Update on our first T-Hunt

Update on our first T-Hunt
February 2, 2014 Ralph Borcherds

On Feb 1 we did our first T-Hunt here in the desert. It was a great success. Julie KJ6FYY hid the transmitter for us. We started the morning off by building a couple tape measure antennas and making sure all our radios were tuned into the correct frequency. With the wide range of radios in use we learned that we need to have a lot of various connectors on hand to be able to connect the radios and antennas. Also the kits use a few different types of wires so be prepared for various size coax cables as well.
Once we started a few things we learned the following. It is very easy for the transmitter to be reflected depending on where and how it is hidden. This means that you cannot assume the signal is coming from just one location. The 2 meter transmitter has a signal range of about 1 mile with squelch turned on and up to 2 miles line of sight with no squelch using a tape measure antenna. The transmitter is only about 1”by 9” plus the antenna running on a 9 volt battery.
Only two people actually found the transmitter but we all were in close proximity. We ended the T-hunt at a park and had a picnic lunch as a group. Everyone that participated had a lot of fun and we all learned something. We will be planning another T-hunt at the end of September this year and then again another in January 2015. T-Hunting can be used during an emergency. What you learn in doing T-Hunts is the exact same thing that is used in locating lost radios such as in downed airplanes etc.

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