Foxhunting

Foxhunting

W1MJ Fox Deployed, Belmont, March 14, 2025

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list on March 14, 2025 at 12:59 PM:
 
The W1MJ Fox is on the air. 
 
Location:  Lone Tree Hill Conservation Area, Belmont, MA
 
Parking:  Main parking lot is on Mill St.  Parking is also allowed at Belmont Day School, but might be full if there is a school event.
 
Trail Map:  PDF  (see also AllTrails)
 
Frequency:  147.54 MHz
 
Schedule:  Transmits every 60 seconds from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily.  Will be retrieved after 6:00 PM on Sunday.
 
The fox is transmitting with 4 watts to a roll-up J-Pole antenna.  The trail conditions are finally good, with just one spot slightly muddy due to stubborn ice still melting.  The weather should be awesome today and tomorrow, but iffy on Sunday.
Foxhunting

KD1D Fox Is On The Loose, Littleton, March 14, 2025

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
Alan Hicks, KD1D, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list on March 14, 2025 at 3:39 PM:
 
The KD1D Fox is on the loose in Littleton, MA, operating on 146.565 MHz FM and transmitting a short spoken message about once per minute.
 
 
You should be able to hear it from Route 119.
 
Your best bet for entry is to take a road with a name similar to one of the USS Enterprise Starship Captains.
 
This is my old same Fox, operating on 146.565 MHz with a 25-second message repeating once per minute.  Output power is about 50 milliwatts.
 
I will retrieve it Sunday afternoon after 4 pm, since some rain is expected on Monday.
 
Happy Hunting and 73 de KD1D!
Foxhunting

KB1MGI Fox is QRV, Carlisle, September 15, 2024

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
Jahn Salmi, KB1MGI, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters on September 15, 2024 at 6:30 PM:
 
I placed my 146.565 Fox Transmitter at the Towle Land off RT 225 in Carlisle.
 
See attached Map
 
To activate the Fox ID your call sign then press DTMF tone 2. Fox transmits for 30 second on 30 seconds off. for 15 minutes.
 
You will find the signal strength can vary greatly due to the hidden Fox Box location as you travel.
 
75 feet off a trail. No bush whacking needed
Sign the log book with call sign and how long it took you to find it.
 
I’ll leave it out until Friday
 
John, KB1MGI
Towle Land map
Foxhunting / Licensing Education & Training

Foxhunting Class at Boston Amateur Radio Club, Brighton, September 7, 2024

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
Boston ARC logoChris Larosee, AC1RV, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list:
 
 
I will teach a Foxhunting class on September 7th at Artisans Asylum through the Boston Amateur Radio Club with additional support from BERG.  I focus on mindset/hypothesis testing to find the fox and learn about radio more broadly. These are skills taught to me in my work tracking wildlife with the same technology for the USGS.
 
[Artisans Asylum is located at 96 Holton St, Brighton MA 02135.]
Foxhunting

Fox to be Deployed in Hamilton, August 10, 2024

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
Jim Barber,  K1TT, writes on NEMassFoxHunters at 11:29 AM on August 5, 2024:
 
WHEN: Saturday, August 10th at 1 PM. Rain date Sunday the next day, same time. We may need the rain date! 
 
WHERE: John J. Donovan Reservation & Sagamore Hill Conservation Area, 473 Sagamore Street, Hamilton MA
 
This is a wonderful Greenbelt property. The paths are gravel road or mowed grass with some hills. There are a lot of open fields. It is a very popular spot for dog walking, horseback riding, and bird watching. Dogs are welcome at this reservation off leash when away from the parking lot.
 
The Fox will be right next to a path or road, No need for bushwhacking.
 
The fox will transmit on 146.565 MHz at 0.5 watt. The third harmonic is 439.695 The fox will play tones followed by my call sign in CW for 30 seconds on and 60 seconds off.
 
Map of Reservation: For Map Click Here
 
This is our first attempt at running a walking fox hunt. Your support would be greatly appreciated. Watch this space or Radio Active Cape Ann – Facebook page for weather updates. 
 
Happy hunting! 
 
Jim Barber K1TT
Clubs / Foxhunting

Cape Ann Fox Hunt, July 27, 2024

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

CAARA logoBrandon Hockle, NQ1W, writes on the Cape Ann ARA mailing list:

On Saturday, July 27,/2024, Jim Barber, K1TT, will host Cape Ann Radioactive FB Group’s first fox hunt by car.

Participants will meet at 668 Washington Street, Gloucester, MA, at 11 AM, rain or shine.

The fox will be in Jim’s car (everyone will see it at the start) parked on a public road or parking area viewable from the road.

The fox will be on Cape Ann proper, Gloucester and Rockport, no need to cross the bridges over the Annisquam River.

The fox will transmit on 146.565 MHz at 0.5 watts. With such low transmitting power the fox may not be heard at all until the hunter is within a quarter mile. The fox will play tones followed by my call sign in CW for 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off.

We will have a two hour time limit on finding the fox. If everyone does so quickly we will attempt a second hunt. Sorry, no prizes, just bragging rights, as this is our first hunt. At sometime in the near future we will also have a hunt on foot.

Because fox hunts do not require transmissions by the hunters, an amateur radio license is not required to participate. we have a few handheld radios we can lend out to unlicensed folks who wish to play. 

Questions?

Contact Jim Barber, K1TT, by checking out Radio Active Cape Ann or email: capeann@hotmail.com.

Cheers de K1TT

Foxhunting

KD1D Fox QRV in Littleton/Ayer Area, July 19, 2024

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Alan Hicks, KD1D, wites on the NEMassFoxHunters list at 7:50 PM on July 19, 2024:

The KD1D Fox is out again on this much milder weekend. 

 
To find it, you’ll need to travel on Route 110 (between Littleton Common and the Ayer line).   You will likely hear the transmitter when you get to the intersection of Route 110 (King Street) with I-495.
 
The KD1D Fox  transmits a 25 second voice message every 60 seconds on 146,565 MHz FM simplex with an out power of about 50 milliwatts.
 
When you find it, please enter your 1st name, callsign date and time in the logbook, as usual.
 
The transmitter location is less challenging physically than some of the previous hiding spots.  I plan to retrieve the Fox on Monday afternnon.
 
If you have questions or need a hint, drop me an email at kd1d@arrl.net
 
You can also try the Westford PART repeater  (146.955 MHz – PL 74,4) for information on the area or foxhunting hints.
Happy Hunting and 73 DE KD1D (Alan)
Foxhunting

KD1D Fox Hiding out in LIttleton, June 15, 2024

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Alan, KD1D, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list on June 15, 2024:

The KD1D Fox is once again at the Prouty Woods conservation area in Littleton, MA.  The official entry point to the trail is at the end of Wilderness Road, which starts just past the Police Station Parking lot.  Follow the semi-paved road (Speed Limit 10 mph), keeping an eye out for the resident chickens.  You can park near the barn and gate.  

The KD1D Fox is a 55 mW beacon transmitter, repeating a 25 second voice message every 60 seconds on 146.565 MHz FM simplex.

You probably won’t be able to hear the transmitter until you get behond utility pole # 22, so be patient and enjoy the woods and critters.  

I plan to leave the Fox out until noon on Tuesday.   If you can’t make it on the weekend, it should still be transmitting after work hours on Monday evening.

When you find it, please enter Callsign, Name, Date and Time in the logbook.

Best of luck! 73 DE KD1D Alan

Foxhunting

W1MJ Fox Deployed, Belmont, May 17, 2024

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list on May 17, 2024 at 7:16 PM:
 
The W1MJ Fox is deployed for the weekend.
 
Location:  Lone Tree Hill Conservation Area in Belmont, MA
Parking:  Mill St (main parking lot), Belmont Day School, and a spot or two along Concord Ave
 
Fox Details
Call:  W1MJ
Frequency:  147.54 MHz (corrected from previous post)
Power:  4 watts
Hours of Operation:  7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Local Time, May 18-19
 
This fox is running much higher power than most of the other foxes announced on this forum.  Come prepared – attenuator, 3rd harmonic in memory, etc.
 
Map of Lone Tree Conservation Area
 
Foxhunting / Licensing Education & Training

Fox Hunting Course at Boston ARC Proposed at Artisans Asylum, Allston

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
Chris LaRosee, KC1TSA, writes on the Boston ARC mailing list:
 
I’m planning to introduce a 4-weekend RF Foxhunting course and plan to pitch the idea tomorrow at our meeting. The course aims to dive into RF foxhunting, mixing theory with hands-on practice. It’s a chance to sharpen our skills and potentially draw in new faces to the hobby. Here’s the breakdown:
 
– **Week 1**: I’ll cover the basics—what foxhunting is, the gear we need, and understanding RF propagation with a field demo of polar patterns. 
– **Week 2**: Shirley KE1L will guide us in building our own directional antennas. It’s a DIY project with immediate practical use.
– **Week 3**: Liam Platt, an electrical engineer, will help us build diode-based attenuators. We’ve got custom PCBs and all parts ready.
– **Week 4**: We wrap up with a real foxhunt, using the gear we’ve built.
 
**Costs & Materials**: We’re looking at around $132 per person to cover materials (antennas, attenuators, radios) if we have 5 people join. This includes everything they need to start, with a bit of margin for the unexpected. 
 
**Goals**: Beyond the fun and learning, this could be a great way to get more people into RF and ham radio. It’s hands-on, it’s outdoors, and it ends with everyone actually using what they’ve built.
 
I’ll go into more detail during our meeting tomorrow, but wanted to give you a heads-up. Looking forward to making this happen!
 
Foxhunting

W1MJ Fox On the Air in Burlington, February 9, 2024

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list on February 9, 2024 at 1:35 PM:
 
The W1MJ fox is now on the air in Burlington.
 
Location:  Mary Cummings Park
Good GPS address for parking:  30 Blanchard Rd, Burlington, MA 01803
Frequency:  147.54 MHz
Operating Schedule:  Transmits once per minute from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM at least until this Sunday 2/11/2024 at 4:45 PM.
Transmitter Power:  4 watts – Be prepared with attenuator, 3rd harmonic in memory, or other techniques for when you get close
 
This fox has no log.  Please email reports to fox@w1mj.com
 
More info about this fox:  http://www.w1mj.com/fox/
Foxhunting

KC1TSA Fox Deployed, Allston-Brighton Neighborhood of Boston, February 3, 2024

- by k9hi - 1 Comment

The KC1TSA fox is now deployed.

Frequency: 446.025 MHz

Location: Lower Allston/Brighton Neighborhood of Boston

Transmission Schedule: Every 30 seconds Sunday (2/4) starting 5AM and lasting until10PM

Disclaimer: The fox is NOT on private/residential, church, or school property. Looking in these places is not endorsed and discouraged.  Further, I am not providing a starting location where the signal can be heard, but I will say that the fox is operating on pretty high power (UV5R Based), and driving around the area or walking to high places should get you to the signal.

Beginners: text me for additional hints, such as the best parking place or if you wish to borrow a directional antenna.

Happy Hunting,
Chris, KC1TSA
617-378-2354 (text preferred)
 
Image of KC1TSA fox
 
KC1TSA fox hunt map
Foxhunting

KC1TSA Fox Deployed, Allston-Brighton Neighborhood of Boston, January 7, 2024

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

The KC1TSA fox is now deployed.

Image of KC1TSA fox

Frequency: 446.025 MHz

Location: Lower Allston/Brighton Neighborhood
the area shaded red on the map

Map of KC1TSA foxhunt area

Transmission Schedule: Every 30 seconds Sunday (1/7) from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Disclaimer: The fox is NOT on private/residential, church, or school property. Looking in these places is not endorsed and discouraged. 
                     Further, I am not providing a starting location where the signal can be heard, but I will say that the fox is operating on pretty high power (UV5R Based), and
                     driving around the area or walking to high places should get you to the signal. 

Beginners: text me for additional hints, such as the best parking place or if you wish to borrow a directional antenna.

Happy New Year,

Chris, KC1TSA
617-378-2354 (text preferred)
christopher.laros001@umb.edu

Foxhunting

W1MJ Fox is Out, Belmont, October 22, 2023

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list at 2:50 PM on October 22, 2023:

W1MJ fox now available on 147.450 MHz, in same On Demand mode as K1MJC fox; just ask it to please transmit.  This one will transmit for 1 hour, then you have to ask again.

From Mike’s fox, take trail in left rear corner of Rock Meadow.  It goes to Beaver Brook North, and the direct route to my fox is no more than 15 minutes from there.

Good luck finding both foxes.

Eliot
W1MJ

Foxhunting

K1MJC Fox is Radio Active, Belmont, October 22, 2023

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Mike Cormier, K1MJC, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list at 10:27 AM on October 22, 2023:

Well, the new K1MJC fox is out!
 
It was designed by Eliot W1MJ, and this one has an on-demand feature.
 
All you have to do, is transmit on the fox frequency for about two seconds (Say anything, but should include your callsign), and the fox will begin transmitting various messages for 30 minutes. 
 
When the 30 minutes has expired, the last message will encourage you to make a voice request for more.  (just repeat what you did to get it started in the beginning).

 
I don’t know how long the battery will last on this fox, so I plan on leaving it out for quite a while. it’s transmitting on the fox frequency of 147.540MHz 
 
It’s in a conservation area in Belmont, the RockMeadow conservation area.
 
There is a log with it, I would appreciate if you would sign it, however if you just want to send a reply to this I/O group that’s fine as well.
 
NOTE:
 
Eliot W1MJ, will be placing his out later today in the beaver book reservation. He will be on a different frequency which he will announce and they won’t be too far apart in physical distance so you can hunt both foxes if you wish. 
 
His foxes the same as mine, it has the on-demand feature just as mine does and his however should transmit for about an hour before it requests you to restart it. I’ll let him tell you all about it when he makes his announcement.
 
 

 

 
Foxhunting

K1MJC Fox is QRV, Waltham, October 7, 2023

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Mike Cormier, K1MJC, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list at 1:50 PM on October 7, 2023:

The new K1MJC fox is out, designed by Eliot, W1MJ, it has an on-demand feature.

All you have to do, is transmit on the fox frequency for about two seconds (should include your callsign), and the fox will begin transmitting various messages for 30 minutes.

When the 30 minutes has expired, the last message will encourage you to make a voice request for more. (just repeat what you did to get it started in the beginning).

I don’t know how long the battery will last on this fox, so I plan on leaving it out for quite a while. it’s transmitting on the fox frequency of 147.540MHz.

It’s in a conservation area right next to the old Waltham high school off of Lexington Street.

There is a log with it, I would appreciate if you would sign it, however if you just want to send a reply to this I/O group that’s fine as well.

73,

Mike C, K1MJC

Mike Cormier, K1MJC, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list at 5:06 PM on October 8, 2023:

 

Unfortunate news, decided to check on the K1MJC fox and discovered that someone had tried to steal it. However, the safety restraints saved it.

 

I will have to take it home and perhaps make some repairs and I’m not sure whether I’ll be putting it out again for the holiday tomorrow; sorry to all those who had plans to go look for it tomorrow.

 

Mike C , K1MJC, …… 73!

Foxhunting

Bristol County RA Fox Hunt, Fall River Vicinity, September 23, 2023

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
Bristol Co. RA club bannerWhen:
Saturday, September 23, 2023
10:00am to 1:00pm
(UTC-04:00) America/New Yorkhttps://bcra.club/bcrawprel/fox-hunting/

Where:
5-mile radius of a location of 120 President AVE, Fall River, MA.

Organizer: Skip Denault kb1cnb@bcra.club 774-644-3469

View Event

Description:
When:
9/23/2023
10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Where:
5-mile radius from 120 President AVE Fall River, MA. Check back for more details!

BCRA fox hunt map

Organizer: Skip Denault kb1cnb@bcra.club 774-644-3469

The radius is only 5 miles from the center point.

* Time: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm  — Check-in starts at 9:45 am on the BCRA repeater, 145.150 MHz PL 123
* Location: The Foxes will be within a 5-mile radius of a location of 120 President AVE, Fall River, MA.

* Fox1 will activate at 10:00 a.m. on 146.565 MHz FM 
* Fox2 will activate at 10:02:30 a.m. on 146.430 MHz FM

Foxhunting

Double Fox Hunt On the Air in Belmont, September 1, 2023

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list at 11:01 AM on September 3, 2023:

Due to technical difficulties, the double fox hunt in Beverly has been terminated early.

This was Mike’s first deployment of this new fox design, and it is likely that the low-battery cutoff setting was too high for his battery.  My fox became intermittent, apparently due to a bad cable going to the radio (or, hopefully not, a bad jack in the radio). 

We will address these issues and try again.  For now, go find the W1MWS fox in North Chelmsford.

 

Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list at 6:00 PM on September 1, 2023:

K1MJC and I have both put foxes on the air in the Rock Meadow Conservation Area in Belmont, MA for the holiday weekend. 

Map and directions from Google Maps:  https://goo.gl/maps/6sYA2FXTKBXSdJXv7

Both foxes transmit once per minute between the hours of 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM daily.  They will be on the air until 5:00 PM on Monday, Labor Day.

The K1MJC fox is on 147.54 MHz, and has a log book to sign when you find it  

The W1MJ fox is in 147.57 MHz, and has no log book; please email your report to fox@w1mj.com.

73 DE W1MJ