[FoxHunt] Food for Thouht

[Tom Pennebaker]

Rather strange, the ELper is used by government folks in life or death
possibilities......a good Ham fox hunter will have home-brew stuff and run
circles around the ELper. I'm a very serious fox hunter and an Elper isn't
in the picture. I'd never win a hunt with one.
Why 5 or 6 elements on the tape yagi? That is a ridiculous overkill. Three
elements is plenty. I have a 2 and a 3 element. Usually use the 2 element
because I don't want the gain. I want that signal as weak as I can get it.
Don't use any metallic's on the tape yagi, hose clamps, screws, etc. They
skew the pattern. Also don't put the reciever, attenuator, or any metal
enclosure on the boom, again it skews the pattern. I use UV resistant
tie--wraps to hold the elements. The "Hair-pin" match is perfect for the
yagi. It's a direct match. No loses to deal with such as gamma, capacitors
and such.
There was a 4 element quad presented in Ham Radio Magazine several years ago
that was developed pacifically for fox hunting. Maximum front to back and
minimum side lobes. The magazine is out of business and the gentleman that
developed the quad is SK. I have that quad and that's the last piece of
equipment I'd part with. I start all my hunts with the quad and go to the
tape yagi when I get close.
It is absolutely paramount that one know their equipment. You can have the
best stuff made, if you don't know it your in for a frustrating day.
I can get within 10 feet of a 50 watt signal and get half scale deflection
on the S-meter. That's not an easy feat....wins lots of hunts........Tom
N4RS