a fun day at the Elmhurst Public Library – twenty plus members came out for our annual visit – rigs and antennas were set up and fine show and tells ensued – here Ingrid, K8ZI explains and answers questions to a group of young men while Bill, WD9END assists – yes, just another way to keep on hamming

two fine hams who helped big time today – Lisa, KD9ZEQ along with John, W9BLN – they made the visit to the Elmhurst Public Library a success – for our members and all the visitors whose looks, investigations in many cases, and even some who wanted more information –

… and a big thanks to all Club members who participated (not all shown in photo)

Friday, August 15^th, 2025, starting at 5:30 pm. This is a vehicle-based event in Elmhurst, Illinois

Fox Control:  Fox Control will be coordinated via the YRC Repeater:
W9YRC Frequency: 442.875 MHz
Offset: +5 MHz PL Frequency: 114.8 Hz

All communication will be through Fox Control only. 

Before the event:
All participants who want to participate can check in via Fox Control at 5:30 pm. Participants should be in the Elmhurst area. Given that this is a vehicle-based fox hunt, please consider teaming up with others! Drivers, please respect all traffic laws and focus on the road!

During the event:
The Fox will be a mobile station operating on 147.420 MHz, simplex, carrier squelch. The transmitter will be a Yaesu VX-3 operating at approximately 3 Watts with a magnetic-mounted roof antenna. The Fox will be located in the Elmhurst, IL area on public property. 

The Fox format is as follows:

CW ID = W 9 Y R C, F O X  (~13 seconds)

1. 800 Hz. Tone (~20 seconds)
2. Unmodulated carrier (~10 seconds)
3. New cycle starts (~30 seconds)

(One complete cycle takes ~73 seconds)
Upon discovering the Fox, participants should not announce its location on the air (since that will spoil it for the other participants). Participants who find the Fox will be logged.

After the event:
Upon finding the Fox or at 7:00 pm (whichever happens first), participants should go to the Elmhurst Fire Training Center at 910 N. Addison Ave, Elmhurst, IL 60126 for the York Radio Club’s August meeting.

Questions? Contact George Tasson, KC9UIU – gtasson@sbcglobal.net

Additional Information & Tips
A Fox Hunt is an amateur radio event that focuses on radio direction finding. Outside of a coordinated Fox Hunt event, this skill can be used to determine a source of interference near your station, search and rescue efforts, and more!
To be successful, you should have:

• A radio that can receive the Fox’s signal and monitor signal strength (S-Meter).
  • Example: If you have a Quansheng UV-K5, many alternate firmware projects (such as egzumer’s firmware: https://github.com/egzumer/uv-k5-firmware-custom) will display an S-Meter.
• A directional antenna such as a Yagi or loop antenna
  • If you don’t have a Yagi, you can make one using tape measures: https://www.jpole-antenna.com/2017/02/07/build-it-2-meter-tape-measure-yagi-beam-antenna/
• An attenuator
  • Examples: https://kc9on.com/product/fox-hunt-v7/, https://kc9on.com/product/fox-hunt-offset-attenuator/, https://www.qsl.net/n/na0pw/old/docs/atten.pdf (This page also talks about techniques to do if you do not have an attenuator.), http://www.homingin.com/joek0ov/offatten.html (DIY)
• Map of Elmhurst and a compass to help determine the direction of the signal.

Articles/Videos about Fox Hunts:
Amateur Radio Fox Hunt (ARDF) – Ham Radio Q&A by KB9VBR Antennas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptP65csLiaw

Blog Post by KB9VBR: https://www.jpole-antenna.com/2017/04/02/amateur-radio-hidden-transmitter-fox-hunt/

Fox hunting 101 – how to find a hidden radio transmitter in three easy steps by Joe Domaleski, KI4ASK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN-c5DQFuhI

ARRL page on Direction Finding: https://www.arrl.org/direction-finding

Other Fox Hunts in the area: https://www.amateurradioevents.com/foxhunting