[aprssig] APRS in Disaster area

[Robert Bruninga]

I only posted about using APRS via satellites
because someone asked.

I think it is far more productive to spend our
efforts on the periphery of the disaster to
get digipeaters in there.  Here are some suggestions:

Everyone in the area set your mobile or fixed
or portable station to be a WIDEn-N digi until the
infrastrucutre is back in place.  Use 
a laptop to set your D700:

UIFLOOD TEMP,ID
UITRACE WIDE

BUT WHEN THIS IS NO LONGER NEEDED, YOU 
MUST TURN IT BACK OFF WITH A PC also.

When you retire for the nite, leave your
radio and digi ON, and park on a hill...
While mobile, and until the channel begins
to come back alive, set your rate to 
every 2 minutes.    Often is better in this
case to show where your digi is... 

SET VOICE ALERT!!!  That means turn
up band A volume and set CTCSS 100.
You wont hear anything uless you are
in direct simplex range of someone
else doing the same thing!  Never turn
the vollume down, or if you do, then
also remove the CTCSS so that you are
not TRANSMITTING with that PL.

Transmitting with PL100 is like calling
CQ and guaranteeing you are listening
for repllies.  If you are not listening, then
do not transmit with PL 100... ever.

And remember, if you DO call someone on
voice alert, you must use the words "voice
alert" or he will assume you came in on his
other channel, will call you there, and you
wont hear him and so communications will
not be established.  His speaker does not
tell him what channel you came in on.

You must... since otherwise the APRS
channel is totally silent with CTCSS 100.

de WB4APR, Bob