[aprssig] Where are the Canteens?

[Kevin.Paetzold]

I received this message on another list that I am on and I thought it might
be of interest to this list.

73,

K1KWP

--------------------------------------------

Message: 1
   Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 00:43:54 -0400
   From: Frank Murphy <n1dhw at comcast.net>
Subject: Where are the Canteens?

The Story:

There are still 60 Salvation Army Canteens and 3 mobile kitchen trailers
serving Florida's hungry and homeless from Hurricane Charley.  While most
are located at pre-selected shelters and locations, 9 canteens are
performing mobile duty and are equipped with ham operators and APRS radios.
Since their location is known at all times, the closest unit can be
dispatched quickly to a specific area in need, or it can easily be located
and re-supplied on location.

To see how it works, and for those who have in interest in APRS and would
like to see how the Salvation Army Canteens are being tracked in Florida,
follow the link below.

     <http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=w5mel-2>

To locate other units once you have logged onto the first canteen, simply
change the last number in your address window to a 1 through 9 and hit
ENTER.

Below are some bits from emails I received from Mark/ AE5MH.  I would say
that he and those other Oklahoma hams responsible did themselves, ham radio,
and SATERN proud. They went that extra mile.

> In a few weeks (post event) I'm posting an article with pics to the ARRL
HQ
> for printing and will most assuredly post it on several locations and
relay
> it thru SA chains. Mark/AE5MH.

> " I'm really glad this system is getting some interest!
>
> Our system uses the amateur radio "Automated Position Reporting System"
> (APRS).  With a program called UI-View written by Roger Barker, and either
> Street Atlas (9.0 or earlier) or a program called Precision Maps written
by
> a company called Undertow software.  7.0 is the latest but not the
greatest
> as there is a problem with the compatibility.  6.0 works fantastic!  The
> issue with the newest release should be resolved soon.   With this mapping
> software, you can load a map behind the beacon data with only INET access
by
> accessing the APRS "Server"."There is a list of these servers on that
page."

I'm sure we all look forward to reading Marks story on how these units got
to Florida, where they came from, and who was responsible for this effort.

Frank Murphy - N1DHW  Massachusetts SATERN Coordinator