Complete Index of KØOV RDF Articles


Homing In Columns

Includes columns published in 73 Amateur Radio Today magazine (November 1988 through September 2003),  CQ-VHF Magazine (Winter 2004 through Fall 2003), CQ-Plus digital magazine (May 2014 through December 2014) and CQ Magazine (April 2015 to present). Web and e-mail links are provided where appropriate. Cover photos on right side are all by Joe Moell KØOV except November 1988, which is by Tom Curlee WB6UZZ.

73 November 1988 cover

11/88 -- The World of Transmitter Hunting
Introductory overview article

12/88 -- Loops -- A Love/Hate Relationship
They're OK for RDF on HF, but not for VHF

1/89 -- Quads & Yagis -- The Winners' Choices
Why some say beams are better than dopplers at VHF

2/89 -- Let's Build a Quad
Plans for two-meter Strung wire quad for RDF

3/89 -- Handling Strong Signals
Plans for internal RF attenuation system by WA6DLQ

4/89 -- Selecting Antenna Polarization
Dual yagi and switch box to select 6 polarizations by WA6DLQ

7/89 -- High-Class Hunting
Some ideas for mobile rotating beam mounts and vehicle installations

8/89 -- Noise Meters
Plans for WA6DLQ's weak-signal meter that works when your S-meter doesn't

9/89 -- Build the Handy Tracker
Plans for a super-simple two-meter TDOA add-on RDF set with no front/back ambiguity!

11/89 -- Winning Foxhunts with TDOA
More on commercial and homebrew TDOA sets

12/89 -- T-hunting Fun on Six Meters
Simple equipment for 6M hunting on foot and in vehicle, including plans for an RDF loop

1/90 -- Secrets of Success on Six
Plans for a hunt-winning 6M mobile Shrunken Quad

2/90 -- Mail Call
T-hunting news at home & abroad

3/90 -- Solving HF Jamming
Introduction to RDF on the DX bands

4/90 -- Build the HF Homer
Plans for a unique mobile loop/sense RDF system for 18 to 30 MHz

5/90 -- More Huff-Duff Ideas
More on the HF homer plus a simple field-strength meter for closing in

6/90 -- Jammer Busting
How to react to jamming; introdution to the VOLMON program

7/90 -- Sniff w/a Bug Buster
Plans for a sniffer using monolithic RF amplifier chips

8/90 -- Alabama Action
More on the monolithic sniffer plus hunts in Birmingham

9/90 -- Quads with Class
Review of Alabama Amateur Electronics commercial quads for RDF

10/90 -- Try UHF and SAR
440 MHz hunts plus search/rescue RDF

11/90 -- Hunting for PELTS
Personal Emergency Locator Transmitters, are they a good idea?

12/90 -- Throw Your Voice
Construction plans for the Fox Commander, gives remote control to the Un-Music Box

1/91 -- World Class Hiding
Convention T-hunts and hiding hints

2/91 -- Leveling the Field
Time vs. mileage scoring, which is best?

3/91 -- ELTs and PRBs, Revisited
More on search/rescue RDF

4/91 -- Avoiding the Slammer
Advance police notification? Also hunting radiosondes

5/91 -- T-Hunting Stolen Cars
All about the LoJack vehicular anti-theft system

6/91 -- Hunting for the Gold
Intro to international foxhunts; invitation to the Friendship Games

7/91 -- Three-second T-hunts
All about the Teletrac vehicular tracking and anti-theft system

8/91 -- RDF Tracks RFI
Plans for a simple 80M loop and hints on RDF at 80M

9/91 -- Foxhunters Invade Oregon
Firsthand illustrated report on the 1991 Friendship Games foxhunt in Portland, Oregon

10/91 -- Build the TBOX
Complete plans for a versatile microprocessor-based foxbox by N6MBR. Click here to FTP download TBOX07.ZIP, containing the assembly, object and binary files for the microcontroller program (10K total).

11/91 -- RDF Potpourri
More on TBOX plus "receiver hunting"

12/91 -- RDF Spans the Globe
How they hunt in England, Russia, and Japan

1/92 -- Up, Up, and Away
T-hunts in Albuquerque & the Ozarks

2/92 -- Doppler Fun in Phoenix
Homing In goes T-hunting in Arizona

3/92 -- Homebrewing Hints and Heroic Hunts
Sniffing on 440 MHz; hunting stuck xmtrs

4/92 -- Foxhunt Fame Awaits You
Hunting foxes in Ukraine and balloons in California

5/92 -- School Days and Dual-Band J's
Kids T-hunt in Oklahoma plus a dual-band hiding antenna

6/92 -- Bag Those Foxes: Antenna and Hunt Ideas
Review of a portable MFJ yagi plus "Free-For-All" hunts

7/92 -- RDF Opportunities Abroad and at Home
More Ukraine radiosports, third harmonic sniffing, and a commercial 440 MHz quad

8/92 -- T-hunt Trickery
Dastardly hints for hiders

9/92 -- T-Hunting in the Beef State
A visit and a T-hunt in Lincoln, Nebraska

10/92 -- Toward the Perfect RDF System
Introduction to the advantages of 2D azimuth-vs-strength plotting

73 November 1992 cover
11/92 -- What's That Whirligig?
Details of KK6CU's motorized quad and 2D storage scope display

12/92 -- Crowning the Champs
A tough convention hunt and an invitation to the 1993 Friendship Games

1/93 -- Computers Point the Way
Introduction to computer techniques for 2D azimuth/strength plotting

2/93 -- A Computer on Your Team
Plans for computerized 2D display by WB8WFK

3/93 -- Denver Hams "Excel" at T-hunting
Balloon hunting in Colorado with an Excel macro for triangulation

4/93 -- Computerized Triangulation, Part 2
All the details on the Excel triangulation system

5/93 -- Teeny-Weeny T's
Complete plans for a postage-stamp sized 30 mW two-meter transmitter

6/93 -- Medal-winning & Record-breaking T-hunts
Southern California All-Day hunts are tough, this one included 4 states!

7/93 -- A "Swiss Army" Foxbox
Review of RaCon microprocessor-controlled foxbox by N6ZAV and KD6BCH (now N6BG)

8/93 -- For T-Hunters Only ... Not!
Reviews of an Arrow Antenna yagi, the Digi-Field field-strength meter, and the Comm-Spec ID-8 CW IDer board

9/93 -- RDF Adventures in Ham Radio Fiction
Three books that include RDF, ideal for young hams or hams-to-be, plus a FM modulator for May's micro-T

10/93 -- Foxhunt Fun at the Friendship Games
Firsthand report and photos of the 1993 Friendship Games foxhunt in Victoria, BC Canada

11/93 -- Motorized Beams, Santa Barbara Style
Description of the KA6SOX/KK6OS motorized yagi and radar scope 2D display

12/93 -- Testing the Ramsey Foxhound
Review of the Ramsey Electronics DF-1 TDOA RDF set

1/94 -- Ploys and Pranks
More clever hiding ideas

2/94 -- Texas T-Hunters Trap Teen Thief
Bootleggers in Dallas plus a review of the Optoelectronics R20 sniffer

3/94 -- The Foxcopter
Description of a motorized quad system by NØMKJ

73 July 1995 cover
4/94 -- T-Hunters to the Rescue
RDFers in the Civil Air Patrol save lives

5/94 -- Temblor Triggers a T-hunt
Introduction to Watson-Watt type RDF sets and how they are used by public service agencies

6/94 -- Guerilla-Style T-hunting
RFI tracking in Sierra Leone

7/94 -- Attenuators Made Easy
Resistive and active attenuators, including review of the Arrow Antenna offset attenuator

8/94 -- Testing the Ramsey SlyFox
Review of the Ramsey Electronics FHT-1 transmitter

9/94 -- RACES RDF Goes High-Tech
Description of T-Helper, a Mac-based automatic mapping/trianglation system by KD6IFZ

10/94 -- Navigation and Networking via Packet
Triangulation techniques and an introduction to APRS for DOS

11/94 -- Testing the Motron Fingerprinter
Review of Motron transmitter identification system that adds to your PC

12/94 -- T-Hunting Down Under
RDF contesting in Australia is fair dinkum

1/95 -- Up and Running with GPS
GPS receivers for APRS use

2/95 -- Track It With Packet
More on APRS including a review of the first Mac version (MacAPRS)

3/95 -- Multiple Foxes = More Fun
Planning multiple T-hunts and a review of the GQ Enterprize 10 mW 2M mini-fox

4/95 -- A Good Doppler Gets Better
Why mutual coupling and whip termination are important doppler antenna design considerations, plus plans for an improved Roanoke Doppler antenna set

5/95 -- Good Deeds, Good Fun, and Goodwill
Phony SOS in Tucson; Friendship Games announcement

6/95 -- Wideband Doppler, Part 2
More on the new Roanoke antenna, which covers +/-20% frequency range, including a mag-mount version

7/95 -- Stalking the Wild T
RDF tracks endangered tortoises in the Mojave desert

8/95 -- APRS Puts Doppler Bearings on the Map
Review of N7LUE's board that interfaces most doppler DFs to APRS computers

9/95 -- The T Is On! Let's Find It!
Review of the basics of mobile T-hunting, easy ways to get started

73 October 1995 cover
10/95 -- Hunts and Stunts Around the USA
Regional variations on mobile hunting; interesting hunt stories

11/95 -- Cooperative Tracking and Web Surfing
More hunt stories and a T-hunt Web site in Albuquerque by AB5P

12/95 -- Foxhunting's Wide World
International Style Foxhunting Comes to California

1/96 -- More About Hamcon/Foxhunt-95
Adapting IARU rules, hiding strategy, and handicapped ham participation

2/96 -- New T-Hunting Goodies
Reviews of Agrelo micro-transmitters and a Cubex 4-element 2m quad

3/96 -- Doppler Antenna Update
A switcher with preamps by KA4IIA plus tips for checking/troubleshooting dopplers

4/96 -- Foxhunting the European Way
Firsthand stories and photos of IARU championship hunting in Germany and Sweden

5/96 -- More Foxhunts Coming, Let's Build a Yagi
Southern CA foxhunt announcement plus complete plans for N6WZI's 4-inch spaced two-meter sniffing yagi

6/96 -- Talking T's and Hidden Repeaters
Digital audio boards and the Agrelo Engineering Simplex Repeater

7/96 -- Testing the Vector-Finder
Review of a dual-antenna TDOA set by Radio Engineers of San Diego

8/96 -- Bringing ARDF To Your Town
Part 1 of practical series on how to put on international-style foxhunts, this part discusses preparation

9/96 -- Foxhunt Day, Step By Step
Part 2 of the series, covers staffing, running the hunt, scoring, etc.

10/96 -- Dirty Tricks = Valuable Training
Decoys and camouflage in California plus QRM chasing in Omaha

11/96 -- Buckeyes and Wolverines
RDFers in Toledo and Detroit hunt both with each other and against each other

12/96 -- Globetrotting Foxhunters
Hams from the USA take on the world at foxhunts in Russia and Australia

1/97 -- A Foxhunting Jamboree
Boys and girls learn foxhunting firsthand at the 1996 Scout Jamboree-on-the-Air.  (CLICK FOR THIS ARTICLE)

2/97 -- Build a Multiple-Polarization Quad
Instantly change from horizontal to vertical polarization and back again with this dual-feedline design.  (CLICK FOR THIS ARTICLE)

3/97 -- Testing N6BG's PicCon
Review of a new fox controller that features synchronized IARU radio-orienteering modes plus programmable tone sequences/IDs for mobile T-hunting

4/97 -- New Ideas Never Cease
Jammer tracking and T-hunting in the Akron, Ohio area, a GPS/doppler interface by N8PXW, plus new categories and competitions in the international radio-orienteering world

73 May 1998 cover
5/97 -- Getting Started With the Right Tools, Part 1
Introduction to simple and effective RDF equipment for VHF and UHF; this part covers beams, quads, dopplers and "sniffers"

6/97 -- Getting Started With the Right Tools, Part 2
More simple equipment such as "buzz-boxes" plus clever hiding ideas (Includes missing text from May installment)

7/97 -- Follow the Fluxgate
Find out why you should put a remote compass sensor on your mobile beam's mast and where to get one. (Wrong photo used at Photo A, correction on page 49 of August issue)

8/97 -- Build the NorthScope
A fluxgate compass makes an ideal sensor for a CRT north-up bearing display; here's the interface circuit

9/97 -- Low-Cost Monitor for the NorthScope
How to turn a boat-anchor Heathkit panadapter into a DC-powered long-persistence CRT display that's easy on your car battery

10/97 -- Creativity Runs Rampant
Hams are amazingly clever when they hide transmitters for mobile T-hunts and on-foot foxhunts; here are some "tricks of the trade"

11/97 -- Surprise!
More sneaky hiding tricks including an airborne fox and the bikini-T

12/97 -- New Sporting Goods for Foxhunting
Reviews of lightweight VHF antennas from Arrow Antenna and Super Antenna Resources, plus a receiver/antenna set from Ron Graham Electronics

1/98 -- FARS, Friendship, and Foxhunting
All about the 1997 Friendship Radiosport Games foxhunt in Japan

2/98 -- "Radiogoniometrie Sportive" in Montreal
A visit to this city in Quebec leads to a fun-filled mobile T-hunt with the Union Metropolitaine des Sans-Filistes

3/98 -- Radio Foxes Don't Howl
How to build inexpensive foxboxes for international-style hunts using surplus VHF-FM transmitter boards and ammunition boxes.

4/98 -- Build the Montreal Fox Controller
Construction plans for an inexpensive controller for synchronized international-style foxboxes, designed by VE2JX and VE2EMM

5/98 -- Build an Offset Attenuator
Use your handi-talkie with this on-foot foxhunting attenuator, made from locally available parts.  (CLICK FOR THIS ARTICLE)

6/98 -- ARDF Is Off And Running
More about bringing international-style hunting to North America, including transmission parameters and rules variations, plus some thoughts about involving other outdoor enthusiasts such as orienteers and Rogainers

7/98 -- Receiver Hunting
Tracking missing pager receivers, spying on broadcast listeners' habits (MobilTrak), and an update on plans for the 1998 ARDF World Championships

8/98 -- Tracking Owls, Cranes, and Foxes
A call for volunteers to help track wildlife and a review of the Hamtronics T301-2Y synthesized transmitter board with emphasis on its use in foxboxes.

9/98 -- The Italian Connection
Marconi was just one of many radio pioneers from Italy who made possible today's hidden transmitter hunts. Also T-hunting in present-day Italy.

11/98 -- Practice, Education and Fun
John Oppen KJ6HZ finds a squawking ELT with just his handi-talkie. Also a formal practice session prepares Team USA and introduces ARDF to new hams.

1/99 -- A Banner Year, More to Come
1998 was a year of firsts for T-hunters and radio-orienteers, including Team USA's premier appearance at the ARDF World Championships in Hungary.

2/99 -- Mobile T-hunting, International Style
The Halloween Hunt by KQ6XA was more than just spooky, it introduced Bay area T-hunters to international-style foxhunting. This report covers both the hider's and hunters' perspectives.

3/99 -- A Rechargeable Alternative and the Dancing Buzz
Rechargeable alkaline batteries have advantages over other battery types for some hidden transmitters. Also, spurious signal tracking in New Jersey.

5/99 -- Dayton, Portland, and South Texas
Announcements of the 1999 Dayton Hamvention® Foxhunt Forum and 1999 IARU Region 2 ARDF Championships, plus an update on the Burrowing Owl Project.

6/99 -- Grungebusters
Tracking down unintentional interference to ham and non-ham frequencies, with southern California examples.

7/99 -- Four Centuries of Foxhunting
More on the history of RDF and hidden transmitter hunting, from 18th Century London to the present.

9/99 -- Dayton Does DF
Tales of a great forum and foxhunt at the 1999 Dayton Hamvention®.

10/99 -- City of Roses ... and Foxes
A complete wrapup of the first IARU Region 2 ARDF Championships, and a look to the future.

1-2/00 -- Foxhunting at Hamcon-99
Find out what happened when a score of eager hamfesters tried to find 18 hidden transmitters in a historic 130-acre park.

4/00 -- ARDF Takes Off in 2000
Participants in the Portland Championships are building ARDF programs in their hometowns. Also an update on the Burrowing Owl Project.

5/00 -- T-Hunting for ELTs
Stories from Massachusetts, Oklahoma and southern California about T-hunters who are prepared to save lives by locating downed aircraft.

8/00 -- RDF Tracks Critters and Bugs
How hunters of real foxes and other animals use RDF equipment to keep track of their hounds, plus a review of NCG/Comet's "RF Bug" detector.

9/00 -- Grunge Busters II -- Intermod Patrol
Whether it comes from a distant source or is generated right at your site, you can use radio direction finding to track and solve intermodulation problems in your repeater system.

10/00 -- USA Foxhunting Championships 2001 -- Start Planning!
A site and sponsors for a multi-nation ARDF event are needed. Here's how to put on such an event.

11/00 -- Try ARDF on 80 Meters
If your club holds only 2m ARDF events, you're missing half the fun. There's another international foxhunting band, too.  (CLICK FOR THIS ARTICLE)

12/00 -- T-Hunting by the Bay
Stories of hidden transmitter hunts in San Francisco and surrounding counties.

1/01 -- A New Millennium of Foxhunting
USA participates in the Tenth World Championships of ARDF in Nanjing, China and foxhunters of Orange County, California bring the fun to Scouts at Jamboree-on-the-Air.

2/01 -- Albuquerque Invites the World to Foxhunt
First announcement of the USA ARDF Championships to be held in summer 2001, plus news of the Friendship Radiosport Games in Victoria BC to be held a week later.

3/01 -- Your RDF Questions Answered
The most frequently asked RDF-related questions, with answers of course.

4/01 -- Foxhunting from Melbourne to Nottingham
For sheer enthusiasm, it's hard to beat the mobile hidden transmitter hunters of Australia and England.

5/01 -- Find Foxes and Fight RFI with RDF
Update on upcoming USA Championships, plus RFI tracking on 75 meters in southern California.

6/01 -- RDF Secret Weapon Revealed
G6UWO of Nottingham, England tells how he wins mobile foxhunting trophies with a motorized beam and polar bearing display.

73 January 2002 cover
7/01 -- Secrets of the RDF Whirligig
More details of G6UWO's motorized beam and display system, including a VCR headwheel rotary joint.

8/01 -- Bringing RDF and Amateur Radio to Teens
Students in Pasadena, California learn about careers in science while building antennas and attenuators for RDF fun, sponsored by NASA.

9/01 -- Texas Teens Track Transmitters and Talk Tech
More student RDF fun and learning, this time in McKinney, Texas, with free radios and corporate funding.

10/01 -- Wildlife Tracking Update: Burrowing Owls Found, Saw-Whets Sought
Update on hams tracking birds and cougars, plus news from readers and advice on foxbox labeling.

12/01 -- USA ARDF Championships, Part 1 -- Triumph in the Land of Enchantment
Meet the stateside competitors, follow their training, and find out how they performed.

1/02 -- USA ARDF Championships, Part 2 -- The World Comes to Duke City
Spotlight on the foreign competitors, and how Albuquerque's ham club organized the events. (Gold medalist Harley Leach KI7XF on the cover.)

2/02 -- Helping Your Community With RDF
Ride along as hams track a stolen UHF bus radio on the Florida coast and solve two sources of data QRM to GMRS repeaters in central California.

3/02 -- T-Hunting Fun in the Sunshine State
Beams, quads and doppler sets are all popular among T-hunters in and around Daytona Beach. Read all about the fun they have.

73 July 2002 cover
4/02 -- USA's Foxhunters Take On the World
Update on plans for the Second USA ARDF Championships near Atlanta and the 2002 ARDF World Championships in Slovakia.

5/02 -- Take the Hamfest Foxhunting Challenge
Whether on foot or in cars, hams should have a chance to go transmitter hunting at every hamfest and convention. Here are some examples.

6/02 -- Transmitter Hunting as a Public Service
Civic-minded hams track down illegal cordless phones, spurious emissions, and intruding differential GPS transmitters.

7/02 -- Peak Performances in Pine Mountain
First of a two-part series on the Second USA ARDF Championships near Atlanta.

8/02 -- USA ARDF Championships 2002, Part 2
Conclusion of a two-part series on the Second USA ARDF Championships.

9/02 -- What's New in Transmitter Hunting
Latest news from the world of RDF, including new polar plot software by Brian DeYoung, K4BRI and a sythnesized tuner for ARDF receivers by WB6WFK and K5ATM.

10/02 -- Foxhunting is a "Novel" Idea
A new novel for adults combines ham radio foxhunting and murder, plus ham radio fiction for youth.

11/02 -- From Radio Camp to the World Championships
First of a two-part series on the Eleventh World ARDF Championships and Team USA's participation in it.

12/02 -- ARDF World Championships 2002, Part 2 -- Closer to the Gold
More stories from Slovakia, including the pre-championships training camp in Hungary and "Cultural Day" adventures.

1/03 -- Squegging: Now It Helps Us Track the Birds
Find out what a squegging oscillator is, why it's in widespread use today, and learn about some signal identification tricks for your computer.

CQ VHF Spring 2005 cover
2/03 -- Doppler Fun, from Austria to Your Hometown
First of a series of articles on doppler RDF, with the basics and little-known facts about the man who started it all.

3/03 -- True Dopplers and Comical T-Hunting
We call them "Doppler" sets, but do they really follow the Doppler Principle? Also, the T-hunters of Albuquerque appear on Comedy Central.

4/03 -- Two New Tools for T-Hunting
Reviews of an inexpensive wide-range loop RDF antenna from Wyoming and a feature-filled receiver/sniffer from Australia.

5/03 -- Dim Sum, Dayton, and Doppler Calibration
The hunt for an illegal cordless phone in New Jersey, a promo for the Dayton Hamvention Foxhunt Forum, and more on Dopplers -- calibration this time.

6/03 -- Tracking Opportunities -- Owls, Bats and PLBs
In the news: Two new wildlife tracking projects and the authorization of individual Personal Locator Beacons in the USA.

7/03 -- Crickets, Gunshots, and Antenna Placement
Tracking gunshots with multilateration and the importance of having your Doppler antenna set as non-directional as possible, strange as that may seem.

8/03 -- Doppler Antenna Design Secrets
How to minimize directivity in your Doppler antenna array to give better performance when signals are bouncing.

9/03 -- Hide a Transmitter, Pay a Fine?
Should hams have to get permits from the government to put on a transmitter hunt in a park? Also the first full-scale ARDF hunt in Florida.

Winter/04 -- Champion Foxhunters Gather in the Buckeye State
A full report on the 2003 USA and IARU Region 2 ARDF Championships in Ohio.

Spring/04 -- Get Better Performance From Your Doppler Set
Optimize the counterpoise of your mobile Doppler array for more accurate and stable bearings.

Summer/04 -- ARDF Takes Hold -- More Progress and Innovation
A potpourri of ARDF topics including foxbox building, electronic scoring, medical preparations, and training camps.

CQ VHF Winter 2006 cover
Fall/04 -- T-Hunters Help the Public -- and Fellow Hams
Interference-tracking stories from California, Tennessee and Kentucky, plus balloon and rocket recovery by RDF.

Winter/05 -- Win Foxhunting Prizes, Mobile or On Foot
Stories of the 2004 World Championships in Slovakia and transmitter hunts at hamfests in Florida and California.

Spring/05 -- Transmitter Hunting -- A Youth Magnet
On-foot hunts bring fun to Palos Verdes students, Scout-O-Rama visitors and disabled Radio Campers.

Summer/05 -- The Watertown Sodalis Squad -- An RDF Adventure
Hams help biologists in New York state find out what happens to Indiana Bats when they emerge from winter cave hibernation.

Fall/05 -- Practice Makes Proficiency -- Learn RDF and Have Fun
Hams in Utah and southern Californa have fun on transmitter hunts while preparing for more serious RDF efforts.

Winter/06 -- Spurious Signals and Active Attenuators
Tracking unintentional interference in southern California and attenuating signals when on foot.

Spring/06 -- RDF For the Masses -- Emitters near 220 MHz
Hams and non-hams are keeping track of their dogs, cats, and elderly relatives with RDF. Coverage of RDF transmitters, receivers, and antennas for this part of the spectrum.

Summer/06 -- Remembering Two T-Hunting Comrades
A tribute to N6IDF and K6SNE after their tragic death on a T-hunt, wheelchair foxhunting, interference tracking in Colorado, and preparing for JOTA.  (CLICK FOR AN EXCERPT FROM THIS ARTICLE)

CQ-VHF Winter 2008 cover
Fall/06 -- Medals and More at the National and World ARDF Championships
Complete wrap-up of the 2006 World ARDF Championships and USA ARDF Championships, plus a new video on ARDF.

Winter/07 -- RDF In The Headlines
How the new E911 cellular location systems work and their potential to save lives, plus other media coverage of ham radio RDF topics.

Spring/07 -- Furry Hams and a New Rescue Beacon
These folks give new meaning to the word "foxhunting." Also news of the new TracMe rescue beacons on FRS.

Summer/07 -- Computerized T-Hunting with Doppler RDF
Display and map real-time mobile bearings automatically on your laptop with APRS or GPSS.

Fall/07 -- USA's 2007 ARDF Championships and Emergency Transmitter News
What RDF equipment worked best in the high Sierra forests? When is a PLB not a PLB?

Winter/08 -- RDF Protects Lives, Provides Fun and Promotes Good Will
RDF rescues a biker in California, plus lessons on ARDF training from Ukraine.

Spring/08 -- New Gear for 1.25-Meter Foxhunting
Miniature "ditter" transmitters and matching receivers from Communications Specialists, plus an update on the Indiana Bat tracking project.

Summer/08 -- Hams Help Fliers, Boaters and Hikers, One ELT at a Time
Amateur Radio enthusiasts in Oregon help the Sheriff by finding ELTs in unusual places. Santa Barbara hams have an effective automatic ELT notification system.

CQ-VHF Summer 2009 cover
Fall/08 -- A Decade of ARDF in the USA
From the first foray to the World Championships in Hungary, the growth of stateside radio-orienteering has been rapid. One who helped was George Neal KF6YKN, who finally held the Stars and Stripes on the medal podium in 2008. Also, news of USA's 2008 championships and training camps.

Winter/09 -- Transmitter Hunters Track Rockets in the Desert, and Plan to Meet in Boston
Tiny UHF transmitters make recovery of model rockets easy, even when they go over a mile high. Also, plans for the Ninth USA ARDF Championships.

Spring/09 -- Ideas for Increasing Foxhunt Participation
Help for getting transmitter hunting started in your locality, both mobile and all-on-foot. Includes unattended transmitters and antenna/attenuator building clinics.

Summer/09 -- Championship Foxhunting Brings the World to Boston
Story of the 2009 USA and IARU ARDF Championships near Boston, plus the Case of the Concrete Communicators.

Fall/09 -- Pay to Play? ARDF vs. Park Officials
Should expensive permits and insurance be required when a few hams get together to practice radio-orienteering? Also, improvements to tape-measure yagis for ARDF.

Winter/10 -- En Route to Croatia via Ohio
News of a USA ham who participated in the 2009 IARU Region 1 ARDF Championships, the upcoming 2010 USA and World ARDF Championships, and a rigorous simulated comparison of three mobile RDF methods.

Spring/10 -- Innovators in RDF: An Inventer, a Code Writer, and a Fox Meister
Did Lee DeForest make the first electronically scanned RDF antenna? Also a foxhunting triangulation app for the I-phone and an interference-busting story from Nashville.  (CLICK FOR THIS ARTICLE)

Summer/10 -- Championship ARDF Returns to the Woods of Ohio
Photo feature on the 2010 USA ARDF Championships and a lesson learned about how passers-by can think transmitter hiders are up to no good.

Fall/10 -- ARDF Team USA Returns from Croatia with Three Medals
Photo feature on the 2010 ARDF World Championships and the First ARDF World Championships for the Blind.

Winter/11 -- RDF for the masses, Part 2 -- Tracking Parked Cars
A new consumer device that claims to help drivers find their cars in crowded parking lots with 2.4 GHz RDF.

Spring/11 -- Rescue in Miller Canyon and an Updated RDF Set for the 125 cm Band
Transmitter hunters help find a lost hiker in Arizona plus a new 222 MHz ARDF set from Communications Specialists.

Summer/11 -- New Products, New Hunt Opportunities and Foxhunting Down Under
Review of the Byonics Micro-Fox 15 transmitter and KI6DYX's handles for measuring-tape yagis, plus the Australian foxhunting championships.

Fall/11 -- USA ARDF Championships 2011:  Medals and Fun in the Land of Enchantment
Photo feature on the 2011 USA and IARU Region 2 ARDF Championships.

Winter/12 -- Automated Bearing-taking, Mapping and Sharing
It's all here:  APRS, FoxHunt app, PicoDopp, MicroFinder, GoogleHunt and DoppSite.

Spring/12 -- USA ARDF Championships Preview and an Affordable Doppler Set
USA ARDF Championships 2012 announcement and review of the DDF2020T Doppler by Global TSCM Group.

Summer/12 -- Californians Host USA's Championships of Transmitter Hunting
Photo feature on the 2012 USA ARDF Championships at Mt. Laguna.

Fall/12 -- Most Medals ever for Team USA at the 2012 ARDF World Championships
Photo feature on the 16th World ARDF Championships in Serbia.

Winter/13 -- RDF Keeps Tabs on Rover and Provides International Competition for Hams
A review of Marco Polo, a doppler that tracks pet pooches, plus dopplers for dits.

Spring/13 -- Using HB9CV Beams for Direction Finding
The HB9CV antenna is a lightweight wide-frequency alternative to yagis and quads.  Besides being useful for RDF contesting, it's serving in a new military application.

Summer/13 -- Next USA ARDF Championships, Plus a Threat to 33 Centimeters
Radiolocation is back on the 902-928 MHz band and it may have a chilling effect on Amateur Radio on that band in major cities.

Fall/13 -- Two Unusual Interference Cases and a Shrunken 6-meter Quad
Tracking interference in Nebraska and California, plus complete plans for a "shrunken" six-meter RDF quad for your vehicle.

CQ November 2015 cover

5/14 -- ARDF in the Appalachians:  USA's National Foxhunting Championships
Photo feature on the 2013 USA and IARU Region 2 ARDF Championships in North Carolina.

7/14 -- New Apps for Hidden Transmitter Hunting
Reviews of Foxhunt Pro by W6EI, SigTrax by WA4CWI and Map-n-Compass by NZØI.  (CLICK FOR THIS ARTICLE)

12/14 -- Inside the 2014 Direction-Finding Championships for USA and the World
Photo feature on the 14th USA ARDF Championships in Massachusetts and the 17th World ARDF Championships in Kazakhstan.

4/15 -- Transmitter Hunting:  Great Fun and a Ham Radio Recruiting Tool
Foxhunting fun at the Duluth Childrens Museum and at Scout JOTA in San Pedro, California.

8/15 -- ARDF Championships Coming to a Scout Camp in Colorado
A foxtailing demonstration at Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch leads to the 2015 USA ARDF Championships.

11/15 -- RDF in the Rockies:  The 2015 USA ARDF Championships
Radio-orienteers from all over the USA plus over 50 Chinese students converge in eastern Colorado to have fun finding transmitters.

2/16 -- Results of the 2015 CQ WW Foxhunting Weekend
Foxhunting Weekend results are now being incorporated into my quarterly Homing In columns.

CQ February 2018 cover

5/16 -- Foxboxes -- All You Need to Know
There are many ways to hide a transmitter.  Here are a lot of ideas plus the review of a brand new foxbox from Byonics.

8/16 -- USA's Best Foxhunters Have Eyes on Bulgaria
Wrap-up of the 2016 USA ARDF Championships in Texas plus a ham who is bring the sport to school kids in North Carolina.

10/16 -- Transmitter Hunting Across the Spectrum
How hams are having fun with foxhunting from 3.5 MHz to 10 GHz.

11/16 -- Seven Medals for ARDF Team USA in Bulgaria
Full report on our team's trip to Bulgaria for the 2016 ARDF World Championships.

2/17 -- Results of the 2016 CQ WW Foxhunting Weekend
Many clubs and groups had foxhunting fun on foot and in vehicles.

5/17 -- Scouts Hunt Transmitters to Earn Merit Badges
New Radio Merit Badge syllabus includes ARDF antenna building and transmitter tracking.

CQ February 2019 cover

8/17 -- New Tools For 80-Meter Foxhunting
Reviews of new products from KB1RLI and from RigExpert.

11/17 -- ARDF Enthusiasts Win Medals in the Buckeye State
The full story of USA and IARU Region 2 Championships in Ohio, plus a report from the Region 3 Championships in Mongolia.

2/18 -- Results of the 2017 CQ WW Foxhunting Weekend
Clubs and groups around the USA and the world having foxhunting.

5/18 -- Foxhunters Will Track Transmitters in Truckee
Preview of the 2018 USA ARDF Championships in northern California, plus planning for Foxhunting Weekend 2018.

9/18 -- Champion Foxhunters Travel from Truckee to Sokcho
Story and results of the 2018 USA ARDF Championships, plus suggestions for foxhunting at Scouting's Jamboree-on-the-Air.

11/18 -- Most Medals Ever for ARDF Team USA in Korea
Story and results of ARDF Team USA's travel to Korea for the 2018 World Championships.

CQ February 2020 cover

2/19 -- Tales of the 2018 CQ Worldwide Foxhunting Weekend
Stories from around the USA.

5/19 -- ARDF in the Appalachians and a New Tool for Two-Meter Foxhunting
Review of the FoxRex two-meter ARDF set from RigExpert in Ukraine.

8/19 -- Doppler RDF Mapping on Your Phone or Tablet
Review of the DataTrax interface for the SigTrax app.

12/19 -- Nothing is Finer than Foxhunting in Carolina
Stories of the 2019 USA and IARU Region 2 ARDF Championships.

2/20 -- Tales of the 2019 CQ World Wide Foxhunting Weekend
Stories from around the USA and the world, including alien hidden transmitters.

5/20 -- Arizona Youth Hunt For X-Beacons While Others Hunt For Medals
Young persons are designing and building miniature "fox" transmitters.  Also news of the new ARRL ARDF Committee and the ill-fated 2020 USA ARDF Championships.

8/20 -- Socially-Distanced Radio Foxhunting
With care, hidden transmitter hunters are continuing to have fun during the COVID-19 outbreak.

11/20 -- Put a Foxhunting Beam on Your Vehicle
Through-the-window, through-the-sunroof or hole-in-the-roof.  Which one is right for you?

2/21 -- Navy Scientists Learn RF Technology by Foxhunting
A long-time transmitter hunter and ham radio instructor uses foxhunting to teach RF principles at Pt. Mugu.

5/21 -- ARDF Makes a Comeback in 2021
Vaccines are making it possible to loosen travel restrictions and open parks.  National and World championships are also likely to take place in 2021.

8/21 -- International ARDF Event Update and a New 80-Meter Set
A review of the new RX80M ARDF set from British Columbia and updates on postponed radio-orienteering championships.

11/21 -- Rules for Foxhunting and a Recap of the 2021 CQ Worldwide Foxhunting Weekend
Why radio-orienteering must have uniform rules for all nations and more stories from Foxhunting Weekend 2021.

2/22 -- World Class Foxhunting in the Tar Heel State
News and photos from the 2021 USA ARDF Championships in North Carolina.

5/22 -- Foxhunting Pranks and Championship Opportunities
Clever tricks and stunts that hiders can use to fool mobile T-hunters plus news of the 2022 World ARDF Championships.

8/22 -- National and World ARDF Contests and Training Opportunities
Recap with photos of the 2022 USA ARDF Championships in Virginia and news of new practice and training sessions around the country.

11/22 -- Foxhunting at the Championships in Bulgaria and a Youth Camp in Ohio
Team USA had only four members at this long-delayed World Championships, but they brought home gold.

2/23 -- Results of the 25th CQ Worldwide Foxhunting Weekend
Stories of 2022 mobile and on-foot foxhunts from around the USA and the world.

5/23 -- Close Encounters of the Law-Enforcement Kind
Police get along well with mobile T-hunters in southern California.  Also how to put on a successful hunt for beginners.

8/23 -- Foxhunters Win Medals in the Lone Star State
A detailed report of the 2023 USA ARDF Championships near Sulfur Springs, Texas.

11/23 -- Medals for ARDF Team USA in the Czech Republic
The story of ARDF Team USA's trip to the 2023 World ARDF Championships.  (CLICK FOR THIS ARTICLE)


QST April 1993 cover

Feature Articles



ARDF Update Feature Articles for the ARRL Web Site

(Beginning in 2013, ARRL Web site stopped accepting feature articles such as the ARDF Update.  The ARRL site now carries only brief news stories.)


CQ logoHoming In appeared monthly in 73 Magazine from November 1988 until the magazine ceased publication with the September 2003 issue.  My column then appeared in CQ VHF magazine, a quarterly publication, from 2004 through Fall 2013, in CQ-Plus Digital Magazine during 2014, and then four times per year in CQ Magazine, usually February, May, August and November.  CQ Magazine ceased publication with the October 2024 issue.

The Fine Print: This is the official Web site for Homing In and other KØOV articles about RDF, but not for any particular magazine.  I am an independent writer in southern California, not an employee of any publisher.  I am available for writing and consulting for other periodicals and organizations.  Opinions in these articles are my own, not necessarily those of the publications in which they appear.  Text and artwork of all articles Copyright © Joseph D. Moell.  All republication rights are reserved.

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This page updated 21 March 2024