Hunt Results

Summary:

Yesterday's winter Solstice hunt brought out two teams to brave the shortest day of the year and frigid conditions (high 71 & low 42) in the San Diego area. Hunt started at 6 instead of 5 to accommodate one team/s work schedule so hunt was in total darkness and it was reported that the hunters were alone in the Grossmont College Parking Lot at start time.

We wanted to make the hunt rather short due to short days and Christmas challenges so we decided to just park in the parking lot of Finca Casa Blanca Restaurant in La Mesa, just 2.52 miles away via 2-M waves. We had used this same location back in 2018 and actually hid a micro in the restaurant! We strategically placed a couple of micros and just to add confusion we programmed a squawk box on the main hunt frequency with directions to tell the hunters to locate the second micro by searching with whatever equipment they had on a frequency between 144.000 and 144.999 to find the frequency of T-5 so they could find it. Caught a little flack on this aspect of the hunt but as we all know and Boy Scouts know.... you need to BE PREPARED for unforeseen circumstances!

Hunt started at 6:00 PM. at 6:18 Joe and Jerry pulled into the parking lot and located micro with directions on how to find T-5. At 6:29 Greg and Tom arrived and located first micro with directions on how to find T-5. Confusion then reigned as both teams were attempting to figure out how to find the frequency to locate T-5. Joe and Jerry, using Joe's Kenwood F6A handheld, were the first to find the frequency and began the search with Greg and Tom a few minutes behind them. At 6:42 Joe, KE6PHB located T-5 in a palm tree sheath that had been trimmed off (see photo) making him and Jerry, W6VLF the winners! We all adjourned into Finca Casa Blanca, we were the only ones there when we arrived, and had a nice quiet dinner, liquid refreshments and discussion of future T-Hunt activities. So Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and goodby Winter Solstice. N6SZO & W6BAF