Fox hunt report – 12 December 2003 Four teams assembled at the north end of Cardigan St Carlton on a mild evening (with forecast of showers). Roger VK3HRL briefed the teams and shortly after 2010 the first hunt commenced.
The 1st fox was a remotely keyed VK3ZEO Special concealed in an “L-type” fire hydrant cover just around the corner at the north-west end of Keppel Street. VK3OW couldn’t hear signal and were instructed to head south – 40m south is still south. VK3BLN was first in, followed two minutes later by YQN and YDF (who were distracted by seedy events in an unrelated vehicle). VK3OW ended up in very heavy congestion in Richmond.
The second hunt started from the same location (Cardigan St). Dennis VK3BQZ had concealed the fox in a length of plastic pipe in a new industrial estate in Network Drive Port Melbourne (under West Gate Bridge near Boeing). There were some signal strength problems which required a few overs from the car rig. VK3YQN was in first followed nine minutes later by VK3YDF. BLN and OW could hear the fox but failed to arrive within the time limit.
The third hunt was a two-legged event, just as the rain set in. Graeme VK3ZEO and Roger VK3HRL placed sequenced foxes about 800m apart in Williamstown North / Newport. The foxes were keyed by a 70cm transmitter operated by Graeme and they transmitted in sequence on 145.300 MHz. To get hounds into the area Roger put up some overs from the car. All hounds found Graeme first – BLN (0), YDF (1), YQN (1) and OW (4). True to HRL’s hunt planning form, progress of some teams was impeded by a very long freight train (PacNat 5MP4, with two NRs and a DL in the shafts, for readers’ interest). “We’ll pick you up where we dropped you” “No, I can’t get back there’s a big train in the way. Why don’t you come to me?” “I can’t, there’s a big train in the way.”
For the other leg (and scored on leg time), VK3YDF found Roger first, followed by OW, BLN and YQN. Peter C of the YQN team takes the honours for finding Roger’s fox without equipment (it was sitting in plain view on a railway signal cabin). Most others went straight for concealed car.
While Roger went home to get supper going, Dennis and Graeme ran the fourth hunt, another two legged event which also turned out to be the supper hunt. With a rapidly fading fox, Dennis placed himself in Maribyrnong St Yarraville, deceptively close to, but not at, the rail freight terminal. Hounds got in as follows:- YQN (0), BLN (2), YDF (2), OW (9).
On the second leg, Graeme and son Norman went to ground in the Paisley Park golf course. Order (based on leg time) was YQN (0), YDF (2), BLN (4), OW (7).
Christmas supper was held at Roger’s QTHR. Hounds and fox team partook in a barbecue, the left-overs of which were strategically buried by a very grateful woofer for later consumption.
Overall scores:-
Hunt 1 Hunt 2 Hunt 3 Hunt 4 Total Place VK3BLN 0 10 0+6=6 2+4=6 22 3 VK3OW 10 10 4+2=6 9+7=16 42 4 VK3YDF 5 9 1+0=1 2+2=4 19 2 VK3YQN 2 0 1+7=8 0+0=0 10 1
Well done VK3YQN!
73s,
Roger Lewis VK3HRL