Fox Hunt: A Radio Adventure
A few months ago I had the opportunity to participate in something called a “fox hunt” – or a hidden transmitter hunt – with the Binghamton Amateur Radio Association (BARA) . This activity brings together a group of people to find a radio transmitter which has been hidden and is broadcasting on a specific frequency; they are tasked with finding the transmitter based on radio signal strength, which is usually accomplished by using a directional antenna, such as a yagi antenna . The term ‘directional’ in the context of radio antennas means that the antenna picks up a signal best when it is aimed at the source. Prior to the hunt taking place, BARA offered a class where we made directional yagi antennas out of cheap, simple materials like PVC pipe and tape measures (see pictures below). I used the antenna I created with a radio having an ‘s’ meter, or signal strength meter, so that I could visually observe and measure signal strength of the hidden ‘fox’ (or transmitter). The general strategy of ‘foxhunting’ is to find at least 2 places where you can point the antenna and “shoot a be