Radio direction finding or may be called Fox Hunting by ham radio operators. To go Fox hunting you don't need a gun or ammo. You need some ham to hide a small low power transmitter in a small town, in the forest, maybe by permission in one of our National Forest. For our group we would prefer the transmitter to transmit on 2 meter simplex. Then the hams go fox hunting using their radio direction finding equipment, looking to pick up the transmitted signal and find the fox. The direction finder can be as simple as your two meter hand held tuned to the frequency of the fox. You would hold your transmitter to your chest and use your body as a rotator, turning in different directions. Your body helps make your hand held directional. Also a small home brew beam for 2 meters can be used. A beam is more proficient than a vertical antenna as it is looking in only one direction at one time. You'll get much more accurate bearings, plus more sensitivity when hunting weak signals, if you use an antenna with forward gain and directivity such as a beam.

Fox hunting is a lot fun for ham radio clubs, it is done all over the world and some hams use expensive, elaborate equipment. There are world-wide contest in RFD/fox hunting. The useful part of this "radio sport" is it can be used in finding a lost hiker, or tracking down nuisance (interference), and downed airplanes.

Radio direction finding (RFD) is used to find sources of interference to any form of wireless electronic communications, including broadcast and two-way radio, television, and telephones. It is also used to track missing or stolen cars and other property. Search and rescue workers use it to find persons in distress. Emergency Locator Transmitters in downed aircraft are tracked with RDF techniques. Hams use RDF to track jamming stations and stolen equipment, but more often, they use it just for fun. Hidden transmitter hunting has been done by hams for about fifty years and it is a growing activity.

Many years ago our SOARA - ARES club was into RFD/fox hunting, we practiced several times. One time we were called to help find a small plane that had been reported down in the forest near Hanging Rock, OH. Neighbors had called in reporting hearing a small plane having engine trouble and possibly crashed. Our group was called out and responded to the area. There were Highway Patrol, Sheriff, Fire Fighters, CAP, and ATV riders. We called Scott Air Force Base, they do tracking of satellites and can scan the earth. They told us when the next satellite would be over our area soon. A report came back that the searchers were looking on the wrong side of the hills. Our radio group responded to the general location given by Scott and the satellite. Tuning to the frequency of the planes transponder's signal and walking with their hand-helds against their chest they started picking up the planes transponder's signal. Walking and turning in different directions they found the plane but it was too late, the pilot was deceased. John Stewart, WW8O, and J. P. N8LRO were the first hams to find and get to the plane crash.

The mounting box can be a small black tote box (black so as not so noticeable), a small radio cabinet, a ammmo box, a small plastic cabinet, something that is water proof and you can mount a small antenna on top. Some hams bury them and mount something on top that looks like a water sprinkler to hide the RDF. Make it look like something else. Some use a continous recorder. Some use radio control to turn the transmitter on and off. At our January 2012 monthly meeting it was agreed that we should start again to have fox hunts. We need the practice and it will be fun plus get us trained once again for emergencies.

Dave Spears, KD8CRX, one of our dedicated members agreed to look into getting the club a RDF, one may be built or purchased by the club. Jim Rowe, N8TVO stated he had a hand-held that he would donate to be used as the transmitter part of the RDF. Hopefully Dave can have this ready and we can get permission for a site to use by Spring and warm weather. This will be paid for and owned by the club and can be used more times later.

If you would like to home-brew a small portable 2 meter beam for fox hunting go to this site.

http://home.comcast.net/~n3jnc/antproj/foxyagi.htm