Several members of the LaGrange Amateur Radio Club (LARC) participated in the club’s semi-annual foxhunt on April 13^th.  A foxhunt is not the traditional event usually associated with hunters on horseback chasing foxes, but rather is an exercise in using radio direction-finding equipment and triangulation skills to locate a transmitter. 

The format of a foxhunt is very simple: someone hides a low-power transmitter, called the “fox”, which is transmitting a signal (in this case, a short Morse code message) and the rest of the participants use their equipment and skills to locate the transmitter.  To prevent the event from going many hours, LARC requires that the fox be hidden within the city limits of LaGrange.  The first team who locates the fox is declared the winner, but it is not announced that there is a winner until all teams have either located the fox or have given up the search. 

The equipment varies from commercial devices to do-it-yourself kits to homebrew devices such as a soup can around an antenna.  Once the equipment is chosen, then it’s time to practice triangulation by getting a reading of the signal from two locations and drawing a line on a map in their respective headings.  The transmitter will be in the area where the two lines converge on the map.

“We are very proud that on this latest foxhunt, every team located the fox,” said Lee Becham, LARC president.  “This is the first time this has happened and it means that members are getting better with practice,” he continued.  The first team found the fox in 45 minutes, and the last team found it around two and a half hours into the search.

Becham went on to explain that foxhunting is not just for fun but is commonly used in many “Search and Rescue” (SAR) operations.  For example, when a plane goes down, a beacon is activated on the plane and it is this beacon that searchers use to locate the plane.  Often times, foxhunting is used to locate bad power line splices, which can cause radio interference to many devices including AM radios.  Also, Becham indicated that the club has been in contact with the West Point Police Department volunteering the club’s services for when Alzheimer patients, who now carry beacon devices, wander away without warning.  “Locating a person wearing a beacon is exactly the same as finding a hidden fox,” Becham says, “and you need as many qualified personnel in situations like these as time is of the essence.  What amateur radio has done was turn real life-saving techniques into a competitive game in which the lessons learned can be beneficial to the community.”

Any persons wishing to find out more about amateur radio is invited to contact members of the LaGrange Amateur Radio Club via the club’s website at http://www.lagrangeradioclub.com or contact Lee Becham at 706-812-0406.