Cortez Radio Club Fox Hunt (Transmitter Hunt)
This is a Brand New Activity for the Cortez Radio Club (MVAARC)
You do not need to be a Licensed Ham
Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, School Students, Search and Rescue Teams, Police, anyone can participate!!!
We will be posting more here as we go along so please come back and check us out!
For now here is some basic Information on Fox Hunting From Joe in California good reading....
and some basic questions answered from the club at the bottom of page......
Here's an introduction to RDF contesting in southern California, updated from a paper originally submitted for Proceedings of the West Coast VHF/UHF Conference. Put this article in your ham club newsletter to encourage members to try T-hunting. (See the copyright notice at the end.)
VHF/UHF enthusiasts often install yagis and quads at their home stations. Many take them out on camping trips and use them on public service events. But did you know that some enjoy flying the freeways and beating the back roads with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on a rotating antenna mast?
Perhaps you have seen these hams on weekends, intently driving and turning their beams. What are they doing? They are competing in hidden transmitter hunts.
If you've never experienced one of these mobile radio direction finding (RDF) contests, you have missed some of the greatest excitement a ham can have. While there are several names for it such as "fox-hunting" and "bunny chasing," in southern California this sport is almost always referred to as "T-hunting."
Transmitter
hunting seems to be one of the best kept secrets in ham radio, even though
dozens of hams here consider themselves to be regular hunters. They range in age
from the teens to the eighties. Besides keeping the coordinated two-meter hunt
frequency (146.565 MHz FM) hopping, hunters love to hash over their exploits by
the hour on their favorite repeaters.
The idea is simple: One or two hams take a transmitter, antenna, and some sort of distinctive audio source to an carefully selected spot, then make continuous or intermittent transmissions. Usually they remain stationary, though mobile "bunnies" are popular with some groups. Sometimes there are more than one "T" to be found. Surplus ammunition cans are often used as hidden transmitter enclosures. The hunters, as individuals or in teams, do their best to home in on the hidden station(s) with their mobile and portable RDF gear.
T-hunters think their events are more fun than any other ham contest. You get to meet and socialize with your competitors both before and after the event. Usually, you'll find out your score and how well you placed before you go home. You may encounter your competitors along the way, with opportunities to try to "psych them out" or misdirect them. (Hence the southern California maxim: "Never trust anything said by a T-hunter or hider.")
"Techies" like the thrill of finding the hidden T with gear they made themselves. They relentlessly work to improve their setups. Mystery lovers and dyed-in-the-wool contesters love the challenge, because very hunt is a fresh start to a new adventure. Your past performances are forgotten. It's just your team and your equipment against today's hider and the other hunters.
At some point, every ham will find knowledge of RDF techniques useful, because it simplifies such chores as finding a neighborhood source of power line interference or TV cable leakage. T-hunters here frequently are called upon to track down sources of "spurs," intermodulation and noise that can plague amateur (and sometimes commercial) repeaters.
RDF plays an important part in Amateur Radio self-policing. In many areas of the country, including southern California, there are standing agreements between Local Interference Committees and district FCC offices, permitting volunteer ham RDFers to gather evidence leading to prosecution in serious cases of malicious interference.
You have up to a dozen competitive hunt opportunities to choose from every month in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and Santa Barbara Counties. They are all different in some way, such as time or mileage scoring, day or night start, single or multiple transmitters, intermittent or continuous signal, wide or narrow boundaries. (Or perhaps there are no boundaries at all!)
Most hunts are on two meters with FM signals, but there are occasional FM hunts on the 50, 223, 440 and 1200 MHz bands. There have even been hunts for Amateur Television transmissions on 434 MHz.
There are many ways to score mobile T-hunts. Due to traffic problems, "First-In-Wins" hunts are less common than "Low-Mileage-Wins" hunts in southern California. Odometer calibration differences are resolved by requesting hunters to obtain an odometer correction factor by driving a standardized course in advance of the hunt. This correction factor is called the Crenshaw Factor because the course runs along Crenshaw Boulevard for approximately 9 miles.
T-hunters have become very sophisticated at finding dastardly hiding places. With the right combination of location and antenna, they make it difficult for hunters to get reliable bearings. Like a ventriloquist, a good hider can make the signal appear to be coming from some other location. With careful planning (and a little luck), the signal's characteristics can cause the hunters to approach the transmitter from the most difficult direction, with impassable roads or other obstructions, even though the T may be easily accessible via other routes. Perhaps the hider will camouflage the setup so well that the hunters won't find the transmitter unless they literally trip over it.
The most challenging of all southern California 2-meter RDF events are the All Day Hunts. Despite their difficulty, many enthusiasts like them best of all. The name is a misnomer, because these marathons often last the entire weekend. The transmitter(s) can be anywhere in the continental USA. The hunt starts in Rancho Palos Verdes. Hiding spots have included locations near Yosemite National Park (California), Las Vegas (Nevada), Yuma (Arizona), and St. George (Utah). The record path distance for a two-meter hidden transmitter signal to be heard at the starting point was set on the St. George hunt, well over 300 miles!
Not every T-hunt is this arduous, of course. Several clubs have sponsored hunts just for Beginners, to get things started. Hiders make brief transmissions on a repeater, encouraging hunters to come out and find them. After a while, they give clues to narrow the search area. The idea is to give every participant a good first-time experience, including a story-telling session at a restaurant after the hunt.
While some hunters prefer to go it alone, most have more success by teaming up. The driver concentrates on handling the vehicle, while the DFer turns the beam and reads the meters. The DFer also handles maps and plotting, unless there is a third team member for that task.
In
the Los Angeles basin, most hunters use some sort of beam antenna. Three to five
element quads are most popular. Usually they are built in "diamond" form with a
PVC pipe or wood boom and elements made of thin wire strung on fiberglass
spreaders. Variations include the "stiff wire" version, which is much more
tree-resistant. (It can get mashed, but is easily re-shaped and returned to
service, as compared to "strung-wire" quads which more readily suffer wire
breakage.)
Yagis are second to quads in popularity. Commercial models work fine, provided that the mast is attached at a good balance point. Occasionally you will see some other kind of gain antenna, such as a "ZL special." Small-diameter loops are seldom used for RDF above 54 MHz because of their bidirectional pattern and low sensitivity.
No
matter which gain antenna is used, it is important that the mounting system
allow for quickly changing polarization. Hiders can use any wave polarization on
most hunts, so hunters must attempt to determine the correct polarization and
hunt with it. Hunting a horizontal signal with a vertically polarized beam, for
example, causes the direct signal to be attenuated. Reflections and scattered
signals (multipath) from buildings and terrain features are enhanced relative to
the direct signal when the wrong polarization is chosen.
Hunters need sensitive mobile RDF setups for events like the All-Day hunts. They achieve it with their long beams, plus GaAsFET preamps, noise-quieting meters, and SSB receivers (even though the hider is transmitting FM).
Another
type of RDF instrument, called the homing or dual-antenna RDF, has its place in
the arsenal of the well-equipped hunter. These units have a pair of vertical
antennas, a switching circuit, and a direction sensor with some sort of
left-right indicator, such as a meter or a pair of LEDs. They are easy to use:
When the indicator says LEFT, turn the unit left; when it indicates RIGHT, turn
right. There is a sharply defined crossover at which the unit points toward the
signal source direction.
There are two types of dual antenna sets. One type is called a switched-pattern set and requires a receiver with AM detection. It is used mostly on the aircraft band. More popular with hams is the phase-front detector or Time-Difference-of-Arrival (TDOA) set. It is designed to work with any narrowband FM receiver that covers the frequency of interest. While they could be used in vehicles, these dual-antenna sets are used mostly for on-foot RDF. They are excellent for closing in at the end of a hunt ("sniffing") and for wilderness search/rescue work. Be sure to build or buy one with left-right indicators.
An ideal RDF system would not require constant manual antenna turning. It would take directional readings hundreds of times per second, and continue to indicate the bearing after the signal leaves the air. Doppler type RDF sets, though far from ideal, fulfill all these wishes. The typical four-whip antenna system can be mounted without drilling holes in the vehicle.
Doppler
readouts usually feature a ring of at least 16 LEDs, and may also include a
three-digit display in degrees relative to the vehicle. In the clear, a
well-installed doppler has about +/-5 degree bearing accuracy. Accuracy is
degraded by multipath, just like it is with the homing RDF, but "eyeball
averaging" while the vehicle is moving helps counteract this problem.
While popular in places such as Cincinnati and the San Francisco Bay area, doppler RDF installations have not caught on among most southern California competitive T-hunters due to their lower sensitivity compared to beam setups. Vertically polarized doppler antennas are at an extreme disadvantage if the hider transmits horizontal polarization, especially if the signal is weak and non-direct.
On the other hand, dopplers are a popular choice of jammer hunters, who are usually tracking strong vertically polarized signals. They like the rapid indication update rate and the ability to quickly get bearings on short-duration signals. Occasionally, you may see RDFers using both a beam and a doppler set on the same vehicle.
While commercial RDF equipment is available, the majority of southern California T-hunters prefer to build their own gear. All you need to get started is a directional antenna, an attenuator to knock down strong nearby signals, and a receiver with S-meter. You may have it all right now! If so, it will only take a bit of installation work on the family car to get you going.
For equipment information, installation ideas, and hunting techniques, read TRANSMITTER HUNTING---Radio Direction Finding Simplified by KØOV and WB6UZZ, published by Tab Books (#2701). This book is available at many electronics and ham radio stores. It is also available by mail from ARRL Bookstore and from the authors.
For a new ham radio adventure, try going out on a hidden transmitter hunt. Be prepared for some pleasant surprises. Remember, every time you set out on a hunt, you never know where you'll end up, and you never know what you will find.
Above article Copyright ©1992 and 2001 by Joseph D. Moell. It may be reproduced in club newsletters and other non-commercial publications, provided that it is printed in its entirety (either with or without illustrations) and readers are encouraged to visit this Homing In Web site: http://www.homingin.com
If you reprint this article, please send a copy of it via e-mail or by postal mail to: Joe Moell KØOV, PO Box 2508, Fullerton, CA 92837
Surfing suggestion: The Southern California T-Hunts for Beginners page at this site lists monthly hunts where newcomers are welcomed and encouraged.
What happens on a T-Hunt?
The hunt is a game of strategy. When the transmitter is on the air, the hunters "take bearings" with directional antennas by determining the direction where the signal is the strongest. Through experience, the hunter learns to recognize “real” signals from reflections caused by signals bouncing off mountains and buildings. Once a bearing is obtained, the hunter then needs to plan a route—either to the suspected transmitter location or to the next point at which a bearing is to be taken. This is done throughout the hunt until the transmitter is found.
Since the winner is determined by least miles traveled, the hunter needs to be as efficient as possible—taking a direct route when possible and avoiding backtracking, dead ends, etc.
What is Transmitter Hunting?
Transmitter Hunting—also known as T-Hunting, fox hunting and radio direction finding (RDF)—is a high-tech version of the children’s “hot-cold” game. In this case, simple equipment and easy to learn radio direction finding techniques are used to guess which way to go and whether you are “hot” or “cold”. This popular activity among Amateur Radio operators begins when a hider, also known as “the fox” or “the huntmaster” hides a transmitter somewhere in the city. Amateurs participating in the hunt all meet a common start point, and the fun begins! The hunters search for the hiding place using radio direction finding techniques. The transmitter is usually on the air intermittently and identifies itself automatically with Morse code or voice. The winner is generally determined by who travels the fewest miles from the start point to the transmitter location.
What equipment do I need?
First, to put a rumor to rest, you do not need to be a licensed Amateur Radio Operator or own expensive equipment for transmitter hunting! All you need is a 2-meter receiver (an HT or a scanner will do), an attenuator, and a directional antenna (yagi, quad, etc.). Construction details for an attenuator and an antenna made from PVC pipe and an old steel tape measure will be available from the MVVARC T-Hunt web page soon. Other items that can help, but aren't necessary, are a laminated map of Cortez Area, a compass and some refreshments!
Is this just for fun competition?
Both! T-Hunting has broad appeal. It can be considered an individual sport or a family activity. It allows participants to develop Amateur Radio skills while enjoying the outdoors. Hunters will discover many places in the Mesa Verde area they did not know even existed!
On the other hand, there is a competitive part of transmitter hunting.
The "winner" of a particular hunt is determined by the person who finds the transmitter by driving the fewest miles. The winner becomes the next “huntmaster” and gets to have the fun of hiding the transmitter for the next hunt. The most serious hunters also build valuable skills needed to participate in national and international RDF events. There is even a serious side of transmitter hunting. T-Hunters use their skills to locate downed airplanes, boaters in distress, sources of radio interference, unlicensed operators, and jammers. T-hunters use contests like this to test their equipment and practice their skills in preparation for more serious searches.
This sounds like fun! How can I join the fun? How can I learn more?
Let us know you are interested! cortezradioclub@beyondbb.com We are always looking for new hunters to participate in our hunts and become a part of this aspect of Amateur Radio! We maintain a calendar, and several web pages. You can start participating right away— even if you do not have equipment. Just let us know and we will arrange for you to ride along with an experienced T-Hunter. Hunts are always posted on our club web page. Hunts generally last 1-3 hours. Call in frequency is on the KD5LWU 146.790 (-, 127.3 PL) repeater. The start point is always the Cortez Journal Building.
Cortez Radio Club Transmitter Hunting Rules
(abbreviated)Designed to keep this a fun event for all
1. The Hidden T signal must be copyable by all at the starting point.
2. The transmitter must be on 145.565 MHz and maintain constant power and antenna polarization during the hunt.
3. The antenna and transmitter shall be within 500 feet of access by standard passenger cars in a publicly accessible area with no charge for admission. Reasonable care must be taken to ensure that hunters can safely get to the hidden transmitter.
4. The hunt boundaries are the edges of the latest Rand McNally map for the Mesa Verde Area (Cortez, Delores, Mancos. However, military reservations and Native American reservation lands are out of bounds.
5. Rule Modifications: The following rule modifications should be announced at least a week early: Boundary extensions, intermittent signals with less than 10 seconds of "on time," any off-road distance extensions, and any variations to "minimum mileage wins" rule.
Cortez Radio Club Meetings
always the second Thursday of the Month at the Cortez Journal Building
Meeting Location: Cortez Journal Building (On Roger Smith Street behind Autozone)
When: 2nd Thursday of the month at 1900 Local (7 p.m. M.S.T.)
Attending the meeting is always important and informative!
Serving the Four Corners area from Cortez, Colorado