[HCRA] FoxII Rides again - SUNDAY !!!

[Jim W]

This Sunday (10/19) in Longmeadow.    

OK, here goes!   If you want a challenge then 9am to 5 pm in Longmeadow and  DON'T READ ANYMORE  or if you would like more details, read to the end. Transmitter range is just under a mile.

This terrain is a little more rugged and rustic but you could bring binoculars for the birds and other wildlife. Many residents walk their dogs here on leashes. It should be cool enough so that there are no bugs and parking is plentiful. Always bring water.  Each trip out should add something so as a refresher;  Letter E is new but please be careful!

1. This is an automatic Fox.  You go when you want, between 9am and 5 pm this Sunday.   You may re-activate as many times as you want.
2. To activate the Fox, transmit on 146.565 and then push a DTMF 2 on your handheld - MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE AN RESONANT ANTENNA ON!
3. The Fox will respond with a 10 wpm cw message "QRZ HCRA FOX HUNT    CAN U FIND ME?   DE WB1Z WB1Z     K" and then shut itself off.  (Be sure to ID every 10 minutes with an antenna on to keep legal)
4. This is a good hunt to have a friend/ham/YL along with you. When you get close, it is better to have two transmitters so that you do not forget to have an antenna on when you transmit a DTMF "2"
***
A. Some are going to use a yagi.  This will get you to the general area quickest but become less valued when you get within range.
B. Body fade - Remember to keep the transceiver close to you and turn a full 360 degrees slowly without stopping.  Note the nul(s) which are the weakest signal.  If you have one nul, the Fox is behind you.  Two nuls are caused by reflection. If you have two nuls, look between the two nuls and the fox will be behind you.
C. Off Frequency - If you are too close to get nuls, and before you remove the antenna, another method you might like to try is changing frequency to either 146.560 or 146.570 AFTER activating the Fox.  (See, something new each time we go out!)
D. Substitute antenna - If you have a BNC connector (quarter turn to put on or  off) you may use a small paperclip for a shorter antenna. If you have a SMA (screw on) do NOT use a paperclip, find a quarter watt resistor or short piece of wire that fits snugly but is not forced in or fall out.
E. You may have to remove your antenna totally. READ CLOSELY the following. Sometimes it is necessary to wrap you HT in tinfoil to keep stray RF out of the receiver.  PLEASE TAPE ALL DC CONTACT POINTS ON YOUR HT WITH GOOD ELECTRICAL TAPE BEFORE YOU TRY WRAPPING YOUR HT - LOOK AT THE BACK AND BOTTOM, AND TAPE WELL! 
F.This is a public place.  When you are real close to the Fox, try not to call attention to yourself so that it does not fall into the wrong hands. If it has become too visible, please adjust it accordingly. You do not have to touch it for the bragging rights.  Being able to say "its gotta be here.." is what it is all about.

I will be monitoring 146.670 all day while I am doing honeydews.  Have fun...  If there is a chance of rain, I will still deploy the Fox;  If is going to rain all day, I will not.  Call me anytime on 146.670 (147.000 as a backup) if you have questions. 

After this one, with the help of some of you, I am going to provide a RDF antenna design to build, and then maybe a simple attenuator as a winter project.

Jim    k1jaw 

The following is letter backwards, words correct for those who did not want to know more.  It only gets you to the parking lot!

  renrut krap no smailliw teerts