The annual LRS Direction-Finding Contest (D/F Hunt) was held on 14th May starting outside the Braid Hills Hotel on Braid Road at 19:30. As usual, Peter Dick GM4DTH was the Fox station, transmitting on 1875kHz. His location was on Corstorphine Hill. Fortunately the Wx was a lot better than the previous evening when there were thunderstorms over Edinburgh!
The winner was Melvyn Bond at 20:46 and second was Brian Howie GM4DIJ at 20:50.
Photos by Alan GM3PSP & Peter GM4DTH.
At the start outside the Braid Hills Hotel Colin GM4HWO proudly shows his AR88-DF
to Jack GM1CQC, Brian GM4DIJ, Brian GM8BJF and Malcolm GM3TAL.
Peter’s report:
The Fox station was established on Corstorphine Hill on the boundary of the golf course. This was a line of sight path (2.5 miles / 4km) to the Braid Hills Hotel which was the recommended start location. A test was carried out with Norrie GM1CNH to ensure that background sounds could not be heard on the transmission, e.g. the sound of roaring lions would narrow down the search area! Transmissions commenced at 19:30 on 1875 kHz AM with a tone keyed on and off. The normal operation of the fox was to send for five minutes followed by five minutes silence. A check was made to confirm that the fox was being received at the start. Nobody could hear the fox; it was noted that the Braid Hills Hotel area has now become electrically noisy and may not be suitable for future hunts. The fox increased its ERP by extending the aerial which resolved the initial reception problem. Pete GM4BYF resigned early with receiver battery failure. He noted that some hunters were searching Craiglockhart Hill. The Fox was contacted at 20:39 by Colin GM4HWO who was at Colinton and had failed to receive the Fox so far; the first clue was issued with a twenty minute penalty. Melvyn GM4HYR found the Fox at 20:46 with Brian GM4DIJ finding it four minutes later at 20:50. Over forty minutes passed when Mike GM8KCS found the Fox at 21:32. He had been hampered by approaching from the ‘wrong’ direction. By this time the Fox had been on continuous transmit for some time. Colin contacted the Fox at 21:37 from the vicinity of the CAA radio sites on Clermiston Hill. He was advised that the Fox would be shutting down in about ten minutes with light failing and the fox battery approaching full discharge. The Fox also broadcast the post-hunt venue. Brian GM8BJF with Malcolm GM3TAL & Alan GM3PSP, and Colin GM4HWO & Jack GM1CQC failed to finish.
The post-hunt venue was the Hampton House Hotel with Peter (Fox) GM4DTH, Mike GM8KCS, his son Mike MM3MDB, Melvyn GM4HYR, Pete GM4BYF, Brian GM4DIJ, Colin GM4HWO and Jack GM1CQC.
At the start, Jack GM1CQC is shown how to do it by Colin GM4HWO.
Pete GM4BYF trying to take a bearing in the RF-noisy conditions at the start.
Brian GM4DIJ, who was the second to find the Fox station at 20:50.
Brian GM8BJF, using an FT-817 (hung around his neck) with a separate ferrite-rod aerial.
Melvyn GM4HYR with his trusty home-brew receiver which survived (after repairs) being run over by a car on a previous event. It must have been working OK as Melvyn was the first to find the Fox station 20:46 !
Three determined competitors:
Melvyn GM4HYR, Brian GM4DIJ (in distance) & Pete GM4BYF.
Colin GM4HWO, down to earth with his map, watched by Jack GM1CQC,
Brian GM8BJF & Malcolm GM3TAL.
A number of competitors headed east along Braid Hills Road for their second bearing.
Here Brian GM8BJF is watched by Malcolm GM3TAL. Alan GM3PSP was their driver.
After much searching, Brian GM8BJF, Malcolm and (driver / photographer) Alan GM3PSP
ended up on West Craiglockhart Hill (nowhere near the Fox) just as it was closing down!
Better luck next year!
Map showing the Fox station on Corstorphine Hill (top left) and the Start at the Braid Hills Hotel (lower right).
Telephoto view of the Braid Hills Hotel from the Fox station at Corstorphine.
Telephoto view of the location of the Fox station on Corstorphine Hill from the Braid Hills Hotel.
(The aerials should have been a dead give-away)!
The Fox was in here (somewhere)!
The rig at the Fox station was a Yaesu FT-70G powered from a 2AH 19V battery with a SMPSU delivering 12V. The tone generator is in the diecast box and is coupled to a NATO handset. Antenna was a random wire matched with a SGC tuner and a fence for a counterpoise. This arrangement gave much less ‘focused’ bearings than the loaded vertical that was used last year.
Close-up of the Yaesu FT-70G rig and tone-generator box used at the Fox station.
View from the Fox station south across the city to the Braids.
Wide view south from the Fox station.
Many thanks to Peter GM4DTH for arranging and operating the 2014 D/F Hunt.