KF6GQ's & KD6LAJ's FFA T hunt story. We started Late as usual, because of Steve's job, he works on Saturday. So we knew that we wouldn't be able to get to Temecula for the breakfast get together. So we came down the 215 and took off east toward Lake Skinner. Looking at maps, I figured that there should be some hiding places out in the direction of Black Mt. As 10:00am rolled around we where still on the way to hide the T's (we could hear at least two T's on already). Up Portola Rd. We found our first and primary location to hide our first T/ This was T3 running about 2Watts to a 1/4 wave vertical. The second T was also a T3, a mini T that was on Black Mt. road on a hillside. Main T3 could be heard very well at this location. Then we hid another mini T about 1/2 mile away at this old bridge (see picture), this was Snake T. The last T that we had time to hide before 11:00am was T5 and it was up high over looking Rancho California valley. This T was also on Black mountain road just before it hits Crown Valley Rd. T3 & T5 could be heard in the Temecula area (when other T's where off). On the way back towards Temecula to find T's, we passed Mike & Dave heading up into our hiding area (great, we will have somebody find our T's). So now we knew that Dave & Mike must of hid some T's out this way. So we took a bearing on the strongest T we could hear. It took us some time to locate this T, because we where just getting warmed up for the day's hunting. So we bagged this T and started back towards Temecula for that most annoying cricket T. On the way we just happened to be passing a bunch of rocks on the side of the highway and got a full-scale signal from our left. Stopped and located this one hanging on a post in the rocks. This was also an IDF Squawk T. Then back to the hunt. I think now we where on Ranch California Rd. when we got a strong signal in back of us. We followed a road up to some water tanks, and bagged us a third T, I don't know who's T this was. But Steve (LAJ) said that the cricket T must be close by, because he could hear it without an antenna on his handheld. So off we went on some back roads to hunt down the cricket T. Bad idea! I kept telling Steve that the T was still many miles away. We got back on the highway and headed towards Temecula, when we heard a new T that was very strong. I got a quick bearing on it and turned right up to a winery, on top of a hill. This should be a good spot to get a bearing. Not! Could not hear it again! What is this? So we went back down to where I heard the signal before and started to believe that this was one of those ghost T's. But then there it was again! Over there! So up a knarly dirt road we found a low duty cycle T, hidden in a plastic bucket, in a trash pile. Not bad, four T’s and we weren’t even into Temecula city limits. So off we went towards that pesky cricket T. When we got to the I15 overpass we decided to continue up into the hills above Temecula. Now don’t expect me to remember what roads we where on, but after trying to get up this side of a mountain, on several not roads, we took the long way around to get to that pesky cricket T. We found it along with another RJN T. On the way out we got a bearing on a T that was quite strong and followed it down to a bush on the side of the road. Here we found several of the SD. Teams going in circles looking for other T’s. We didn’t feel that there was any other T’s close by, so we left. As we cams out to Rancho California Rd. again, we heard a T from the left (west). After several wrong streets we located an IDF T hidden under a bunch of sticks, just off of Eagle Nest Rd. Then JPI and AIN arrived and sucked off our hard work and bagged the T also. WE could hear a T up to the North, but decided that that T was going to cost us too much time, and headed back to Temecula. We knew we hadn’t found any of Jippy’s T’s or AIN’s, so we knew that they had to be somewhere to the south of Temecula. On the way down Main St. we got two signals to our right and found a T behind a lean to on Calle Cerrillo. Then past this location we found another AIN T. We could hear another T almost directly south of this location, so we started up the next road to find it. But as we left the location, we realized that the signal disappeared and couldn’t be copied at any other location with that amount of attenuation in use. So back to the AIN T and out with the sniffer. The thing that made the sniff hard, was that this T had a 1 min 16 sec duty cycle on it and Deryl’s T had a 30 sec. Duty cycle. So it took some time to locate it. Finally did and signed into a T with no ID on the sign in sheet, so I have no idea who’s T it was. Now off to the freeway down to Rainbow exit. Here where more T’s. Jippy’s T’s oh wow! There should be a bunch of them here! Well finding them was another story. The strongest T was located at a power tower that the only way up was a very very steep rutted out dirt road. Oh well! Up we went and over the top with much wheel spinning and dust. But we made it. We could hear another T that would come on just before this T and it was further south. So we went up this little road that parallels the freeway, and located squawk box T. We found Jippy here watching a car fire on the freeway. It is now 4:38pm. So I tell Steve to jump in, we haven’t much time to find ten more T’s. On the way north on old hwy 395, we passed a T and bagged it at 4:58pm. I think this ends our T hunting day. As I count we bagged 14 T’s and had three of ours located, for a final score of 17. Not bad, for a day of F&F (fun and frustration). IDF & SNE found three of our transmitters, and AIN found one. I love these FFA, but next time we need more T’s to locate!