Receiver help for tracking wounded game

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wgarrett37

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I am a high school student from Indiana. In our senior engineering design class, my group decided to attempt to make a system to track game animals, namely whitetail deer, that have been mortally wounded by archery equipment using a radio beacon. We have a small beacon made for falconry that transmits at around 173 MHz and need a way to find it. None of us have any experience with radio tracking technology and any pointers on getting, using, or possibly making a receiver would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 

GrumpyGuard

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I would purchase a Baofeng UV-5R. If you do an internet search you can find the radio for around $50.00 on either Amazon or Ebay. That is the easy part. Since you are not licensed please don't transmit on the radio. I would suggest that you and your team get together with one of your local amateur radio clubs and have them teach you how to hunt radio transmitters. There is so much involved in finding a transmitter that you are better off having the radio club teach you.
 

robertmac

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Don't really need to have a transceiver for this. Then the temptation to transmit is removed. There are a number of good receivers and antennas for the 174 MHz frequencies that a lot of wildlife tracking people use. Not really sure how you would track a "mortally" wounded animal without first putting the transmitter on the animal. A blood trail would probably give more results. A google search will provide links to these low powered transmitters, antennas and receivers that are more sensitive than the Ham radio listed hear and others. These receivers will also have the proper step to hear the transmitted signal.
 
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pinballwiz86

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I am a high school student from Indiana. In our senior engineering design class, my group decided to attempt to make a system to track game animals, namely whitetail deer, that have been mortally wounded by archery equipment using a radio beacon. We have a small beacon made for falconry that transmits at around 173 MHz and need a way to find it. None of us have any experience with radio tracking technology and any pointers on getting, using, or possibly making a receiver would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Clever idea! You'd want to run an Internet search for the nearest HAM club. They will help you make a directional antenna, etc.

Good luck!
 

GrumpyGuard

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Don't really need to have a transceiver for this. Then the temptation to transmit is removed.

This is true, but the price for the radio is much cheaper than a receiver made for this purpose. Yes I thought about the temptation to transmit, but I hope they are mature enough not to transmit on the radio.
 

ChetsJug

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Hey :)

You might want to recruit the help of your local Game Warden. There might even be a program to help you wth an educational project. Certinly this falls under the heading of "Don't reinvent the Wheel" Go to the people that track animals.

When I was n Virginia, I saw a pickup with a yagi on the roof and inside was a motor home TV antenna style turn handle. There was a coax dropping down from the center with a BNC connector on it. It took me a minute to realize I was in 'coon huntin' country.

Contact a hunting club in your state and ask about radio tracking.

TTFN

Chet
 
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wa1nic

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You want something with an "S-meter" that actually works. With the UV-R, it does not actually work, at least none of the ones that I have does. It is either all or nothing on the display.
 

bharvey2

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Hopefully I'm not too late to the party. How about a USB SDR dongle and a portable Android device? Coupled with a yagi antenna this could be a quick and dirty option.
 

robertmac

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Possible now but when thread was started in 2013, not sure there were many SDRs, or that worked with out a computer. And I'm not sure it was ever answered about how a mortally wounded deer would be tagged in the first place
 
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