[aprssig] Low band APRS (was Re: 9600b UHF APRS IS THE FUTURE OFAPRS)

[Robert Bruninga]

> > My pet peeve is that there is no 10 meter
> > FM 1200 BPS packet frequency. For rural areas *that* 
> > is the ticket with plenty of surplus hi power "low band" 
> > commercial stuff available.

I used to think that as well, but I finally got a 10m rig and
put it in the car and then put a beaocn on the roof at work into
a 5/8 wave vertical on a metal roof.  I was absolutely
astonished when I drove home that the range was LESS than 2
meters!

Maybe I was doing something wrong, but I gave up.  It wanst
worth it.  And I was using SSB mode and not FM   (I actually
wanst trying to decode packets, just see how far I could HEAR
it.  And the range was so miserable compared to 2m, that I never
persued it..

I think the reason the Highway Patrol gets good range at 30 MHz
is because they have really tall antenna towers and can put
several vertical elements to give them some gain at 30 MHz.
Then they are also not in an urban environment but the open
road.

But if anyone can prove me wrong here, I woiuld love to find a
way to use the 10m band.  But NOT FM.  There are not enough FM
channels on the 10m band to be able to afford one for APRS, (I
don't think)  I may be wrong there too, but during the good
sunspot cycle, I bet and APRS channel would be useless and
opposed by most.


De WB4APR, Bob