www.qrpfoxhunt.org

Click Here for the Summer version of our rules!

Click Here for the K3ESE QRP Fox Hunt primer!

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/have 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!

Rules:

GENERAL

The hunts will take place each Thursday evening (US time) from Thursday, November 4th, 2004 through Thursday, March 17th, 2005.

Each hunt will start at 0200Z, and last for 2 hours (last entry no later than 0359).
The local Thursday evening starting times will be as follows in North America:

6:00pm Pacific
7:00pm Mountain
8:00pm Central
9:00pm Eastern

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 QSOs as possible during the 2 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 a Hunt, the Fox will post a notice on the listserver providing useful details such as his QTH, equipment, antenna(s), etc. Because many Hunters read the listserver's daily digest, changes after that time are to be avoided, as far as possible. Since it's a "Hunt," the Fox will not post his starting frequency.

• 1.4 The Fox will operate within +/- 10Khz of 7.040 MHz.

• 1.5 The Fox will operate at an output level of 5W.

• 1.6 The Fox will call "CQ FOX DE [callsign]," "QRZ FOX," or otherwise identify himself as the Fox during the progress of the hunt.

• 1.7 The Fox may QSY to avoid QRM, but will indicate his intention to do so.

• 1.8 The Hounds should avoid transmitting on the Fox's transmitting frequency. Splits (separate transmit/receive capability or (XIT/RIT) of up to 5 Khz may be used by the Fox, but the Fox will not ordinarily indicate where he is listening. Hounds are strongly discouraged from reporting "spots," or fox activity, that indicate frequency and other related information during a hunt. This prohibition was developed in 2004 to level the playing field for those without real-time access to such reports and to enhance the overall "hunt" aspect of the event.

  The Fox can be expected to change his listening frequency often, depending on the number of stations calling and the frequency spread. Hounds who cannot 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.

• 1.9 A valid QSO is defined as the exchange of:
  - Signal Report
  - QTH
  - Operator's Name, and
  - Power Output

  Examples: 559 CO ET 500MW
  579 ND DOC 5W

  The Fox's information may in some cases be "deemed" to be exchanged. That is, the Hunter need not acknowledge the Fox's information, and the Fox may work a list. For example, the Fox may call several stations and acknowledge their information one by one, while sending his own information only once for the list. 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, for Fox credits, because of the possibility of multiple contacts with stations not participating competitively as Hounds. Hounds may work each Fox only once per session. Hounds must not work the Fox again using a different call sign (e.g. a club call). Foxes may also compete as Hounds, and may claim one point for their own sessions as the Fox, and one point for each other Fox operating at the same time (this is to avoid having Foxes abandon their frequencies in order to work each other).

• 1.10 Each Fox will post his log to QRP-L as soon as practical after the completion of each hunt, ideally within 24 hours of completion of the Hunt. The log is to be in ASCII text format, showing one QSO per line with the following information:
  

  Time

  Call

  RST (received)

  QTH

  Operator

  Number/Power

  For example:
  0101 N1FN 559 CO ET 500MW

  Extraneous information such as colons in the time entries, 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 by the 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 include suggestions as to preferred operating procedure, but in the absence of any other instructions, the Hound should send his call sign only once after a call by the Fox or the conclusion of a QSO.

• 2.2 Hounds may organize themselves into Teams of five members, with the Teams competing separately with each other for "team honors." Teams are to advise their rosters to the Teams Coordinator, (VE5RC), rattray@gpfn.sk.ca, before the third Hunt. "Sub-contests" are encouraged, but, with the exception of the "Teams Competition," are the sole responsibility of the person who decides to organize them.

• 2.3 At the end of the Hunt, the winners will 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.

• 2.4 Good hunting, and make FUN your First Priority!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR QRP FOX HUNT LOGS
(Provided by Tom, N1TP, former QRP Fox Hunt Scorekeeper)

1. DON'T USE TABS. LOG containing tabs must be re-done - by you. 
   Computer program will not accept a LOG with tabs.
   
   
2. See correct LOG (e-mailed concurrently with the LOG instructions). 
   
   
3. EVERY line in LOG must include, in this order, time (UTC), 
   Hound's callsign, signal report Hound sent to FOX, Hound's State,
   Hound's name & Hound's power output. 
   Reports FOX sends to the Hounds are not required).
   
   
4. An entry that does not contain all 5 items could possibly 
   be voided (by the Committee) if a "LOG protest" is filed.
   Typos can be corrected later. 
   
   
5. If you don't enter a QSO in pre-log, add it before FINAL Log. 
   
   
6. Don't put superfluous infomation in your LOG, such as:
   
   40CW 21-Nov-03 02:01 1 K0EVZ 559 559 NM DOC 5W
   
   A correct example entry is: 0200 K0EVZ 559 NM DOC 5W 
   
   
7. Your QSO will be the last line, just under entry for other FOX.
   
   0400 [other FOX's call] xxx [other FOX's State] FOX 5W 
   0400 [ur call] xxx [ur state] FOX 5W 
   
   

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Who's Who on the QRP Fox Hunt Committee:

KØEVZ -    Doc, Grand Poobah Too   VE5RC -    Bruce, Team Tallies   K3ESE -    Lloyd, Admin & Scheduling   N9NE -    Todd, Scorekeeper   N1FN -    ET, Grand Grand Poobah   WBØJNR -    Roger, Webmaster

The QRP Fox Hunt Committee wishes to thank the Colorado QRP Club for their kind donation of this web page, site design, editing services, and sponsorship of these hunts! We especially want to thank Marshall, at MorseExpress, for all of the web assistance he provided CQC and the QRP Fox Hunt since their first appearances on the Internet! Also, Ham Radio wouldn't be here without the ARRL - is your membership current?

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(Surface mail: Colorado QRP Club - P.O. Box 17174, Golden, Colorado 80402-6019 USA)

CQC Webmaster
Roger J. Wendell, WBØJNR

 

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