GEORGE NEWS - Eden Radio Club (ZS1ERZ) George hosted a ''Fox ARDF' hunt in the Garden Route Botanical Garden in George on Saturday afternoon, 20 April.

Corne Conradie (ZS1COR) with Willie Hewitt (ZS2CC) and his wife Hettie began the journey. The 'fox' was hidden three times and each time, Hewitt found it within three minutes.

Fox hunting typically involves handheld radios (such as HTs), directional antennas (like Yagi or log periodic antennas), and compasses.

Also known as transmitter hunting, fox hunting is an exciting activity where participants use radio direction-finding techniques to locate hidden radio transmitters within a designated search area. One participant acts as the 'fox' by hiding a small radio transmitter. The fox periodically emits an audible tone or signal. Other participants, known as 'hunters', tune their receivers to the fox's frequency and walk around listening for the signal. The goal is to track down the hidden transmitter.

Hunters take at least three bearings from different locations to determine the general direction of the 'fox'. They then triangulate these bearings to pinpoint the transmitter's location. 

To narrow down the search area further, hunters can use an attenuator, which reduces the strength of the signal, making it weaker as they get closer to the fox.

Just goes to prove that radio amateurs can provide great technical support when needed, using a hobby dating back 100 years!

For more info check out the Facebook page and website: Eden Radio Club - New Generation Radio Amateur Club.

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