We all have those memories while growing up that we cherish. Some of my best are from the times I spent with my father, (Bill, WS6K), that revolved around his favorite hobby, Amateur Radio. I grew up hearing my father talk on the radio to people tens or hundreds of miles away, even while in a moving car or while walking around outside. Mobile communications equipment at this time was along the lines of what you would see in a Magnum PI episode on TV and it wasn’t down to a price that a regular person would own one. It was magical to see him talking to my mother while driving in the car. The most enjoyable Amateur Radio experiences I had with him revolved around Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) or "Fox Hunting". From the first time I did it with just a hand held and a whip antenna I was hooked. The next thing I remember was father and I building our own tape measure antennas, passive and active attenuators. I also remember running around a high school sports field using the gear we had built ourselves looking for transmitters and all of the challenges that entails. I find Amateur Radio Fox Hunting to be an enjoyable experience that is open to all ages represented in the Amateur Radio community.

Click to see full size image

• History and Purpose of Radio Direction Finding
• Fox Hunting Techniques and Attenuation
• Building a 3 Element 2 Meter Tape Measure Beam
• Building an Attenuator

Go to the top...