The MSRDF Fox Hunt on March 13, 2021
Kyle Conway, KI5JCL
I recently had the opportunity to participate in my first fox hunt. I have been a licensed amateur radio operator for less than a year and have been having a series of "firsts" and this is another one. Due to the events of 2020 there haven't been many in person events to participate in as a new radio operator. As things are settling down a bit in 2021 a Fox Hunt was a great way to do an event but stay socially distanced.
For a couple of weeks leading up to the event, I gathered pieces and parts for a new project, a 2m tape measure yagi. I was able to construct it and it tested well using it to hit distant repeaters with my HT. This in itself felt like a right of passage in amateur radio. With yagi and HT in hand I was now ready for a fox hunt.
The fox was off and transmitting a very strong signal. My yagi worked great and I was able to identify the direction the signal was coming from using two different locations. Unfortunately my map and general direction sense were not up to par with my yagi's performance. The bearing lines I drew on my map to begin my triangulation sent me astray. Several stops and readings later I was able to work myself back close. Unfortunately the fox's signal was still very strong and my offset attenuator was not up to the task. This led to a bit of wandering, but I was eventually able to stumble upon the fox.
While my performance was not what I expected, I learned a lot from this experience and most importantly had a lot of fun with my family along for the ride. I will have a compass, better map, and probably a phone app or two to help my triangulation skills the next time around. I am already looking forward to it.
- Kyle Conway, KI5JCL