Trans-Mission

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In the mid 19 century when Marconi first made the radio, an Indian gentleman of grandiloquent wealth used this means of communication to hide the location of his treasure vault placed somewhere within the IIT campus. Recent findings have made us believe that to reach the final treasure, one has to decipher two set of codes being transmitted via two different transmitters. This year Techfest 2009 gives you a chance to find this treasure by receiving the transmitted signals and cracking the code. Act fast as you're not the only one around! It's a race against time and teams in this fun-filled event at Techfest 2009!

1. Problem Statement

Design a radio direction-finding circuit and actually use it in a race against others to find the treasure.

The game popularly known as Fox Hunting requires you to indigenously design and build a circuit that can find three different radio sources transmitting a Morse code, each at a specified frequency and obtain the code to unravel the location of the subsequent transmitter and the final treasure (fox).

Prizes worth INR 20,000 to be won.

View the Competition Details »

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2.1 Competition Details

1. Each team will be given a map of IIT campus with the various locations of about 100 m x 100 m as possible location of transmitters marked on it.
2. Participants will be given the exact frequency and the area (100 m x 100 m) of location of first transmitter.
3. The first transmitter will emit a Morse code, which will indicate an approximate 100 m x 100 m area where the next transmitter would be hidden. Also when a team is able to locate the first transmitter then they would be given the exact frequency of the next transmitter.
4. Similarly, the second transmitter will emit a Morse code, which will indicate an approximate 100 m x 100 m area where the final transmitter (fox) would be hidden. Also when a team is able to locate the second transmitter then they would be given the exact frequency of the final transmitter (fox).
5. The team which is able to locate the final fox in the shortest time would be winner.
6. The terrain in which the participants have to compete will be geographically a flat one, but it may have several buildings and trees.
7. All the transmitters would transmit at different frequencies but between the range of 144- 146 MHz, FM.

2.2 Circuit Specifications

1. Participants are permitted the use of readymade antennas as available commercially.
2. Apart from the antenna, all other parts of the circuit must be designed and assembled by the participants themselves. Direct use of any readymade circuitry is not permitted. Use of ICs and local oscillators however is permitted as available commercially.
3. Use of simple measuring instrument (e.g. meters for current and voltage measurements) only, is permitted.
4. It is suggested to make use of the following:
   
   • A directional Antenna.
   • A signal strength indicator.
   • Wide range RF gain controls (attenuator), so that it is able to take readings in the vicinity of the transmitter.
5. Teams may use alternative methods such as triangulation (trigonometry) for the task.

View the Rules »

3.1 Competition Rules

1. The maximum time given to teams for finding the treasure is 3 hrs. If none of the teams are able to find the transmitter in that time, depending on the availability of time, a rerun/extension shall be conducted.
2. Teams are not allowed to use any telecommunication device(s) without the approval of the organizers. If found doing so, organizers reserve the right to disqualify such teams and no further requests shall be entertained in this regard.
3. Teams are not allowed to interact with one another and/or share any details related to the competition with any non-team member during the competition.
4. One day before the actual event, teams shall be shown the transmitter one at a time and will have a chance to make suitable modifications in their respective receivers.
5. The team to find the treasure in the shortest time, without violating any of the above rules, wins!
6. In case two teams find the transmitter simultaneously, the winner shall be decided subjectively on the following points:
   
   • Power consumption of the circuit.
   • Versatility of the circuit.
   • User-friendliness of the circuit.
   • Portability of the entire system.

3.2 Elimination Details

1. For screening purposes an abstract of the circuit should be submitted, details of which will be put up at a later stage. This information shall be kept confidential.
2. An abstract of the circuit, not exceeding more than 5 pages (Times New Roman, min. font size 12) in doc/txt/pdf format should be mailed on or before 10th December 2008 to trans-mission@techfest.org.
3. Rename the file as TMXXXX.ext, where ext denotes the extension of the file, and mail it to trans-mission@techfest.org, with the subject Abstract - TMXXXX; where XXXX denotes the team registration no.
4. Techfest will not be responsible for any email bounces. Upon successful receipt of the mail, an acknowledgement mail will be sent to the participant.
5. These details will remain confidential with Techfest 2009, and will not be shared without the consent of the participant.
6. Remember that the abstract that you submit should give a fairly good idea about the circuit and strategy that you are using. Put the details as briefly as you can. Some minor changes in your circuit can be made after you submit the abstract.

3.3 General Rules

1. The teams must adhere to the spirit of healthy competition. The teams must not damage their fellow participant's circuit in any way. Judges reserve the right to disqualify any team found indulging in misbehavior.
2. Any team that is not ready after the specified time will be disqualified from the competition automatically.
3. Judges decision shall be treated as final and binding on all.
4. The organizers reserve all rights to change any or all of the above rules as they deem fit. Change in rule, if any, will be highlighted on the website.

3.4 Team Specifications

A team may consist of a maximum of 4 members. Students from different educational institutes can form a team.

3.5 Eligibility

All students with a valid identity card of their respective educational institutes are eligible to participate in Trans-Mission at Techfest 2009.

3.6 Certificate Policy

All eligible teams that succeed in finding the treasure within the stipulated time, without breaking any of the rules will be awarded with participation certificates.

3.7 Registration

Registration for Trans-Mission has started. Click here to register.

3.8 Accommodation

• Due to the limited accommodation facilities, teams will be short listed for accommodation based on the following abstract provided by the team.
• All participants who want accommodation at IIT Bombay during Techfest should fill the abstract form and rename the .doc file as ".doc" and email the form to trans-mission[at]techfest[dot]org. The abstract should reach us latest by 2359 hrs on 15th December 2008. No more requests for accommodation will be entertained thereafter.
• Abstract submission is required even if one does not want accomodation.
• Click here to download the abstract format.
• Accommodation registrations have started. To register for accommodation, click here.

3.9 Important Dates

1. Last date for registration for participant who don't require accommodation at IIT Bombay is 25th December, 2008. Participants need to send the abstracts even if they don't want the accommodation for the purpose of elimination.
2. Last date for submitting the abstract for participants who require accommodation at IIT Bombay is 15th December, 2008.
3. Last date of registrations for the participants who wish to avail accommodation at IIT Bombay is 15th December, 2008.

View the Resources »

4.1 Resources

For more details, refer:

1. www.geocities.com/hagtronics/2_meter.html
2. www.radioshop.co.uk/tech_articles/2mrx.htm
3. www.open-circuit.co.uk/rox2t.php

For information and practice on Morse Code, visit aa9pw.com/morsecode.