ARDF literature

9 Aug 1996

ARDF sources of information.
Books · Magazines · Articles in "73" · Definitions

Books

TRANSMITTER HUNTING---Radio Direction Finding Simplified
by Moell and Curlee.

323 pages of RDF information of all sorts including techniques, projects, and equipment reviews. There is lots of detail on hiding, including tape recorder interface data, timers, and a complete description of the "Un-Music Box" tone generator.

Look for this book at ham equipment distributors and electronics book stores. It is also available by mail from the bookstores of American Radio Relay League and 73 Magazine.

Published by Tab/McGraw-Hill (ISBN number 0-8306-2701-4)


Magazine articles

Description of a UHF remote control system for the "Un-Music Box" project in the Moell/Curlee T-hunt book. You can command the box on and off and talk through it to the hiders.

"Throw Your Voice" in 73 Amateur Radio Today magazine for December 1990.


Plans for a microprocessor-controlled foxbox designed by Ron Seese N6MBR, 6136 Landino Drive, Westlake Village, CA 91362. He sells boards and hard-to-get parts for this unit. These are the foxboxes used for the international Friendship Radiosport Games in 1991 and 1993. As an option, you can add a Dallas Semiconductor SmartWatch IC to the unit so it automatically turns on at hunt time.

"Build the TBOX" in 73 Amateur Radio Today magazine for October 1991.


Description of a postage-stamp sized transmitter. You can build it or buy one from Airtek, 2306 Turquoise Circle, Chino Hills, CA 91709. A modulator and IDer unit are detailed in the September 1993 issue. Higher power versions of this design (VFC400 and HPVFC) are available wired/tested from Agrelo Engineering, 1145 Catalyn Street, Schenectady, NY 12303 (518) 381-1057. The Agrelo micro-rigs will be reviewed in the February 1996 issue of 73.
(More info at http://home.navisoft.com/agrelo/ae.htm)

"Teeny-Weeny T's" in 73 Amateur Radio Today magazine for May 1993.


A product review of the RaCon, a remote radio controller for foxhunts that is available as a board-and-parts-without-enclosure kit from Marty Mitchell N6ZAV, 340 Otero, Newport Beach, CA 92660. The RaCon is intended to be used with dual-band hand-helds and mobile rigs. You can command it via DTMF tones to send one of several pre-programmed tone sequences. Additionally, you can program it with custom tone sequences, duty cycles and CW identification.
(More info at http://www.kvoa.com/byon/thunt/racmanul.html)

http://www.kvoa.com/byon/thunt/racmanul.html "A "Swiss Army' Foxbox" in
73 Amateur Radio Today magazine for July 1993.


A review of a 5 mW transmitter by KF6GQ. This rig is about the size of a cigarette back and has built-in voice identification. Transmission rate is approximately six seconds every 30 seconds. It is sold as a complete unit by GQ Enterprize, Suite 524, 129 East Colorado Boulevard, Monrovia, CA 91016.

"Multiple Foxes = More Fun" in 73 Amateur Radio Today magazine for March 1995.


Description of a UHF remote control system for the "Un-Music Box" project in the Moell/Curlee T-hunt book. You can command the box on and off and talk through it to the hiders.

"Throw Your Voice" in 73 Amateur Radio Today magazine for December 1990.


Index of "homing in" articles in
73 Amateur Radio Today Magazine.

A listing of titles and topics of all Homing In columns submitted to 73 Amateur Radio Today magazine to date. This magazine is archived in many public libraries. Contact 73 directly for back issue availability. List provided by Joe Moell - K0OV, Homingin@aol.com.

Year: 88 · 89 · 90 · 91 · 92 · 93 · 94 · 95 · 96
The World of Transmitter Hunting 11/88
Introductory overview article.

Loops -- A Love/Hate Relationship 12/88
They're OK for HF, but not VHF.


Quads & Yagis -- The Winners' Choices 1/89
Why some say beams are best at VHF.

Let's Build a Quad 2/89
Plans for 2M Strung wire quad.

Handling Strong Signals 3/89
Plans for internal RF attenuation system.

Selecting Antenna Polarization 4/89
Dual yagi and switch box to select 6 polarizations.

High-Class Hunting 7/89
Some ideas for mobile rotating beam mounts and installations.

Noise Meters 8/89
Plans for a weak-signal meter.

Build the Handy Tracker 9/89
Plans for super-simple 2M TDOA set with no front/back ambiguity!

Winning Foxhunts with TDOA 11/89
More on commercial and homebrew TDOA sets.

T-hunting Fun on Six Meters 12/89
Simple equipment for 6M hunting.


Secrets of Success on Six 1/90
Plans for a 6M Shrunken Quad.

Mail Call 2/90
T-hunting news at home & abroad.

Solving HF Jamming 3/90
Introduction to RDF on the DX bands.

Build the HF Homer 4/90
Plans for mobile loop/sense RDF system for 18 to 30 MHz.

More Huff-Duff Ideas 5/90
More HF homer & a simple field-strength meter.

Jammer Busting 6/90
How to react to jamming; intro to VOLMON.

Sniff w/a Bug Buster 7/90
Plans for a sniffer using monolithic RF amplifier chips.

Alabama Action 8/90
More on the monolithic sniffer; hunts in Birmingham.

Quads with Class 9/90
Review of Alabama Amateur Electronics commercial quads.

Try UHF and SAR 10/90
440 MHz hunts; search/rescue RDF.

Hunting for PELTS 11/90
Personal Emergency Locator Xmtrs.

Throw Your Voice 12/90
Plans for the Fox Commander, gives remote control of Un-Music Box.


World Class Hiding 1/91
Convention T-hunts; hiding hints.

Leveling the Field 2/91
Time vs. mileage scoring, which is best?

ELTs and PRBs, Revisited 3/91
More on search/rescue RDF.

Avoiding the Slammer 4/91
Advance police notification? Also hunting radiosondes.

T-Hunting Stolen Cars 5/91
All about the Lo-Jack anti-theft system.

Hunting for the Gold 6/91
International foxhunts; invitation to Friendship Games.

Three-second T-hunts 7/91
All about the Teletrac anti-theft system.

RDF Tracks RFI 8/91
Plans for 80M loop and hints on RDF at 80M.

Foxhunters Invade Oregon 9/91
Firsthand report on 1991 Friendship Games foxhunt in Portland, Oregon.

Build the TBOX 10/91
Plans for versatile microprocessor-based foxbox by N6MBR.

RDF Potpourri 11/91
More on TBOX; "receiver hunting".

RDF Spans the Globe 12/91
Hunts in England, Russia, Japan.


Up, Up, and Away 1/92
T-hunts in Albuquerque & the Ozarks.

Doppler Fun in Phoenix 2/92
T-hunting in Phoenix.

Homebrewing Hints and Heroic Hunts 3/92
440 MHz sniffing; stuck xmtrs.

Foxhunt Fame Awaits You 4/92
Hunting foxes in Ukraine and balloons in California.

School Days and Dual-Band J's 5/92
Kids T-hunt in Oklahoma; dual-band hiding antenna.

Bag Those Foxes: Antenna and Hunt Ideas 6/92
Review of MFJ yagi; Free-For-All hunts.

RDF Opportunities Abroad & at Home 7/92
More Ukraine radiosports; 3rd harmonic sniffing; 440 quad.

T-hunt Trickery 8/92
Dastardly hints for hiders.

T-Hunting in the Beef State 9/92
A visit to Lincoln, Nebraska.

Toward the Perfect RDF System 10/92
Introduction to 2D azimuth-vs-strength plotting.

What's That Whirligig? 11/92
Description of KK6CU's motorized quad and storage scope display.

Crowning the Champs 12/92
A tough convention hunt; invitation to FRG-93.


Computers Point the Way 1/93
Introduction to computers for 2D azimuth/strength plotting.

A Computer on Your Team 2/93
Plans for WB8WFK's computerized 2D display.

Denver Hams "Excel" at T-hunting 3/93
Balloon hunting in Colorado with an Excel macro for triangulation.

Computerized Triangulation, Part 2 4/93

Teeny-Weeny T's 5/93
Plans for postage-stamp sized 30 mW 2M transmitter.

Medal-winning & Record-breaking T-hunts 6/93
Southern California All-Day hunts are tougth, this one included 4 states!

A "Swiss Army" Foxbox 7/93
Review of the N6ZAV/KD6BCH "RaCon" microprocessor-controlled foxbox.

For T-Hunters Only ... Not! 8/93
Reviews of Arrow yagi, the Digi-Field FSM, & Comm-Spec ID-8 IDer.

RDF Adventures in Ham Radio Fiction 9/93
3 books w/ RDF for young hams; FM modulator for May's micro-T.

Foxhunt Fun at the Friendship Games 10/93
Firsthand report on 1993 Friendship Games foxhunt in Victoria, BC Canada.

Motorized Beams, Santa Barbara Style 11/93
Description of KA6SOX/KK6OS motorized yagi and radar scope.

Testing the Ramsey Foxhound 12/93
Review of Ramsey DF-1.


Ploys and Pranks 1/94
More clever hiding ideas.

Texas T-Hunters Trap Teen Thief 2/94
Bootleggers in Dallas; review of Optoelectronics R20 sniffer.

The Foxcopter 3/94
Description of N0MKJ's motorized quad system.

T-Hunters to the Rescue 4/94
RDF in the Civil Air Patrol.

Temblor Triggers a T-hunt 5/94
KK6CU finds Sheriff's stuck xmtr after CA quake.

Guerilla-Style T-hunting 6/94
RFI tracking in Sierra Leone.

Attenuators Made Easy 7/94
Resistive and offset attenuators.

Testing the Ramsey SlyFox 8/94
Review of Ramsey FHT-1.

RACES RDF Goes High-Tech 9/94
Description of KD6IFZ's Mac-based automatic mapping/trianglation system.

Navigation and Networking via Packet 10/94
Triangulation techniques & APRS.

Testing the Motron Fingerprinter 11/94
Review of Motron transmitter identification system.

T-Hunting Down Under 12/94
RDF contesting in Australia.


Up and Running with GPS 1/95
GPS receivers for APRS use.

Track It With Packet 2/95
More on APRS including review of a Mac version.

Multiple Foxes = More Fun 3/95
Planning multiple T-hunts; review of GQ Enterprize 10 mW 2M mini-fox.

A Good Doppler Gets Better 4/95
Plans for improved Roanoke Doppler antenna set, covers +/-20% freqency range.

Good Deeds, Good Fun, and Goodwill 5/95
Phony SOS in Tucson; Friendship Games announcement.

Wideband Doppler, Part 2 6/95
Plans for a mag-mount version of the new Roanoke antenna; other VHF bands.

Stalking the Wild T 7/95
RDF tracks endangered tortoises in the Mojave desert.

APRS Puts Doppler Bearings on the Map 8/95
Review of the N7LUE board that interfaces doppler DFs to APRS computers.

The T Is On! Let's Find It! 9/95
Review of the basics of mobile T-hunting.

Hunts and Stunts Around the USA 10/95
Regional variations on mobile hunting; interesting hunt stories.

Cooperative Tracking and Web Surfing 11/95
More hunt stories and a T-hunt Web site in Albuquerque.

Foxhunting's Wide World 12/95
International-rules championship foxhunting comes to southern California.


More about Hamcon/Foxhunt-95 1/96
Adapting IARU rules, hiding strategy, and handicapped ham participation.

New T-Hunting Goodies 2/96
Reviews of Agrelo micro-transmitters and Cubex 4-element 2m quad.

Doppler Antenna Update 3/96 D
Sensitivity issues, tips for checking/troubleshooting.


Definitions

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Fox hider =

Foxbox = a device for finding the fox

T-Box = unattended hidden transmitter