LARS Fox Hunt of 11 October 2003

	The Fox looked out of his den and opened his bright eyes 
and saw only a slight brightening of the eastern sky and the 
full moon lying low in the west.  It was a cloudy, damp, 
foggy, cool morning.  

	The parts manufactured and/or tested yesterday were 
collected from the garage and crammed into the silver Camry.  
The charged batteries were placed carefully in their boxes for 
the trip to the day's hiding place.

	The FOX was the Icom IC2AT, FOX Controller, Ramsey 25 Watt 
Amplifier, trailer hitch adapter, 10-foot PVC mast and 4-element beam.  
These were taken to a location in Knox County and then the Camry 
was driven up the road to the top of the hill.  Although you can hardly 
see the gravel for the grass.  The mast adapter and hitch were 
attached to the car.  Then the 4-element beam was attached to the 
mast with particular care taken to align the marks and beam so as to 
point southeast, toward Barbourville not toward London!  By the way, 
the beam was horizontally polarized! This was set into the adapter 
and coax run to the front seat of the Camry. The Amplifier was plugged 
into the lighter receptacle, the FOX radio to the 8 volt batteries, the 
FOX controller to the 9 Volt battery, the touchtone controller to an 
11 Volt battery and controlling the 9 volt battery, the IC4AT to the 
alkaline battery pack and coax run the two radios and amp.  
That's the mess in the front seat!  I then shut the trunk and doors 
and walked down the hill carrying my Alinco dual band HT.  At 10 AM 
the FOX was remotely turned on and reports were being heard that 
it was real weak!!!  Could the reason be that it wasn't pointed 
toward London.

	I sat in a chair with fans blowing and listened the reports coming 
in while writing it all down.  It is amazing how much trouble was 
caused by horizontally polarizing and deliberately pointing its 
amplified signal somewhere else.  I thought it might make the 
hunt a little more interesting but not to the point of the hunters 
giving up after only 2 ½ hours.

	The first hunter activity was on 147.285 + repeater and 
changed to 146.61 - at 11:37.

10:00	Fox Remotely turned on
10:02	Peter, KJ4ND asked if anyone could hear the FOX?
10:02	Rodney, KG4LKY is just leaving the house, 
	Peter tells him the FOX is very faint.
10:06	Rodney asked Peter if he could still hear it.
10:06	Peter says it's still weak but probably southeast, 
	but still too weak.
10:07	Rodney said that it's about Corbin, isn't it”?
10:13	Peter tells Rodney it is still real weak, Rodney says 
	to get on high spot and try to hear it.
10:16	Stanley, KD4ERF, was called but did not answer.
10:24	Peter ID'ed, Rodney called Peter and asked if any 
	stronger. Peter said it's still real weak.
10:27	Rodney can hear it on McWhorter Hill.
10:28	Peter is heading down 25.
10:30	Peter says nothing is much better, 2 bars at Bob's (at Lily).
10:30	Eddie, K4XXX, calls Peter, no answer.
10:32	Eddie calls Peter, no answer.
10:37	Rodney ID'ed.  Peewee, KF4ZUX, calls Rodney, Hunting FOX?
10:38	Peewee and Rodney then started talking about TNC's.
10:39	Rodney then observes that he doesn't know where 
	Peter has gotten to.
10:45	Peter is mobile, calls Rodney, Rodney asks what you getting?
10:46	Peter is getting close to Mr. Gatti's, it's getting stronger.
10:46	Rodney announces he is at Bob's (Lily).
10:58	Noisy signal.
11:02	Unknown transmission.
11:05	Rodney ID'ed.  Eddie asked if you copied me?? 
	Says to try back roads.
11:06	Rodney is having a time, running red lights, cutting 
	off cars, needs a direction.
11:07	Eddie tries to calm him down, Rodney tells him to head 
	for Master St.
11:15	Rodney calls Peter twice, Stephen KG4LLB finally calls 
	Rodney and asked if the FOX has been found yet.  Rodney 
	says the signal is half scale all over Corbin!
11:19	Rodney says he's burned black marks, done donuts and 
	ain't doing it on purpose.  One in front of him just stopped 
	on a green light.
11:20	Stephen called Rodney, Let's meet somewhere.
11:21	Rodney says stay at old Wal-Mart.
11:27	Rodney calls Stephen, Which way you going, Stephen?
11:35	Peter ID'ed.  Rodney tells him we don't know where it is. 
	It's gotta be around here someplace.  (They are still in 
	Corbin, the FOX is NOT in Corbin.)
11:37	Peter tells Rodney to go to 146.61 - repeater.
11:38	Peter called Rodney, You at Mr. Gatti's and I'm at Liberty Church.
11:38	Scotty, W4EFG, calls Peter.
11:47	Stanley calls Scotty, tells him he is with Peter.
11:48	Scotty makes comment that this is a Sneaky FOX.
11:58	Rodney is watching Peter and Stanley running around in circles, 
	equal signal in two different directions.
12:00	Rodney is by Wendy's and Eddie is in the middle 
	of the field in the bushes.
12:09	The Fox, N4ICU called Stanley, no answer.
12:21	Rodney ID'ed.
12:22	Eddie calls, Where you at?
12:23	Rodney says he's on some road, I don't know. 
	I think it's in an airplane.
12:24	Rodney says the beam is bouncing off the mountains.
12:28	Fox asks Rodney if he's in North or South Corbin. 
	Answered South. Fox said that's better.
12:32	Eddie is mobile.
12:33	Eddie is mobile.
12:34	Peter ID'ed.
12:35	Stanley calls Peter and says he's not found it yet 
	but it strong almost all the way to Barbourville!
12:38	Stanley calling Peter, where do you want to meet?
12:40	Stephen calls Eddie, all meet at Mr. Gatti's.
	THE HUNTERS GAVE UP AFTER ONLY 2 HOURS and 40 MINUTES!!!
12:42	Fox remotely turned the FOX off.

	Sometime around noon or a little later, Rodney led the discussion 
about food trying to get the FOX so hungry that he would give up and 
tell where he is.  This was not as strong a temptation to me as it was 
to them.  A good breakfast sets you up for the day.  They gave in first.

	Fox, Jim, N4ICU started walking back up the road and up the hill. 
He had to stop and take a breather about half way up, going down is 
bunches easier!!  Upon reaching the hilltop some pictures were taken 
of today's FOX hidey place.  Stanley wanted me to come to Gatti's so 
in my haste to get down off the hill I forgot to remove the mast and 
antenna.  Didn't hurt them a bit, 1 ½ inch schedule 40 PVC is tough 
and it hit NO tree limbs.  Of course I did forget my soft drink and left 
it in the country as I drove back to town.  Now that caused thirst.

P.S. Why would anyone think of us as SNEAKY?

73 & GOD Bless
Jim, Fox, FOX, Sneaky, N4ICU ………………..