College Station, Texas, U.S.A. • Brazos County • EM10to
Search:
Callsign lookup:
APRS Locator:
(Type * after callsign for locations that might include a number suffix)
In December 2001, we restarted the W5AC tradition of holding foxhunts. A foxhunt is when one operator hides the "fox" (a radio) somewhere in College Station, and everyone else tries to find it with direction-finding equipment before another team does.
Current W5AC Foxhunt Rules:
The frequency of the fox is usually 146.55 MHz. The frequency is fixed, in that if the hider goes to flip a switch to change frequencies, the competing teams will see them! The current fox uses a 2 meter transmitter, donated by Dick Zimmer W5DZ, in a housing with a PICCON built by Lance KJ5O.
We usually meet in the parking lot next to the old College Station firehouse (which is now the EOC - Emergency Operations Center) across from the A&M golf course.
To get there, take Texas Avenue and turn onto Francis Dr. or Gilchrist
Ave., then follow the alley to the parking area.
Click for map.
You can see the antennas of the EOC from a distance. Don't park in the old fire station lot that touches Texas Avenue (marked "F" on the map).
Information on our next foxhunt(s) will regularly be posted on the announcements page and announced on the Monday night net or the listserv.
In the past, the club has only had one fox. Both Doug KD5USF and Mike KZ5M have built additional PICCONs, so we can now have multi-fox hunts. We could have a higher power fox to get teams to the general location, then several 50-150 mW foxes that the teams actually have to find. Stay tuned for further develoments.
22-July-2004: It seems as though Lance KJ5O has expressed interest in turning the position of "Huntmaster" over to another for a season. Lance has been instrumental in reviving interest in Fox hunting, which has provided hours of entertainment for the W5AC hounds! However, it is rumored that he has now entrusted Kevin N5TLT with the fox box, which I'm sure will provide some VERY INTERESTING hunts in the future... stay tuned, and get your equipment ready. We may have a hunt by the second week in August. Get ready!!
Know a story from one of the many foxhunts that aren't yet listed here? Please send it to .
Dec-1973 - We know from old records that W5AC held a transmitter hunt this December - we love our traditions! The "fox" was hidden near the power plant in Bryan (which today would be out of bounds). A non-licensed foxhunter found the fox first on this day.
26-Jan-2002 - Lance Cotton, KJ5O, built a fox for us. Ramiro, KD5MMJ, Gabe, KC5OED, and Mike, KZ5M took only 54 minutes to locate the transmitter in Central Park from the start position at the College Station Fire Station. It was frustrating as the signal kept reflecting off the Aparment buildings near Wolf Creek Park, but both groups found it within minutes of each other.
31-Jan-2004 - Two Saturday afternoon foxhunts separated by a late lunch. This day marked the beginning of really sneaky on-foot hiding places for the fox, rather than the (equally challenging) roadside foxhunts before it. The first hunt ended in the forests of Bee Creek Park. The second hunt... let's just call it "the decoy hunt" - thanks to the creative thinking of KD5VVZ.
8-Feb-2004 - This was a Sunday afternoon foxhunt. One team found that recent rain does indeed make the ground softer...as a result, vehicles get stuck in this stuff they call "mud." After being pulled out by some very friendly passers-by, they found the fox rather quickly.
29-Feb-2004 - Foxhunt cancelled due to approaching bad weather and the possibility that W5AC might be activated with Skywarn or TAMMSSDA.
4-Mar-2004 - Foxhunt #2 for the week also cancelled due to more bad weather rolling through Texas.
3-April-2004 - We originally planned to have fun after our work meeting by running a foxhunt this day, but due mostly to time constraints, we decided to forgo the hunt after the post-meeting lunch.
21-August-2004 - Beautiful but humid weather marked this two-fox hunt. Unfortunately, there were only two hunters. Our new huntmaster doesn't hide foxes on really busy streets... but Mike B. didn't think about that at first. Look forward to even more interesting future dual-fox hunts.
12-September-2004 - This was the first of our 2nd-Sunday-of-the-month series of hunts. Several teams participated, finding the first fox near powerlines and just out of plain view, and the second in a poorly-mapped area of town.
10-October-2004 - The weather was nice and cool for the teams on this hunt. Kevin hid this fox in a location with several reflections, relatively close to the EOC. KZ5M maintained his reputation of getting there very quickly.
14-November-2004 - This foxhunt was cancelled after a power outage on campus earlier in the day.
13-February-2005 - A fun, two-transmitter hunt with great weather.
More foxhunts coming soon!
