All Hounds will be in competition with each other, as will all Foxes. At the end of the hunt, the winner(s) will be the Hound(s) who has worked the most Foxes, and the Fox who has worked the most hounds. Special recognition may be given in other categories. The Foxes may also participate as Hounds.Good hunting, and make FUN your First Priority!

General Rules:

In the summer, the hunts will usually take place each Sunday evening from the first of June through the middle of August (Please see our Schedule Page for this year's dates). There usually is no hunt on the Sunday closest the Independence Day holiday.

In the winter, the hunts will usually take place each Thursday evening from the end of October through the middle of January (Please see our Schedule Page for this year's dates). There usually is no hunt on the Thanksgiving holiday or any Thursday that's close to Christmas or New Years.

Each hunt will start at 2200Z, and last for one and one-half hours (last entry no later than 2329Z).

In each week there will be two Hunts, with two Foxes operating simultaneously.

Guidelines:

1.1    The Fox tries to complete as many CW QRP QSO as possible during the 1.5 hour hunt.

1.2    Each Fox will have two sessions or "runs" during the season, and the Fox's score
for the season will be the aggregate QSO total for the two runs.

1.3    No later than 5PM EST on the day before Hunt, the Fox will post a notice on
QRP-L providing useful details such as his location,equipment, antenna(s), planned
starting frequency, etc.  Because many Hunters read the QRP-L daily digest, changes
after that time will be avoided as far as possible.

1.4    The Fox will operate within +/- 10kHz of 14.060 MHz.

1.5    The Fox will call "CQ FOX DE [callsign],"  "QRZ FOX?," or otherwise identify him/herself
as the Fox during the progress of the hunt.

1.6    The Fox may QSY to avoid QRM, but will indicate his/her intention to do so.

1.7    The Hounds should avoid transmitting on the Fox's transmitting frequency.
Splits (separate transmit/receive capability or XIT/RIT) of up to 5Khz
may be used by the Fox but the Fox will not ordinarily indicate where he/she is listening.
The Fox can be expected to change his/her listeningfrequency often, depending on the number of
stations calling and the frequency spread.  Hounds who can not work "split" or do not have
RIT should nevertheless operate as far from the Fox's transmitting frequency as possible, or
wait until late in the hunt when the Fox is working zero-beat.

1.8   A valid QSO is defined as the exchange of

Signal Report
QTH
Operator's Name, and
Power Output

559 CO ET 500MW
579 ND DOC 5W

The Fox's information may in some cases be "deemed" tobe exchanged.  That is, the Hunter
need not acknowledge the Fox's information, and the Foxmay work a list.  For example, the Fox
may call several stations and acknowledge their informationone by one, while sending his own
information only once for the list. Foxes may work stations who are not Hounds (e.g. QRO stations)

Hounds must be operating at QRP power levels (5W or less) if the contact is to count in the competition. Hounds
may participate at QRPp power levels (1W or less), in which case they should report their power
as 1W or as mW as appropriate

Foxes may work any station including QRO stations.  This is because of the possibility of multiple
contacts with stations not participating competitivelyas Hounds.

Hounds may work each Fox only once per session. Houndsmust not work the Fox again using a different
callsign (e.g. a club call).

Foxes may also compete as Hounds, and  may claimone point for their own sessions as the Fox, and one point for
each other Fox operating at the same time (this is toavoid having Foxes abandon their frequencies in order to work
each other).

1.9.  Each Fox will post his log to QRP-L as soonas practical after the completion of each hunt, ideally within
24 hours of completion of the Hunt.  The log isto be in ASCII text format, showing one QSO per line with the followinginformation:

Time   Call   RST (received)  QTH  Operator    Number/Power

For example:

0101 N1FN 559 CO ET 500MW

Extraneous information such as colons in the time enries,dates, and "QSO numbers" are to be deleted from the Fox's log before posting.

2.0   Hounds will ANSWER a CQ or QRZ? call bythe FOX.  Hounds do not call CQ, nor do
they work each other in proximity to the hunt.

2.1   In his notice to QRP-L, the Fox may includesuggestions as to preferred operating
procedure, but in the absence of any other instructionsthe Hound should send his callsign only
once after a call by the Fox or the conclusion of a QSO.

2.2   Hounds may organize themselves into Teamsof five members, with  the Teams competing
separately with each other for "team honors."  Teamsare to advise their rosters to the Teams
Coordinator, (VE5RC), rattray@gpfn.sk.ca, before the third Hunt.

"Sub-contests"  are encouraged, but with the exceptionof the "Teams Competition" are the sole responsibility of the
person who decides to organize them.

2.3    At the end of the Hunt, the winnerswill be everyone who participated.  Certificates
will be sent to the Hound who has worked the most Foxes,and the Fox who has worked the most Hounds.

Good hunting, and make FUN your First Priority!

The QRP-L Foxhunt Committee:
N1FN, N1TP, KØEVZ, K7QO, VE5RC