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Fox Hunt Information & Rules

This is a direction finding and social event, which takes place on an evening in the summer. It does not involve any real foxes! The purpose of the event is to test the radio direction finding and map reading skills of the participants (the 'hounds') as they try to find the location of a hidden VHF transmitter (the 'fox').

The information presented here is based on a proposal by Jim GM3ZMA.

Location

The hidden station (the 'fox') will be located somewhere in the patterned, shaded area on the map below.

The area is to the west of Aberdeen and at its eastern end is bounded by Anderson Drive (A92), to the south by the A93 (Deeside Rd) and by the B979 to the west.  The northern boundary is made up of the B9119, a section of the A944 and the A9119 (Skene Rd).

Fox Hunt Area 2024

Note this map is only provided to define the area boundaries.  It is recommended that event participants obtain a more detailed map of the local area, which shows minor roads and other features.

The above map is sourced from Ordnance Survey Ltd. It contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 and is royalty free.

Frequency and Message Format

  • The frequency will be 145.350 MHz (or if in use, an alternative frequency will be selected at the start)
  • Antenna polarisation will be horizontal (omnidirectional)
  • Transmissions will start at 19:00
  • The duration of the transmissions will be five minutes, followed by five minutes of radio silence
  • Each transmission will start with a voice announcement (Call sign, purpose and rough location ie west of Aberdeen)
  • A Morse message will then be sent using a 1kHz audio tone, frequency modulated (FM)
  • The Morse message will be: VVV VVV VVV de GM3ZMA GM3ZMA GM3ZMA. This will be repeated as many times as is required to fill the remainder of the five minute period
  • The transmission sequence will restart at 19:10, 19:20, 19:30, 19:40,19:50, 20:00, 20:10 and 20:20
  • At 20:30, the fox will announce the end of the event and give its location as a full National Grid Reference (eg NJ 917 064)

General Rules

  • This is primarily a fun, evening social event
  • The event shall take place on publicly accessible land only
  • There must be at least two participants per car so that one can concentrate on the driving
  • Participants must not transmit on the hidden station's frequency
  • No animals or wildlife shall be harmed during the event and care must be taken to protect the environment
  • AARS cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage to radio equipment or vehicles used for the event.


This information is also available for download as a PDF file on our Officials and Documents webpage.

This page was last updated at 8.45pm on August 22nd 2024