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Learn How to Fox Hunt at April 27, 2022 WARA Meeting

Hidden transmitter hunting, also called fox hunting, has enjoyed a resurgence in the Boston area over the past few years. It is an activity that combines amateur radio, exercise, fresh air, and puzzle solving. It can even be turned into a family activity.

The online Waltham ARA meeting on Wednesday evening, April 27, 2022, will feature a fox hunting program, with a goal of bringing new people into this activity. Eliot W1MJ, Jeff AC1JR, and Pat K1PJW will share their experiences – what works, and what doesn’t work – and answer your questions.

While some fox hunters use fancy equipment, we will show you how a transmitter can also be located using only a handheld 2M radio with the “body fade” method.

K1MJC’s Tape Measure Yagi

WARA members will receive a link to the meeting by email. If you are not a WARA member and would like to receive the link, you can SIGN UP HERE.

Fox Hunt on March 20, 2022

On Sunday, March 20 Eliot, W1MJ will deploy his 5-watt fox in the Rock Meadow Conservation Area in Belmont from 9:30 AM until 5:30 PM. The fox will transmit frequently on 147.54 MHz. Information about this fox is available at http://w1mj.com/fox.

The Rock Meadow parking lot is at 248 Mill St, Belmont, MA. If the lot is full, parallel parking on Mill Street is allowed. Due to the rain expected on Saturday, please come prepared for mud in some parts of the meadow.

If you have never tried a hidden transmitter hunt, we encourage you to give it a try. While some fox hunters use fancy equipment, the fox can also be located using only a handheld 2M radio with the “body fade” method. Turn around slowly with the radio close to your belly – the signal is weakest when your body is blocking the signal. When you get close and the fox is full quieting, replace the antenna with a very short piece of wire (about 1/2 inch), or use no antenna at all. Much more info about hidden transmitter hunting is available online. In the worst case, you will still get some fresh air and exercise.

Mobile Fox Hunt – February 26, 2022

Interest in hidden transmitter hunting – fox hunting – has been growing. Most of the recent local hunts have utilized automated transmitters hidden in conservation lands. But on Saturday, February 26, we will be running a more traditional mobile fox hunt. No hiking required.

Starting point: Prospect Hill Park, 314 Totten Pond Rd, Waltham, MA

Date & Time: Saturday, February 26, 2022, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Fox Description: Blue Honda Fit with license plate W1/MJ, parked somewhere on a public road or parking lot within the Waltham city limits. Frequent transmissions will be made on 147.54 MHz.

We’ll be on the WARA 2m repeater beforehand (146.64 pl 136.5). If you haven’t tried fox hunting yet, you will find many how-to resources online. As for local resources, look for K1MJC, K1PJW, and W1MJ on the WARA repeaters. Some hunters use fancy gear, while other just use a handheld radio and the “body fade” method.

Note: This is a rescheduling of the February 19 fox hunt announced in the Winter 2022 edition of Prospect Hill Intermod.

WARA January Meeting and Presentation

Please join the Waltham Amateur Radio Association for our first meeting of the year.
When: Wed. Jan. 26th @ 7:00 PM (6:00PM for the pre-net checkin and chat)

Where: Chime Online Conference

Agenda: We have Sandy Lancraft N1FSK presenting “Going Back to the Future – N1FSK talks about Moonbounce.” Sandy has years of experience in working with EME and it’s a real treat to talk to someone who has made it work even in some very “challenging” environments.

If you did not receive an invitation as a member of the club, you can still sign up to receive invites to our meetings with this form. I will email out the invitation the afternoon before the presentation and then just before the presentation for any stragglers.

Silent Key – Christine Carr Bowen – KB1UBW

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/bostonglobe/name/christine-bowen-obituary?id=32138966

Ron asked me to write a note for WARA, about the passing of Christine- KB1UBW, maybe more popularly known as the lady with the pink radio. At first, I avoided it, you know, always some reason to avoid getting after it, mostly selfishly keeping her departure quiet, as if that somehow kept her here, close with me. With us, her friends and all of the people she touched over the years.

She died in the early hours the day after Thanksgiving, the COPD that plagued her for years having turned to cancer, metastasizing to her brain. She was vibrant, active, and her usual plucky self, right up to the last several days; in the end passing in her sleep.

She now belongs to the ages, as we all share her persona and memory with those present, past and future. NearFest XXXI will be dedicated to her memory.

-Glenn KB1SMN