This annual 2-hour event, takes place locally on the 2 metre band, usually on a Tuesday in June. At the conclusion of the event, the HIL-JON shield is presented to the winners, who then take on the role of the fox, the following year.
MBARS 2M DF Contest (Foxhunt) for the HILJON Trophy
Rules
The annual MBARS Direction Finding (DF) contest is open to all fully paid-up members of Morecambe Bay Amateur Radio Society (MBARS). Guest teams are invited to participate, but the HILJON Trophy will be awarded to the highest placed team from the above Society.
The contest will be held on the first club-night in June, or in the case of inclement weather, the first available club-night.
Teams will consist of two club members. Passengers are invited but, again, the Trophy will be awarded to the two named members of the team.
The contest will start from the car park of the Trimpell Sports and Social Club at 7pm and finish at 9pm. Each contestant must record their vehicle starting mileage before the contest begins.
The search area will be in a 5-mile radius of the start point, but not any point south of the River Lune.
Click on the following region maps to enlarge.
The fox must be stationary on public land i.e. roads, public footpaths or public land and must not be in a built-up area. They must also make sure that there is sufficient parking space for contestants cars in the location they choose.
The frequency of 145.375 is recommended for the contest, or if this is in use, the next available frequency to this. The fox must not change power unless requested by a contestant. The fox should then let all contestants know of any change.
A test transmission will be given before the start from the fox, for the purpose of setting clocks, watches etc. and also to make sure that all the contestants can receive their transmissions.
At the start of the hunt the fox will transmit for 1 minute and then the frequency will remain quiet for 4 minutes after which the fox will transmit for a further 1 minute. This pattern continues until the end of the contest.
During the quiet period each team can request an extra transmission. This will last for 30 seconds.
NOTE: Only one extra transmission per team is allowed during each period of quiet.
Once the fox has been found they will take down the callsigns of the team members. The contestants should then proceed to the finish (Trimpell Club) by the shortest route. The contest continues until all remaining contestants have found the fox, or two hours has elapsed, whichever occurs first.
Contestants are requested not to draw attention to the position of the fox so as to make the hunt fair for all concerned.
On returning to Trimpell, each team will note down the final mileage. The winning team will be the one which has found the fox in the shortest distance (including the return trip to Trimpell).
The results will be given out at the Trimpell club on the night and the HILJON Trophy will be engraved with the names and callsigns of the winning team who will jointly hold the trophy for 12 months.
As an added bonus to holding the trophy, the winning team will have the pleasure of being the foxes for the next year’s DF hunt.
Contestants are requested to drive with care, not exceed the speed limits, (it is not a road race), and not to cause obstruction on any roads by parking in the wrong place or when taking bearings.
Previous winners
| 1980’s | 1990’s | 2000’s | 2010’s | 2020’s |
| 1990 G6ZET G0NYD | 2000 G8TZJ G0RDH | 2010 G0LWU M0ZIF | 2020 Covid | |
| 1991 G0ASQ & son | 2001 No contest | 2011 G3VVT M1DBL | 2021 Covid | |
| 1992 G8TZJ | 2002 G0LWU G1TLQ | 2012 M3LCZ 2E0HOK | 2022 G7UBU M7ASK | |
| 1993 G0ASQ & son | 2003 G8TZJ G0RDH | 2013 M6CYG M6JOG | 2023 G8TZJ | |
| 1994 G0CHV G0FYW | 2004 M3GBX M0DGK | 2014 LA2BSA G7UBU | 2024 G6ZET | |
| 1995 G0ASQ G4UUX | 2005 G0TOO 2E0AZB | 2015 G0LWU | 2025 G8TZJ | |
| 1996 G0CHV G0FYW | 2006 G3VVT M1DBL | 2016 G3VVT M6YPE | ||
| 1997 G0LWU G7CAF | 2007 G0LWU | 2017 G6ZET | ||
| 1988 G4UME G4UUX | 1998 G8TZJ G0RDH | 2008 G3VVT M1DBL | 2018 M3UAY G0LWU | |
| 1989 G4UGC | 1999 G3CSY M1BSF | 2009 No contest | 2019 G6ZET G0NYD |
League table of winners
| Number of times they have won. | Callsigns of winners |
| 6 | G0LWU G8TZJ |
| 5 | |
| 4 | G3VVT G6ZET |
| 3 | G0ASQ G0RDH M1DBL |
| 2 | G0CHV G0FYW G0NYD G4UUX G7UBU |
| 1 | 2E0AZB 2E0HOK G0TOO G1TLQ G3CSY G4UGC G4UME G7CAF LA2BSA M0DGK M0ZIF M1BSF M3GBX M3LCZ M3UAY M6CYG M6JOG M6YPE M7ASK |
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD HUNTING