a field organization of the National Association for Amateur Radio®
John Salmi, KB1MGI, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list on April 30, 2022 at 1:46 PM:I placed my 146.565 DTMF TONE 2 Activated Fox Box in Carlisle at the Towle Land off Rt 225.
Bob Evans, N1BE, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list on April 29, 2022 at 6:55 PM:The [Minuteman Repeater Association] Fox Box transmits on 145.63 MHz with a 146.2 Hz PL. Transmissions repeat approx. every 165 seconds. The box has been hidden where it can be heard in the towns of Hudson and Stow MA. I plan to retrieve the Fox on Monday May 2.
MMRA uses the fox box to train for locating repeater interference. This is a longer distance hunt than ARDF. Therefore the transmitter power is higher and search area is larger. (Fox is on low power ~150mW this weekend — future hunts may use 2.3W.)
Leave a note in the “mailbox” at the left end of the box to report your success.
Email me directly if you want a hint to help locate the fox.
Happy hunting,
Bob Evans, N1BE
I placed the KD1D Fox in a Westford location. It is operating on 146.565 MHz with an output of 50 mW and the same 30 second message as last year, repeating every 60 seconds. I expect to retrieve the fox around noon on Monday.
It should be a relatively easy find if you start from the Norman E. Day School on East Prescott Street (near the intersection of East Prescott and Town Farm Road). If you’re not a local, be advised that East Prescott turns into North Main Street without warning a few hundred feet down the road. North Main is not anywhere near Main Street, by the way. If you choose this starting point, you will see a separate parking area for the John Gagnon Trail.
An alternate starting place is from the Blanchard School parking lot off of West Street.
A map of the area can be found at:
https://
Happy hunting and 73 de KD1D, Alan!
Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on NEMassFoxHunters and Waltham ARA lists:
Two foxes will be transmitting this weekend (April 9-10) from Greenough Land in Carlisle, MA. This conservation area is only 15 minutes from the center of Westford and 25 minutes from beautiful downtown Waltham. The parking lot is more-or-less across the street from 811 Maple Street. If you come from Route 3, Maple Street is actually the same street as Treble Cover Road, so it’s a straight shot 2 miles from the highway. A map of Greenough Land is available here: https://www.carlislema.gov/
Both foxes will be on the air from Saturday at 9:30 AM until Sunday at 5:00 PM.
Call / Frequency / TX Power
K1MJC / 146.565 MHz / 15 mW
W1MJ / 147.54 MHz / 5 W
Mike Cormier, K1MJC, writes on the Waltham ARA list and NEMassFoxHunters list at 2:43 PM on March 26, 2022:
Yes, the K1MJC Fox is out first time for 2022!
I checked the weather, supposed to rain Saturday afternoon, but Sunday is supposed to be nice and decided to put it out on a Lark, perhaps Sunday maybe a bit chilly in the 50s.
The fox is in “Storer Conservation area” within the City limits of Waltham, MA.
I’ve decided to try out the “Delayed Start” feature, and set it to begin transmitting 12 hours later, so it should start transmitting or around 2 am and should be active all day Sunday. I also water-proofed it so a little rain this evening should not hurt it.
As usual, it will be retrieved before sundown Sunday.
There is no logbook with it so you could just post to the IO group if found.
The map on this page would prove useful!
https://walthamlandtrust.org/trail-guides/
NOTE: Perhaps in the near future, Eliot and I will put out tandem foxes, and the proposed location tentatively would be the “Greenough Conservation Land” in Carlisle MA.
Happy hunting!
Mike C. K1MJC 73
[Oops… forgot to mention, the fox is transmitting on 146.565. -Mike]
Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list:
This Sunday, March 20, we are expecting partly sunny weather with a high near 53F in Belmont, MA. I will deploy the W1MJ 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. This is approximately 30 minutes from Westford per Google Maps. 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.
Per our online meeting over the winter, I will do another deployment at some point at Greenough Land in Carlisle, which closer to Westford.
73 DE W1MJ
Hello fellow fox hunters!
Myself, Eliot, W1MJ, and Mike, K1MJC, are having a classic mobile fox hunt on Saturday, February 26th from 10 am to 1 pm.
Starting point:
Prospect Hill Park, 314 Totten Pond Rd, Waltham, MA 02451
Time:
February 26th at 10:00 am until 1:00 pm
Fox Frequency:
147.54
Fox Description:
Blue Honda Fit with license plate W1/MJ. The fox will be parked somewhere on a public road or parking lot within the Waltham city limits.
We’ll be on the WARA 2m repeater beforehand (146.64 PL 136.5).
Please join us if you like!
73 and happy hunting!
-Pat K1PJW
NOTE: this is a rescheduling of the 02/19 fox hunt originally mentioned in the WARA Intermod Winter 2022 newsletter
Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters and Waltham ARA mailing lists:
I recently assembled a 5-watt fox, and plan to put it out this Sunday, January 23, from 10 AM (or earlier) to 4 PM. I will make another post here on Sunday morning to confirm successful deployment (or not).
The suggested starting point is Elsie Turner Field on Trapelo Road in Waltham, across from the National Archives.
Since a 5-watt fox can be heard from some distance, and since it is winter, I offer this clue: I reached the hiding place with less than a ½ mile walk from Elsie Turner Field. The fox makes transmissions on 147.54 MHz at approximately 1 minute intervals, mostly in voice, but some in Morse code. If you want to know a bit about what you are looking for, see http://w1mj.com/fox.
Good luck DE W1MJ
George Allison, K1IG, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list:
The days are starting to lengthen and that can only mean that fox-hunting season is getting closer! To help get us ready, I’ve scheduled a Webex video conference for all interested fox hunters on Tuesday, February 8, at 7:30 PM. If you haven’t used Webex, it’s very similar to Zoom; I’ll send out an invitation to the groups.io list with instructions and a link you can click on to join the conference. Feel free to forward the invitation to anyone you think would be interested in attending.
The February 8 date is flexible; if there aren’t enough attendees to support that date, I can re-schedule.
I haven’t finalized the agenda, but it could include these topics:
If anyone has a discussion topic or wants to make a presentation, let the group or me (k1ig@arrl.net) know. We should be able to finalize the agenda by February 1.
73,
George
K1IG
Mike Cormier, K1MJC, writes on the Waltham ARA list and NEMassFoxHunters list at 3:49 PM on December 10, 2021:
Yes, the K1MJC Fox is out on a December Bonus outing!
I checked the weather, it’s supposed to be in the 60s Sat & Sun and decided to take a chance.
It is looking like wind and rain early on Sat (best time after 11:00AM ) but Sunday should be the better day, maybe a bit chilly In the mid 40’s.
I put it out today, Friday, but I’ll leave it to you as to how much of a risk you would like to take in this kind of weather … l take no responsibility!
The fox is in somewhere in an area within the City limits of Waltham, MA.
I’ve gone to “School” on making the experience a bit more difficult, if you chose to look for it, you’ll see what it is I had in “store” for you, and how long it takes you to find it will determine how successful I was.
As usual, it will be retrieved before Sundown Sunday.
One of The maps on this page would prove useful!
https://walthamlandtrust.org/
Happy hunting!
George Allison, K1IG, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list:
As the snow season arrives, we’ll be taking a hiatus from our outdoor fox hunting events. To keep our expertise up, though, what is the interest in having one or more video conferences over the winter to show off equipment and techniques? I can host the conferences with a Webex account (very similar to Zoom).
Possible meeting agendas could include fox and fox-finding equipment demos, photos of memorable hunts, discussions of hunting techniques, and improvements or variations to our events.
Depending on interest, the first video conference could be held in December or January.
Please reply to the group to let us know if you’re interested. Tell us your preferred day(s) of the week, suggested agenda items, and when you want the first meeting (specific date not required; preferred month is fine). When I get the info I can send out some date choices.
73,
George K1IG
The KD1D RF Fox is out for one last hunt before hibernation.
The KD1D Fox operates on 146.565 MHz FM with an output power of about 50 milliwatts and is currently located somewhere in Littleton. It can be heard in the area on Route 119 /2A between Route 110 (Littleton Common) and Route 27 (where the rail trail crosses). If you’re not familiar with the area, check out the expandable map on
https://
Clues: A small three-leaved plant and one of the Disney chipmunks.
73 and good hunting de KD1D Alan
The trail may be a bit wet in spots. Boots are advised.
The KD1D Fox decided it would be a good day to test our direction-finding skills.
As usual, the Fox is transmitting on 146.565 MHz FM at about 50 mW, with a 20-30 second message repeating every 60 seconds.
The transmitter is somewhere in the vicinity of the Stone Arch Trail in Westford, MA.. For additional information and a map of the area, check out:
https://
For additional guidance, email me at kd1d@arrl.net
73 and good hunting from KD1D, Alan
Mike Cormier, K1MJC, writes on the Waltham ARA list and NEMassFoxHunters list at 4:45 PM on November 5, 2021:
Yes, the K1MJC Fox is out yet again!
Well, I checked the weather and decided to take a chance it’s looking OK, perhaps maybe a bit chilly and some clouds Sunday afternoon.
The fox is in somewhere in an area within the City limits of Waltham, MA.
I’ve decided to up my game, and placed in such a way so as to limit your Prospects in finding it!
As usual, it will be retrieved before Sundown Sunday.
One of The maps on this page would prove useful!
https://walthamlandtrust.org/
Happy hunting!
Fox Hunt #3 of 2021 This hunt will include 2 Foxes. The first Fox will activate at 10:00 am on 146.565 MHz FM and the second at 10:02:30 on 146.430 MHz FM
When:
Saturday, October 23, 2021
10:00am to 3:00pm
(UTC-04:00) America/New York
Where:
The Foxes will be located within a 10-mile radius of the center of the Veteran’s Memorial bridge connecting Fall River and Somerset on US Route 6 (41.7266508, -71.1516237).
Organizer: Skip Denault and Jay Hodkinson Skip – kb1cnb@bcra.club and Jay – kb1nyt@bcra.club. Check-ins will begin at 9:45 am on the BCRA repeater, 145.150 MHz PL 123. Chat and help on the repeater also.
View Event
Description:
NOTICE NEW DETAILS BELOW WITH A NEW CHALLENGE!
Communications with “Fox Control” can all be done over the BCRA repeater, including checking in when you have found the fox. You may also speak with us in the control vehicle using physical distancing if you wish.
The here will be TWO foxes – one manned by KB1CNB, Skip, and one by KB1NYT, Jay. When you find one of the foxes, you will get a hint to help you find the second (if you want!).
Check-ins will begin at 9:45 am on the BCRA repeater, 145.150 MHz PL 123. Chat and help on the repeater also.
The first Fox will activate at 10:00 am on 146.565 MHz FM and the second at 10:02:30 on 146.430 MHz FM with a 5-watt signal and both will transmit 1 minute of tone followed by Morse Code ID and 4 minutes of silence. As the hunt progresses we may increase the transmission times – that will be announced on the BCRA repeater. The hunt will last until 3:00 pm or until all checked-in participants have found the transmitters, whichever comes first.
The Foxes will be located within a 10-mile radius of the center of the Veteran’s Memorial bridge connecting Fall River and Somerset on US Route 6 (41.7266508, -71.1516237).
The first Fox (in my vehicle, a blue/grey Jeep Commander marked BCRA) will be in a public place and will be manned at all times. When you have found the fox your time and order of arrival will be recorded and a personalized certificate will be emailed to each participant.
Participants are encouraged to work in teams and are asked to drive carefully and observe all applicable guidelines, both from the FCC and the state & local governments. Since participants are receiving only (except for radio check-ins) an amateur radio license is not required.
Email questions to Skip at kb1cnb@bcra.club or text to 774-644-3469. After the hunt, your comments, impressions, and suggestions will be welcome!
Join us and have some good amateur radio fun!
Mike Cormier, K1MJC, writes on the Waltham ARA list and NEMassFoxHunters list at 2:40 PM on October 8, 2021:
Yes, the K1MJC Fox is out yet again!
Got out of work early, so it’s out early.
Well, I checked the weather and decided to take a chance it’s looking OK, perhaps maybe some sprinkles Sunday afternoon.
The fox is in somewhere in a conservation area within the city limits of Waltham, MA.
I don’t want to give away the store, but it is within one I have placed it before!
As usual, it will be retrieved before sundown Sunday; if raining, sometime Monday. Maybe the batteries will last until at least Monday morning.
One of the maps on this page would prove useful!
https://walthamlandtrust.org/trail-guides/
Happy hunting!
Mike C. K1MJC 73
p.s. — If the clue is way too vague, I can usually be found on the Waltham UHF repeater, input 444.0750, output 449.0750, tone in 88.5, tone out , none.
Please note that this month’s General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club will take place at the usual date and time on Thursday, October 21, at 7:30 pm on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Our speaker will be Skip Denault, KB1CNB, from the Bristol [County] Repeater Association, who will give a talk on fox hunting, equipment and set up.
Further details will be forthcoming in this month’s issue of The SPARC.
73,
Joe Chapman NV1W / Secretary, Boston Amateur Radio Club
The KD1D Fox is on the air: 146.565 MHz FM, transmitting for about 20-30 seconds every 60 seconds
You may be able to hear it from the Westford Town Common (Boston Road and Main Street), but you may have better luck taking a bearing from the park near the top of Parkhurst Drive.
The approximate location is One of the Conservation Lands listed at:
https://
73 and Happy Hunting from Alan, KD1D
Mike Cormier, K1MJC, writes on the Waltham ARA list and NEMassFoxHunters list at 5:33 PM on September 24, 2021:
Yes, the K1MJC Fox is out yet again! I watched the weather and decided to take a chance.
The fox is in somewhere in a conservation area, and for all those eager Beavers you might be able to locate it before Sundown today.
As usual, it will be retrieved before Sundown Sunday.
One of The maps on this page would prove useful! https://walthamlandtrust.org/
Happy hunting!