Today, we're gonna consider yet another facet of amateur radio.
FOX HUNTING.
And no, I'm not talking about THIS kind of fox
Or THIS kind
That's right; the kind of fox I'm talking about is actually a low-powered transmitter. The transmitter is hidden, and the object is for the hunters to find it. As you might surmise, the methods used to track and find the transmitter are the same methods used to locate the black boxes from downed airplanes. Using handheld receivers and a variety of special antennas, hunters are able to pinpoint the source of the transmitted signal by capitalizing on their understanding of the Doppler effect. (The D post was on Doppler effect, and in the examples I provided there, the source of the signal was moving, while the receiver stood still. In a fox hunt, the transmitter is stationary, and the hunter moves. Same exact effect, though, because it's based on frequency changes based on a change in relative positions.)
But more like THIS kind
That's right; the kind of fox I'm talking about is actually a low-powered transmitter. The transmitter is hidden, and the object is for the hunters to find it. As you might surmise, the methods used to track and find the transmitter are the same methods used to locate the black boxes from downed airplanes. Using handheld receivers and a variety of special antennas, hunters are able to pinpoint the source of the transmitted signal by capitalizing on their understanding of the Doppler effect. (The D post was on Doppler effect, and in the examples I provided there, the source of the signal was moving, while the receiver stood still. In a fox hunt, the transmitter is stationary, and the hunter moves. Same exact effect, though, because it's based on frequency changes based on a change in relative positions.)
Fox hunting can be a purely fun event on a local level, or it can be a high-level international competition. In 2002, the ARDF (Amateur Radio Direction Finding) World Championships were held in Georgia. Conducted over a two-day period, the competitors vied to find five hidden transmitters each day ... VHF (2 meters) the first day, and HF (80 M) the second. And I'm telling you, in spite of the challenges of the wooded hilly terrain of Pine Mountain, many of those competitors were flat-out running when they came out of the woods and headed for the finish line.
Um, no that isn't MY gold medal. I wasn't there to compete. I was only there in an "official" capacity because of my position as Georgia Section Manager, so I got to give a speech at their dinner, and then sit in the tent each day to watch the competitors come flying out of the woods to get their official completion time. What a fantastic experience!
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| German 2M competitor at 2004 world championships in Czech republic |
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| 2004 Korean competitor, 80 M |
So, ladies, if your amateur radio or orienteering fella tells you he's going fox hunting, don't worry about it ... as long as he's carrying an antenna out the door with him. If, on the other hand, he slaps cologne behind his ears, you might have a teensy bit of room for concern.
