My first "Fox Hunt"

I participated in an amateur radio "fox hunt" last night with other members of the Amateur Radio Club of Savannah. Fox Hunting is basically another term for Radio Direction Finding where you attempt to find the source of a radio transmission. See this link for details. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmitter_hunting

Here's a nice summary from Andy, WD4AFY, who is the president of the club.

The Amateur Radio Club of Savannah had a very fun and exciting meeting February 7th. We were extremely lucky to get seating in the banquet room thanks to Calvin, at Barnes Restaurant. We ordered our meal and while awaiting for the food to arrive, we briefly addressed club business. At the conclusion of the meal, Kurt Hoffman, N4CVF, was designated as the "fox."

Kurt, N4CVF, left the restaurant, found a decent hiding place, and began to make periodic transmissions. The hunt was on. After about 40 minutes, team Guy McDonald, K4GTM and Robert Owen KJ4HAL, found the elusive "fox," first. Congratulations!!!!!! This was their first ever "fox hunt." The other teams followed shortly thereafter. Because of the late hour, it was decided not to do a second hunt.

Thanks go to everyone who participated. Those that were not at the meeting and the "fox hunt" missed out on a great time.

73,
Andy Blackburn, WD4AFY
ARCS President

International Space Station Visible Pass

I had the opportunity this past Thursday evening to view the International Space Station as it passed over Georgia from the NW to the SE. This is the first time that I've ever seen the ISS and it was a treat. The space station is in a Low Earth Orbit and can be seen from Earth with the naked eye; it orbits at an altitude of approximately 190 nautical miles above the surface of the Earth, and travels at an average speed of 17,210 miles per hour, completing 15.7 orbits per day. This pass was visible primarily due to the position of the ISS relative to the setting sun which reflects off the station and makes it appear as a bright light traveling across the sky. Lorie, Charlotte, and Jackson all stood out in the front yard with me as I looked skyward. We were able to see the station fly over from horizon to horizon. What a great pass! I was also listening to the HAM station downlink frequency on the handheld and the scanner but they still apparently have the repeater turned off. Looking forward to a couple of other good passes later in the month.