garage armed with my own equipment and fox hunting gear loaned by Mark KD2JWP and Ray, N3RG who had been in procession of the club’s old Fox. I knew that Scott and the Guenther’s would also come well equipped with HTs, antennas, and attenuators to knock the signal down as we got closer to the Fox. While Joe, KC2SGV got tied up in a family commitment, he provided the VHF go box that we used for the planned 2 meter station and it worked perfectly. 

When I arrived at noon to the Pine Hill site Scott had already set up tables and had printed 150 certificates for each child who operated our radio or participated in the fox hunt. He also had printed up three brightly colored Foxes to mark the locations where we had hidden the foxes. With 4 of us available we knew we could send at least 2 fox hunt groups to different locations simultaneously allowing us to service as many scouts as possible. We knew that there were about 500 on site! That left at least one of us to manage the 2 meter station for other interested scouts and parents. 

The weather couldn’t have been better other than the fact we could have chosen a location in the same vicinity that had more shade! As it turned out, the event was a huge success and very rewarding for all of us including the parents and guardians who chaperoned the kids. Many more people know about SJRA and our hobby than before. We ran out of certificates and Alan reported that we had over 50 scouts who had a chance at the microphone, and that doesn’t count those that Brian and Jeffrey talked to. In total, a modest estimate of close to 200 youngsters were served and there was great interest in our activities from parents and the students. I’m going to chalk this up to a great success and win for the club and all those who enjoyed our activity. 

Stay tuned for details because it now seems we will be able to put K2AA on the air on October 19th for the national Jamboree on the Air (JOTA). We will be setting up inside the Scouts of America Garden State headquarters building in Westhampton and reaching out to scouts across the US who will be on the air through the courtesy of other amateur radio clubs. The station will be on the air using primarily 20 meters and 6 meters from around 9 AM to 1 PM. 

Radio fox hunting, also known as radio direction finding (RDF), involves locating a hidden transmitter (the "fox") using radio equipment. When using a handheld transceiver (HT) and a rubber duck antenna, here are some techniques to effectively participate in a fox hunt:

1. Understand the Basics of Direction Finding

Signal Strength: As you move closer to the transmitter, the signal strength will increase. Use the HT’s S-meter to gauge this.

Nulling: Rotate your body while holding the antenna to find the direction where the signal is weakest. This is often the direction of the transmitter.

2. Use a Simple Direction Finding Technique

Triangulation: Take readings from multiple locations to triangulate the fox’s position. Move to different spots and note the direction of the strongest signal.

Antenna Positioning: Hold the antenna horizontally and vertically to see if the signal changes significantly. This can help determine the transmitter's orientation.

3. Practice with Signal Reflection

Moving Towards the Signal: If you can move while listening, drive or walk in a circle around the suspected direction of the fox. As you get closer, the pitch of the signal will rise, then fall as you move away. This can help you determine the direction more accurately.