2022-11-19 1st Kanata Scouts Geofoxing Event

This is our amazing ARDF transmitter hunt event

On November 19, 2022, a group of 7 scouts and 2 cubs along with their Troop leaders from Kanata 1st Scouts participated in our second GeoFoxing activity of this year at Walter Baker Park in Kanata. Temperatures were hovering around 0 degrees Celsius and there was a dusting of snow on the ground. It was that typical damp cold that makes you wonder if you should have gone to the mall instead. The group was split up into teams of two or three and provided a briefing on how to use their fox hunting radio receiver, GPS receiver and FRS radio to find radio transmitters (aka foxes) or geocaches hidden strategically throughout the park.

A few of the local Amateur Radio operators also came out to observe and help with set up and tear down. One lesson learned was not to schedule an event like this when the Ottawa Senators are playing an afternoon home game at the Canadian Tire Centre which blocked all road access to Walter Baker Park in all directions for several hours. This meant that most of the participants arrived late. We did briefly explain how GPS works using the analogy of when you count seconds from the time you see lightening to when you hear the thunder - to figure out how far the lightning strike is from your location. You have to come to one of our events to hear the rest of the explanation.

We also talked about how radio direction finding is used in wild life research to track herds, pods and individual animals using very similar radio equipment to what we used during the activity. And everyone enjoyed being able to chat on the FRS radios for fun and also to get help when they needed a hint. Feedback from Mike Thomas the Scouter/organizer was that feedback from participants, parents and other scout leaders was positive. We said that given the cold and the challenges getting there, we should do another one in the spring under better conditions.

Photos from the event

Local Amateur Radio volunteers helping with set-up

Participants from 1st Kanata Scouts troop

Brrrr...did somebody say hot chocolate? Maybe next time!

A see-thru demo fox hanging from a branch in the foreground during the briefing.