Prince Edward County is an island in South-Eastern Ontario surrounded by Lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinte. It has about 1000 square kilometres of beautiful scenery, back country roads, and numerous parks and recreation areas. As such it is a perfect area to hold a hidden transmitter hunt. For more information on Prince Edward County visit their web site at http://www.pecounty.on.ca/.

Date and Location
All transmitters will be within the natural boundaries of Prince Edward County and they could be located anywhere within the county. All transmitters will be in a publicly accessible area. This will be a combination of a driving and on foot hunt, although it will be possible to drive to within a few hundred meters of each fox. All foxes will be located along roads which are possible to navigate with a regular vehicle i.e. an SUV or 4 wheel drive vehicle will not be required.

The hunt will begin at 12:00 noon on Sunday, October 17, 2010 at the start location which is Pinecrest Elementary School, 27 County Road 30. (Google Maps Co-ordinates: N43° 59.499' - W77° 13.592') (This is located just north of the Village of Bloomfield.)

If you are a first time hunter let us know and we can provide some instruction approximately 1/2 hour prior to the start of the hunt.

Talk-in
VE3TJU 146.730 Mhz.

Transmitters
There will be three transmitters operating on 2 meter FM at a frequency of 146.565 Mhz FM. The transmitters will transmit for approximately 40 seconds on 20 seconds off in a three minute cycle that is 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, … The transmitters may be automated or human operated. They will start transmitting at 12:00 PM. All transmitters will shutoff at 3:00 PM. The transmitters will be marked and clearly visible from at least 5 feet away. There may or may not be a hunt official at the transmitter locations.

It may not be possible to hear all 3 transmitters at the start location but at least one will be audible. If you can't hear 2 or 3 transmitters you may want to go to a higher location.

Equipment
There are relatively few restrictions on the equipment the hunters can use. You will need 2 meter direction finding equipment. A Prince Edward Chamber of Commerce "red map" of the county will be provided at the beginning of the hunt to all those teams that preregister. However the hunters may want to bring their own more detailed maps.  A compass and/or GPS may also be useful but certainly not necessary. All of the equipment must be carried in the hunter's vehicle or by the team for the on foot portions of the hunt. If you are going after all three transmitters be prepared to do some on foot hunting for at least one of the transmitters.

The hunters may not exchange information with anyone else including other hunters. The hunters should not transmit on the fox frequency. If the hunters need more information someone will be monitoring the Prince Edward Radio Club repeater VE3TJU 146.730.

There will be a few directional antennas and attenuators available to be loaned to teams which do not have any equipment on a first come first serve basis.

Scoring
The scoring will be determined by the number of transmitters found and by the total distance driven. In order to encourage safe driving speeds, time will NOT be a factor in the scoring. The hunters will be provided with a score card at the beginning of the hunt. They will mark the card with a coloured pencil that will be fastened to each hidden transmitter.

Eligibility and Classes
Anyone is eligible to participate, including people who are not licensed radio amateurs. It will not be necessary for the hunters to transmit. The emphasis is on fun so bring your spouse, kids, grandmother, or family dog; form a team and have a nice drive/hike in 'The County'.

Each team can choose to find 1, 2, or 3 transmitters and we will declare a winner for each category.

Cost
There will be no charge to enter the hunt.

Post Hunt Get Together
Following the hunt there we will get together at 3:00 PM for coffee and refreshments. It will be held at the Bloomfield Community Centre at 289 Main St. (Hwy. 33) in Bloomfield. There is a parking lot behind the community centre. The GPS co-ordinates are: N 43° 59.224'- W 77° 13.731'. (Google Maps Co-ordinates). The results of the hunt can be found here.

Prizes
Prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes are bragging rights only !

More Info
Bookmark this webpage  http://www.qarc.on.ca/files/countyfox.html as current and updated information will be posted here when it becomes available.

To register for the hunt, or for more information, contact:
Dave Ward VE3BIP ve3bip@rac.ca   telephone: 613-966-9982.

(Alternately, you can also send email to: quinte.arc@gmail.com)
 

(Last revision: May 7, 2010.)