INDEX:

I. What is the Mississippi Radio Direction Finding Association?

II. What is Radio Direction Finding?

III. Mississippi Radio Direction Finding Association Hunts and Games

IV. Participant Experiences

I. What is the Mississippi Radio Direction Finding Association?

The Mississippi Radio Direction Finding Association is an informal organization for Amateur Radio Operators in Mississippi who enjoy learning, improving, testing, playing games with, and putting to good use Radio Direction Finding and related skills.

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II. What is Radio Direction Finding?

Radio Direction Finding is “the measurement of the direction from which a received signal was transmitted. This can refer to radio or other forms of wireless communication. By combining the direction information from two or more suitably spaced receivers (or a single mobile receiver), the source of a transmission may be located in space via triangulation.”

Radio Direction Finding is used in the navigation of ships and aircraft, to locate emergency transmitters for search and rescue, for tracking wildlife, for finding lost adults and children who are prone to wander, for tracking vehicles, for tracking competitors in races, for playing Radio Direction Finding games, for position reporting among emcomm team members during disaster and emergency activations, for chasing and recovering high altitude balloons and their payloads, and to locate illegal or interfering transmitters. Radio Direction Finding is also a key component of the signals intelligence systems and methodologies used by the military. Since World War I the military has used RDF to locate the position of enemy broadcasters. RDF played a key role in the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II.

Amateur Radio Operators are frequently called upon to use their Radio Direction Finding skills to locate a stuck transmitter which is tying up a local repeater, or the source of some form of radio interference. Occasionally we are called upon to track the location of an individual who is illegally (not licensed) operating on an Amateur Radio frequency, intentionally causing harmful interference, or using language prohibited by FCC rules. These last three types of tracking are done with Radio Silence (behind the scenes) so that the perpetrator doesn’t know he is being tracked. Then the audio tapes and location results are turned over to the FCC for further investigation and prosecution. The FCC charges high fines per incidence (per transmission) and has been relentless in enforcing these rules and collecting these fines.

Amateur Radio Operators have also created a number of fun games to play to keep our direction-finding skills sharp during times when our skills are not officially needed. The Mississippi Radio Direction Finding Association holds at least one game or hunt each month. We also have a point system by which our members receive award certificates and endorsements, much like DX Associations, for participation in our Association events, competition in our games and hunts, and for Radio Direction Finding service to the Amateur Radio Community.

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III. Mississippi Radio Direction Finding Association Hunts and Games:

Members of the Mississippi Radio Direction Finding Association keep our interest up, and our direction finding skills sharp, by participating in a wide variety of monthly direction finding games and hunts.

Some Hams call all of the different types of direction finding events “Fox Hunts.” This in fact is incorrect, as there are a number of different types of radio direction finding events, each with their own unique features and rules, of which Fox Hunting is only one.

What follows are the official names and descriptions of the type of direction finding events which the Mississippi Radio Direction Finding Association hosts.

1. Fox Hunt (Mobile, Pedestrian, Combined)
2. Reverse Fox Hunt (Tag You’re It!)
3. T-Hunt (Mobile, may involve a short hike at the end)
4. ARDF Event
5. ROCA Event
6. APRS Hunt
7. High Altitude Balloon Chase & Recovery
8. Satellite Map Hunt
9. RDF Training Event & Hunt

Descriptions and Rules for each Type of Event: Hunt Rules

Participation is FREE of Charge:

All Mississippi Radio Direction Finding Hunts are free of charge to participate in.

However, our goal is to eventually host officially recognized International Style ARDF events in Mississippi. Those types of events require specific equipment in order to run them in accordance with the International ARDF Rules.

For a sanctioned ARDF event, we need six 144MHz transmitters, six 3.5 MHz transmitters, seven punches with stands, seven orienteering style flags, synchronized start and stop clocks, lane marking tape, competitor numbers, orienteering maps professionally designed for each of the areas where we will host ARDF events, and various other items required to run these events. Eventually, we’d also like to purchase SportIdent electronic punch timing to simplify the administration and timing of these events.

So if you enjoy your hunting experience, please consider helping us improve it by making a donation. We accept cash donations at all of our events (no checks please).. Additionally, if you would like to purchase and donate a specific piece of equipment that we need, please get in touch with us and we will send you our equipment needs list and purchase sources.

Additionally, we offer annual memberships in Mississippi Radio Direction Finding, and use 100% of the funds generated to purchase the above mentioned equipment. Our members receive participation points toward a number special certificates, and can track their RDF statistics on our website. For more information visit: Member Statistics

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