[FoxHunt] PicCon users

[Marvin Johnston]

The PicCon controllers are wonderful, although I would have to say that
programming them is not intuitivly obvious :). They will be used on all
the transmitters for this years US ARDF Championships
(http://www.sbarc.org/ardf/index.shtml), they were used at 1999 and 2002
Championships, (and perhaps the others, but I'm not sure) and most of
the ARDF hunts out here in California. My use is almost always using
five of the controllers (I have nine) for ARDF hunts.

They were the second controller that I've used (the first was the N6MBR
Tone Box), and I never switched back after that; I've been using them
now for about 3 or 4 years. Building them is a 20 minute job if you are
familiar with kit building, and I've never had one not work first time.

One of the features that totally sold me was the ability to control them
remotely if you are using an HT for the transmitter/receiver using the
DTMF pad. The main reason that I like the remote control though is the
ease of programming and syncing to start all of them simultaneously. I
rarely use program them in the field unless I've messed up something ...
like the last 2M ARDF hunt at Travel Town in Los Angeles :).

One thing that made programming them *very* easy was to program the
codes I use into my HT. The programming I use is:

*I* reset all controllers before programming if I have messed with
anything. (Hold red button and press DTMF ")".)
Transmitter #1 is initiated to MOE by holding the red button and
pressing D1, #2 MOI - D2, #3 MOS - D3, etc. One thing that is not
documented (that *I* have found anyway) is DD for MO (used as the finish
beacon.)

A10100 - Set for one minute
A20056 - Set On time for 56 seconds (allows 4 seconds for ID)
A30500 - Set Cycle time for 5 minutes
A4???? - Set the inital start time delay (2 hours if it I start putting
them out 2 hours before the hunt begins)
C1????????# - Set my callsign as the ID
C423# 		- Setup for transmitter #1
C4123# 		- Setup for transmitter #2
C41123#		- Setup for transmitter #3
C411123#	- Setup for transmitter #4
C4111123#	- Setup for transmitter #5

I can program a set of five controllers in a couple of minutes if
necessary.

If you are using them on 80M hunts, they do radiate a bit of RF on 3.579
MHz but not enough that I worry about it.

I also made up a portable interface cable so I can easily program
controllers that are not attached to receivers.

Try them, you'll like them :).

Marvin, KE6HTS


Jason K wrote:
> 
> Hi all. I'm new to the group and after having read the
> archives, I was wondering if anyone has purchased the
> kit and asssembled it themselves? Has anyone hunted
> with one? I guess what I'm after is a product review
> of sorts. Thanks a bunch and 73,
> Jason
> KCØMFW
> 
> 
> 
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