[aprssig] whatever happened to....

[Robert Bruninga]

> I worked the 100 Acre Wood Rally (www.100aw.org)...
> oftentimes, net control would ask how many vehicles 
> have entered/exited a stage, and more than once, 
> we lost a vehicle either in service, or in transit.

Easy to do.  Just station someone at each check point with a D7
HT.

Each time a vehicle passes his checkpoint, all that HT user has
to do is change his MYCALL to the vehicle ID and send out a few
packets.  This will add that vehicle's object to that location.
Done.

You preload the D7 with its location, so that all the objects
will use that location.  I'd suggest adding position ambiguity
so that all these vehicle symbols at each station are spread out
a little bit on the map display...

It should be very easy to quickly dial in vehicle numbers on the
HT since all you have to do is inc/decrement the digits from the
last one...  Then press the BCON button until you see
confirmation that it was digipeated, and then you know all
surrounding APRS displays are updated.

This also lets each D7 Holder SEE on his D7 display where all
the vehicles are (in range and bearing from his location)...

Too few people use these radios to their full potential...
Bob, WB4APR

> APRS seems like a logical tool to help aleviate this problem a
bit...
> 
> since it is impossible to expect every entrant to have an APRS
rig in
> their car (or be licensed for that matter) and we already have
radio
> people at the start and finish lines....
> 
> IF the entrant's scorecards could be barcoded, they could be 
> scanned on
> the way IN to a stage and on the way OUT of a stage.
> 
> they could also be scanned IN to service and OUT of service.
> 
> With a GUI of some form that could display data received 
> (tabulated....so
> maybe in columns with respect to which callsign has checked 
> in, and totals
> for each station...  so under KC9UMR would be all cars 
> checked into stage
> X, and under K9FRT would be all cars checked OUT of stage X, 
> with similar
> arrangements for service and all other stages)
> 
> The only "issue" might be coming up with a single digi that 
> could cover
> the entire race area, though if one or two stations could 
> digipeat for the
> event, that might fix tat as well, since only STARTS FINISHES 
> and SERVICE
> need to be on the network....
> 
> at this point, it would probably be cut off from the APRS
world, (most
> stages are well away from APRS coverage anyway), but the main 
> part is to
> get the info from point A to point B....
> 
> 
> > seems to me it would be entirely up to you as to whether or 
> not it is
> > useful.
> >
> > If the barcode scanner had an RS232 output and the bar code
was long
> > enough, you could print a complete APRS packet on the
barcode and
> > connect the scanner straight to a TNC.  Not sure if barcodes
can be
> > that long...
> >
> > A bit of glue logic on a microcontroller or a laptop could
map some
> > sort of code to APRS and assist with generating packets.
> >
> > Want to tell us about your application?
> >
> > -Jason
> > kg4wsv
> >
> >