Tune in. Take a bearing. Find the adventure.
MSRDF brings amateur radio direction finding to life throughout Mississippi—from casual weekend transmitter hunts and social gatherings to demanding radio navigation competitions, precision signal detection exercises, and balloon recovery operations.
Our activities offer different ways to take part for people with varied interests, experience levels, and physical abilities. Whether you enjoy technical problem-solving, outdoor navigation, friendly competition, or simply sharing the experience with other radio enthusiasts, there is a place to begin.
Choose your pace
Some events bring everyone together for a shared start. Others let participants work around their own schedules.
Everyone meets at the same location and begins at the same time. A Hunt Coordinator or Director conducts the event, provides instructions, manages the start and finish, and keeps up with rankings and winners.
Fox Hunts, Radio Orienteering Events, Precision Radio Signal Detection Field Exercises, and Balloon Chases are Group Hunts. Some T-Hunts also use the Group Hunt format.
Come & Go Hunts are always T-Hunts. Participants can hunt at any time during the advertised event window, whenever their schedules permit.
Some events run for several hours, one day, or an entire weekend. The format lets hunters participate without having to meet at a common starting time.
Find the hidden transmitter
A T-Hunt is a search for an unmanned, automatically transmitting radio transmitter—not a person speaking over a microphone.
T-Hunt transmitter
Unmanned and automatic
The search area
Every T-Hunt has advertised boundaries that define the search area. A boundary may be as compact as a park or small community, as broad as a county or several counties, or even encompass an entire state.
Hunters in Southern California have been known to conduct four-state hunts. We have not gotten that brave yet in Mississippi.
A fair beginning
A recommended Starting Location gives hunters a useful, consistent place from which to begin. When accrued mileage determines the rankings, every participant must start from the same location so the mileage comparison is fair.
On the road or on foot
Most of the search is conducted from vehicles. Hunters travel through the Hunt Boundary and stop periodically to take radio bearings, compare signal strength, and choose the next direction of travel.
Once the signal has been narrowed to a small area, the final part of the hunt is completed on foot. The transmitter is often visible from the vehicle, but not always. It might be at the base of a tree or up in the branches. It might be under a bush, or attached to a fence post. In an urban area it might be behind a sign, or magnetically stuck to a metal object.
After finding it, hunters record the find by scanning its QR code with Hunt Manager or by signing a paper logbook when electronic verification is impractical.
The entire hunt is conducted on foot. Participants carry their radio direction finding equipment while working their way toward the transmitter.
Walking distances depend on the size and terrain of the advertised Hunt Boundary. A Pedestrian T-Hunt may take place in a park, at an event site, or in another area suitable for a complete on-foot search.
Together from the start
In a Group T-Hunt, participants gather at a common Starting Location, receive instructions, and begin at the same time. Rankings may be based on the lowest accrued mileage or on the order in which hunters find the transmitter.
The shared finish often becomes part of the fun. Hunters meet afterward to socialize, compare equipment and strategies, and recount the wrong turns, surprising bearings, and adventures that unfolded along the way. Sometimes the transmitter is hidden at a restaurant or picnic site and the hunters must find their dining location.
Depending on the event, hunters may meet at a restaurant after the search, or gather for a picnic where everyone contributes food. The meal and the retelling of each team’s hunting adventure are important parts of the fellowship.
Find the hidden radio operator
A Fox Hunt always has a live Amateur Radio Operator playing the role of the Fox. The hunters—the Hounds—search for that person.
At the beginning of the hunt, the Fox drives around while verbally taunting the Hounds over the radio. After choosing a hiding location, the Fox continues transmitting while the Hounds use vehicles and radio direction finding equipment to close in.
The Fox acknowledges hunters as they find him. If the search becomes too difficult, he may increase transmitter power or provide hints. The event normally continues until everyone has found the Fox.
The first hunter to find the Fox usually agrees to take the role of the Fox at the next event. If everyone finishes quickly, the group may conduct a second round.
Navigation skills and endurance
Radio Orienteering is a genuine foot race through a forested area, combining radio direction finding, traditional orienteering, navigation skills, and physical endurance.
Competitors travel on foot through woods and other natural terrain, sometimes following established trails and sometimes moving cross-country. They use radio direction finding equipment together with maps and compasses to locate between three and five transmitters before reaching the finish line.
Speed matters. Athletic ability and endurance play major roles in competitive rankings, along with the radio and navigation decisions each competitor makes along the course.
Detect, identify, and isolate sources of QRM
PRSD is an MSRDF-developed activity invented by our founder, K1REZ, to fill a void in traditional radio direction finding.
Unlike T-Hunts, Fox Hunts, and Radio Orienteering with its many variations, PRSD does not require vehicle driving, map and compass, land navigation skills, extended walking, or physical endurance. It concentrates purely on the technical skills of detecting, identifying, discriminating between, isolating, and pinpointing radio interference sources.
In a typical event, 30 visible pods are distributed around a very small area such as a yard, small park, tennis court, or around the perimeter of a small building. Only six contain real transmitters; the other 24 are decoys. The transmitters use different signals, antenna polarizations, and power outputs. Some signals alternate while others transmit simultaneously.
Participants, called Discriminators determine which six pods contain the real transmitters, then record information such as antenna polarization and signal strength.
Skill without a stopwatch
PRSD takes place in a small area and requires very little walking, making it suitable for senior adults, people with disabilities, and anyone who wants to concentrate on technical radio direction finding rather than speed or navigation.
There is no running, no racing, no finish line, and no ticking clock forcing participants to rush.
The focus is on signal detection skills and a deeper understanding of how radio signals behave.
Track, recover, and analyze
Balloon Chase & Recovery combines technical radio direction finding with demanding outdoor adventure.
Recovery teams usually travel across several Mississippi counties tracking the balloon, with some flights even landing in Alabama. Before launch, participants study wind forecasts and weather information to predict likely landing areas and try to position themselves nearby.
After launch, vehicle-based radio direction finding narrows the search. The final recovery may require walking long distances through difficult terrain, where brush, creeks, and forests can present serious obstacles.
Predict likely landing areas using wind and weather information.
Track the payload with strong mobile and pedestrian T-Hunting skills.
Recover with navigation ability, physical fitness, endurance, and sound judgment.
Respect property. Permission from landowners is required.
From first bearing to verified find
The Hunt Manager is the online system used for organizing and managing MSRDF events. It gives participants and coordinators a shared place to follow a hunt from signup through the final results.
Open Hunt ManagerView upcoming and active hunts
Sign up for events
Record finds with QR codes
Automatically record find times
Track verified finds and First to Finds
Review completed hunts
View rankings and statistics
Follow awards and achievements
Paper logs remain available when QR code verification is impractical or cellular service is unavailable.
Tradition, challenge, and fellowship
The Mississippi Radio Direction Finding Association hosts special annual championships and fun events that showcase the many sides of RDF.
Test your skills
Held every year to determine the state Cannonball Team Champions.
Held every year to determine the state's annual Precision Radio Signal Detection Champion.
Held every year to determine the state's annual Radio Orienteering Champion.
Held every year to determine the state's annual Balloon Chase & Recovery Champion.
Held every year to determine the state's annual Fox Hunt Champion.
Held every year to determine the state's annual T-Hunt Champion.
Just for the joy of it
Held every year for fun, treats, and fellowship.
Held every year for fun, food, and fellowship.
Held every year for fun, food, and fellowship.
Your next bearing starts here